Silky Levisia Petals

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Climbing in nature to an altitude of up to 3000 meters above sea level, where gravelly, stony soils dominate, Levizia feels comfortable on alpine hills, in rocky gardens. The leaves of the plant can be evergreen or fall off for the winter. Silky petals of bright color attract the eyes of even the most indifferent person passing by

Native to North America

This plant was born in the Rocky Mountains of North America, and therefore does not require special attention and fertile soil and is useful to gardeners who complain about the stony lands of their summer cottage.

Roots need the comfort provided by a good drainage system, as excess moisture causes the plant to dry out.

Neighborhood with more powerful and lush flowers is also dangerous for

Levisiaas they will quickly crowd out the humble plant. When creating favorable living conditions, Levisia can delight summer residents for decades, remaining in the same place.

Varieties

Nature has created a wide variety of plants of the genus

Levisia (Lewisia), dividing them into two categories.

Those of them that do not shed their leaves during the frost period spend the saved energy on decorativeness, if the florist creates a good drainage system for them, saving the roots of evergreen representatives of the genus from death.

Plants of the second category pay for their unpretentious disposition by the loss of aboveground parts for the cold period.

Levisia blunt-leaved

Evergreen

Levisia blunt-leaved (Lewisia cotyledon) is popular with fans of alpine slides and rocky gardens for decorative bouquets of rosettes of juicy, fleshy leaves. White thick roots of the plant are juicy to match the leaves.

Above the rosette of leaves, flower stalks rise, decorated with large flowers that have absorbed all the shades of the rainbow, from snow-white.

Levisia dwarf

Less colorful, but more resistant to climatic troubles, Levisia dwarf (Lewisia pygmaea) easily reproduces by self-seeding, saving time and effort for the summer resident. The only thing a grower needs is to choose a sunny place with well-drained soil for the plant.

The appearance of small flowers lasts longer than in Levisia dull-leaved, and the leaves dying off for the winter look like long fleshy tongues.

Almost a twin for Levisia dwarf is Levisia nevadensis (Lewisia nevadensis) with snow-white small flowers.

Levisia Tweed

Demanding more attention from the gardener

Levisia Tweed (Lewisia tweedyi) will decorate a rocky garden with wide succulent leaves, forming decorative rosettes, from which several peduncles emerge, decorated with silky petals of a delicate pinkish or yellowish hue.

Renewed Levisia

An amazing viable dwarf with succulent leaves, the height of which does not exceed 5 centimeters.

Rhizome

Renewed Levisia (Lewisia rediviva) is able to revive the plant after a couple of years of dry rest. From the heat, the rhizome goes into hibernation, stopping feeding the leaves, which is why they begin to fade, but, before completely leaving the Earth, they decorate it with pink large graceful flowers.

Growing

The plant's unpretentiousness to the soil does not negate mineral and organic fertilizing. To show the world her silky flowers, Levisia needs to accumulate strength, which will be helped by a weak mullein solution.

Looseness of the soil and drainage will relieve decay and death. Loosening the soil and mulching with small pebbles or other similar materials will help rid Levisia of unwanted applicants for a place in the sun, and get rid of excess moisture.

Reproduction

For germination of rather large dark seeds, cold is required, and therefore, as a rule, the seeds are betrayed to the soil before winter. Spring sowing indoors will speed up flowering time.

Reproduction is possible by separating daughter sockets.

Enemies

The main enemy is excess moisture.

In addition, Levisia is loved by carrot flies, miner flies and slugs, which devour not only the plant, but also the sown seeds.