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Harlequins Gardens

Harlequins Gardens

Boulder's specialist in well-adapted plants

Harlequin’s Gardens reopens March 4, 2021

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year-round, even when we are closed!

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Home | Blog

Blog

Harlequin’s Gardens opens Thursday!

Welcome to Harlequin’s Gardens’ 29th Year!   We will open this Thursday, March 4th so you can get a Jump on Spring! In Mid-February, just a couple of weeks ago, temperatures dived far below zero and Spring seemed a long way off. But even with Climate Change and Covid Chaos, we gardeners know we can depend on Spring coming. That is one of the guarantees of the basic goodness of our earth and solar system. (Pictured left, ‘Katharine Gold’ Botanical Iris.)

Spring is coming and our little plants, sheltered in our greenhouses are poking out green and doing their magic of photosynthesis. Even with all the pain and uncertainty of 2020, we gardeners were able to enjoy [Read More]

Cutting Back Ornamental Grasses

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.

Many of us may have the tops of ornamental grasses and various perennials peeking out of the blanket of the snow, which provides habitat for overwintering beneficial insects and it helps to keep the plant roots and crowns warmer. But very soon it will be time to cut back Cool-Season ornamental grasses before their active growth begins, which will allow light to penetrate the entire clump.  See Eve’s instructions, below. [Read More]

Clematis Pruning Groups

Despite the access we have right now to our snow-free gardens, in general it’s not time to begin garden clean up. Undoubtedly (hopefully!) we will receive more snowfall in February and March and it is beneficial to keep leaves on the ground and last-year’s stalks on our perennials because this cover provides habitat for overwintering beneficial insects and it helps to keep the plant roots and crowns warmer.

In late February and early March it will be time to cut back certain Clematis vines, depending on their category. Here is an in-depth guide to the three Clematis Pruning Groups.  [Read More]

Feeding our Soil while Carbon Farming

Photo Credit: Aaron Favila – AP, and The Daily Camera.

Harlequin’s Gardens has become a member of the recently formed Coalition for Local Compost Climate Action. This is because Boulder County is getting ready to build a local composting facility to turn our organic wastes into fertility and climate action, which is very exciting!

For years we have been talking about the need for a local public composting facility. And now, driven by the pressure of Climate Change, it is even more obvious. We need to apply Nature’s waste recycling system, using microbes to remove valuable organic matter from the waste stream and turn it into healthy soil.[Read More]

Returning and New Seed Brands!

Seeds are selling, and sometimes selling out, at an unprecedented rate since Covid 19 forced so many people to stay at home, and thus inspired millions to try gardening for the first time. But we’re on it! Our racks will include loads of both tried-and-true favorites and exciting new varieties.

We will again be offering an excellent selection from our local seed houses, Beauty Beyond Belief (BBB) and Botanical Interests.

BBB’s specialties include individual wildflowers (many locally native!), wildflower seed mixes, and pollinator-supporting mixes specific to honeybees, butterflies or hummingbirds. Many of their offerings are hard to find elsewhere.

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.

AND – NEW THIS YEAR! from MASA Seed Foundation, a wonderful line of locally-adapted seeds from master seedsman Rich Pecoraro and colleagues! Their seeds have been trialed, selected and reselected over the years to succeed in Front Range Colorado growing conditions. In our experience, these seeds have high germination rates and great seedling vigor, and develop into healthy plants, often with superior drought, heat and cold tolerance and disease resistance.

We will also offer a rack of Seed Savers Exchange selections. SSE’s mission is preserving genetic diversity by maintaining a vast seed library of heirloom varieties, many of which are found nowhere else. SSE packets generally offer a generous quantity of seed.

Winter Solstice 2020

This year the Winter Solstice will fall on Monday, Dec. 21st

This astronomical event is the time when the Earth’s north pole is tilted farthest from the sun, so that here in the northern hemisphere, night is the longest and daylight is the shortest. This day has long been celebrated because it signals the reversal of the trend, with days lengthening until Summer Solstice. So even though there is a lot of winter left, there will be more day light. It is the promise of rebirth, of Spring to come.

Peoples through different times and cultures have seen this event as a moment of rebirth and hope. [Read More]

Solstice Cheer from the Garden

Attractive Evergreens for Colorado Gardens

At the time of the Winter Solstice, we can be grateful for the evergreens in our Colorado gardens. Not every region of the temperate northern hemisphere can grow so many different beautiful plants with year-round presence.

