Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,
Welcome to Autumn and to Harlequin’s Gardens 2022 Fall Plant Sale!
The weather predictions for Colorado and the West are that our region will be hotter and drier. It feels like that, but is it true? Taking a small snapshot for Boulder from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, we see that for 2019 through 2022, January through July, Boulder received:
13.36” in 2019
12.98” in 2020
18.82” in 2021 and
12.09” in 2022.
However, in July of this year we received 2.44” which pulled our average up. In April we only received .12” and in June only .94”. So, we had a dry spring. On top of that we had a very dry fall 2021 with only 1.86” of precipitation from August through December.
Our conclusion from this view is that we strongly recommend fall and winter watering. In addition, we need to drop our assumptions about how to water (we may not get April showers, like this year when we received .12” all month). And is it getting hotter? Records for Boulder show the number of days in the month of June with temperatures 90 or above:
0 days in 2019
7 days in 2020
11 days in 2021
11 days in 2022.
In the month of July, days with temperatures 90 or above were:
14 days in 2019
17 days in 2020
15 days in 2021 and
18 days in 2022.
We will see more very hot days in August and September.
Ipomopsis rubra (Standing Cypress)
We can’t go wrong gardening with plants that are more heat and drought-tolerant. We may be headed for watering restrictions in the future. Gardens dependent on moderate watering will suffer or die under watering restrictions. Harlequin’s Gardens has specialized in xeriscape for 30 years. Many of our plants are water-wise and will thrive with only one deep watering a week (two deep watering’s a week in July) after they are established. Any plant that cannot thrive with once-a-week deep watering should be planted in a separate Moderate Water Garden. Of course, tolerance to drought depends on the structure, nutrition, and soil life in our soils. Harlequin’s Gardens offers products to support our soils. Planting with mycorrhizae fungi is a smart idea to help with establishing plants and adding to their drought resistance.
FALL SALE!
Our Members Sale begins Aug. 23 thru Aug. 28. For your special support, members are rewarded with first pick at 20% off all plants (except fruit trees, veggies, or bulbs) and 25% off books. Membership levels are $22, $35, and $50; membership supports staff, extras like organic and neonic-free plants, display gardens, and has benefits!
Fall Sale for Everybody: August 30 thru October 30, beginning with 20% off most plants. (Details below.)
Our plants are selected for being well-adapted to Colorado conditions and every year we hear that our customers have a high success rate in establishing our plants in their gardens. All the plants we grow are pesticide-free.
Besides the plants themselves, our local, high-quality composts and organic fertilizer products, mycorrhizae, and our good advice, all contribute to your success.
FALL & WINTER GARDEN CARE
Late August through September is an ideal time to plant and fertilize, because now is when plants are storing food in their roots and when they are making leaf and fruit buds for spring. Giving our plants and trees nutrition at this time of year strengthens their vitality and immunity, and supports flowers and fruits for the following season.
Rake up diseased leaves from fireblight or fungal diseases, and remove seed heads from aggressive seeders. Leave seeds of desirable plants and seeds for the birds.
You can extend the vegetable season by
planting cool season veggies- using row cover fabric over veggies to add 2-4 weeks more production
- using our heavy-duty tomato cages over tomatoes and peppers and cover them to protect from freezing
- mulching root crops to extend the harvest season
- buying ‘Seed’ Garlic in September to plant mid-October to mid-November
WINTER WATERING: Once our irrigation systems are blown out, we should water new plantings, especially the small plants, by hand or sprinkler once or twice a month, or more. (Tip: auto-populate your calendar with a reminder!)
LAWNS: September is the best time of year to aerate and fertilize with an organic fertilizer. Fall is also an excellent time to apply Corn Gluten, the organic weed and feed. Its 9% nitrogen provides fall fertilizing, and it prevents weed seeds from germinating.
PRODUCTS
Read about our products in more detail on our Spring 2022 Newsletter.
Richlawn 5-3-2 Lawn Fertilizer: made from chicken manure, blood meal, feather meal for lawns, berry bushes, shrubs, and trees.
