Do You Need A New Plant?
Click on the image to enlarge. Drawing by Joseph Tychonievich at Arrowhead Alpines.
I have been down with the flu for a few weeks so the blog and everything else has suffered. I have been saving the illustration above for just such an occasion. I received it as a postcard in February 2013 from Arrowhead Alpines, a wonderful retail and mail order nursery in Fowlerville, Michigan, specializing in rare and unusual plants. They have a huge selection of uncommon perennials, woodland wildflowers, ferns, rare alpines, dwarf conifers, and out-of-the-ordinary trees and shrubs. They are also very nice people. If you can’t find what you are looking for at your local nursery, Arrowhead is the place to go. Click here for their website/catalogue.
The print is kind of small, so click on the image to enlarge it. I especially like the part about ripping out the lawn and the recommendation of miniature hostas :-). No matter how many times I follow the arrows through the options, it makes me laugh. How could the answer to “Do you need a new plant?” be anything but yes!
Nursery News: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.
Carolyn
Nursery Happenings: You can sign up to receive notifications of catalogues, sales, and events at the nursery by sending your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net.
Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.
If you are within visiting distance and would like to receive catalogues and information about customer events, please send your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.
Facebook: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens has a Facebook Page where I post single photos, garden tips, and other information that doesn’t fit into a blog post. You can look at my Facebook page here or click the Like button on my right sidebar here.
Notes: Every word that appears in orange on my blog is a link that you can click for more information. If you want to return to my blog’s homepage to access the sidebar information (catalogues, previous articles, etc.) or to subscribe to my blog, just click here.
CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS 
February 4, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Yes.
February 4, 2015 at 2:38 pm
Couldn’t agree more.
February 4, 2015 at 1:45 pm
Hi Carolyn, So sorry to hear you’ve been laid up with the flu. I just loved that drawing from Arrowhead Alpines. We’ve “borrowed “from the town conservation land that was teaming with multi flora roses, bittersweet, and honeysuckle to grow raspberries, blueberries and two peach trees.
Cheryl
Sent from my iPad
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February 4, 2015 at 6:30 pm
Cheryl, It is surprising how many gardeners start in on the neighboring property. Carolyn
February 4, 2015 at 3:05 pm
Lovely – nice to have something funny to laugh at on Weds night!
February 4, 2015 at 3:48 pm
Cathy, Glad you thought it was as funny as I did. Carolyn
February 4, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Hi Carolyn—-sorry to hear that you’ve been sick.Just about everyone on Nantucket has been,too.Hope that you will soon be right as rain.We’ve been stuck inside quite a lot d/t all of the ice and snow😭 The post about needing a plant cracked up me and my husband.He really needs a laugh as the deer fence is a mess from all of the broken tree limbs and the heavy wet snow.The bambis do not appear to have wandered in yet but it won’t be long.Hoping for milder temps so that we can begin to repair the damage.Arrgghhh.
Breaks my heart but I am once again unable to come for the snow drop event at Charles Cresson’s.Drat.We will be away.I will look forward to your post and photos.
Be well soon.Laurie
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2015 17:33:23 +0000
To: laurielewis3993@hotmail.com
February 4, 2015 at 3:47 pm
Laurie, Our deer fence was breached earlier this winter, and I didn’t realize it until they ate my favorite camellia and all my heucheras that usually stay colorful for the winter. I hope you will be able to patch your fence up soon. Sorry you will miss The Winter Garden in Bloom. It’s always a great time. Carolyn
February 4, 2015 at 4:26 pm
Oh Carolyn that is priceless….sorry to hear you are sick….wishing you are well soon and sending lots of healing energy your way!
February 4, 2015 at 4:51 pm
Donna, I got the strain of flu that was mistakenly left out of the flu shot which I also had. The only silver lining is that it can last up to 6 weeks if you didn’t get the shot but ONLY three weeks if you did. Somehow that news is just not making me feel better, but the Arrowhead drawing does. Carolyn
February 4, 2015 at 6:02 pm
I LOVE that! So funny. Sad to hear you got sick despite taking precautions… Life is not fair! Hope you feel better soon!
February 4, 2015 at 6:31 pm
Thanks, Anna. I hate shots so it’s ironic I got the shot and the flu. What can you do? Carolyn
February 4, 2015 at 6:38 pm
Hi.It looks like you still have Galanthus Nivalis Viridapice. I would like to buy a plant, and I live in Wynnewood. Can I come and pick it up? Thank you.Eleonora
PS If I plant the plant this spring, will it survive? I never planted snowdrops in the green, so I don’t know.
