Lewisia

Lewisia Cotyleon is a treasure blooming prolifically in my scree garden now. Lewisia is a native of western North American from California to Alaska and eastward to the Prairies. It usually grows at high elevations in gravelly soil with a little humus content.

Lewisia looks like a succulent (but it's not), its leaves growing in a rosette. The flowers on this variety (‘Little Plum’) bloom low to the ground in a circle around the leaves.

Sadly, I’ve killed a few of these plants in the past, planting them in regular soil where they lasted the season but died the following winter. But THIS ONE not only survived last summer's drought but also the winter of 2007-08! Obviously, Lewisia is one plant that resents being pampered. Ha! Give it nothing and it’s happy.