Hi, it sounds as though you have the evergreen species, you can't actually divide them, but you can detatch the offsets of the evergreen ones in early summer, the deciduous ones are propagated from seed in autumn, Derek.

Thank you Derek, unfortunately I'm not sure. According to the label in the pot they are 'Lewisia, Special Mix' it is described as an alpine with bicolour flowers prized in spring and summer. It goes on to say it is perfect in rock gardens or stone wall crevices. It doesn't say if it is evergreen or deciduous and I'm unable to see any 'offsets'

Hi, the evergreen species grow naturally in shade, among rocks or in crevices, so I suppose they could be referred to as alpine, they sound as though they're cultivars of the evergreen species, and if 1or2 of the rosettes are a bit smaller than others, these will probably be the offsets, try gently scraping away a bit of the soil, see if there are any signs of small roots, if so try detatching them next summer, if there are any seeds left on the flower stems you could try sowing some, but they wont come true, Derek.

Thanks Derek,
I'll give all that a try and see how we go on :)Julia

Hi Julia - I've discovered that the main thing with Lewisia is that they HATE water "from above" if that makes sense. If you can plant them at an angle, they are more likely to survive - it would be such a shame to lose them as they are so pretty. This year is the first time I've managed to keep one going, it is in a pot with a stone under one edge to make it slope!

Hi Sheila,
I'm intending to put them in an abandoned strawberry planter, I read somewhere they are perfect for Lewisia because as you rightly say, they dislike water from above, (apparently, if left in the base of the leaves it can rot the plant) and prefer to have a free draining site. I'm just not sure what to put in the top of the planter...any suggestion?

Brilliant - the strawberry planter sounds ideal. The black grass Opiophogon 'nigra' with its cascading habit would make a nice contrast with the Lewisia, and not shield them from too much sun?

Thanks for that Sheila, will it be ok in the winter to leave outside?

Yes, it is completely hardy.

Thanks :)