Macleaya microcarpa ..... PRICE 1@ $8.00

Plume Poppy, a big bold plant with grape leaves turned to grayish bronze and topped with coral and cream plumes that reach 2m or more; it is lovely, but a running menace that could compete with bamboo, so be careful where you plant it.

 

Macronema discoideum .. PRICE 1@ $8.00

An interesting low growing shrub from 11,425’ in Park Co CO. grayish leaves on whitish stems, the soft yellow tinged disc flowers have a sweet spicy vanilla like scent. At one time, this was considered a Haplopapus.

 

Maianthemum bifolium v kamtschatum 'Minima' PRICE 1@ $15.00

A dwarf version of the Eurasian false lily of the valley, white flowers followed by red fruits it is a neat little creeper for the woodland garden.

 

Maianthemum dilatatum 'Baby Moon'    PRICE 1@ $24.00

Unbearably cute with golden edged little round leaves this thing is much nicer than our native canadense, the taxonomy is a bit confused but I believe dilatatum is conspecific with kamtschatum which some consider part of biflorum, how can a genus of 3 or 4 species get so confused? It’s also called Snakeberry and Two Leaved Soloman’s Seal and the ever ubiquitus Wild Lily of the Valley.

 

Malephora crocea ............. PRICE 1@ $6.50

A cool looking South African mesemb with unusual scarlet orange flowers that fade to bronze as they age.

 

Malva moschata alba ..... PRICE 1@ $6.50

Big white mallow; blooms for months, seeds everywhere, a great cottage garden plant.

 

Manfreda virginica ........... PRICE 1@ $6.50

Strange, deciduous Agave relative, it dies down to a succulent rootstock in the winter. In the spring a new rosette of red spotted green leaves emerges. It has proven hardy here and the foliage is quite a conversation piece, and the flowers are cool as well, I suspect it would be much more popular if it was a bit quicker to propagate, we have been working since 1997 to produce enough to offer.

 

Matthioli montana #234 PRICE 1@ $8.00

Jurasek’s collections from western Turkey, a dwarf tufted crucifer with grey downy leaves and large heads of luminescent lavender pink 4-petaled flowers.

 

Mazus radicans .................... PRICE 1@ $5.50

A cool little plant we got from Tony Avent, I half expected M. reptans by another name however this New Zealander is very distinct and a fast grower, there is a fair chance it will prove hardy here, Dick has it out and says it still looks great in January.

 

MAZUS REPTANS ..................... PRICE 1@ $5.50

Prostrate creeping scroph with purple and yellow showy flowers, moist soils, a wonderful weed-excluding groundcover for sun to part shade, Himalayas.

 

MAZUS REPTANS alba.......... PRICE 1@ $5.50

White form of the above.

 

Meehania urticifolia 'Silver Sprinter'           PRICE 1@ $12.00

Stunningly variegated foliage and large minty flowers this is lovely but despite the name it is slow, we have been working for a couple of years to produce enough to list, Gold medals for looks not even a bronze for speed

 

Melittis melissophyllum PRICE 1@ $15.00

Having problems with bastards? Balm ‘em with Bastard Balm, I can see the infomercial now, but wait there’s more, seriously though Melittis is a lovely monotypic (we love monotypic) European labiate with “whorls of the most vivid white pink or purple with ample lip and showy helmet, the whole thing being like a sainted Dead Nettle of inordinate magnificence”. I can’t improve on Farrer’s phytoerotic description my Orange Clean Ginsu knife thing pales by comparison.

 

Mentha capensis himalayensis PRICE 1@ $5.50

Something is wrong here I don’t think the Himalayas have a cape or vice versa.

 

Menyanthes trifoliata . PRICE 1@ $8.00

Bog bean, a strange semi aquatic Gentian relative with a circumboreal distribution, some of these came from Iceland sources, erect racemes of 10-20 fimbriated inch wide white flowers, often flushed with pink these have been utterly spectacular in our waterfall garden, by far the most commented on aquatic we grow.

 

Minuartia circassica ....... PRICE 1@ $6.50

Well its no Daphne circassica but it is a nice enough little cushion; these are from Jurasek, collected from over where all the other circassicas live.

