Gerald L. Klingaman
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Botanical Name
Mimulus lewisii
Plant Common Name
Lewis's Monkey-flower
General Description
Reserve this perennial, pink-flowered monkey-flower for higher elevation gardens where it thrives in the short season between snowfalls. This lovely wildflower is native to much of the North American West, from Alaska to California, but is most common in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. It prefers moisture-rich sites along streams or below snow banks and glaciers where conditions are well-drained but consistently moist. This makes it a bit tricky to grow in lower elevation gardens where climate and soil are less than favorable.
The leaves of this mounding perennial are bright light green and broadly lance-shaped. In the short alpine summer the herbaceous stems become covered with large, tubular, lipped flowers in shades of pink, bright rose and white. Blotches and yellow pollinator guides decorate the throats of each snapdragon-like bloom. Insects and hummingbirds pollinate the blooms and seed-filled capsules follow.
This bushy, upright, spreading alpine thrives in sites with partial sun to partial shade and consistently moist sandy, gravelly soil. Like others of its ilk, it produces lot of seed and tends to self-sow. This lovely wildflower is a pleasing high-elevation beauty able to naturalize along moist, mountain streamsides. It also may be grown in containers with moist, well-drained medium, if grown where summer temperatures remain cool and mild.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
7 - 5
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USDA Hardiness Zone
5 - 7
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Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 6, 7, 9
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Plant Type
Perennial
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
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Height
1'-3' / 0.3m - 0.9m
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Width
2'-3' / 0.6m - 0.9m
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Bloom Time
Summer, Late Summer
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Native To
Western United States, California
