Blog

Mulches and Mulching

Applying a mulch around our plants can be one of the most effective ways to improve their health and success, especially during hot and dry conditions like we had in 2012. Mulches have many benefits, but it is important to know how to use them to avoid problems.

Mulch conserves water by reducing evaporation 10%-50%. Usually a 2”-4” deep layer is best, and the material needs to be open enough to admit rain and irrigation and dense enough to resist evaporation. It is a good idea to apply mulch after the soil has been deeply watered or soaked with a good rain. Then the mulch will hold the moisture. Beware of materials like unshredded leaves which can act like shingles, and dry compost or sawdust which are hydrophobic, meaning they are difficult to wet. These problems are worse on a slope where water can run off instead of penetrating.[Read More]

Delphiniums That Don’t Blow Over

The best chance of having delphiniums that don’t blow over is to plant them on the east side of the house or garage where they get good early day sun and where they are protected from the west wind. Next is to put in varieties that are not so tall and top-heavy. Here are a few varieties that fit that bill.[Read More]

Mycorrhizae: The hidden marriage of plants and fungi

Normally when we think of fungi relating to plants, what comes to mind is infection and disease: powdery mildew, blackspot, slime flux and canker; Oh, NO!! However there is a growing awareness of the far more extensive benefits that fungi contribute to our world. Decomposing fungi are primary agents in the composting process which to us recyclers is the magic of turning garbage into gold. Not only do our plants love the rich humus and organic matter, but pesticides and herbicides are also broken down. Much of the body of soil itself is made up of fungi, especially loamy, well-aerated soil. And then there are the symbiotic fungi, the ones forming mutually beneficial relationships with plants. These associations of absorbing roots with fungal mycelium are known as mycorrhizae, from “mycor”- fungus and “rhiza”-root. Even though these beneficial relationships were discovered in 1885, it is not widely known today that 95 % of all plants on earth intermingle their roots with mycorrhizal fungi.[Read More]

Nitrogen Fixation and How We Can Use It

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all living things. Where does that nitrogen come from? It comes from the atmosphere, which is composed of 78% nitrogen; but that gas is quite inert, meaning it can’t combine with other elements until it is broken into a simpler form. This process takes a lot of energy to “fix” the nitrogen. There are three processes that can fix nitrogen: atmospheric, Haber Process and biological.

Atmospheric fixation occurs when the high temperature of lightning splits the nitrogen gas so it bonds with oxygen and moisture in the air to form nitrates that fall to the earth with rain. This natural fertilization benefits plants. Some people have asked, Is it my imagination that my grass looks greener after a thunderstorm? Maybe not; it could be due to the nitrogen as much as to the water.[Read More]

What the GMO?

GMO has become a dirty word and a symbol for Monsanto’s corporate control over our health. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the result of slamming DNA (genetic material) from one organism with the DNA of another, yielding altered characteristics. The bizarre results are discarded and the profitable ones, like being unaffected by the herbicide Roundup, are reproduced. Current approved GMO crops include Roundup Ready corn, soybeans, canola and this year, sweet corn. The advantage with these crops is that a farmer can have easy perfect weed control, by spraying the whole field with the herbicide Roundup, killing the weeds but not the crop.[Read More]

Dianthus 1

There are many varieties of Dianthus that are successful here in Colorado. Since there are about 250 species and 30,000 registered names of Dianthus, this article is only going to cover a fraction of the subject. Most of the species dianthus come from the Mediterranean region, the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor. They grow mostly in sunny, dry, well-drained soils among rocks or with short grasses in meadows, and most are happy in a more alkaline environment. These are reasons why they are often well-adapted to our natural conditions. Many varieties are easy for us to grow, and they satisfy us in many ways because some 1) are very fragrant 2) are excellent cut flowers 3) are durable, evergreen ground covers 4) are good in borders, cottage gardens, rock gardens and xeriscape gardens.[Read More]

Goldflame Spirea (Spiraea bumalda ‘Goldflame’)

Here’s a shrub that won’t grow over the living room windows, spread half-way across the driveway or send suckers up in the perennial border. It stays a compact 2’-3’ high and a little wider. It’s name comes from its spring leaf coloration which begins a russet or bronze-red mixed with yellow, changing to yellow-green and then green. The flowers are pinkish and bloom for a long time. Then again in the fall the spring leaf colors return to a golden copper-orange. This variety is very heat tolerant and has been successful in my xeriscape garden for 7-8 years. Occasional winter dieback has been slight and easily sheared off with hedge clippers. I also use the hedge clippers to remove the spent flowers after blooming.[Read More]

Dianthus 2: More Great Varieties

In the last issue I mentioned that Dianthus in general like sunny and well-drained conditions, and that because they cross-pollinate freely, you can only be sure you are getting a named variety like ‘Pike’s Pink’ if it has been propagated by cuttings.It is also significant that the strong fragrance common to many of the Dianthus tribe is not only pleasing to us humans, it is very attracting to many butterflies.

Here are a few more varieties that do well in our area:[Read More]

Soil: The New Frontier

Do any of you have dirt under your fingernails? Good. You and all gardeners have direct experience with soil. Those of you who don’t get your hands in the dirt probably will, because soil and soil building is the next frontier. Why do I say that?

Because until recently our understanding of soil and our approach to soil fertility was steeped in ignorance and misunderstanding. We’ve been in the Dark Ages.

Does anybody know the meaning of a new paradigm? It does not mean coming up with a new idea; it means coming up with a new perspective, a new ground from which to begin our thinking. We are entering a new paradigm in relation to the earth.[Read More]

A Bad Year for Fire Blight

This is a bad year for fireblight which is a bacterial disease which affects mostly apple, pear, crabapple, hawthorn and Mt. Ash. It is spread in the presence of moisture and enters the trees through wounds and open blossoms. Colorado is the worst state in the US for fireblight.

Because of our moist spring and extra wounding caused by hail, there is a lot of infection. Symptoms include black, hooked twig ends, brown or blackened leaves, dried up fruits and sunken cankers that can be a dull orange or black. Fireblight is a difficult disease to manage because there is no cure. Spraying chemicals is not recommended by CSU because they are not very effective, timing is critical and spraying must be repeated.[Read More]

Emerald Ash Borer

What is it? How bad is it? What do we do about it?

Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive beetle that found its way from China or eastern Asia to the US, stowing away in shipping crates. It was first identified in 2002 and has since spread to 22 states. In September 2013, Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was discovered in the city of Boulder, which is the first known presence in Colorado. Since then a team has been stripping the bark from samplings of ash trees in Boulder to determine the extent of its spread. It is suspected that EAB has been in Boulder for three to four years.[Read More]

Elderberry: Shrub, Food and Medicine

Elderberry is a remarkable shrub or small tree of several species and many forms and colors of foliage, flowers and berries. It has been found in Stone Age and Bronze Age excavations, was one of the sacred trees of the Druids, and has been used as a medicinal herb by early Europeans, native Americans and modern herbalists. However it has not been popular in landscapes until recently when selections have been made for special leaf colors and textures. And now home-food and food-medicine gardeners want elderberries because scientific research has verified herbal lore that elderberries have major health benefits. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal pictured elderberry with seven other berries as “nutritional royalty.”[Read More]

Cold-Hardy Climbers

At the end of last season I wrote about how to succeed with climbing roses in Colorado. Besides winter watering and careful siting out of the worst wind, the most important factor is the choice of very cold hardy roses that are grown on their own roots. The books may say we are zone 5 but when the temperature drops from 50 at noon to 5 at two a.m., we better hope our rose is zone 4 or even zone 3 hardy. With climbers this is even more true because if the canes die back to two feet the rose may still bloom but it won’t function as a climber that year. Here are a few of the toughest and most cold-hardy climbing roses for Colorado. [Read More]

Lilacs in Colorado

Lilacs were brought to America by the earliest settlers and have been very popular landscape shrubs ever since for good reasons. Lilacs are tough, drought tolerant, usually healthy, long-lived, have masses of beautiful flowers and most of them have a delicious fragrance. In dry Colorado air, you have to stick your nose in most flowers to get the smell, but lilacs carry their rich perfume for quite a distance. Like most young boys, I was more interested in bugs than flowers, but my earliest memory of a flower was lying on a grassy hill next to a lilac hedge in full bloom, soothing my spring fever in the sweet, heady fragrance of the common lilac. This powerful aroma is one of the main attractions to lilac and one of the reasons why people forgive other garden qualities like the huge size and habit of suckering.

In fact, the tendency to sucker and the ease of transplanting are primary reasons for the rapid spread of lilacs across America. By the 1650s, lilacs were growing all over the colonies, and later they were carried west by the pioneers. I recently pruned some lilacs that were planted by miners in the rocky foothills above Boulder. I can just imagine some rough traveler, burning with gold fever and the Colorado sun, sharing his canteen with a lilac sucker.

Lilacs are natives of colder regions of southeastern Europe and northern regions of China and Korea. What we call Common Lilac, Syringa vulgaris, came from Romania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. The species comes in purple and white, is long blooming and is one of the most fragrant. It will grow to 12—15′ and can spread to make wide clumps, making a good screen. Because they are native to limestone areas, they prosper in our alkaline soils. And their hardiness makes them enduring in Colorado: books say to zone 4, but local growers say zone 3 or even 2 and to 10,000′.

Another reason lilacs are so popular is that they have been hybridized so much that there are many colors and forms to choose from. From Syringa vulgaris were bred at least 1500 cultivars. Starting in the 1880s, Victor Lemoine of France began selecting and hybridizing lilacs. It was a family enterprise with Victor as the leader, Madame Lemoine climbing ladders to do the actual cross pollinating and their son Emile taking over the business. They achieved 214 successful varieties, and both Victor and Madame Lemoine have great lilacs names after them. These are what we now call the French Lilacs. Since Lemoine, there have been many lilac breeders, several from the United States including Father John Fiala who wrote the great reference Lilacs: The Genus Syringa.

Some successful Syringa vulgaris cultivars available in our area are: ‘Albert Holden’ has deep violet blossoms with a silver reverse and good fragrance and grows to only 7—8′. ‘Arch McKean’ which has magenta flowers and very little suckering, growing to 7—8′. ‘Beauty of Moscow’ (‘Krasavitsa Moskvy’) with double white fragrant blossoms growing to 10—12′.(“one of the finest lilacs in commerce.” Fiala); ‘President Grevy’ has excellent double blue flowers in immense panicles.

‘Edith Cavell’ is rated “excellent” with double white, very showy flowers. ‘Monge’ is a single deep purple that is “outstandingly showy” and grows to 10—12′. This one is thriving at the neglected Cheyenne Station. ‘Sensation’ is very striking with its purple flowers edged with white. ‘Marie Frances’ has true soft pink flowers that are very fragrant.

Besides Syringa vulgaris, there are 22 other species, all from Asia. Some of these are not garden worthy, several were used in breeding great new hybrids and some make good shrubs in themselves. Syringa laciniata is sometimes available. It is quite beautiful with its cut leaves and its lavender blossoms. It is an annual bloomer, is long-flowering and suckers very little.

Syringa meyeri is compact and the variety ‘Palabin’ is available locally. It grows to 5′, needs little pruning and likes loose soils. It has deep purple buds and lavender-blue flowers and succeeds in dry conditions.

Syringa microphylla ‘Superba’ has small leaves, as its name implies. It is slow growing to 6—8′ and is wide spreading with small clusters of dark pink flowers that are sweetly fragrant. This is a lilac that will make a few blooms again in summer and fall. This is a real treat.

Syringa oblata is occasionally available and although it is an early bloomer, it is less susceptible to freezing than S. vulgaris and so is fairly reliable. The flowers are pale purple and the fall color is wine red. The variety dilatata is a superior form with very fragrant purple flowers and the variety ‘Cheyenne’ is extremely fragrant.

Syringa x hyacinthiflora is a cross between Syringa oblata and S. vulgaris. These hybrids bloom a week to 10 days before the French Vulgaris Hybrids. The fragrant flowers can be white, lavender or purple and the fall color is wine red. They are successful large, dense shrubs for Colorado, growing to 10—12′, and can be used as hedges since their leaves and flowers form all the way to the lower branches. They are hardy to 9000′. However since they bloom early, avoid planting them in a frost pocket or next to a tall wall or house where the flowers can be coaxed to open early only to be frozen. A few that are available locally are ‘Mount Baker’ with very fragrant, pure white flowers, ‘Assissippi’ which is the earliest with fragrant lavender flowers, and ‘Pocahontas’ with deep violet fragrant flowers.

Syringa patula is a late blooming species from the mountains of South Korea. The selection ‘Miss Kim’ is fabulous for its compact form and its very fragrant ice-blue-lavender flowers. It has burgundy fall color and prefers a well-drained soil.

Syringa x prestoniae are a series of hybrids from crossing Syringa villosa and S. reflexa. Isabella Preston was the Canadian hybridizer of these prolific bloomers. They flower about 10-14 days later than S. vulgaris and have a spicy “oriental” fragrance. They are very hardy to zone 2 and can grow to 9000′ or 10,000′. They do not sucker and so can be pruned into small multi-stemmed trees. Some varieties that are available locally are: ‘Isabella’ with lavender flowers, ‘James Macfarlane’ with pink flowers, ‘Miss Canada’ with deep pink flowers only growing to 6—9′ and ‘Minuet’ with purple flowers growing to 6—9′.

Another lilac species that is a favorite in Colorado is Syringa reticulata, the Japanese Tree Lilac. It grows to 15—5′, blooming with white flowers in very late spring. The variety ‘Ivory Silk’ has a more compact form and the same cinnamon-brown peeling bark. The fragrance is like privet, that is, not delicious. It is hardy to zone 4 and 6500′.

The best culture for lilacs is fertile, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter in full sun. The Common Purple and Common White seem to do just fine in my lean gravelly soil with almost no organic matter, but for the hybrids, for longer bloom, bigger and more flowers higher fertility is necessary. Father Fiala says commercial fertilizer is no substitute for two year old manure and compost, because they provide tilth, hold moisture and feed the soil microorganisms. The worst conditions for lilacs are “wet feet”, shade and subsoil. If heavy wet clay is all there is, Father Fiala says to build a 3′ high mound with gravel, top soil, manure and compost; and plant at the top of the mound. Another option is to plant near the top of a slope; never near the bottom. Syringa vulgaris and its offspring are the most tolerant lilacs for heavy clay, but not if it is soggy.