There are so many evergreen (and eversilver, everblue, red and purple) hardy perennials, groundcovers, shrubs, herbs, and trees (and not just conifers!) we can grow here. They go above and beyond in their service as ornamental plants in all four seasons. [Read More]

Greetings to our Friends and Fellow Gardeners!

If, for the moment, we put aside the political anxieties and the shocking impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on all almost all aspects of life as we knew it, we can turn our attention to the spiritual and emotional healing embodied in the holiday season.  Winter Solstice, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Eid and Christmas are all joyful celebrations of possibility, hope, love. Environmentally responsible gardening is so also about love, possibility and hope.

A gift certificate for Harlequin’s Gardens will be appreciated by any gardener, new or seasoned, [Read More]

With Gratitude and Appreciation

Dear Friends & Fellow Gardeners,

Thank you so much for hanging in there with us this year as we scrambled to adjust to new circumstances and new protocols! We are truly grateful for your patience and loyalty, which made it possible to help so many people, many of them new to gardening.  In fact, one of the nursery trade magazines reported that in the US this year, there were 19 million new gardeners. There were days this spring when it felt like they were all coming to Harlequin’s!  We have the hang of it now, and if the pandemic is still a threat in spring 2021 (which is probable), we will be able [Read More]

Final Week of our 2020 Season

We’ve heard from some of you that your trip to Harlequin’s for holiday gifts was your first foray into shopping since the COVID precautions began! This is such a strong affirmation that we are offering something of real value and importance to you, and we are honored to have this level of support!

As you know, most in-person concerts, craft fairs and holiday events have been cancelled, making it difficult for artists to connect with their audience.

[Read More]

End of the Season Bee Maintenance

If you were lucky enough to get any mason bees nesting this spring, you’ll want to coddle them through the winter. Their populations are down throughout Boulder County because of the weather, and Tom Theobald, our usual supplier, isn’t even sure whether he’ll have any for sale next spring.

Mason and other native bees should be brought into a sheltered place with ambient (outdoor) temperatures, but with less fluctuation. These bees would normally nest in holes in tree trunks, which offer more stability in terms of temperature, moisture and, of course, protection from predators. Mason bees are already adults now and are 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 and keep the lower pad moist.

You can do the same with leaf cutter bees but handle them very carefully as they aren’t yet mature.  Our supplier, Crown Bees, will be livestreaming a cocoon harvesting demo on Saturday. We also have large organza bags for storing blocks or shelters to protect from parasitoid wasps.

Now is a good time to stock up on supplies for the spring, replacing single use tubes and liners to provide clean sheets and immediate vacancy in your spring mason bee hotel!  Many folks have been asking about releasing bees in the spring.  We now have a special tube designed for exactly that which should make the process easier and clearer.

Gifts for Gardeners, Bee-Keepers, Herbalists, Naturalists, and Much More!

We know it’s not necessarily easy to access the ‘Holiday Spirit’ this early in the season, especially in the midst of local wildfires and a pandemic. These emergencies have separated us from each other, but in meaningful ways, they have also brought us together. Here at Harlequin’s Gardens and beyond, we have seen a real increase in mindfulness and caring for others. [Read More]

Bee Barn Buzzzz

Your bees have given you joy and honey (hopefully!) this summer. Now it’s time to give back to ensure they have a safe and cozy winter. They need three things:

Health

Your hive needs healthy bees to raise the bees that go through winter. Keep monitoring your varroa mite levels through the end of October. As uncared for hives collapse, your bees will rob their honey and bring back more mites. Your bees need to be free not only of damaging mites, but also of the viruses they carry. [Read More]

Amaryllis Bulbs have arrived!

We have some new varieties of Amaryllis, a long-time symbol of the holidays, as well as some classic favorites.  We’re offering traditional red, white, and several blended, pink, and apricot varieties – a fun way to change-up your holiday decorating!  (Pictured: Amaryllis Apricot Parfait, left, and Apple Blossom, right. Photo credit: Holland Bulb Farms.)

Our top-size Amaryllis bulb selections in bags include Apple Blossom, Apricot Parfait, Black Pearl, and Red Lion.

Our decorative gold-boxed holiday sets include the bulb, a white plastic growing pot, soil disc, and planting instructions. Boxed set options include Minerva, Mont Blanc, Red Lion, and Vera. Highly fragrant Ziva Paperwhite Narcissus are also available in gift-boxes and as individual bulbs.

Our spring flowering bulbs have been very popular and are moving quickly – stop by soon for the best selection!  See our 2020 selections.

Holiday Market and Fall Sale Updates!

It’s a big week at Harlequin’s Gardens!  Our 9th annual Holiday Market (with it’s inaugural October debut!) continues after a perfect opening weekend.  This week we have several new arrivals including

  • Ryan Dakota Farris’s just-released CD ‘Healing: a quarantine solo album’
  • Mark Andreas’s book ‘Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree’ 
  • Beautiful peace garlands and table-runners from Lynn Mattingly

[Read More]

Bulbs, for a Fragrant & Colorful Spring

One of the earliest harbingers of spring are flowering bulbs, which people and bees all seem to welcome. One aspect of bulbs that may be underrated is their scent. Many bulbs are fragrant, bringing an added dimension to their enjoyment.  Some of our most fragrant bulbs include:

  • All Hyacinth varieties
  • Iris reticulata Blue Hill, Carolina, and Harmony
  • Lycoris squamigera

[Read More]

Our 9th Annual Holiday Market Opens this Saturday, 10/3!

From your previous visits in the last eight years, many of you know that our Holiday Market is the most rewarding, enjoyable place to shop for your holiday gifts, relaxed and far from the madding crowd! But these are strange and challenging times, and the pandemic has altered just about every facet of our lives. So, for a while there, we wondered how we could present a holiday gift market under the current circumstances. We realized that the only way we could keep our customers (and staff) safe and happy while shopping our market was to move it up to October![Read More]

Holiday Gift Market 2020


9th Annual Holiday Gift Market

Every Tuesday through Sunday
9 am to 5 pm

Beginning Saturday, October 3
through Friday, October 30

Join Us and View our Artisan Catalog!

 

Beekeeping Supplies

Harlequin’s Gardens love and support for bees is reflected in our Bee Barn’s great selection of bee keeping products, many of which are locally sourced.  We feature 8 and 10 frame Langstroth hive equipment (both assembled and unassembled), real beeswax foundation, and an amazing selection of tools and accessories, protective gear, feeding and bee health supplies, and great books.

We’re here to support our native bees too!  We also offer supplies for cultivating our native hole-nesting bees, including mason bees and leaf cutter bees.  Unlike many other advertised native bee nest boxes, ours are correctly proportioned for successful nesting.  These make great gifts for those who aren’t up for the commitment of honey bee keeping and want to work with native species.  Stay tuned for our spring-time classes to learn more.

Whether you’re a new or continuing beekeeper, our staff beekeepers can answer questions and give advice – something you can’t get from mail order!  We have Beekeepers Shopping Lists for Beginners, Seasonal, and Holiday Gift Giving to help guide your selections.  Kristina Williams, our own local bee expert, will be on hand on Friday’s and Sunday’s to help tailor your bee-gifting.

2020 Bulbs

We are filling our shop with new bulbs for fall planting, including lots of new varieties! We have nearly all of our bulbs in stock,  and will let you know as the others arrive.  Supplies are limited and some bulb selections are selling out fast, so although it’s best to wait to put most in the ground, come and get them while they last!  

Listed below are all the selections we’re expecting this year. Click on names for descriptions and photos, or scroll down past Eve’s “Bulb Tips” article for a comprehensive alpha display.

2020 BULB LIST

ALLIUM

aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’

caeruleum

christophii

‘Graceful’

moly[Read More]

Declining Daffodils

Have you noticed that your daffodils and narcissus have been struggling and lost their vigor?  Here are several possible reasons why and ways to address reviving them.

FERTILIZER ISSUES

As with perennials, many flowering bulbs do best with fertilizing when planted, as their leaves emerge, and as they bloom, with a slow-release organic fertilizer such as Root Rally, from Age Old. [Read More]

Bulb Tips from Eve

Species Crocus are the earliest Crocus to flower, at least two weeks before their Large Flowering siblings, and are the best for early spring lawn tapestries: hold off mowing the lawn until the foliage has died back. Drifts are also lovely in garden borders and rock gardens. Plant 4” deep and 3”- 4” apart, about nine bulbs per square foot for a dense planting. (Crocus are also good for forcing indoors over the winter. Pot them up in mid-October and pre-cool them at a consistent, dark 38 to 45 degrees F for eight to ten weeks with moderate watering. Bring them into the house ~ they will bloom about four weeks later.)

