Can you think of another way to say “has pink flowers”?

Phew... So, I've not been writing much here lately because I've been busy writing plant descriptions and other text for the 2013 Arrowhead Alpines online catalog. Which, along with a whole redesign of the website and catalog and a new logo and all sorts of other fun new stuff went live this morning. There is still a bit to do actually, more descriptions to update and photos to add, but we've gotten a LOT done, and pretty proud of how it is coming together.

I am, however, pretty darn tired of describing plants. I like writing, and I like plants, I like writing about plants. But after a few hours, it can get a bit maddening. There are a lot of plants in the world with pink flowers. And we grow a lot of tiny rock garden things. And I only have so many synonyms for those traits at my disposal. After a while, one gets slap happy, and the descriptions get increasingly bizarre...

That being said, there are a quite a few new things in the catalog this year that I'm really excited about. Excited enough to link to them here, but not enough to write more than pretty minimal descriptions here... follow the link to what I say in the catalog if you are intrigued.

Lakeside Daisy

A crazy rare, beautiful, highly endangered native plant. With shrinking habitat to grow on in the wild, it could really use a safe haven in your garden.

Plantago 'Purple Perversion'

I'm SO stoked about this... the first ever variety I've bred to actually be for sale! Yes, it is a crazy version of a weed that no sane gardener would really grow, but hey, don't burst my bubble. And it IS kinda cool looking.

More and more daphnes! You may have noticed that I've gotten bit by the daphne bug in a BIG way since starting at Arrowhead. I love the things without any hint of moderation. They make my heart go pitter-patter We've gotten some new things from Brigitta's collection propagated and in the catalog, some for the first time ever, and more will be on the way later this year. I'm also scheming to start breeding the things when the come into bloom this spring. Going to be EPIC.

A bunch of spiny stuff...

Keep this up and we're going to end up as Danger Garden East... We've got some really nice agaves, and I really love the Escobaria cacti we grew from seed this year. They're incredibly cute, hardy, AND not as obnoxiously vicious as those darn opuntias. I'm officially going on record as loathing opuntias. Yes, they are cool looking, but not cool enough to make up for their bad temper.

So. That is that. Happy 2013 shopping season everyone! I'm going to be busy taking cuttings a lot for the next little while, which leaves lots of time to think up blog posts, so stand by for more content here in the near future. Maybe. Brigitta said something about putting together another list of descriptions that need writing, so we'll see.

Saturday Morning Garden Cartoon: Scientific names

Still looking good

Here in Michigan, we spend a lot of time with it being winter. I'm not opposed to that -- it is a quiet, restful time, and I like the break. But I still want the garden to look good. So the other day I took the camera out and walked around the Arrowhead Gardens to see what was still gorgeous despite the dark, gray time of year.

First up, Daphnes!

The wonderful 'Audrey Vochins' is STILL flowering. Which is a bit crazy.We've had weather, but still, dropped well into the low 20s. But still flowering. Daphnes are amazing.

Even without flowers, 'Lawrence Crocker' looks great

As does this collection of Daphne xhendersonii varieties, combines with a Thymus 'Lemon Variegated' and the spectacular bark of Pinus bungeana.

In the rock garden, all the dianthus look wonderful

Globularia nana is a green carpet creeping between rocks... can't wait for the lavender flowers come spring. Also can't wait for the cuttings I stuck to get big enough that we can list this gem in the catalog again...

I can't get enough of the spreading silver gorgeousness that is Teucrium 'Mrs. Milstead'

Moving into the shade gardens, Paxistima is a wonderful, underused evergreen ground cover. It takes heat, dry, and cold without complaint and always looks precisely perfect.

Helleborus foetidus is my very favorite of the genus... Admittedly, the flowers aren't that showy, but that FOLIAGE! This is 'Wester Flisk' which has a lovely reddish flush to the leaves in the winter that contrasts to perfection with the chartreuse of the emerging flower spike. We're busy propagating it, people... stand by.

You know by now that I'm obsessed with Cyclamen hederifolium... Can't get enough of them!

Acorus gramineus 'Minima Aurea' is a new obsession of mine. A tiny little grass-like plant with bright gold foliage that can take partial shade... This is a little one I just put in the gardens by the parking lot, hasn't filled in yet, so it looks a bit ratty, but I LOVE the color. And love that it is still that color now.

Finally, a promise of spring... knobby little flower buds on the witch hazel!