The best pruning for lilacs is to remove the dead, broken and very old. Also take out many of the suckers, but leave the biggest ones if they aren’t too crowded. Once the shrub is mature, remove a fourth to a third of the oldest wood every year. And prune the tallest branches down 10%-20% to a side branch leading out. This should be done soon after blooming so next year’s buds are not removed.

When a lilac has not been blooming well or has gotten very old with little care, it can often be rejuvenated if the roots are sound. First scratch in some composted manure into the top 2″ of the soil, and then mulch 3″ deep. Then cut out the oldest canes, or if it has too much dead, cut the whole shrub to the ground in the early spring before it leafs out. This will either renew it or if the roots are rotten, it may not survive the operation. Do not cut a weak lilac to the ground in the summer, because that would likely kill it.

There is not universal agreement as to the value of dead-heading the spent flowers, but Father Fiala and the Arnold Arboretum believe it is worth the trouble if it is done immediately after blooming. This will save energy that will result in better blooming and health. This can be a big job, but I have found removing even half the spent flowers is helpful.

Lilacs are generally healthy if they get decent drainage, some pruning and some organic matter. But they can have a few problems. In Colorado, a warm February and March followed by a frigid April or May can freeze the buds or flowers and ruin the floral show for a whole year. Another problem can be powdery mildew, turning the leaves almost white. If the plant is strong, this will cause no real harm; just rake up the diseased leaves. Some varieties like Syringa meyeri, S. microphylla, S. reticulata, ‘Mme. Lemoine’ and ‘Pocahontas’ are resistant to mildew. You can control the mildew with a non-toxic spray of horticultural oil and baking soda, one tablespoon each in a gallon of water, or there is a new product related to baking soda called Green Cure. One other possible problem is lilac borer which can tunnel into the wood to weaken or kill stems. This should not be a problem if the plant has good vitality. I have heard “painting” the lower trunks with wood ash and water repels them.

Like every plant, lilac has its strengths and weaknesses, but far more strengths. It is truly a sustainable shrub for Colorado, being both tough and drought tolerant. Enjoy the great variety of forms, flower colors and fragrances. And by planting the early, middle and late bloomers, you can enjoy a long season of flowers. I recommend that you go to the nurseries in the spring when they are in bloom so you can smell and see, and cultivate those that really speak to you. No nursery can carry more than a fraction of even the best varieties. Two mail order lilac nurseries are Heard Gardens in Iowa and Wedge Nursery in Minnesota.

Here are a few Father Fiala identifies as some of the top varieties that are not available locally, as far as I know: ‘Flower City’, ‘Dwight D. Eisenhower’, ‘Avalanche’, ‘Violetta’, ‘Blue Danube’, ‘Mechta’, ‘Larksong’, ‘Marechal Foch’, ‘Paul Thirion’, ‘Edith Braun’, ‘Sarah Sands’, ‘Etna’.

Fine-Textured Plants for the Rocky Mountain Region

As gardeners mature, we begin to loosen our fixation on flowers and learn to see and appreciate other aspects of plants that can be equally beautiful and enjoyable. Besides foliage color and sculptural form, texture is one of the important aesthetic elements in a garden.

Fine-textured plants can move with the breezes, glow when backlit and express gentleness and a delicate grace which is appreciated here in the rugged west. At the same time, fine leaves can be an aid to drought and heat tolerance.[Read More]

Flowering Bullies

We gardeners are always looking for tough plants. And those of us who are pursuing the elusive “sustainable garden” are searching for Colorado-adapted plants that do well with little or no care. But that is not enough. A sustainable garden is one where there is a balanced ecosystem of plants that can change as conditions change, to favor first one species and then another, but no plant should take over the entire space. Those dominating plants are the ones I call real weeds: the garden bullies.[Read More]

Philadelphus – Mockorange

Nearly everybody has met the memorable fragrance of mockorange, said to imitate the smell of orange blossoms. There are over a hundred species of Philadelphus, and of these, about 40 are native to North America. Many of the yards of Boulder County and Denver have at least one specimen. What is so good about this shrub? Dirr says, “In flower they are attractive to some, but the rest of the year are real eyesores.” Wyman said their fall color is not vivid, their fruits are not ornamental, no winter interest, but they are “cultivated 50 weeks of the year in order that their flowers may be appreciated for two weeks.” However I happen to love mockorange, and one of the 2001 Plant Select shrubs is ‘Cheyene’ Mockorange. So let’s look into the good qualities.[Read More]

Geraniums for Sun or Dry Shade

Hardy Geraniums are in general very serviceable and these four have been very useful and successful for me. They are tolerant of diverse and adverse conditions and are especially useful in dreaded dry shade.[Read More]

Fireblight: How to recognize it and deal with it (1997)

One of the most damaging and most perplexing diseases of the Front Range is fireblight. It is a bacterial disease affecting apples, crabapples, pears, Mt. Ashes, pyracanthas, quinces, hawthorns and occasionally cotoneasters. Fireblight does not affect cherries, plums, peaches or shade trees.

When the bacterium with the lovely name Erwinia amylovora enters the trees through an opening such as a wound, a pruning cut, the open blossom or leaf pores, the tissues quickly die causing blossoms and leaves and young twigs to suddenly wilt and turn black as if scorched by fire (hence the name “fireblight”). As the bacteria spread through the tissues, secondary infection continues through the season and bark areas die, become sunken and turn black or reddish-orange. These areas are called “cankers”. Sometimes large numbers of leaves turn black but the infection stays confined to small twigs; sometimes entire large branches die; occasionally the entire tree will die.[Read More]

Groundcovers Project in its 18th Year

In 1993 I sent a survey to 29 local horticulturists to get their suggestions on the best groundcovers for a demonstration project we were planning at Harlequin’s Gardens. I asked them to list 5-10 groundcovers that could be used to replace bluegrass in low traffic areas, that would need a quarter to a half the water of bluegrass, have few pests and diseases, would grow densely to limit weeds, would look good in most seasons and would not be invasive in gardens. The survey was typed on a typewriter and most of the replies were hand-written. People did drive cars back then. But that was a long time ago and I had a lot to learn.[Read More]

Serviceberry

Saskatoon Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

A winter-hardy (zone 4) native shrub of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. It has beautiful coarsely toothed leaves that are attractive even in the dry summer. The flowers are white and apple-like, fragrant and appear very early in the spring. Delicious blueberry-like fruit follow in midsummer. Birds are very fond of them and the American Indians used to mix these serviceberries with fat and buffalo meat to make their winter staple, pemmican. The Canadians have been working to develop this plant for fruit production.[Read More]

Hardy Geraniums

Hardy Geraniums are one of most versatile an adaptable perennials for our area. Available in many colors and habits, they can be useful in sun and shade, moist and dry, as a single specimen, as companion plants and as ground covers. These are not to be confused with the Pelargoniums which are the house plant, container and bedding plant “geraniums” which are not hardy outdoor plants in Colorado. The name “geranium” is derived from a Greek word meaning little crane, hens the common name “cranesbill” which refers to the appearance of the seed heads. The majority of the species of geraniums are native to the northern and mountain regions of Eurasia and North and South America although some are found in South Africa, India, Indonesia etc. Most grow in grasslands, meadows, roadsides and open woodlands. Therefore the natural habitat for most hardy geraniums seems to be sunny and moist or part-shade and moist or dry.[Read More]

