Lewisia 'Little Peach'

Lewisia 'Little Peach': Peachy Pink Stars Bridging Pink and Yellow

Ask 'Little Peach' how it's doing and the answer is always the same. Soft pink and orange stars blend into the perfect peach on a tidy rosette in the rock garden. EVERYTHING IS JUST PEACHY, THANKS FOR ASKING.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Lewisia longipetala hybrid 'Little Peach'
• Common Name: Cliff Maids, Lewisia
• Height: 15 cm (6 in) in flower
• Spread: 20–25 cm (8–10 in)
• Flowers: Star-shaped, a blend of soft pink and yellow-orange that reads as peach
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June), reblooming in September
• Foliage: Narrow, fleshy, dark green leaves in a low rosette

Where to Plant: Use it in rock gardens, stone wall pockets, gravel beds, troughs, and containers on a sunny step. Keep big, leafy plants away so it never gets shaded or smothered.

Companion Plants: Give 'Little Peach' sharp drainage in a rock garden or gravel bed, with pinks and coneflowers that like the same dry feet. Dianthus Fruit Punch® 'Whipped Cream' adds fragrant white pinks at 20 to 25 cm in June and July. Echinacea SunMagic® Vintage Pink brings rosy pink coneflowers at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Pink Truffles' adds soft pink spikes at 120 to 140 cm in June and July. Festuca mairei adds a dense, arching clump at 60 to 90 cm in flower.

Plant Care: Give it fast-draining, gritty soil and plant the crown a touch above grade. Heavy clay is a problem; amend it heavily with gravel or grow the plant in a raised bed or pot. A collar of stone chips around the rosette keeps water from sitting where it can cause rot. Water to get it established, then let it dry out between waterings. It may take a short summer rest. Snip off old flower stems after the first flush to keep it tidy and encourage fall bloom. Winter wet is a bigger threat than winter cold. A sloped or vertical site helps it come through a Canadian spring thaw in good shape.

History: 'Little Peach' belongs to the Little Series from Jelitto Perennial Seeds in Germany, one of its first lewisia introductions alongside 'Little Plum' and 'Little Mango'. All are Lewisia longipetala hybrids of garden origin, and the genus carries the name of explorer Meriwether Lewis.

Final Thoughts: Wet feet are its only deal breaker, so give it gravel and good drainage. Treat it right and it comes back for a second date. A LITTLE PEACH WITH STANDARDS.