Despite the cold spring in these parts the Lewisia rediviva flowers have emerged in the Southern Okanagan. There are hundreds in flower right now about 100 m from Hwy 3, a major highway through Southern British Columbia where it crosses the south ridge of Mount Kobau before descending to the town of Osoyoos.
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.
My Lewisia are sprouting. These are my first. Any advice ?
If I had to pick just one Talinum, it would be this: Talinum brevicaule (formerly T. pulchellum) is found mostly in New Mexico. I obtained my starts as seed from Mesa Gardens years ago and this plant has grown contentedly in my succulent bed alonside cacti for many years now. Aside from heat and drainage, it does need a bit of summer water to keep blooming. Drynes in winter however!
Being up here on the cold, distal end of the North American species distribution, we have only two species of claytonia. The one that occurs in alpine rock crevices and talus is Claytonia megarhiza. While C. lanceolata can occur in huge numbers in turfy alpine meadows, I think I enjoy seeing it's less populous relative (C. megarhiza) somewhat more - the contrast between the hard, angular jumble of rock slabs that it often prefers to grow in, and the fleshy succulence of the leaves, is always an unexpected feast for the eyes, somehow.
Certainly one of the jewels of the western United States is Lewisia rediviva. This photo was taken in central Wyoming along the Beaver Divide a bit east of Lander. Early in July that year our group had been exploring the hoodoos to the west of the Divide and decided to 'botanize' the area. Dick Yeatts came across a patch of these lovelies along the north face of a ravine. The contrast of the brilliantly colored Lewisia with the predominantly muted tones in this place made for quite a sight.