Alpha One Fertilizer: alfalfa, cottonseed meal, blood meal, sunflower: for gardens and lawns.
Coop Poop: an economical form of Nitrogen for shrubs and trees.
Yum Yum Mix: cottonseed, rock dust, alfalfa, rock phosphate, kelp: for perennials, shrubs, natives and xeriscapes.
Organic Healthy Grow, Harlequin’s Fertility Mix, and Neptune’s Harvest are all great for fall veggie planting.
Mycorrhizae: both Micronized Endo and new, nutrient rich Big Foot: Root support and survival aid.
Composts: 2 kinds, good quality, economical, locally sourced to use local wastes and reduce CO2.
Mulches: Fine Wood Chip, and Soil Pep, a partially composted bark. Both feed soil organisms and stay put.
Potting Mixes: Coco Loco and Ocean Forest: nutritious and successful for containers.
Expanded Shale: a porous ceramic shale to break up heavy clay, hold air and water; permanent.
ORGANIC FALL VEGGIE STARTS & MORE!
ORGANIC VEGGIE STARTS: Broccoli Raab, Kale, Lettuce, Collards, Chard, Mesclun, Cabbage, Spinach, Endive, Tatsoi, etc. These new premium plants cannot be sold at a discounted price!
SEEDS: fresh from Botanical Interests seeds packaged for 2023 for cool-season greens, cover crops, and sprouting. There is no discount on new seeds. However, 2022 Seeds are 50% off!
FLOWERING BULBS, GARLIC & SHALLOTS: (no discount) will arrive in early September. There are many kinds of bulbs and new varieties! Check our website for upcoming descriptions and photos of this year’s selection.
PLANTS
Allium schoenoprasum (Chives)
BEE LOVERS: Our high-quality plants are 100% free from bee-killing, nerve-toxin neonicotinoids. Most of our plants are free from all pesticides and fungicides. We accomplish this by questioning our sources and by growing a lot of our own plants organically.
ORGANIC HERB STARTS: Chives, Clary Sage, Lovage, Echinacea, Rosemary, 7 Lavenders, Many Mints, Lemon Thyme, Greek Oregano, Nettles, Sweet Grass, Winter Savory, Bronze Fennel, Garlic Chives, Parsley, Motherwort, Comfrey, Lemon Grass, and Rue.
BERRIES: 5 kinds of Currants, 3 Serviceberries, 2 Gooseberries; 2 Table Grapes, 3 Raspberries; 2 Thornless Blackberries, 6 kinds of Elderberries.
FRUIT TREES: (no discount) grown in our own potting mix, with mycorrhizae, and without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Apples, Cherries, Plums, Peaches, and Pears.
VINES: Trumpet Vines, Golden Hops, Silver Lace Vine, Honeysuckles, Thorndale English Ivy, Purpleleaf Wintercreeper, Chocolate Vine (Akebia), Porcelain Vine, and Clematis.
Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES: Our freshly potted grasses are strong and sure to be successful planted in September. Shenandoah Switchgrass, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Giant Sacaton, Boulder Blue Fescue, Karl Foerster’s, Northern Sea Oats, Mexican Feather Grass, Indian Grass, Sweet Grass, Blue Grama, Junegrass, Caterpillar Grass, and Sideoats Grama.
ROSES: Our proven, sustainable own-root roses, including 12 different David Austin English Roses.
TREES: Our 5-gallon trees, may look small, but have complete root systems and will grow quickly when given a wide hole with some compost and a little organic fertilizer; staking is not needed. We get many compliments on the performance of our trees!
Skyline Honeylocust, May Day Tree, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Columnar English Oak, Chanticleer Pear, 3 kinds of Hawthorns, Oakleaf Mt. Ash, Hackberry, Ohio Buckeye, Hotwings Maple, Various Crabapples, Alder, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, Aspen and MORE.
NATIVE SHRUBS: We’re famous for our great selection of strong, neonic-free native shrubs.
