Lewisia columbiana var. rupicola

Lewisias are among the royalty of rock garden plants. This lewisia is smaller in scale than other lewisias, with tight clusters of evergreen leaves, 1 - 3 inches long and ¼-inch wide. Twelve-inch tall sprays of small, open-faced flowers show for weeks in spring and early summer, colored in white with magenta/purple edging and striping. This is a drought-tolerant succulent, with its thick, fleshy leaves storing moisture for times of drought. The plant is less likely to die for a lack of water than it would be to die from over-watering. When grown in the ground of a rockery or rock garden, little if any supplemental watering is needed other than what nature supplies. If grown in a container, it should be watered in summer, but allow the soil dry out thoroughly between waterings. As with many succulents, it will have a thick, fleshy taproot. In the wild, during severe drought it will live on the moisture within its own leaves, and shrivel up to become next to nothing, but will revive as soon as fall rains return. USDA Zones 4 - 8.