Japanese Beetle is Here

Japanese Beetle is one of the most damaging insect pests in the Eastern and Midwestern US, but until recently, Coloradans were spared that challenge. It entered the US in 1916, but took until 2003 before a population was established in Colorado. This first infestation was in the Palisade area on the Western Slope. Even though eradication efforts were mostly successful there, established populations have been found since 2005 in Pueblo, southern Denver, Englewood, at DU and at Denver Botanic Gardens. Smaller populations are being seen now in Boulder and Jefferson County.[Read More]

Heat-Tolerant Plants

Most of our native plains plants and shrubs including:

Sumacs
Penstemons
Rabbitbrushes
Desert Four O’Clock
Saltbrush
Heterotheca
Artemisias (Sages)
Thelesperma
Gambel Oak
Sulfur Flower (Eriogonums)[Read More]

Small Shrubs that Fit In

There has been a lot of interest at our nursery, and in current plant-breeding programs for smaller shrubs. Most of the old-time favorite shrubs are very large. Most lilacs, viburnums, honeysuckles, forsythias, privets, elderberries, serviceberries, butterfly bushes and hibiscus are 6’-12’ high and often as wide. These are great to provide screening and big masses of color along fences or the back of the border.[Read More]

Managing Grasshoppers without Poisons

Nolo Bait is not a poison. It is a parasite that only affects grasshoppers and Mormon Crickets. It will not harm people, pets, wildlife or beneficial insects. It is most effective on small grasshoppers. In 3-4 weeks up to 50% of the grasshopper population will die. In addition, their eggs will be infected for the following season, and because grasshoppers are cannibalistic, they spread the disease. Put out shallow trays of the bran bait in small quantities. Wind, rain and contact with soil organisms can reduce bait available to grasshoppers.

Ducks, chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl can significantly reduce grasshopper populations. They must be fenced and put inside a safe structure every night to protect them from predators. They will also eat some plants, like vegetables.[Read More]

Managing Weeds Organically

Corn Gluten: made from corn it functions as an organic weed-and-feed. It works by keeping all seeds from germinating. Once a plant (or weed) begins to grow the Corn Gluten will not harm it. Very effective when used twice a year, in October and February. The effect lasts 6 months. The feed part is the 9% nitrogen fertilizing effect which thickens grass and stimulates the growth of all plants.

20% Vinegar: this natural acid will burn plant tissues it is sprayed on. Best to apply in bright sunlight and hot days. Spray thoroughly. Very effective on annuals; perennials may need more than one application. Be careful not to overspray on desirable plants as it is non-selective. Repeated use can acidify soils which in our alkaline soils is not usually a problem except for alkaline-loving plants like lilac.[Read More]

Smoketree

Cotinus, known as Smoketree, is a genus of woody plants appreciated for their “smoky” flower plumes and for their leaf color, especially in autumn. Michael Dirr in his famous Manual of Woody Landscape Plants says “…it may be the best of all American shrub/trees for intensity of color.” Two species and many selections and hybrids offer leaf colors ranging from rich blue-green, maroon red, purple-red and yellow-gold; and the fall colors are even more vibrant. With the current passion for new plants, it is curious that Smoketree is not seen more often in our western landscapes.[Read More]

Lavandula – The Lavenders

Lavenders are great xeriscape perennials for Colorado, which bloom in the heat and dry of July and August. They are native to the rocky hillsides of the Mediterranean region. Here as well, they like good drainage, full sun, our alkaline soil and dry, loamy humus. Lavenders are aromatic herbs with gray foliage, the leaves as well as the flowers being strongly fragrant.[Read More]

Roses that Survive and Thrive in Colorado

After last November’s 77 degree cold plunge to 13 degrees below zero, most roses suffered die-back, some died to the ground and some died completely. But there were roses that had only minimal damage and some that will bounce back with a good show of vigorous growth and generous flowering this year. Here are some observations and conclusions about growing sustainable roses in Colorado.

Roses are cane shrubs, similar to blackberries and raspberries. Their wood has a pithy center and is not as hard or as strong as a lilac. Consequently roses are more vulnerable to insects, diseases, desiccation and cold, but another consequence is that they can grow and regrow much faster than woody shrubs like lilac and viburnum.[Read More]

Lawn Alternatives and Groundcovers

In our American communities, one of the responsibilities of home-ownership is to keep the ground covered. Bare earth, like weeds, indicates lack of care. So then, how do we cover the ground? The cheapest, fastest, and easiest way is to roll out bluegrass sod. “Instant” landscapes can be accomplished with a supervised construction crew that knows little about plants. And as long as water was plentiful, bluegrass was the unquestioned solution.[Read More]

Sungari Redbead Cotoneaster

The 2017 Plant Select shrub introduction is a woody plant with a tongue-twister of a name, a long history of survival at the old Cheyenne Horticultural Station, and has a heart-warming story of two great local plantsmen who brought it out of obscurity into Colorado gardens.

Cotoneaster racemiflora soongorica or Sungari Redbead Cotoneaster is a very tough and beautiful shrub, having survived over 40 years of neglect at the closed and unwatered Cheyenne High Plains Horticultural Research Station. It grows 6′-8′ high and wide with arching branches. The dark green leaves that are gray-white underneath, are attractive in themselves, and the flattened clusters of white, Hawthorn-like flowers are some of the showiest of all cotoneasters. They attract bees and other pollinators. Following the flowers are showy red fruits, a quarter of an inch or more in diameter. These berries are not messy and are popular with garden birds. They cluster along the thin branches, appearing as ropes of beads — hence the common name.[Read More]

Pest Management for Bees

Overview: The Good News: 100,000 insect species; only 200 pests. We do not need neonics or any toxic pesticide to grow plants well. The solution is human attention, biodiversity, nutrient-dense soils, application of nontoxic management, and tolerance.

The Bad News: Most people and most nurseries don’t know the good news. They believe the chemical companies that we need to fear and attack insects and fungi as enemies.

More Good News: The concern of ordinary citizens who call nurseries and businesses and ask them if they are using systemic neonic poisons in their plants, is having a powerful effect. These companies now know we care and will buy plants that are neonic-free if we can. This could get them to change.[Read More]

Pruning Article for Boulder Home and Garden

For many people, pruning is the maintenance job they most fear and dread. And it is good to be wary, because a tree that is badly pruned can dominate a landscape with its ugliness for years, can be more prone to breakage and disease, and can have a much shorter life.

Tree and shrub pruning have four basic aspects: the practical or aesthetic interests of the owners, the biology of how trees “heal”, the physics of what makes a branch strong or weak, and the art of how to create beautiful forms.[Read More]

Gooseberries in the Garden

Most of us think of gooseberries as the small, green, sour fruits in a gooseberry pie. I remember, as a kid, thinking that they were only fit for a goose. But now I have had the pleasure of eating several varieties that are delicious, right off the bush, when fully ripe. Europeans have had a couple centuries to cultivate and breed Ribes uva-crispa (grossularia) which is the European Gooseberry.[Read More]

Pyrethrum Insecticides: Are they Safe?

Pyrethrum is one of the best known botanical insecticides, effective against a wide variety of insect pests and generally considered safe to use. Is it really safe? To answer any question about pyrethrum it must first be explained that what is referred to as “pyrethrum” can be many different products. There is pyrethrum, the raw flowers; pyrethrins,the extracts from the flowers; and pyrethroids, synthetic pyrethrum. In addition many other insecticides and enhancers are often added to formulations which are called “pyrethrum”.[Read More]

Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse Rose Garden

Boulder Valley Rose Society
Hardy Roses Demonstration Garden
1770 13th St. Boulder, Colorado

This garden, planted in 1998, is both the Hardy Rose Demonstration Garden of the Boulder Valley Rose Society and an environment that delights the senses and calms the spirit, such as you might find at a teahouse in Tajikistan.

Designed by Eve Reshetnik-Brawner and Mikl Brawner, the garden includes 43 varieties of roses of many types, including Old Garden roses, Species roses, Canadian, Modern Shrub and David Austin’s English roses. These roses were chosen for their Old World Character, cold hardiness and disease-resistance. In addition, these roses are not grafted, but grown on their “own roots” which makes them tougher and longer-lived. These qualities have allowed the Boulder Valley Rose Society to maintain this rose garden without the use of chemical fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides. These roses are examples of how successful roses can be in Colorado.[Read More]

Bees, Neonics and the Organic Way

Pesticides were never a good idea. They were designed to make money from petroleum, not to benefit the public good. Pesticides, fungicides and herbicides are poisons that were developed to kill life. Not only has this approach poisoned our earth and ourselves, it has failed to control Nature. Our soils are less productive, and weeds and pests have adapted by becoming resistant. Stronger poisons are not the answer.

In the last 20 years, the new “nicotine” pesticides (neonicotinoids) have become the industry standards because they are less toxic to people and animals than the old organophophate pesticides, and that is good. But the neonicotinoids (neonics) are even more toxic to insects; they last 3 months to 5 years; all parts of the plants are poison, and the poison goes into our water.[Read More]

Grapes on the Front Range

One spring day, my wife Eve and I were taking a walk along a stream when suddenly Eve picked up the sweet scent of something unusual. I sniffed the air and recognized a distinctly grapey aroma, and we realized that near us was a wild grape growing up a tree. It was the native Vitis riparia, the Riverbank Grape. In my 20s I had helped extract the seeds from the very small and abundant fruits to make a wild grape pie, that clings in my memory as one of the best pies I have ever eaten.[Read More]

Heirloom Tomatoes

What is the big deal about heirloom tomatoes? Hasn’t modern science brought us big improvements with hybrids that are bigger fruiting, higher yielding, resistant to many diseases and low in acid and high in vitamins? Yes, there are many hybrids that do boast these benefits. However the varieties that have earned the designation of “heirloom” have been treasured and saved through many years of growing and eating. Presumably they have endured for two main reasons: the success of the plants through many varying seasons and locations, and the big reason, FLAVOR. It was probably in reference to heirloom tomatoes that the song was written “Only two things that money can’t buy: true love and home-grown tomatoes.” There is something about that genuine tomato flavor that has made the tomato America’s most popular vegetable, and the tomatoes in the supermarkets don’t even come close.[Read More]

Home-Grown Fruit

Many fruits can be grown successfully here on the Front Range of Colorado. At one time, there were commercial apple orchards in Boulder and Fort Collins, commercial sour cherry orchards and canneries between Loveland and Fort Collins and commercial raspberry production in various places. Cheap shipping, more reliable weather and harvests in other regions, and a raspberry disease chased these operations to other states. However there is great potential here for the home gardener to grow tree- and bush-ripened fruit that is delicious, organic, fresh and economical.[Read More]

Bundle Up Your Plants!

Spring snow is on it’s way!

This week will be a challenging one for gardeners; we will have night temperatures in the mid-20s Wednesday through Friday, before the next warming trend. We are also expecting snow and perhaps sleet. There are a number of ways to protect your plants including row cover, solar caps, upside-down pots. See below for details. [Read More]

Veggies, Seeds, Special Events, and Classes!

VEGGIES, SEEDS, SPECIAL EVENTS, & CLASSES!

So many opportunities this spring!

Harlequin’s Gardens offers a lot of exceptional and unusual varieties of veggies that you won’t find anywhere else! Our selection of cool-season veggies continues to expand daily as do our perennials. There are many veggies, including onions, leeks, Asian greens, bok choy, and heading type of brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) that will yield larger and better results if they are planted sooner, rather than later in the season. (Eve with Graffiti Cauliflower, right.) See our website for many of our veggie descriptions.

This is also the best time to get many types of seeds in the ground. Our collection of Botanical Interests, Seed Savers, and Beauty Beyond Belief seeds contain many interesting and heirloom varieties for you to try.

If you’re unsure about the best ways to approach veggie gardening, or want to expand your knowledge, we have two classes this weekend that will be of great help. On Saturday at 10 AM, our own Mimi Yanus will guide you in her popular “Getting Started in Veggie Gardening” class. Then, at 1:00, Tracy Parrish follows with her “Succession Planting” class where you’ll learn how to maximize your garden space and keep your veggie garden in continual production.

On Sunday at 1:00, Mikl will share how you can have a successful lawn without using toxic chemicals in his “Organic Lawn Care” class. See below for more details and call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

As of April 1 we’re now OPEN DAILY from 9 AM to 5 PM, and until 6 PM on Thursdays.

POTATO STARTS

… will be arriving late next week! This year we will have German Butterball, Kennebec, Mountain Rose, and Purple Majesty selections. See our website for descriptions!

GOOD NEWS SPECIAL EVENT!

Neighbors, farmers, gardeners, citizen activists, the politically weary, the financially skeptical, the poetically inclined, pollinators, seed savers, CSA members, folks who want to know where their food comes from and where their money goes, and all who would like to put the culture back into agriculture and the civil back into civilization, all who would like to make our community healthier and our soil more fertile (which, as fate would have it, also pulls carbon out of the atmosphere, go figure!), all who take to heart the morning news reports about the collapse of insect populations and the urgency of climate change and who are no longer content to place all our bets on distant markets and distant political solutions. . .yes, you, us, we of Boulder, of the Front Range, of the environs between the Great Plains and the Continental Divide. . . we’re coming together to enjoy

—ADMISSION FREE—

. . .which could stand for Americans for Healthy Agriculture (AHA!), but doesn’t, because there is no such organization, but it stands for bunches of us coming together in a spirit of radical neighborliness, and for AHA! moments towards which we are heading, courtesy of these festivities, CO-HOSTED BY SOIL (Slow Opportunities for Investing Locally) and HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS, with help from our friends at Boulder County Farmers Markets, Savory Institute, Fresh Thymes Eatery, Organic Sandwich Company, Backpacker’s Pantry, Charlotte’s Web, and 78 individuals (on our way to many more, we trust) who have begun making 0% loans to local farmers and food enterprises, in the name of diversity and health, in the name of relationships putting transactions in their place, a small token of the esteem in which we hold those who are tending the soil and building the local food system. . .So, you are cordially invited to join in an afternoon of shared learning and community celebration, along with a few words from

and others, and. . . including poetry, music and other forms of cultural invigoration and mutual appreciation. Conviviality! Conversation! Door prizes! Radical neighborliness!

Who knew?! Something is afoot! AHA!

For more information contact woody@nullslowmoney.org.

BACKYARD VINEYARD CLASS

Have you dreamt of starting your own backyard vineyard? Our friend, John Martin of Stonebridge Farm, will be teaching an introductory class this Sunday, April 7, from 1:00-4:00 at Stonebridge Farm. To attend email John Martin.

Interested, but not able to attend? Come to John’s Sunday, April 28 class at Harlequin’s Gardens: GROWING GRAPES ON THE FRONT RANGE at 1 PM. In this class John will present an overview of varieties suitable for this region, considerations for site location, trellising options, pest protection measures, and a brush across two basic pruning techniques. Call 303-939-9403 to register.

APRIL CLASS LIST

Call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

Our weekends are loaded with great classes you won’t want to miss! Our customers tell us that our classes have given them tremendous value, with practical and current information from local experts who have spent years honing their skills in Colorado and will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 (unless otherwise stated) for our classes to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up, or too few people register and we have to cancel. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. You can register at the nursery, by mail, or by calling 303-939-9403. We are unable to take class registration by email at this time. Most of our classes run from one-and-a-half to two hours in length, and sometimes longer for hands-on classes, or if there are a large number of questions. See the complete March Class listing below, or on our website.

Sat, Apr 6 at 10 AM
GETTING STARTED IN VEGETABLE GARDENING with Mimi Yanus

If you are new to Colorado, new to vegetable gardening, or have been unhappy with the results of your earlier attempts, this class is for you. Learn from Mimi what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful and bountiful, even in Colorado conditions! (This is a repeat of Mimi’s March 16 class.) Class cost: $15

Sat, Apr 6 at 1 PM
SUCCESSION PLANTING: OPTIMIZING PLANTING TIMES TO INCREASE GARDEN YIELDSwith Tracey Parrish

Learn the techniques and timing to maximize your garden space and keep your veggie garden in continual production throughout the seasons. This class provides participants with an extensive planting schedule table, outlining when and where to start your seeds, the time to transplant out and when to expect harvest. Tracey is an expert in culinary gardening. Class cost: $15

Sun, Apr 7 at 1 PM
ORGANIC LAWN CARE with Mikl Brawner

You can have successful a lawn without using toxic chemicals! Learn how to support healthy soil and soil life using compost, organic fertilizers, aeration, proper watering, and mowing, and how to avoid and deal with weeds. Class cost: $15

Sat, Apr 13 at 10 AM
EDIBLE LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck

Learn how to grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, vines and herbs in your yard, beautifully. Learn which plants are the most successful and how to integrate them into your landscape. Alison has been designing edible landscapes for 25 years; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. Class cost: $15

Sat, Apr 13 at 1 PM
DO-IT-YOURSELF DRIP IRRIGATIONwithAlison Peck

Drip Irrigation can be easy! Come learn a simple, easy way to design and install a system that can be connected to an outside hose bib with a battery-operated timer, giving you an inexpensive automatic watering system. We will also discuss how to convert an existing sprinkler system to drip irrigation. Class cost: $15

Sun, Apr 14 at 10 AM
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PLANTING DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTSwith Panayoti Kelaidis

Do you know what parts of the world your xeriscape plants come from? Whether they’re adapted to spring moisture, summer monsoons, or winter snow-cover? In what type of soil conditions they thrive? How to group plants with similar needs so they will all succeed? Don’t miss this rare opportunity for an enlightening explanation of the sets of growing conditions in which our Colorado-adapted garden plants evolved, including prairie, steppe, desert, foothill and montane, with an emphasis on steppes. Panayoti Kelaidis is Senior Curator and Director of Outreach at Denver Botanic Gardens, one of the world’s foremost botanical experts, an internationally acclaimed, inexhaustible and enthusiastic font of knowledge, passionate plant-explorer and gardener, a founder of the Plant Select program, and lead author of DBG’s groundbreaking book ‘Steppes’. Class cost: $15

Sun, Apr 14 at 1 PM
SPRING PRUNING with Mikl Brawner

There are shrubs that should not be pruned in the spring and there are shrubs, roses and vines that are best pruned in spring. Learn which to prune when, and how to prune for strength, beauty, and production of fruit and flowers. (This is not a repeat of the Fall Pruning Class.) Class cost: $15

Sat, Apr 20 at 1 PM
FEARLESS ROSE PRUNING with Eve Brawner

Eve will demonstrate and discuss why and how to prune roses in a fearless and confident manner. She will also discuss feeding, watering, etc. to maximize your success with growing roses. Wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves, and a hat and be prepared to be outside. Class cost: $15

Sun Apr 28 at 10 AM
DRYER PLANTS FOR A NEW LANDSCAPE ERA with Kelly Grummons

Many beautiful cacti, century plants (Agave spp.), yuccas, and their relatives thrive in our harsh climate. These plants look as good in the winter garden as they do in the summer. Kelly is well known for his work with these hardy plants and is expert at using them in the garden. We’ll discuss companion plants, soil preparation and garden construction. Kelly Grummons is a Horticulturist and Owner of Prairie Storm Nursery (coldhardycactus.com and dogtuffgrass.com). Class cost: $20

Sun Apr 28 at 1 PM
GROWING GRAPES ON THE FRONT RANGE with John Martin

Thanks to recent development in grape varieties, you, too can successfully grow table grapes and wine grapes on the Colorado Front Range. This workshop will present an overview of varieties suitable for this region, considerations for site location, trellising options, pest protection measures, and a brush across two basic pruning techniques. Whether you are interested in fruit or wine, let’s explore how the taste of your grapes and wineswill define this locality. John and his partner, Kayann Short, tend nine different varieties of grapes and make wine at their CSA farm, Stonebridge, in Longmont. Class cost: $15

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Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the most up-to-date information and photos! We’re looking forward to seeing you this week! In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

WELCOME TO HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS SPRING NEWSLETTER!

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Welcome to Spring, to Harlequin’s Gardens and to another chance to get your hands into the living earth and add healthy biology to your micobiome, and breathe fresh air and hear the birds and partner with Nature in gardening.

With some notable exceptions, we humans have seen ourselves as separate and superior to the animals, plants and insects. We have seen ourrole as users, not partners. And now with our atmosphere polluted with greenhouse gases and our soils, ground water, streams and oceans contaminated with toxins and plastics, we humans are going “whoops!” Of course there are enormous economic interests and habitual patterns that are resisting the changes that are necessary.

Rationally, it appears that we are stuck in the Dark Ages, but intuitively, it feels like there is a Renaissance emerging. This Renaissance is dependent on a greater humility and a broader awareness. It is being driven by climate disruption, the food revolution, the soil revolution and a view merging new physics with ecology and social justice.

Realizations are arising that we really are all connected. American power plants are affecting islands in the South Pacific. Poisoning insect pests is killing billions of insect and microbial allies, which leads to greater pest problems. And basing our economy on oil and arms sales is backfiring with climate crises and displaced people needing new places to live.

Read More

Veggie Starts
Receive Newsletters by Email
Some Good News!
Events, Sales and Hours
Classes
Membership
Staff
Soil Life Products
Home-grown Fruit
Roses
Perennials
Trees & Seeds
Thank you!

VEGGIE STARTS

As usual we will have a great selection of organic veggie starts. Every winter Eve pores over the most interesting and reliable seed catalogs, searching for new and special varieties that resist disease and pests, are very productive, taste fabulous, and that we think will likely be successful and rewarding here on the high plains and in the mountains. We think you’ll find the very best choices at Harlequin’s Gardens.

Please give us your feedback on what you grow from us. We want to know what works and what doesn’t.Please go to our website under Plants/Edibles for a complete listing and descriptions of our veggies.

A FEW of our NEW TOMATOES:

Offering 80+ varieties in 2019

THORBURN’S TERRA COTTA Tomato – NEW! Very Limited Supply. ~75 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Our friend Thomas brought this very rare and completely unique tomato to our 2018 Taste of Tomato public tasting (where this remarkable new-old variety took second place in the Slicers category) and we’d never seen anything like it! Incredible color, flavor and history! Introduced in 1893, this sensational tomato has glossy/waxy terracotta brown skin, orange-pink flesh, and green seed mass. When cooked, it will yield a beautiful pumpkin-orange sauce with a floral aroma. (Pictured left.)

BRAD’S ATOMIC GRAPE Tomato – NEW!Very Limited Supply~75 days, OP, Indeterminate
Highly productive, open, vining plants with wispy foliage. Large, pointy grape tomatoes are borne in large clusters. Every fruit appears hand-painted! Lavender and purple stripes, orange turning to technicolor olive-green, red, and brown/blue stripes when fully ripe. Flavor? They came in second place after Sungold in the Cherry tomato category at our 2018 Taste of Tomato! Fruits are crack-resistant and exceptionally sweet.

TOMMY TOE cherry tomato – NEW!~70 days, Heirloom OP, Indeterminate
Tommy Toe is a great old heirloom from the Ozark Mountains that produces huge numbers of large, 1.5 oz red cherries with old fashioned flavor reminiscent of heirloom ‘beefsteak’ tomatoes.

Read More about ALL of our Veggies

RECEIVE NEWSLETTERS BY EMAIL

Please subscribe to receive our newsletters by email. You can get both hardcopy and emails. Receive our weekly blogs with timely garden advice and reminders, as well as news of stock arrivals, upcoming classes, special events and sales, etc. Our blog is a way we can give you detailed and up-to-date information at the time when it is relevant. We’re very happy to give you a hard copy newsletter when you visit the nursery or continue to mail it to you if you prefer.

Go to our subscription page and please remember to add us to your Contact List so your email server doesn’t throw us in the trash.

FACEBOOK :We wish you could LOVE us on Facebook, but since that’s not possible, we hope you will LIKE us…

“The miracle is not to walk on water, but to walk on earth” Thich Nhat Hanh

“One of the least discussed but, I suspect, most effective agents in the race to save ourselves from extinction is reconnecting to nature. When I hug a tree, I get a tiny, blessed glimpse of the truth, which is that I’m a very small part of a gigantic ecosystem”

Maeve Higgins

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HEAR YE, HEAR YE: Some Good News!

Here is an invitation to a FREE event that celebrates various awakenings in local food, farmer support, turning carbon into fertility, saving the insects and the planet, and more – are happening locally. With brief talks by local activators, music, poetry, conviviality and conversation.

Please Join Us:

Saturday, April 13, from 3 – 6 PM

at The Boulder Circus Center
(4747 N 26th Street, next door to Harlequin’s Gardens)

— FREE! —

A collaboration of SOIL (Slow Opportunities for Investing Locally) and Harlequin’s Gardens. For more details go to SOIL.

“We can drift along with general opinion and tradition, or we can throw ourselves upon the guidance of the soul and steer courageously toward truth.“

Helen Keller

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EVENTS, SALES & HOURS

On March 1 we opened for the Season and through the month are open Thursday through Sunday, 9-5.
Beginning April 1 we will be open everyday 9-5; Thursdays 9-6.
April 29 thru May 5: Harlequin’s Gardens May Day Plant Sale.
April 28 thru May 5: Harlequin’s Gardens Annual May Day Celebration and Cinco de Mayo.
On Saturday, May 4 at 10 AM don’t miss the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers who will bring us fertility and merriment. Then at 11:30 enjoy the duo Martian Acres playing classic pop and originals, and then at 1:30 move to Bistro Marimba with the music of Zimbabwe.
On Sunday, May 5, Cinco de Mayo, refreshments will be served, and from 11:00 jig and reel with the excellent musicians of the Boulder Irish Session. Then at 1pm local harpist Margo Krimmel will treat us to the tunes of O’Carolan and other fine melodies.
August 19 to 25: Members Fall Plant Sale
August 26: Harlequin’s Annual Fall Plant Sale begins for everyone. This sale continues every week in September and October.
September 7: Taste of Tomato: a tomato tasting festival; Harlequin’s Gardens with Growing Gardens, 10 AM-1 PM at Growing Gardens. Bring your favorites; call/see our website for details.
October: open every day 9-5, and our Sale continues. Closed for the Season on October 31.
November 29: Harlequin’s 2019 Holiday Market begins on GreenFriday with Local Artisan Goods and Goodies and will continue every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through December 22nd.

“In nature’s economy, the currency is not money; it is life.”

Vandanna Shiva

The World Bank says it will no longer finance oil and gas projects after 2019.

The Sierra Club

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HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS 2019 CLASSES

In our classes you will learn more than information. Our teachers are people who have spent years honing their skills and their experience in Colorado will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 unless otherwise stated to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. (Cash and check are much appreciated!) Pre-register at 303-939-9403 for these classes both in case they fill up or too few people register and we have to cancel the class. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. Classes are also listed here.

MARCH

Sun, Mar 31 at 10 AM BUILDING TOPSOIL and FERTILITY with Mikl Brawner
Mikl will discuss how to support soil life, enrich poor soils, and improve plant health and nutrition from the bottom up: composts, fertilizers, mulching, worms, deficiencies, and tilth. (Rescheduled from March 24.) Class cost: $15

APRIL

Sat, Apr 6 at 10 AM GETTING STARTED IN VEGETABLE GARDENING with Mimi Yanus
If you are new to Colorado, new to vegetable gardening, or have been unhappy with the results of your earlier attempts, this class is for you. Learn from Mimi what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful and bountiful, even in Colorado conditions! Class cost: $15

Sat, Apr 6 at 1 PM SUCCESSION PLANTING: OPTIMIZING PLANTING TIMES TO INCREASE YIELDSwith Tracey Parrish
Learn the techniques and timing to maximize your garden space and keep your veggie garden in continual production throughout the seasons. This class provides participants with an extensive planting schedule table, outlining when and where to start your seeds, the time to transplant out and when to expect harvest. Tracey is an expert in culinary gardening. Class cost: $15

Sun, Apr 7 at 1 PM ORGANIC LAWN CARE with Mikl Brawner
You can have successful lawn without using toxic chemicals! Learn how to support healthy soil and soil life using compost, organic fertilizers, aeration, proper watering, and mowing, and how to avoid and deal with weeds. Class cost: $15

Sat, Apr 13 at 10 AM EDIBLE LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck
Learn how to grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, vines and herbs in your yard, beautifully. Learn which plants are the most successful and how to integrate them into your landscape. Alison has been designing edible landscapes for 25 years; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. Class cost: $15

Read More

MEMBERSHIP in HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS

Memberships help Harlequin’s to do those extras that are so valuable to the community but that are not profitable, like: 5 demonstration gardens of Natives, low-water groundcovers, the New Western Garden etc; plus plastic pot recycling; plant and pest identification for customers; hand-outs on many subjects like pollinator plants, how to plant, what blooms in July etc; local seed collecting and propagation, and more.

Please become a member to support what we do, and receive special benefits too. Here is our expanded current offer: Members will give us $20 for a one year membership and in direct return will receive these benefits:

1) Half-price Harlequin’s Class of your choice. (Restricted to regular $15 and $20 classes.)
2) 25% discount on books all year
3) During the May Day Week get $10 off a $50 or more purchase of plants (except roses & fruit trees)
4) During May Day Week, take 10% off roses (except quarts), then
5) in August begin the fall sale a week early with 20% off most everything.

You can become a member anytime you are at the nursery, or mail a check for $20 to
Harlequin’s Gardens
4795 N.26th St.
Boulder, CO. 80301

We will put you in our Membership file. A membership is valid until the end of the calendar year. THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEMBERS!!!

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

Anne Frank

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OUR STAFF

We are very proud of our staff, so to help you to get to know us and our specialties, here are our portraits.

REBECCA WATERHOUSE is our excellent office manager who grew up on her family’s hobby farm in Oregon. She has become quite knowledgeable about plants and is indispensable around the nursery. Rebecca is integral to the success of our operations!

KRISTINA WILLIAMS has been a beekeeper for over 21 years and is our local expert on native bees. She is the current President of the Boulder County Beekeepers Assoc., is a trained entomologist and will be available to help people with beekeeping questions and beekeeping equipment.

ELAINE WALKER has a degree in landscape architecture with an emphasis in ecological practices. She has her own landscape design practice, and her recent work includes designing outdoor living spaces, retaining & boulder walls, native and drought tolerant plantings. Elaine develops and publishes our weekly blogs and maintains our customer database.

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SOIL LIFE PRODUCTS

Very Special Products To Benefit Your Soil Life and Your Plant Life

Big Foot Mycorrhizae – NEW! – combines 4 species of mycorrhizae with biochar, worm castings, seaweed and rock minerals to provide a strong population of plant allies to bring water and nutrients.
Endo Mycorrhizae – water soluble symbiotic fungus, innoculate roots to bring water and nutrients.
Biodynamic Compost Starter – speeds decomposition, adds nitrogen bacteria, helps make humus, improves mineral availability; for compost piles, manure, leaves; 55 microorganisms.
Biodynamic Field and Garden Spray – speeds the breakdown of cover crops or sheet mulch; planting can be 2-3 weeks after spraying & turning under, 55 microorganisms.

COMPOSTS:

Organic Mushroom Compost – from a local organic mushroom farm. Premium food for soil life and wonderful in vegetable gardens, helps to loosen heavy soils and improve aeration and porosity.

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HOME-GROWN FRUIT

One of our specialties is fruiting plants that are adapted to Colorado conditions. All the apples we carry are resistant to fireblight and good-tasting. And the cherries we sell are all proven successful in Colorado. Our grapes are the most hardy of any you will find, delicious fresh, in juice and a few are good for wine. And we have productive & good tasting currants, gooseberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries including:

Crandall Clove Currant and Gwen’s Buffalo Currant – both are 5’x4’ with very fragrant yellow flowers in spring and annual bearing of sweet-tart berries full of healthy phytonutrients and reddish fall color; these are native currants selected for better fruit. (photo, right)
Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry – late blooming so avoids late frosts, medium to large very sweet berries, semi-trailing, best pruned to 8’.

Read More

ROSES

We are known far and wide for our selection of sustainable roses and for our expertise in helping people choose the best varieties for their gardens and landscapes. We sell roses on their own roots not grafted, which makes them more cold hardy, longer lived, with more flowers.

This year we will have more Austin English roses. And

we have many other great roses including Bill Reid, Marie Pavie, The Gift, John Cabot, Seafoam, Stanwell Perpetual, The Fawn, Abraham Darby, Applejack,Darlow’s Enigma, Henry Kelsey, John Davis, Golden Wings, Victorian Memory, Fairmont Proserpine, Joann’s Pink Perpetual, Golden Celebration, Champlain, Morden Snowbeauty, Henry Kelsey, Robusta, etc.

See our 2019 Rose List on our website.

SHRUBS: We have a large selection of natives and non-natives AND Vines!

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PERENNIALS

Harlequin’s huge choice of pollinator-supporting perennials-including:

Sulfur Flower-Kannah Creek – mahogany fall color (Pictured right)
Eriogonum allennii – 3’ wide, very xeric, yellow flowers, a winner
E. jamesii – silver foliage, light yellow flowers, local native
Eriogonum umbellatum – yellow blooms cover xeric native mat, feeds butterflies, bees
Many Lavenders – Royal Velvet, Buena Vista, Grosso, Twickle Purple, Munstead, Hidcote
Asclepias incarnata – 1’-3’ Full Sun, Attracts butterflies, native & honeybees, butterflies
Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Weed, orange flowers, 1’-2’ high, Monarch food and nectar

Read More

TREES

THANK YOU!

Thank you, local gardeners, for helping to cultivate a healthy 21st Century World!

Sincerely,

Mikl Brawner & Eve Reshetnik-Brawner
And the Great Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

“There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one we are capable of living. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

Nelson Mandela

We Have Soil Products for You!

It’s time to prepare your soil!

Thank you to all those who helped us with a successful opening day, last Friday! And a big thanks to those who braved the elements later in the weekend to stop by! Throughout the month of March we’ll be open four days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

March is a great time to focus on soil enrichment and we’re stocked with great products that will help you prepare for the season ahead. You’ll recognize many products which we’ve stocked for years and we’re also trying out some new and exciting items. As always, we welcome your feedback on them all!

Classes

This weekend we’re featuring three great classes. We start on Saturday, March 9 at 10 AM, with two of our favorite Permaculturists, Tara Rae Kent and Daniela Escudero sharing some important principles to create more resilient and regenerative systems in our own gardens in their “Intro to Permaculture” class. Free Admission!

Stick around on March 9 because at 1:00 we have a one-time-only presentation on “Cover Crops: Why, How and Which” with Clark Harshbarger. Clark who is employed with the USDA-NRCS as a soil scientist and recently as director of Regenerative Farming at MAD Agriculture, will soon be moving to eastern US. For this special presentation we are renting a larger space next door at the Boulder Circus Center. This special class is only $20. (See the list of cover crop seeds that we’re offering, below.)

Finally on Sunday, at 1:00 pm, Mikl with share how to address “Fireblight” issues, which were a hardship for many gardeners last year. See below for more details and call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!