 

Narcissus (Daffodil) Culture

Narcissus are easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best in organically rich, sandy to loams that drain well. Plant bulbs 4-6″ deep and 3-6” apart in fall. After the flowers have bloomed, the top portion of each flower stem may be removed, as practicable, to prevent seed formation, but foliage should not be cut back until it begins to yellow. Flowers usually face the sun, so bulbs should be grown with any shade areas at the rear of the planting. Bulbs can be left undisturbed for a number of years.

Allium amplectens ‘Graceful Beauty’

Circa 1857, this delicate-looking yet easy-growing North American native has composite 3″ globes of star-shaped, sparkling white flowers with pale lavender stamens tipped with purple anthers and sturdy stems.

Bloom time: May/June. 12″ to 16″ tall. Zone 4-8.

Hyacinth ‘Aiolos’

 Dense columns of waxy, pure white florets appear in mid-spring on sturdy stems. Aiolos has an intense, sweet fragrance and is a long-lasting cut flower.

Grows 10” tall. Plant 6” deep and 6” apart. Hardy to zone 3.

It’s Time to Feed Your Plants

This is the perfect time to feed your roses, perennials, and lawn using a slow release organic fertilizer. This type of fertilizer won’t push undue growth now, but instead help your plants prepare for next spring. We recommend Mile High Rose Feed for your roses, Alpha One Fertilizer for your perennials, and Nature’s Cycle Organic Lawn Fertilizer for your turf.

[Read More]

Mother Nature’s Dryland Natives

On our hikes, it seems we’re often exclaiming, “What a beautiful plant combination!”.  Mother Nature’s inherent beauty and functional placement provide an amazing guide and inspiration for what we can create in our home garden or ecosystem. Mother Nature also helps guide us on how we can best support our pollinators.

In the new Harvest 2020 issue of Colorado Gardener (with a striking mushroom cover photo!), Mikl writes in ‘Blooming Without a Care’ about a selection of wonderful lesser-known dryland native wildflowers that can also be very successful garden plants in our semi-arid climate. [Read More]

Wake up and smell the garlic!

It’s time to buy your ‘seed’ garlic, which you should store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place until planting time, from mid-October to mid-November. Seed garlic bulbs are specifically chosen for planting because they are the healthiest bulbs with the largest cloves, and they are intact. By planting the largest cloves, you’ll be rewarded with a harvest of big, juicy bulbs.

Garlic has been cultivated since very ancient times. The varieties that developed in different areas express the terroir of their locale, greatly influencing the local cuisines.[Read More]

Upcoming Fall Sale and More!

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Welcome to Autumn and to Harlequin’s Gardens Fall Plant Sale!

Thank you for helping us stay in business and thank you for planting, watering, putting compost/carbon into the soil, and for feeding yourself and the birds and the bees from the magic of gardening!

Our Members Sale begins Sept 8 thru Sept 13.  For your special support, members are rewarded with 30% off all plants and 25% off books. Membership is still just $20; membership supports our demo gardens and has benefits. (Bonus: Free 2021 Membership to 2020 Members!)  Fall Sale for Everybody: Sept 8 – into October, beginning with 20% off most plants.  Details below.[Read More]

Ornamental Grasses – the flexible plant!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We often recognize grasses for their ornamental attributes – dynamic, flowing movement in the breeze, reflecting the dancing light, screening of unsightly areas, as well as their value in providing food and habitat for wildlife.  But the grasses are the plant family with the greatest economic value, and it’s interesting to think about grass-based agriculture, the oils derived from grasses, their role in making beverages such as sake, wine, beer, and whiskey, their importance in construction (think thatch roofs, basketry, furniture, fencing, bamboo framing, scaffolding), and of their use in reed instruments.[Read More]

Summer Veggie Gardening Q&A

We have been getting questions from customers about some of the vegetables in their gardens. Here are questions and answers about squash pollination and the many uses of fennel.

 

Q: Why did the first fruits of my squash plants fail to enlarge and ultimately turn yellow and fall off the plant?

