Arabis blepharophylla Rose Delight

The Arabis blepharophylla 'Rose Delight' is a superb variety of California Arabis with early flowering in bright magenta pink. This vigorous, hardy rock plant forms a compact tuft of evergreen leaf rosettes, hairy and colourful green. From March to May, it offers abundant flowering in lightly scented flower clusters, popular with pollinating insects. The combination of its dense little cushions is magnificent with the matt grey of the stones. It is ideal for covering a wall and filling a trough or container. To be cultivated in very well-drained soil, without stagnant moisture in winter.

The ARN blepharophylla 'Rose Delight' is a recent American selection belonging to the Brassicaceae family. Arabis blepharophylla is native to California, where it grows spontaneously in coastal areas, notably San Francisco Bay. This evergreen perennial forms a rounded and compact cushion, about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) in height, with a minimum spread of 25 cm (10in). The flowering takes place from March to May. Its small, scented flowers, 1.50 cm (1in) in diameter, are gathered in generous clusters of bright magenta pink. The flowers are hairy, have crenellated edges and delicate cilia, and grow above colourful green foliage. The leaves are spatulate and arranged in rosettes at the base.

Rock plants par excellence, the most robust of the Arabis, will also make excellent ground covers in flowery paving, covering a wall, to highlight a staircase descent, the edge of a bed or a gravel path. The 'Rose Delight' Arabis is planted in well-drained, humus-rich soil. It does not tolerate winter moisture, which can be fatal to it. To be sure to see it return the following year, plant it in a container or pot that you will protect from rain in winter.