 

Minuartia juniperina ...... PRICE 1@ $6.50

Mojmir’s 1998 collection from the stony slopes of Sultan Dagh where he found it up at 2100m, the dense spiny cushions of needle-like leaves tossing up 5-15cm scapes of white flowers. I love the austere beauty of the spiny cushioned dry-landers displayed against a stark rocky backdrop.

 

MINUARTIA STELLARIA 'FRANK CABOT' PRICE 1@ $5.50

Tight mats of grassy green leaves, this would make the ultimate putting green; on second thought it is too nice to waste on golfers, I played golf once, it wasn’t a total waste, I had a great time collecting hatchling Spiny Softshells from one of the water holes.

 

Minuartia verna .................. PRICE 1@ $5.50

one of the most desirable species with golf green cushions of short bright green foliage, these are not as tight as some that I have seen but still very nice cushion plants.

 

Mirabilis multiflora .......... Price - $12.00

An incredible plant from the western U.S. It's hard to believe it's not more widely grown, large mounds of attractive leathery leaves and brilliant magenta to violet funnel-form flowers, which are produced for many months. It may take a couple of years to settle in, but once established it's amazing.

 

Mirabilis multiflora ssp pubescens    Price - $12.00

As above but showing a bit more pubic hair.

 

Miscanthus floridus giganteus Price - $24.00

A gift from Punnett accepted with some trepidation, I've seen the immense 14' clumps in his garden; this thing needs room. Old stems make fine bamboo like stakes.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Adagio' Price - $12.00

Compact dwarf species 2'-4' silver grey foliage with a distinct whit midrib, flowers emerge pink and turn white.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Cabaret' Price - $15.00

Wide milky white central stripe and fine green edges, the showiest of all the Miscanthus in my estimation and always a sellout, still pricey it's a supply and demand thing.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Cosmopolitan'    Price - $15.00

The reverse of Cabaret; wide blades of grass with green centers and wide white edges; 'Cabaret' and 'Cosmopolitan' the above are the two most attractive vertically variegated clones.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Gold Bar' PRICE 1@ $19.00

This is the coolest grass I have seen in a long time, extremely dwarf with vivid zebra stripping that shows a lot of yellow, it flowers too late for us outdoors but the stiffly upright foliage is show enough.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' Price - $12.00

Graceful arching narrow foliage to 5’ with silvery plumes rising 2’ beyond the foliage.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Graziella' Price - $12.00

Huge silvery white plumes this one is good in the north because it flowers early.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Kascade' Price - $12.00

Early blooming with large cascading pinkish flowers

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Little Kitten' Price - $12.00

Just what arrowhead needs, cute, dwarf, no not another kitten, we tend to be a bit overrun but not with bunnies or chipmunks or mice, and hey as the food supply dwindles they are starting to catch moles.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Positano' Price - $12.00

A pam Dirac typo this is not the antiparticle of electrino but it can annihilate the competition, emitting pulses of coherent x ray radiation as the beams pass through the wiggler magnets cleverly disguised in the wavy leaves. For details on how to turn an obsolete Linac electron beam into the worlds most powerful free electron laser check out the ultimate recycling project on the slac website.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus' Price - $12.00

Stiffly erect with horizontal stripes there is a kinky description tied up here somewhere.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegata' Price - $12.00

One of the oldest cultivars around since the 1900, still popular today white striped leaves, and a somewhat floppy habit; becoming superseded by Cosmopolitan.

 

Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' Price - $12.00

Zebra grass, large arching foliage, with yellow horizontal bands on the wide leaves; yellow banding does not show until early summer. The pinkish copper plumes appear in autumn become fluffy as they mature. Like all the rest it is slow to come out of dormancy in the spring, don't yank em as dead, also they seem to winter best if the foliage is left up all winter.

 

Mitchella undulata small leaf form HC970254             Price - $8.00

Wow is this cute, a delimitative Partridge Berry collected from the slope of Mt. Halla on Cheilu Island by Hinkley in Korea back in 1997 procumbent stems bear minute leaves and attractive four petaled white flowers followed by scarlet fruit.

 

Mitella pentandra ............ PRICE 1@ $6.50

Mitrewort is a strange woodland saxifrage relative, Tiarella like mounds of foliage and fantastically intricate snowflake flowers. Someone needs to breed a tetraploid with larger flowers or cross it with something (this sound like a job for Peter Podaris); the flowers are wonderful but too small.

 

Moltkia petraea ................. PRICE 1@ $8.00

It's back; we finally propagated more of this little shrubby blue borage. These are from Mojmir’s collections from limestone rocks at 1300m near Biokovo Croatia, its hardy and features intensely blue flowers on 10-20cm helicoid cymes over silky pubescent dark green shrublets that can reach 1.5m wide by 45cm high in it’s native habitat; not too difficult but hates being overwatered, you've been warned. 

 

Monarda didyma 'Blue Stocking' PRICE 1@ $6.50

Mildew resistant and very heat tolerant with large heads of good violet purple flowers. The name bee balm is a bit misleading as they are generally pollinated by hummingbirds not bees.

 

Monarda didyma 'Cambridge Scarlet'    PRICE 1@ $6.50

Outstanding scarlet red flowers it is not particularly mildew resistant but worth growing for the color that hummingbirds adore.

 

Monarda didyma 'Colrain Red' PRICE 1@ $6.50

Very mildew resistant with abundant red flowers this was selected by Chicago Botanic Gardens and is an excellent performer in the garden.

 

Monarda didyma 'Dark Ponticum' PRICE 1@ $6.50

Dark green mildew resistant foliage and pure violet purple flowers

 

Monarda didyma 'Little Siberia' PRICE 1@ $6.50

Mildew resistant with small pink flower heads it is not something I would have ever selected but some folks seem fond of it.

 

Monarda didyma 'Marshalls Delight'    PRICE 1@ $6.50

Long blooming and mildew resistant with full heads of rose pink flowers

 

Monarda didyma 'On Parade' PRICE 1@ $6.50

Intense velvety fuchsia flowers and excellent mildew resistance

 

Monarda didyma 'Petite Wonder' Price - $12.00

Full heads of clear pink flowers atop foot high plants this is even shorter than petite delight, it is very cute but suffers a bit in hot weather.

 

Monarda didyma 'Snow White' PRICE 1@ $6.50

A little something for the moon garden this is one of the best whites.

 

Monarda fruticulosa 'Pink Prather' wild ex TX             PRICE 1@ $12.00

A woody Monarda, this is unique in the genus, of the several clones Dr. Prather collected in Texas; this is by far the best, and we are pleased to be the first to offer it. A stunning plant (unless of coarse it’s phasers are set to kill) with slender aromatic foliage and flowers that resemble punctata but with more colorful bracts; this is by far the showiest Monarda we have ever seen. Better still the thing seems to never go out of bloom, at least in the greenhouse, we got it late season and don’t yet have it out but can’t wait for spring.

 

Morina longifolia .............. PRICE 1@ $6.50

It’s been a while since we last offered Morina. It’s a cool Himalayan plant in the Morinacaea a small family with only 4 species. Longifolia features spiny attractive foliage and flowering stems that support vercillasters of white flowers that age from white to pink to bright crimson.

 

Morisia monanthos (hypogaea) PRICE 1@ $6.50

A cool little plant from Rick Lupp; it is a monotypic (not monocarpic) crucifer, best propagated by root cuttings, forming close tufts of deep lustrous evergreen pinnately cut leaves and clusters of 4 petaled yellow flowers on short stems from the center of each rosette; fairly hardy despite its Mediterranean origins.

 

Muehlenbeckia axilaris PRICE 1@ $8.00

A mat forming member of the Polygonaceae, its cute, and hardy here, which is more than you can say for most of the New Zealand flora.

 

Mukdenia rossii ................. PRICE 1@ $12.00

Actually, I prefer Aceriphyllum; Mukdenia sounds so… well, mucky, not at all apropos. An engaging monotypic woodland Saxifrage relative from China; with large maple like leaves; the 5 petaled starry white flowers are in compact helicoid cymes arising from the creeping rootstock.