A:  Squash and other crops in the Cucurbitaceae family (known as Cucurbits), like cucumbers, melons, gourds and pumpkins, bear separate male flowers and female flowers on each plant. [Read More]

Alpine Plants

Explore the spectacular floral displays of the Continental Divide while you can!

Hiking the West Ridge Trail on the Continental Divide

[Read More]

Successional Planting

How to maximize your output

Successional Planting is the continuous planting of crops following the harvesting of another planting. Depending on the plant, this can mean one annual planting for a long-season species, or multiple plantings for short season species. This process will help your garden to be as productive as possible, which is important in our short, highly fluctuating growing seasons.  Our friend, and occasional class instructor, Tracey Parrish, has developed a comprehensive Successional Planting chart that she has generously permitted us to share with you.  —Thank you, Tracey! 

In her document, Succ. planting-most updated, Tracey outlines Colorado’s Five Seasons, gives you ideas for succession plantings, and then provides detailed planting charts for root vegetables, peas/beans, herbs, greens/salads, brassicas, onions, and summer crops.  This five-page document is a wealth of information!  Succ. planting-most updated

 

Skokans’ Tragedy

Top left: Ian, Jill, and Eric. Bottom left: Kelsey and Avery. Not pictured: Daughter Morgan.

We were very saddened to learn that last Friday’s car accident involving a car and dump truck in rural Longmont took the life of Eric & Jill Skokan’s 17 year old son Kelsey and injured his brother Ian, as well as the truck’s driver and passenger. The Skokan Family are valued members of our community, friends of ours, and proprietors of Black Cat Farm, as well as the Black Cat Bistro and Bramble & Hare restaurants.  [Read More]

Life is Better when we Harvest Together

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to protect one of the most unique parcels of land in Boulder in a way that would have lasting impact on the community for generations to come.  In 2014, Boulder native Timothy Francis and his wife, Kerry, broke ground on a half-acre garden called Dharma’s Garden—named after a deer who was born where the garden now stands. Their nonprofit was founded to pursue the greater vision of the whole five-acre property as a fully integrated educational farm and homestead.

Over the last six years, Dharma’s Garden has become a thriving center of social connection within the neighborhood. [Read More]

Great Hummingbird Plants for Your Garden

Hummingbirds are zipping and humming and sipping around our gardens, partaking of the summer’s bounty of nectar-rich flowers, many of which are ‘color-coded’ specifically to attract them. And you’ll want hummers in your garden, not only because they’re beautiful, not only because some plants depend on them for pollination, not only because migratory birds are imperiled, but also because they eat prodigious numbers of small flying insects like mosquitoes!  And did you know, some hummingbird have been known to live up to 25 years!

Here are some of the plants we sell that attract and support these flying jewels. [Read More]

MANAGING WEEDS WITHOUT POISONS by Mikl Brawner

Some people repeat Ralph W. Emerson, saying “A weed is a plant whose virtues remain undiscovered.” But although I appreciate that many weeds do have virtues, I doubt that many gardeners would accept that definition as the final word. Most of us have had extensive experience with Bindweed, Thistle, Goathead, Ragweed, Dandelion and Cheat Grass; not to mention some aggressive natives like Whiplash Daisy, Wood’s Rose and Hairy Goldenaster; and certain herbs like mints, Comfrey and Sweet Grass. So in talking about managing weeds non-toxically, the main point seems to be: How can we keep certain plants under control?[Read More]

BUILDING TOPSOIL AND SOIL FERTILITY by Mikl Brawner

“Where can I get some good topsoil?” That’s a question I hear frequently at our nursery. And I often look wistfully towards the plains and say, only half-jokingly, “You can get good topsoil about 800 miles east of here.” That’s where I grew up, in Iowa, and where two tomato plants feed a family of six. It’s not that local suppliers are trying to deceive us when they sell Colorado clay as topsoil; it’s just that the glaciers didn’t dump three feet of loam on top of our clay.[Read More]

Virtually Touring Local Gardens

For over a quarter century Harlequin’s Gardens has shared plants, Eco-products, and advice for organic methods of gardening with our community. We are proud of the success so many have had and have wanted to share their results!  So, we’ve created Harlequin’s Virtual Garden Tour for our community to share not just photos of their gardens but also a little about gardening goals, styles and experiences–especially sustainable approaches. [Read More]

Recycle your Planting Trays, Pots & Bags!

