Lewisias-2011

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10) Lewisia, Claytonia, Talinum and other Portulaceae

I grow a range of Lewisia species in pots in the greenhouse to give myself some summer colour whilst my winter flowering bulbs are sleeping. Here's my first of the season a lovely little yellow L. cotyledon Sunset Strain. The Sunset seed srain was developed years ago by the famous Jack Drake of Inshriach Nursery in Scotland.

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deesen's picture

deesen (not verified)

Mon, 06/27/2011 - 4:13am

A few more.

An apricot/pink Lewisa cotyledon grown from home collected seed.
L. cotyledon 'Snowstorm', a very nice white
L. cotyledon var howellii
A magenta version of L. cotyledon Sunset Strain

Lori S.'s picture

Lori S. (not verified)

Mon, 06/27/2011 - 8:08pm

Gorgeous plants!  Thanks for posting!  Your photos are really excellent as well... do you use something as a backdrop?  (Or do you just happen to have the cleanest, neatest greenhouse in the world?  ;))

deesen's picture

deesen (not verified)

Tue, 06/28/2011 - 1:11am

Thanks Lori. My greenhouse is as untidy as anybodiesI I use a piece of water-colour art board painted grey as a backdrop which is something I picked up from Ian Young. Being a Scot with Yorkshire blood, Ian, of course, wouldn't pay good money (£1 in my case) for a piece of art board though! (Hope he doesn't see this ;D )

deesen's picture

deesen (not verified)

Wed, 06/29/2011 - 2:32pm

He did! After being prompted by someone who shall remain nameless ;D

deesen's picture

deesen (not verified)

Mon, 07/11/2011 - 11:25am

Lewisia columbiana alba

Lori S.'s picture

Lori S. (not verified)

Mon, 07/11/2011 - 10:00pm

Very pretty - there is nothing more pristine than perfect, white flowers.

Richard T. Rodich's picture

Richard T. Rodich

Tue, 07/12/2011 - 8:27am

Hey!  I was going to say that...
The tall "spike" has an interesting structure, growing perfectly upright and symmetric.  Probably anamolous for lewisia, but I like it.  Nice size tuber, too.

deesen's picture

deesen (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 2:28pm
RickR wrote:

Hey!  I was going to say that...
The tall "spike" has an interesting structure, growing perfectly upright and symmetric.  Probably anamolous for lewisia, but I like it.  Nice size tuber, too.

Probably fighting for it's share of the light in my dirty greenhouse Rick ;D

Toole's picture

Toole (not verified)

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 12:29am

Lewisia brachycalyx .......hopefully    :) (i've grown so many in the past that have turned out to be other sps). >:(

Cheers Dave

Michael J Campbell's picture

Michael J Campbell (not verified)

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 3:07am
Quote:

Lewisia brachycalyx .......hopefully 

Dave, you have got the real thing this time. Keep it well away from Nevadensis if you want true seed.

Cheers

Michael.

Toole's picture

Toole (not verified)

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 1:28pm

Thanks Hoy and David ,

Pleased to have the confirmation Michael   ;D.

My large patch of L. nevadensis is at the front of the house some distance from the pot above--fingers crossed.

Cheers Dave.  

Sellars's picture

Sellars (not verified)

Sun, 10/02/2011 - 7:24am

That is a fabulous Lewisia Dave.  Must be very satisfying to grow such an elegant plant.

I have had trouble with L. brachycalyx in the open garden as the slugs love the soft new growth. Same problem with L. nevadensis.  Fortunately they do not go for L. rediviva which is just starting to emerge in the garden here with the onset of cool weather.

Trond Hoy's picture

Trond Hoy

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 4:40am
deesen wrote:

Very nice Dave. I don't find rediviva at all easy.

Yes, very nice! I have for a while, given up growing other lewisias than the common 13 a dozen types you get at the supermarked ;)

Luc Gilgemyn's picture

Luc Gilgemyn (not verified)

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 2:50am

Well done Dave !  Looks splendid !

Toole's picture

Toole (not verified)

Tue, 12/06/2011 - 11:24pm

Thanks all.

deesen wrote:

Very nice Dave. I don't find rediviva at all easy.

Neither do i David .

As i don't have any more room in my covered frames the pots are left outside in various positions all year round with the result many don't reappear after their dormant period.
A local friend has good success growing L.rediviva in raised sand beds .

I think you say it all John with your comment about being "common on the dry slopes around Reno"......

Lewisia rediviva x L.cotyledon is far more accommodating in my climate.

Oops --just seen there is a separate thread for L. rediviva   :-[---one of the Moderators might like to move my postings .....

Cheers Dave

Doreen Mear's picture

Doreen Mear

Tue, 12/06/2011 - 11:45pm

Greetings Dave! Just joined the forum yesterday, so excuse me whilst I do a bit of testing ... testing ... testing to upload my Lewisia rediviva pic. It grows very well for me in pots, loves the hot and dry up here, but I haven't managed to keep it going out in the garden so far. But with a few more seedlings coming along, I might have another go - I'm aiming for a vista to match David S's magical video from the Okanagan!

I'm collecting seeds at the moment so if anyone wants any - (Fermi?)

Tim Ingram's picture

Tim Ingram (not verified)

Wed, 12/07/2011 - 12:54am

That is a glorious plant Doreen! Peter Korn showed a picture of L. tweedyii growing outside on a sand bed in Sweden which amazed me, so maybe rediviva would do but surely it would need summer cover like a choice bulb?

Cliff Booker's picture

Cliff Booker

Wed, 12/07/2011 - 1:45pm

Wow Doreen, even John Forrest would be proud of that beauty!
I have a pleasing number of small plants in leaf under glass at the moment - I hope they will perform like yours over the years to come.  Do you feed to build them up?

deesen's picture

deesen (not verified)

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 1:56am
Doreen wrote:

Greetings Dave! Just joined the forum yesterday, so excuse me whilst I do a bit of testing ... testing ... testing to upload my Lewisia rediviva pic. It grows very well for me in pots, loves the hot and dry up here, but I haven't managed to keep it going out in the garden so far. But with a few more seedlings coming along, I might have another go - I'm aiming for a vista to match David S's magical video from the Okanagan!

I'm collecting seeds at the moment so if anyone wants any - (Fermi?)

WOW

Doreen Mear's picture

Doreen Mear

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 2:00am

Tim: This photo is actually a year old - the plant has even more flowers on this year but for some reason, in succession rather than all at once so it didn't make such an eye-catching picture. I don't have a greenhouse, no frames even, so everything has to take its chance outside, maybe with a length of shade netting thrown over it when the temperature gets to 30+. Don't have much success with tweedyi, but I keep on trying!

Cliff: Very gritty compost, and very little food, maybe a splash of Miracle-Gro once in a while. I think I have the climate to thank for this plant - hot dry summers and cold dry winters, a bit different from Lancashire (and Huddersfield!)

deesen's picture

deesen (not verified)

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 4:54am

..... and Devon too ;D

Richard T. Rodich's picture

Richard T. Rodich

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 6:59am

I too, am admiring with envy you Lewisia rediviva, Doreen. 

I assumed those were more flower buds in the photo, but am I wrong?

I am not sure I could grow that here, as it would still get a zone 4 winter.  But there were still Lewisia rediviva seed in the NARGS second round, so I ordered.  Some other(s) got them before me, though. So the experiment will wait.

Lori S.'s picture

Lori S. (not verified)

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 7:45am

I don't think a zone 4 winter should really be a problem for it, Rick.  It's native to southern Alberta and BC.  I have grown it here, also, in a trough... can't claim I did that very well, though, as it only lasted a small number of years.  I would assume it was more unsuitable conditions than a lack of cold hardiness that did it in.

Sellars's picture

Sellars (not verified)

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 8:09pm
Tim wrote:

surely it would need summer cover like a choice bulb?

Dave and Doreen: Thanks for the lovely photos of L. rediviva in flower from New Zealand.  I took a photo today of what the plant currently looks like in the Northern Hemisphere.  We grow them outside with no cover in a very well drained sunny bed with no overhead watering when they are dormant in the summer. They seem to do best in a sand bed and this year I am experimenting with slow release fertilizer applied in the Fall to see if it helps in building the huge taproot. The really nice thing about growing this species is that it can take whatever winter weather is thrown at it from torrential rain to freezing cold.

Mark McDonough's picture

Mark McDonough

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 8:14pm

David, that was my experience growing L. rediviva in rainy ol' Seattle area (Washington).  They were planted in large raised sand mounds, some had flat rocks placed over the base of the horizontally planted rhizome with the eye exposed (the way they were found when I viewed them in the Wenatchee Mountains of eastern Washington State), and even with tons of rain and dreary conditions, they persisted and flowered outside in the garden.

Doreen Mear's picture

Doreen Mear

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 10:58pm
RickR wrote:

I too, am admiring with envy you Lewisia rediviva, Doreen. 

I assumed those were more flower buds in the photo, but am I wrong?

I am not sure I could grow that here, as it would still get a zone 4 winter.  But there were still Lewisia rediviva seed in the NARGS second round, so I ordered.  Some other(s) got them before me, though. So the experiment will wait.

Hello Rick. Yes, more buds still to open in the centre, and spent flowers to the outside, so it's good value, giving a colourful show for a couple of weeks. If you don't get any seeds from the Seed Ex (next week - can't wait!!!) I'd be happy to send you some if you give me your address.

Doreen Mear's picture

Doreen Mear

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 11:11pm
David wrote:

Tim wrote:

surely it would need summer cover like a choice bulb?

Dave and Doreen: Thanks for the lovely photos of L. rediviva in flower from New Zealand.  I took a photo today of what the plant currently looks like in the Northern Hemisphere.  We grow them outside with no cover in a very well drained sunny bed with no overhead watering when they are dormant in the summer. They seem to do best in a sand bed and this year I am experimenting with slow release fertilizer applied in the Fall to see if it helps in building the huge taproot. The really nice thing about growing this species is that it can take whatever winter weather is thrown at it from torrential rain to freezing cold.

I was looking at your superb YouTube clip of L. rediviva in the Okanagan, magic! I was there in 2007 (up that same road!) - flowers gone over but I spotted some seedpods, which I brought home and germinated and which are also flowering now.  (And yes, the tour leader OK'd it, as did our Customs!) Nice to see the variation in colour, flower size and petal shape from the wild collected seedlings. Striking similarities between where I live and the Okanagan, both fruit-growing areas and handy to ski slopes. We do freezing cold here but not torrential rain thankfully! 

Sellars's picture

Sellars (not verified)

Fri, 12/09/2011 - 3:38pm

Doreen:

You did well to collect seed at that site.  We were back there this past summer and most of the seed pods had blown away in that very windy location. We did find a few pods lodged in the brush so we were able to collect some seed.

I too love the colour variation in L. rediviva.  Glad you liked the video.

Doreen Mear's picture

Doreen Mear

Fri, 12/09/2011 - 10:38pm
David wrote:

Doreen:

You did well to collect seed at that site.  We were back there this past summer and most of the seed pods had blown away in that very windy location. We did find a few pods lodged in the brush so we were able to collect some seed.

I too love the colour variation in L. rediviva.  Glad you liked the video.

I was in luck then, finding a few pods. Would have liked to have seen them flowering up there, but having them here is the next best thing, reminds me of a superb holiday.