NON-NATIVE SHRUBS: Hibiscus, Cotoneasters, Butterfly Bush, Potentillas, Spirea’s, Viburnum’s, Russian Sage, Ninebarks, Caragana, Forsythia, Elderberry, Smokebush.
HUNDREDS of Neonic-free, Colorado-adapted PERENNIALS:
Agastache rupestris
Many varieties of Penstemons. Tough groundcovers including veronicas, sedums, thymes, Lotus corniculatus, Alyssum pateri, many Iceplants, Teucrium rotundifolium.
Good plants for dry shade: 4 Geranium varieties, Lamiastrum, Waldsteinia.
Showy plants for Shade: Coral Bells, Ajugas, Joe Pye Weed, Anemone ‘Whirlwind’.
Natives: Campanula rotundifolia, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Chocolate Flower, Bee Balm, Spiderwort.
PLUS Agastache Ava, A. rupestris, Harlequin’s Silver Teucrium, Plumbago, Lysimachia, Shasta Daisies, Goldenrod, Windwalker red Salvia, Smoky Hills Skullcap, Kent’s Beauty Oregano, 3 Dianthus, Echinacea tennesseensis, 3 Yarrows, Baptisia, Pussytoes, Dictamnus and LOTS MORE!
ARE YOUR FRIENDS RECEIVING OUR WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTERS?
If not, they’re missing timely advice and valuable education, plants just in, beautiful photos!
Go to our website and join our e-newsletter list! (We’ll never share your info with others.)
CALENDAR & FALL SALE DETAILS
CURRENT HOURS: Tuesday thru Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
MEMBERS SALE: Tuesday, August 23 to 28. For your special support, you are rewarded with 20% off plants (except fruit trees, veggies, and bulbs) and 25% off books.
FALL SALE BEGINS FOR EVERYBODY on Tuesday, August 30!
Aug. 30 thru Sept. 4: 20% off most plants (except fruit trees, veggies, and bulbs).
Sept. 6 thru 11 enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs, and trees. And 20% off Roses, 20% off Compost Tea. (No discount on fruit trees, veggies, and bulbs).
DEEP DISCOUNT AREA: Opens Sept. 6 where you will find perennials and shrubs: 2½” pots reduced from $4.50 to $1.25; and quarts reduced from $7.50 to $4.25. Plus, Bargain trees, shrubs, and roses!
Sept. 13 thru 18 take 30% off perennials, shrubs, and trees, and 20% off roses, soil products in big bags, books, and 20% off Compost Tea. (No discount on fruit trees, veggies, bulbs, and current seeds).
Sept. 20 thru end of the season take 30% off perennials, shrubs, roses, and trees, and 30% off soil products in big bags, and Compost Tea. (No discount on fruit trees, veggies, bulbs, current seeds, or Holiday Market Books).
We will close for the season on Sunday, October 30th at 5 PM.
Autumn is harvest time.
Whatever bounty you have, share some of it.
You’ll be glad you did.
11th ANNUAL HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET
Sat. October 1st thru Sun. October 30th
Our famous Holiday Gift Market, featuring exceptional creative and sustainable artworks and products from local artisans is moved up to October, to take advantage of warmer weather, open windows and doors for good air circulation, and easier social distancing.
Shop early for gifts in an uplifting, safe and comfortable environment. Subscribe to our weekly E-Newsletter to receive preview information about this year’s artisans and makers and see samples of their work. These online ‘catalogs’ are a big favorite with our customers, many of whom read them from top to bottom!
We will be offering delicious specialty foods, safe and effective herbal body care products, bees-wax candles, holiday ornaments, books, clothing and accessories, CDs, artwork, flower bulbs, gloves, science tools and toys, jewelry, kitchen, and table wares, and MUCH MORE!
Watch our Website and our E-Newsletters for Details! While we’re busy creating the 2022 Holiday Market Catalog, peruse last year’s offerings!
Courtland Hacker Turned Wood Pieces
Renee McDougal Glass Tray
Customers enjoying the Market
Lynn Mattingly Quilt