Clear your shed and help us out

Since Harlequin’s Gardens began in 1992, we’ve been dedicated to sustainability. In general, this means providing plants that are well adapted to Colorado conditions so they will be successful with less water, fertilizers and pest management. But Sustainability is also reusing existing products, helping to reduce new plastics being introduced into the system. Over the years, Harlequin’s Gardens has constructed 50% of our structures with recycled materials, we reuse and recycle nursery trays, pots, and our clear soil product bags, and we make compost with our biodiesel tractor! [Read More]

It’s Okay to Prune Now

Important techniques

All spring we have been advising you not to prune out branches without leaves yet. After last October’s flash freeze and this March’s freeze of the new leaves, it was important to give shrubs, trees and roses time for a second set of leaves to come out before removing wood. By now we should be seeing new green leaves forming if the wood is still alive.

So now we can prune away any branches that are not leafing out. Do cut back to a leafed-out branch or sprout; don’t leave a stub. Some evergreens may still be looking very brown. Look closely to see if tiny leaves are forming amongst the brown ones. Use a broom or gloved-hand to brush away dead needles. If you start removing branches from a conifer it may never look good again, so if you see any green, give it a chance. [Read More]

Inter-dependence Day

We will be closed Saturday, July 4 for Inter-dependence Day.

It is clear that we have achieved our independence from England. We don’t really have to celebrate that anymore.

The next goal and success might be to understand and cultivate an awareness of our inter-dependence with all the peoples of our planet as well as an inter-connectedness with all the life forms that create a healthy, vital ecosystem-community.

The “self-made man” ideal and the “us versus them” point of view are really not realistic in the 21st Century. Our successful evolution and survival depend on a bigger, global, more inclusive, and more interconnected view.

BUZZZZ …. It’s Pollinator Week!

Pollinator week is a special time for Harlequin’s Gardens – a time when we can celebrate the hard-work of bees (honeybees, solitary bees, bumblebees) wasps, ants, flies and bee flies, butterflies and moths, beetles, some bats and birds, and some mammals.  They’re all around us, connecting the dots between flowers and food.

Come check out our special pollinator display, which is our whole facility!  Our perennial signage is marked with bee, hummingbird, and butterfly icons, but almost everything is important to bees, of which we have over 500 species here in Boulder County alone.  Even our native bunch grasses can provide nesting sites for bumblebees in the dried leaves at the bottom. [Read More]

Watermelon Dreams

(and Winter Squash, Canteloupe, Honeydew, and Pumpkin, too!)

Do you love the sweet fruits and vegetables of late summer as much as we do? Well then, PLANT THEM NOW! We’ve got the heat now, which they thrive on. To develop those natural sugars, these crops take more time to mature than many other veggies, mostly between 70 and 100 days from seeding. We’ve saved you some time by growing starts, LOTS of them, and most of the varieties we’ve chosen will mature relatively early.

All are open-pollinated unless otherwise indicated. Our selection includes:[Read More]

Prime Time for Selecting Roses

The shelves in our Rose section are ablaze with colorful and fragrant blooms, which you can smell, see, touch, select and plant now!

Hardy roses are a long-standing specialty of our nursery, which provides the region’s largest selection of roses grown on their own roots.  You may have thought all roses were difficult to grow and ‘high maintenance’, but we’d like to show you that roses can be very successful in Colorado with very little maintenance. An important key to rose survival lies in growing them on their own roots. This means that instead of being grafted onto a standard ‘root-stock’, the roses are grown from cuttings that are allowed to grow their own roots.  Why is this important? [Read More]

The History of Harlequin’s Gardens

In October of 2018, we were asked by the Rocky Mt. Chapter of the Rock Garden Society to give a program that would include a history of Harlequin’s Gardens. Mikl has been a member of that excellent organization since the mid-1980s and so he composed and presented this playful and humorous account of the evolution of our nursery. We think you will enjoy it!

 

A Not-so-BRIEF HISTORY OF HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS

Harlequin’s Gardens has just completed our 26th year in business. It’s practically a miracle. We were able to get our start and have survived this long because of some remarkable circumstances, some remarkable people, a genuine vision, strong determination, and just plain luck.

In the beginning, my ignorance kept me from knowing the depth of the hole I was digging myself into. I had no idea of how complex and all-consuming the nursery business can be. But it wasn’t all ignorance; I was smart too. Early on, I joined the Rock Garden Society, and later I married Eve Reshetnik. But I’m getting ahead of the story. [Read More]

Edible Flowers

Incorporating edible flowers in your cuisine not only adds visual appeal, but also can offer high nutritional value and great flavors. Edible flowers have been used for millennia in many cultures to enhance everything from salad to beer and wine. A quick internet query on “ancient edible flower recipes” revealed many results.  It could be a fun family event to recreate a heritage recipe!

The flavor of many flowers is improved by removing the sexual parts – stamens, anthers and pistils. And, you will notice how a flowers’ flavor can vary as the plant ages throughout the season, and with variations in the soil, and climate (think terroir!) [Read More]

Protecting New Plantings in Hot Weather

The best time of day to plant your new vegetable starts, or any other container-grown plants, is after sundown, when the temperature has decreased a bit and the sunlight is not direct. Avoid planting in windy conditions, which can desiccate the fragile plant. If you plant in the evening, plants will have all night and early morning to make some adjustment to their new homes.

We have found that applying mycorrhizae to the roots while planting vastly improves a plant’s ability to adapt successfully. You can use either a granular or water-soluble form.[Read More]

Who Knew?

We couldn’t be happier to see so many people taking up gardening this spring! We can’t think of a healthier, more nourishing occupation (on many levels!) to engage in while spending a lot more time at home, especially with kids. We continue to do all we can to supply you with plants, soil-building products and other gardening supplies. Yet we know there will be some disappointments as we run out of some items prematurely.

But we have to tell you that this great surge in demand was not anticipated; not by us, not by our suppliers, and not by their suppliers either!  [Read More]

Hippety Hop …. Right into your garden!

Have you found that rabbits are becoming more rampant?

Due to habitat reduction and fewer predators, many people are seeing more rabbits in their garden. Here are tactics that can help you. 

  1. Strategically place deterrent plants among your more delectable plants. These include: very aromatic plants; prickly and spiny plants; tough, leathery leaves; toxic plants; and milky sap plants. (Ask to see our rabbit-resistant and deterrent list at the Nursery.)
  2. Newly transplanted plants are especially vulnerable and need extra structural protections or odor repellents (below).
  3. Cultural controls include removing protective cover such as brush piles where rabbits may hide. Remember, open space often makes animals more vulnerable to predators.
  4. Chicken wire fencing can be fairly effective if buried 4-8″ under the soil and at least 2′ high – although Eve reports rabbits jumping over 3′ high wire!
  5. Many odor repellents can be helpful, including our non-toxic Plantskyyd (in liquid and pellet forms), and Bobbex liquid concentrate or ready-to-use spray.  Although non-toxic, you may not want to use these products on edibles.  Also, remember to reapply according to directions taking into account current precipitation and irrigation rates.

Harlequin’s has the Best Customers!

THANK YOU!

We’ve all been through a lot of challenges together in the 28 years since Harlequin’s Gardens first opened: drought, watering restrictions, flood, the advent of genetically engineered seeds and foods and neonicotinoid systemic pesticides, wars overseas, wildlife extinctions, immigration bans, political divisiveness, economic crises, increased crowding and traffic, rising costs and stagnant wages, rising obesity and auto-immune disorders, alarming gun violence, the COVID-19 pandemic, increased stress altogether…….. [Read More]

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Join our Email List to receive empowering gardening tips, ecological insights and to keep up on happenings at Harlequin’s—such as flash sales and “just in” plants.

We do not ship plants!

Our plants are for sale ONLY at our Boulder location. We DO NOT ship plants. Come visit us!

Hours by Season

Harlequin’s Gardens is closed for
the season until early March 2021.

Due to COVID 19 we require
All Customers to Wear a Mask
and practice Social Distancing

 

 

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Contact Us

303-939-9403 (Retail)
staff@nullharlequinsgardens.com

4795 North 26th St
Boulder, CO 80301

Join Our Email List!

Join our Email List to receive empowering gardening tips, ecological insights and to keep up on happenings at Harlequin’s—such as flash sales and “just in” plants.

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Please Note

We accept Cash and Checks AND Credit Cards. (now accepting Visa, Mastercard, American Express & Discover cards)

The plants we grow are organically grown. All the plants we sell are free of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides.