Lewisia 'Rainbow'

Lewisia 'Rainbow': Evergreen Rosettes in Every Colour Going

'Rainbow' showed up to the rock garden with the whole box of crayons and refused to pick just one. Pink, purple, red-orange, yellow or white, every plant does its own thing. COLOURING INSIDE THE LINES IS FOR OTHER PLANTS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Lewisia cotyledon 'Rainbow' (also sold as 'Regenbogen'), colour mix
• Common Name: Siskiyou Lewisia, Cliff Maids
• Height: 15–25 cm (6–10 in) in flower
• Spread: 25–30 cm (10–12 in)
• Flowers: Funnel-shaped, single or semi-double, in a mix of pink, purple, red-orange, yellow and white. Each plant has its own colour.
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Evergreen rosettes of thick, fleshy, strap-shaped leaves
• Features: Evergreen

Where to Plant: This is a classic for rock gardens, dry stone walls, crevice gardens, gravel beds and alpine troughs. It looks best planted on its side in a wall or wedged between rocks, where water drains straight away from the rosette. It's also lovely in a shallow container on a sunny ledge.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Rainbow' in a sunny rock garden or gravel bed with pinks, a dark sedum and tall rose coneflowers. Dianthus Rockin'™ Pink Magic adds white-to-pink fringed flowers at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. Sedum 'Dark Magic' brings dark leaves and pink flowers at 30 to 38 cm from August to October. Echinacea 'Magnus' adds rose-purple coneflowers at 90 to 100 cm from July to September. Schizachyrium 'The Blues' rises at 60 to 90 cm in powder blue.

Plant Care: Plant in very well-drained, gritty soil that's neutral to slightly acidic. Set the rosette a little high, ideally at an angle, and surround the neck with gravel. Water sitting in the rosette leads to rot, so avoid overhead watering and heavy clay. Water to establish, then only in extended dry spells. Remove faded flower stems after blooming. No pruning or dividing is needed; new offsets form around the main rosette over time. Winter wet is the real enemy. A vertical spot in a wall, a sloped rock garden or a container under a roof overhang gives it the best chance through a Canadian spring thaw.

History: Lewisia cotyledon grows wild on rocky slopes in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and northern California, and the genus is named after Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Jelitto Perennial Seeds in Germany introduced this colour mixture in 1989 as 'Regenbogen', which is German for rainbow.

Final Thoughts: Evergreen rosettes keep it looking sharp even when it's off duty. Plant a cluster and let them argue over who's prettiest. EVERYBODY WINS.