February 4, 2015 at 7:39 pm
Eleonora, Since you live in the area, you can follow the directions in the catalogue entitled “To order for pick up”. Basically you send an email with the listed information. Here is link to the catalogue: https://carolynsshadegardens.com/2015-snowdrop-catalogue/. There is a lot of general information in the catalogue about planting in the green. It is the best way to plant snowdrops in our climate. Carolyn
February 4, 2015 at 9:46 pm
Sorry to hear you’ve had the flu, Carolyn. No fun. I giggled while reading the postcard. It rings true. 🙂
February 4, 2015 at 10:25 pm
Beth, it rings true because most gardeners will buy into even the most convoluted logic to justify getting a new plant. Carolyn
February 6, 2015 at 3:21 am
Well I will respond with this. Click to read the postcard Caroline
February 6, 2015 at 10:55 am
Not sure I understand your comment, Caroline, but glad you enjoyed the card.
February 6, 2015 at 9:22 am
My sympathy to you for your temporary incapacitation/flu.Just wanted to tell you that your little “decision tree” Do you need a new plant was delightful and I sent your link to fellow gardeners.
February 6, 2015 at 10:53 am
Glad you enjoyed it.
February 6, 2015 at 11:51 am
I loved this chart! I’m so lucky to have TWO ACRES to fill with plants. I just bought three cyclamen plants, my first of those ever, which I plan to plant under my camellia because I read that those two plants go well together.
I’m sorry you’re sick, but happy that your sickness resulted in your posting that lovely chart. 🙂
February 6, 2015 at 5:11 pm
Hope, Glad it brightened your day. You will love the cyclamen. Carolyn
February 6, 2015 at 8:20 pm
Cute illustration. Sad to hear you had the flu, I have been desperately trying to avoid it carrying around Tamiflu. You wondered about me being seasick, I was medicated on that boat. Right now I am flying back and will likely be stuck in Detroit. It has been a very bumpy ride and I almost need medication for this flight!
February 7, 2015 at 9:28 am
Donna, I wish I had had tamiflu as mine continues at 2 1/2 weeks. Hope you make it through Detroit safely. Carolyn
February 7, 2015 at 2:20 pm
Hilarious!! Love the chart. I hope you feel better soon!
February 7, 2015 at 3:23 pm
Indie, I guess a little humor was just what people needed this time of year. Carolyn
February 7, 2015 at 4:17 pm
There is always room for a new plant. I’m glad they’re pesticide-free. I’ve added them to my blog sidebar of clean nurseries. 🙂
February 7, 2015 at 7:17 pm
I agree, but my husband does have a rule that I can’t buy a tree unless I know where it’s going. Hasn’t stopped my yet.
February 10, 2015 at 11:29 am
Just what I needed half way through this dreadful winter, Carolyn. Hilarious! Thanks for the link. I love checking out new nurseries. Hope your health is fully recovered! P. x
February 10, 2015 at 3:18 pm
Glad to provide some humor, Pam. I am happy that a lot of readers are clicking through to the Arrowhead site. They offer an amazing variety of plants.
February 13, 2015 at 3:10 pm
Yes, is the answer.
February 13, 2015 at 3:37 pm
Especially a new snowdrop!!!
February 14, 2015 at 3:40 pm
That is so funny. So are the other cartoons on that website. I can always find room or a reason for a new plant.
February 14, 2015 at 8:02 pm
Denise, I am so glad you liked it and that a lot of readers have been checking out Arrowhead’s website. It is challenging to run an independent nursery these days so it is great to give them the business. Carolyn
February 16, 2015 at 10:20 pm
Get well soon! I enjoyed the Arrowhead illustration immensely. OF COURSE, I need a new plant! (Sorry to shout, but there was never a question about it.)
February 17, 2015 at 11:25 am
Deb, For us obsessive gardener types, there is always room for a new plant. Carolyn
February 26, 2015 at 8:13 pm
Carolyn, I’m sorry to hear you’ve had flu — never a good time! This cartoon is hilarious. And I’m also admiring your new blog header.
February 27, 2015 at 9:23 am
Jean, So glad you like the new header. You know I hate fooling around with stuff like that! Still battling flu problems five weeks later, very frustrating. Carolyn