 

Mukdenia rossii 'Karasuba' PRICE 1@ $19.00

A japanese selection with green leaves edged in reddish purple I believe this is identical to the plant being marketed as crimson fans. I hate it when they do that.

 

Mukdenia rossii 'Shishiba' PRICE 1@ $19.00

Another new selection from japan with deeply cut foliage the textural effect is quite different from the straight species.

 

Nananthus aloides ........... PRICE 1@ $6.50

Big thick fleshy leaves it is a Delosperma on steroids, very slow to increase, this is one of the most spectacular mesembs we grow.

 

Nepeta x fassenii select PRICE 1@ $6.50

Anyone who has visited Arrowhead knows we have cats lots of cats, we also have cat tested and approved Cat Mint, which is pretty even if you lack cats.

 

Nepeta x fassenii 'Blue Wonder' PRICE 1@ $8.00

A very free blooming mounding plant it is one of the showiest nepeta forms.

 

Nepeta distans ..................... PRICE 1@ $5.50

An obscure species that was distributed a few years back by Heronswood, a long blooming plant with powder blue flowers atop 2’ stems.

 

Nepeta PHYLLOCHLAMYS . PRICE 1@ $6.50

Beautiful gray rugose mats of foliage, my favorite species the perfect gift for the pussy (oops Nugent mode, none of that purring with the stroke of your hand stuff), cat next door; phyllochlamys is obscure in literature and regrettably rare in cultivation and native to the Mediterranean.

 

Nepeta stewartsoniana ex ace 1611     PRICE 1@ $6.50

A rather showy species closely related to Nepeta siberica it can be differentiated by the curved corolla tube spotted on the interior with yellow, this Chinese species was collected by the Alpine Garden Society’s China expedition.

 

Nepeta tuberosa .............. PRICE 1@ $12.00

A choice Nepeta from rocky hillsides in Spain and Portugal, soft fuzzy gray leaves and compact spikes of small purple flowers, it is a fantastic plant much nicer than this description would lead you to believe. The literature says it is supposed to reach 80cm but ours hardly exceed 10cm, and our plants have been kicking around the greenhouses since 1998 stubbornly refusing to be propagated in quantity.

 

Oenanthe javanica 'Flamingo' PRICE 1@ $6.50

A tricolor variegated umbellifer, the foliage is green with pink and white variegation and umbels of white flowers, and no the name is not a typo. It is native from Japan to Malaysia and grown as a leafy vegetable. Although books list it as zone 9, Marion Jarvie in Toronto, and Punnett both grow it without protection. Southern gardeners may want to be wary but it seems well behaved in the north and it is a gaudy thing.

 

Oenothera caes. caespitosa sprinting form        PRICE 1@ $6.50

This is the bionic form running at warp speed for Punnett, and Jacques, for me it barely is hanging on in the front garden, I want it to run, go figure. In general, the running forms are far more permanent in the garden and have never proven a nuisance in my garden.

 

Oenothera fruticosa 'Fruhlingsgold'            PRICE 1@ $6.50

Tricolor pink and white variegation in spring changing to green with creamy white margins as the season progresses, 'Fruhlingsgold' is topped with fragrant yellow Sundrop flowers for much of the summer.

 

Oenothera fruticosa glauca 'Hobe Licht'   PRICE 1@ $6.50

Yet another German Sundrop.

 

Oenothera speciosa ........ PRICE 1@ $6.50

A creeping day blooming species with white to pale pink flowers. It is a good mid sized species that always looks good in a mixed border.

 

Omphloides verna 'Grandiflora' PRICE 1@ $12.00

Navelwort? What does this grow in dirty bellybuttons? The sky blue flowers are rather pretty and it is less painful than a piercing, however we recommend troughs especially if you have an outie. What’s next, Inverted Nipplewort?

 

Ophiopogon japonicum compactum PRICE 1@ $8.00

A treasure courtesy of John from H&H, this thing is tiny with dense tufts of grassy foliage only a couple inches tall and short scapes of bell shaped flowers followed by heavy crops of ornamental blue berries, (not to be confused with blueberries); its cute enough for a trough and sure to elicit comment.

 

Ophiopogon japonicum 'Super Dwarf' PRICE 1@ $8.00

A bewitching broomling this is half the size of compactum and twice as tight, by far the tightest dwarf Ophiopogon we have seen, ideal for under planting with bonsai or in a trough, there are no doubt myriads of other uses as well.

 

Ophiopogon japonicum dwarf variegated   PRICE 1@ $8.00

A nice dwarf variegated plant we got from Yinger a number of years ago if it ever had a name we have lost it.

 

Ophiopogon (LIRIOPE) JAPONICUS 'Silver Dragon'             PRICE 1@ $8.00

Stupendous white variegation, this came to us as an Ophiopogon however it flowered this year and is clearly a liriope, still a knockout in combination with the black Ophiopogon, it seems to be a strong grower however its hardiness has yet to be tested by a hard winter here.

 

Ophiopogon japonicum 'Torafu' PRICE 1@ $8.00

An unusual plant with irregular horizontal yellow banding after the fashion of Zebra Grass if it were a bit more regular it would be stunning, definitely one to save seed on.

 

Ophiopogon planiscapa nigrescens PRICE 1@ $12.00

Nearly black foliage, this has been around but remains as classy now as when it was first introduced, it is beautiful in combination with ‘Silver Dragon’. It is hardy for us but takes a beating in hard winters and vanished completely at –29°F. 

 

Ophiopogon planiscapa Nigrescens 'Edge of Night'   1@ $19.00

As above but with a narrow white edge, pretty cool despite the soap opera name, I’ve seen this listed for over $50, here’s your chance to get one on the cheap.

 

Opuntia fragilis Ex Lake of the Woods Canada            PRICE 1@ $8.00

A tiny padded form, cute enough for a trough, this originally came from one of the most northerly sites for a Cactus, Dick has grown it for many years and brought us some. We had originally planned to ship it back to a Canadian nursery however cites in its infinite stupidity prevents us from sending it back from whence it came. (In California if you catch a Bullfrog and release it back into the pond it just came from you can be fined $$$$; Government officials should be forced to take a common sense test and shot if they fail).

 

Oresitrophe rupifraga PRICE 1@ $12.00

One of the coolest new woodlanders to come out of China recently; Oresitrophe is a monotypic saxifrage relative with attractive foliage and panicles of white to pink 5 petaled saxifrage flowers atop 7-13cm scapes in spring as the leaves are unfurling.

 

Origanum

According to the RHS Index of Garden Plants, nearly every species we list is hardy to Zone 8 or 9. What a crock, who comes up with this stuff, winter in the mountains of Turkey at 2,000m doesn't sound like palm trees to me. The scary thing is most beginning gardeners and even some of the experienced ones actually take them seriously. (Want a chuckle; check out their Allium zone ratings; and people ask me why I don't include zone information.)

 

Origanum acutidens ......... PRICE 1@ $6.50

Ex Turkey, via Mojmir, good stuff, lime green reflexed bracts in summer, only 4-5" tall; this is one of the best.

 

Origanum calcarticum .. PRICE 1@ $8.00

A sub shrubby species from the Aegean Islands, flowers a bit like Dictamnus with the pink corollas extending well out from the bracts.

 

Origanum dictamnus ........ PRICE 1@ $6.50

One of the most beautiful species, wet sensitive fuzzy foliage, whorls of hop like rose purple bracts, happier where the climate is more like Crete.

 

Origanum dictamnus x pulchellum PRICE 1@ $8.00

Combining the beauty of Dictamnus and the large flowers and easy habit of pulchellum, this is an outstanding plant; a chance hybrid from Siskiyou, fuzzy but not too fussy.

 

Origanum microphyllus PRICE 1@ $8.00

Reminiscent of Corokia with bare twigs and tiny sparse leaves, flowers are pink and rather small but the overall effect is lovely and quite unlike any other species we grow. This Cretan native is worth a try in a protected hot dry spot in the garden.

 

Origanum minutiflorum #243 PRICE 1@ $6.50

A sub shrubby tomentose Turkish species collected by Jurasek and closely related to micranthum but with white flowers, we are rather fond of it.

 

Origanum onites .................. PRICE 1@ $8.00

A tender shrublet from the Mediterranean region, Pot Marjoram has long been cultivated for culinary purposes.

 

Origanum rotundifolium PRICE 1@ $8.00

Graceful arching stems with white flowers peering from between the pendant racemes of large green and cream bracts this woody based perennial from Turkey is a fine plant in its own right as well as a parent to many of the hybrids.

 

Origanum sipyleum ........... PRICE 1@ $8.00

Bradshaw’s garden, ex Sultan Dagh at 2000m, with cushions of bluish aromatic leaves and sprays of semi-pendant greenish bracts that encase the pale long tubed flowers.

 

Origanum sp ex Yinger ... PRICE 1@ $8.00

A speckled variegate that we got from Yinger originally. I’m not sure of the species but it is not a tiny one.

 

ORIGANUM vulgare 'WHITE ANNIVERSARY' (‘Polyphant’)            1@ $6.50

John says this is really Polyphant’, whatever the name its a variegated cultivar with lots of white in the leaves, very showy and good for culinary use as well. A plant with enormous garden center appeal, although most of the plant collectors that visited last summer left with a pot as well, however we did manage to save enough to list.

 

Origanum x suendermanii PRICE 1@ $8.00

You know the Germans, always the best, neatly stacked and topped with rosy purple bracts, not as cute as the Head Arrowhead though, (a title sort of like Chief Yahoo but with more aggravation and nowhere near the money).

 

Orostachys AGGREGATUM PRICE 1@ $5.50

Large green sempervivum like rosettes, it over-winters as little balls, Japan.

 

orostachys spinosa Ex Halda PRICE 1@ $5.50

Marvelous plant, these are from wild seed and we now have hundreds of different genotypes, previous cultivated material seemed to be clonal from a single introduction that seldom flowered, these do. They show a bit of variation and should produce some viable seed for a change. They roll up in a tight ball for the winter swelling and unfurling in the spring to a multi-armed starfish with next year's over-wintering ball in the center; the ultimate Hen and Chick.

 

Othonna capensis 'Little Pickles' PRICE 1@ $5.50

The name refers to the foliage not the Rugrats; typical yellow daisy flowers held well above the mats of succulent foliage on thin wiry stems, probably tender but who knows.

 

Oxalis crassipes 'Alba' .. PRICE 1@ $6.50

Pure white long blooming with trifoliate leaves supposedly zone 5 hardy it sure has a bedding plant look.

 

Oxalis crassipes 'Rosea' PRICE 1@ $6.50

It sits on the bench next to crassipes 'Alba' and the two seem to have merged in my mind, except of course the flowers on this are pink, maybe the leaves are different too. I really don’t care; this one is supposed to like the shade but it is sitting in dead full sun flowering like mad, I’ll trade a flat of it for a few plants of Oxalis laciniata or O. bryoides.

 

Oxalis magellanica 'Nelson' PRICE 1@ $6.50

Native to the southern tip of South America where the flat mats of bronzed leaves camouflage perfectly with the ground, it helps that they are barely over ˝” high, ‘Nelson’ has fully double little oxalis flowers sitting just above the cushion. It is easy enough for the open garden but almost too tiny and better appreciated in a trough in part shade; Nelson' will fry in too much sun.

 

Oxalis sp. Ex L.s.r.g. .......... PRICE 1@ $6.50

For those of you who have been out to the nursery this is the species that is running around our limestone rock garden, we got it from the Czechs years ago, the name was illegible but it is pink flowered and it has been slowly creeping about ever since. Punnett admired it and when we dug his piece, we figured we might as well propagate it.

 

Oxalis sp. Lsrg dark version ex Punnett     PRICE 1@ $6.50

As above but darker

 

Oxalis sp. ‘CMW 4199’ ......... PRICE 1@ $5.50

A fleshy leaved yellow flowered species from a Watson collection in the Andes it looks a bit like O. megalorrhiza (carnosa).

 

Oxalis versicolor ............. PRICE 1@ $6.50

A South African species for the alpine house, candy cane striped buds open to red edged white flowers.