Fungus Gnat. Credit CSU Extension Service
Houseplants, especially ones that we keep outdoors in the warm season and bring back inside when frosts threaten, are likely to harbor Fungus Gnats. These tiny black flying insects (about the size of a fruit fly) can be very annoying but are mostly harmless. Adults lay 75 to 200 eggs that hatch in a week in the top 1” of soil, and when the larvae hatch, they survive mostly on soil fungi, but also feed on tender root hairs. This life cycle lasts about five weeks, although the adults only live about five days. One plant infested with fungus gnats will easily and rapidly spread the insects to nearby plants. [Read More]
Historically February is one of Colorado’s snowiest months, and finally we’re beginning to see evidence of that this year! Additionally, the forecast indicates more to come. It remains to be seen how some of our marginally hardy garden plants have suffered from the below zero temperatures.
This year the Winter Solstice will fall on Tuesday, December 21st. This astronomical event is the time of the year when the Earth’s north pole is tilted farthest from the sun, so that night is the longest and daylight is the shortest (in the northern hemisphere). This day has long been celebrated because it signals the lengthening of the days until Summer Solstice on June 21. Even though there is a lot of winter left, there will be more day light. It is the promise of Spring to come. 
Barbara Colombo has been
Our customer and friend Diane Patterson makes these wonderful ornaments, called Temari, which date back to ancient Japan, where Temari was originally a handcraft of upper class women. Intricate designs were embroidered on handmade balls using silk threads from kimonos. The balls were used as toys.
Erin Huybrechts Davis says she has been a painter for as long as she can remember. She grew up on the east coast, has her degree in painting and printmaking, and a masters degree in education. She now lives here in Longmont, CO, where she is a freelance illustrator and teaches art to young people.
We are appreciative of the community support at our Holiday Market opening weekend! With the perfect autumnal weather, more people than ever were able to enjoy our local musicians, Sandra Wong & Jon Sousa’s world music, and Margot Krimmel’s traditional and original harp pieces.
Our friend, Jason Kapella, an oil painter based in Hygiene, Colorado, channels over thirty years of exploration in the American West into his vibrant canvases. From footpaths to mountain boards, bikes, and fishing rods, his journey transformed into a serious dedication to painting in 2012. 
Joseph Sikora was trained in a small woodcarving studio in Bavaria, Germany. He worked under the guidance of a master carver for 8 years. In 1991, he returned to the USA and opened his own business in Colorado. Joseph is active in the fields of fine art sculpture, religious art, custom furniture and architectural carving. Some of his latest projects have been to create “Old World castles & cottages” using recovered Cottonwood bark from trees in Boulder County. Joseph is passing on his knowledge through teaching carving in Boulder, Lakewood, Louisville and Westminster. He is a member of the Louisville Art Association, Colorado Carvers Club, the National Association of Woodcarvers and a founding member of the East Boulder County Artists.
Years ago, Julie and Eve were classmates at the Boulder Potters Guild. Julie’s passion for clay subsequently led her to create her own home studio in Longmont, where she applies her hand-building skills and sense of whimsy to making delightful decorative and functional pieces. 
Any gardener will be thrilled to receive a Gift Certificate to Harlequin’s Gardens! Our Gift Certificates are available in any denomination. With a gift certificate, your recipients can select from our wide array of neonic-free plants, soil products, gardening and bee-keeping tools and supplies, and more!
Mason Bee populations plummeted throughout Boulder County due to harsh spring weather, so it’s especially important to coddle them this winter! Mason bees normally nest in holes in tree trunks, which offer stable temperature, moisture, and protection from predators. To provide extra assistance, bring your Mason and other native bee tubes/cocoons into a sheltered place with ambient (outdoor) temperatures, but with less fluctuation, like a garage or refrigerator. Cocooned bees are now adult and safe to handle in their cocoons. If you used liners or reeds, take them out of the guard tubes and shelters and store them in the fridge. Ideally, unwrap the liners/reeds and just overwinter the mason bee cocoons. Place them in a Humidi-bee chamber (in stock), and keep the lower pad moist. 
Our 2022 Fall Members-Only Sale has finished, and now our Big Fall Sale has begun, with 20% off for everyone! Plants included in this week’s sale are:
Our amazingly gifted friend Kathleen Lanzoni is an acclaimed watercolor painter and an award-winning signature member of the Colorado Watercolor Society, the Western Colorado Watercolor Society, the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Society and the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. She grew up in Montreal and California and has lived in Colorado for over 28 years. Residing in Boulder, Kathleen divides her time painting between the studio, Plein Air (outdoors on location) and on-site murals.
Theresa Haberkorn, woodcut printmaker, has made Boulder her home for more than two decades. Her masterful woodcut prints are found in exhibits and collections nation-wide, and she teaches her artform as well. Theresa brings her art to hand-crafted household items like house-sculpture vases and candleholders, dishtowels, a charming wall calendar, and an assortment of cards.
Botanical Interests goes to great lengths to provide all the information you need, and more (like an illustration of what the seedling looks like when it emerges), on both the outside and the inside of the packet, plus stunning, botanically accurate illustrations by highly skilled local artists adorning the front of each packet! We have carefully selected varieties from their catalog that will thrive in Colorado’s short season, early heat, cool nights, etc.
Joan Hemm began working with the fabrics found in thrift-store draperies, duvet covers, tablecloths, and sheets in high school where there was no budget for costumes for the drama department’s productions. We first met Joan at a Boulder County Farmer’s Market, where she was dressed in a wonderful period costume portraying Susan B. Anthony in honor of Women’s Suffrage, and armed with voter registration forms. She had, of course, made her costume from remnants.
Artisan Renée McDougall of Longmont became interested in crafting with glass while working at the Stained Glass Supply Company. She works mostly in fused glass, a process that can take up to 11 hours from start to finish. Renée uses her home studio for crafting many different glass pieces, from jewelry to bowls, trays and hanging art.
I turned 75 this year so I get to give some perspective on the state of the world. Here is some of the good news that is not being reported these days. I should begin by acknowledging that, oh, yes, there are lots of things that are getting worse, but many things are getting better, too.
Plants are, of course, the main thing every gardener wants in their garden. But to garden, one also needs some tools, and the quality of those tools makes a BIG difference in the comfort, ease, and speed of getting those garden chores done. Durability, reliability, precision, and ergonomic design don’t generally come cheap. A quality handsaw or pole-saw, a pair of pruning shears, loppers or hedge-trimmers will, with a little maintenance, last a lifetime.
Reviewed by former HG staffer Deb: