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Shrubs

Amorpha fruticosa – False Indigo  A Versatile Native Shrub

Amorpha fruticosa – False Indigo  A Versatile Native Shrub

Leadplant has a little brother, Amorpha nana, but did you know that it also has a big sister? Like its kin, False Indigo is deciduous, and is a legume with deep branching roots that fix nitrogen from the air, enriching the fertility of the soil around it. You’ll find it growing in areas with relatively high water-tables or periodic flooding, such as Walden Ponds in east Boulder County.

Grown in full sun, it makes a densely twiggy and fine-textured shrub to about 4’ tall and wide, and grown under tall trees or in places shaded by high walls, it will be graceful, open and airy, and taller – up to 12’x 8’. Slender, smooth stems are gray, and the pinnately compound foliage is fine-textured, with dark green ½”-long oval leaflets that turn bright gold in autumn. The showy blooms arrive in late May or June, arranged in finger-like tapering spikes of tiny dark blue-purple florets with conspicuous orange stamens. These are visited by butterflies for their nectar, and bees as well, for pollen and nectar. Small bean pods ripen in late summer and autumn, and are enjoyed by many birds. False Indigo is cold-hardy to -30F, fast-growing and long-lived. It’s not fussy about soil, and tolerates high heat as long as it is receiving some moisture. Once it has built a good root system, False Indigo should thrive with two deep waterings per month. A lovely companion to Silver Buffaloberry, Golden Currant, Rocky Mountain Maple, Chokeberry, and New Mexico Privet.

Just in: Two Rare Native Shrubs

We just got in two plants we have had many requests for: come soon, supplies are limited.

Boulder Raspberry

Boulder Raspberry, Rubus deliciosus:  This lovely local native shrub is adorned with large single white blossoms that look similar to wild roses, blooming in May and June. Pollinators that are attracted to Boulder Raspberry are: Bumblebees, native solitary bees like metallic green sweat bees, mason bees and mining bees, also honey bees, lady bugs, butterflies and beneficial syrphid flies. It grows 3-5’ high and wide with arching stems. Although it is named Rubus deliciosus, it is neither a thorny raspberry, nor are the fruits delicious. But it is a beautiful shrub for the home landscape. It grows best in partial shade with water once a week.

Leadplant

Amorpha canescens, Silver Leadplant – This Colorado native plant fits into small water-wise landscapes, growing only 2’-4’ tall and wide. In June/July it blooms with showy spikes of purple flowers which are rich in both nectar and pollen. Pollinators include Bumblebees, metallic green sweat bees, plasterer bees, leaf-cutter bees, butterflies, beneficial wasps and is a host plant for butterflies. The small compound leaves add a lovely texture, and the plant is nitrogen-fixing.

Plants for Shade – Hosta and more!

Dicentra

As much as we are looking forward to summer heat and sun, we will be equally grateful for a bit of cool, shady respite. Many of us living in older neighborhoods enjoy mature trees that provide quite a bit of shade. These present a challenge: what plants will thrive beneath them and in their shadow? Right now, Harlequin’s has our biggest selection of plants for dry shade, moist shade, and moderate shade.[Read More]

Explore New Dimensions with Vines

Lonicera x brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’

Vines are plants that grow stems so long that they either ‘crawl’ along the ground or use a method of climbing using twining, tendrils, leaf-stems that wrap, hold-fasts, aerial rootlets, or hooked thorns. Many a wall, fence or planting patch cries out for the fabulous color, texture, shading, ground-covering, screening, bird habitat and fragrance opportunities offered by vines.

[Read More]

Native Shrubs for the Garden and Landscape

Mikl with Desert willow

Desert willow in bloom

Harlequin’s Gardens is famous for our selection of Native Shrubs. Not only do we have them when few other nurseries do, but we know them and we have mature specimens planted in our display gardens. These woody plants that are so well adapted to Colorado conditions are often drought tolerant, low maintenance, bee and pollinator-supporting, wind-tolerant, cold-tolerant and good-looking. Like many shrubs, some benefit from a once-a-year pruning to remove dead flowers before they make seeds. This will make them more tolerant to drought and snow and wind, but seeds can be left for the birds and pruned late fall.

Native shrubs can be grown together for a very water-wise and low maintenance garden that is tied together visually with a fine woodchip mulch.

Fernbush (Chamaebatiaria millifolium) is a beautiful Plant Select® shrub that is usually 4’- 6’ tall and wide with fern-like leaves that come out in mid January or February. It is very tolerant of dry conditions, heat and bright sun. In summer, clusters of small white flowers cover the bush densely and often bloom a little more in fall. These flowers are extremely attractive to beneficial insects, especially native, non-aggressive wasps which help keep down populations of pests and are intent on pollen, not people. This shrub is tough enough for the back 40 and attractive enough for the front yard. It can be sheared (or pruned) lightly after blooming for a tidier appearance and to encourage rebloom. Fernbush is native to Idaho, Utah and northern Arizona.

Fernbush

Chilopsis linearis is called Desert Willow because it has narrow, willow-like leaves and is very drought-tolerant. It is a small tree 6’-15’ with an open structure and does not leaf out until May, even late May. It is related to Catalpa tree and Trumpet Vine. The orchid-like flowers are so surprising and breath-taking; ruffled, trumpet-shaped, pink to red-purple, striped purple inside. Chilopsis prefers dry, loose soils, but clay is OK if it is seldom watered. At night it is visited by hawkmoths and is scented of violets according to Bob Nold. He also says it “…is the toughest shrub that can be grown in our garden…I have never watered my plants.” The flowers bloom for a long time and are followed by narrow pods that are not messy. Chilopsis is native to New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Books often say it is hardy to zone 7, but we have specimens over 10 years old at Harlequin’s and Denver Botanic Gardens has many older trees. Often, the flowering tips die and look better pruned off.

Dwarf blue rabbitbrush

Dwarf Rabbitbrush (Ericameria or Chrysothamnus) has been called The Gem of the Tribe. It is a compact shrub 1’-2’ high and 2’-3’ wide with short and narrow bluish leaves and clouds of golden yellow flowers in throughout autumn. The flowers are very attractive to pollinators; it is a crucial late-season food source, supplying nectar and pollen for native bees, honeybees, Monarch and other butterflies, moths and even hummingbirds. Once established, this shrub thrives with little or no watering. It also provides a welcome display of color in the late season and if it is sheared after flowering, will stay compact and attractive enough for the front yard. It is native near Harlequin’s in the open and dry high desert and steppe, and in much of Colorado.

Serviceberry

Indigenous scientist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer tells us that the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of interconnectedness and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth of berries to meet the needs of its natural community, and this ensures its own survival.

This is the ethic of reciprocity that that lies at the heart of the gift economy, in which wealth and security come from the quality of our relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.

[Read More]

Native and Waterwise Shrubs in Full Bloom -Ready to Plant

Ribes aureum, Golden Currant

You have likely been seeing delightfully spectacular shows of blooms around the Front Range these past couple of weeks. There are currently many gorgeous spring blooming shrubs to choose from at Harlequin’s -your trusted source for native and waterwise shrubs. In stock and ready to plant are:

Amelanchier alnifolia, Saskatoon serviceberry

Amelanchier regent, ‘Regent’ serviceberry

Artemesia ludoviciana, White sagebrush

 

[Read More]

Water-wise Shrubs Available Now

Our healthy, overwintered and water-wise shrubs are waking up! Choose from hardy Manzanita, Banana Yucca, Creeping Mahonia and Western Sagebrush.

  • Arcostaphylos x coloradensis, Mock Bearberry Manzanita (pictured here) is an outstanding selection of a native broadleaf evergreen shrub. Needs good drainage, and prefers afternoon shade. 10-18″ high x 26-60″ wide. Deer resistant, provides winter interest, supports pollinators. Up to 8125′. From Plant Select.
  • Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis ‘Chieftain’ adda a beautiful structural element to landscapes and introduce a more natural look to our man-made urban environments. Plant them around large pine trees, over retaining walls and as foundation plantings around homes and businesses. The green, rounded leaves last all year, including through the winter! These shrubs grow to a mature height of around two feet tall.

[Read More]

What to Plant Now for Fall Garden Color!

The end of summer doesn’t mean the end to color in the garden, on the contrary, you can plan and plant now for a vibrant wave of color, and habitat for our insects and birds, that continues all the way to hard frost!  From native and water-wise perennials and shrubs, to trees (including fruit trees) and grasses, the selection is vast.

Our Fall sale is a great opportunity to extend color and interest well into autumn.

[Read More]

A Spring Bounty of Choice Trees

Bald Cypress, courtesy Marilyn Kircus

Take advantage of our new stock of very choice container-grown trees, just being brought out for sale! (like the Bald Cypress pictured here). We have grown these hardy, Colorado-adapted trees organically at Harlequin’s Gardens from bare-root stock, and they are potted in large containers – from 5 to 15 gallon pots. They are in our own nutrient-rich, special potting mix with mycorrhizae. They will make an impact in your landscape quickly.

[Read More]

Second Chance Shrubs

Photo credit: Plant Select®

Our shrubs are all given great care here at the nursery, but occasionally we find some that have a little damage or are sulking because they really want to get out of the pot and into the ground. To help them all find good homes where they will grow and prosper, we are bringing out these ‘seconds’ at substantially discounted prices. We will continue to bring out more as they sell.

Right now, we are offering:  [Read More]

Springtime Pruning for Roses & Flowering Shrubs

We recently passed Boulder Valley’s “average last frost” date (May 9).With all this rain, it sure feels like Spring! Lots of gardeners are asking if it’s safe to prune now, especially roses and shrubs. The answer is YES! But…..

Pay attention to the characteristics of the particular shrubs and roses you’re thinking of pruning. [Read More]

Beautiful Autumn Colors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are all enjoying and appreciating the exceptional fall colors this year. The yellows are especially rich, and the reds are especially vivid. What is going on when the green leaves turn colors and why are the colors so spectacular this year?

We know that the green color of the leaves comes from the pigment chlorophyll that makes it possible for plants to capture energy from sunlight and use it to make the sugars that feed the whole planet. When the long days of summer get shorter and shorter, highlighted by the fall equinox this year on September 22, the plants get less and less sunlight and less and less energy to make chlorophyll. When leaves contain less chlorophyll, other pigments become more dominant.  [Read More]

Woody Plant Die-back and Pruning

October 2020 went from record high temperatures in the 80s to record lows, 19 degrees by October 25. May 2021 also made some shocking temperature changes. These rapid and dramatic changes can cause woody plants to die back, lose branches or die completely.

Mikl has been waiting and waiting before pruning this spring, because sometimes our woody plants can leaf out very late. Here is a way to tell when to prune:  [Read More]

SHRUBS & VINES – 2022 Newsletter

We have a large selection of natives and non-natives Shrubs AND Vines

This includes Amorpha, Manzanitas, Mt. Mahoganies, Big Sage, Fringed Sage, Sand Sage, Lilacs, Butterfly Bushes, Pea Shrubs, Gambel Oak, Viburnums, Spireas, Potentillas, Sand Cherry, Rabbitbrush, Fernbush, Mountain Ninebark, Cliff Rose, Lewis Mockorange, Mikl’s Pick Mockorange, Boulder Raspberry, Boxwoods, Cotoneasters, Honeysuckles, New Mexican Privet, Flowering Quince, Ephedra, Euonymus, Sumacs, Currants, Yuccas, and many more!

 

 

VINES

Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine, Wisteria, Silver Lace, Clematis, Euonymus and MORE!

 

 

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

– The Lorax (Dr. Seuss)

Fruit for Colorado

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 hardiest 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: [Read More]

Shrub and Tree Recovery Fertilizers and Mineral Supplements

AGE OLD ORGANICS DRY BLENDS

Grow Formula: 8-4-1.  a naturally based, high nitrogen blend of nutrients, including 1% calcium, which are slowly converted by soil microbes into plant available forms. Grow Formula is an excellent nutrient addition to potting mixes or soils and can be used as a top dressing on existing gardens and lawns.

[Read More]

Pruning Woody Plants in the Spring

Don’t be in a hurry to prune dead branches on woody plants this spring! Last fall we had warm weather followed by a fast-deep freeze, and this spring we had an 11-degree freeze after some leaves were out. Some branches and some whole shrubs may have died, but most will put out new leaves. So, it is best to wait another couple of weeks before pruning.

To know for sure if a branch is dead, try the old fingernail test: scratch a little bark on a smaller branch; if the wood under the bark is green, the branch is alive, if brown, it is dead. Also, wrinkled bark shows it is dead.[Read More]

Support Tree and Shrub Recovery

The ancient proverb “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers” could be revised for Colorado as “March and April heavy snow, freezing temps, and strong winds bring forth May flowers”!  And this year was no exception.  Two recent cold snaps with temperatures reaching lows of 3 degrees F in our neighborhood, snows up to 36” in the foothills, and winds that will bring down any weak tree branches, wreaked havoc and impacted flower and fruit productivity.  So now it’s time to help support our shrubs and trees to recover.

The most influential factor in this process is soil biology, which is activated by warmth in the soil. [Read More]

Native Plants In Harlequin’s Gardens Display Gardens

Achillea lanulosa (Achillea millefolium var. lanulosa) (Yarrow)

Agave havardii (Havard’s Century Plant)

Agave parryi neomexicana (New Mexico Century Plant)

Amelanchier alnifolia (Serviceberry)

Amorpha canescens (Leadplant)

Amorpha fruticosa (False Indigo)[Read More]

Lycium (Goji Berry)

Whoever heard of Goji Berry 20 years ago? Now, with the current interest in superfoods, phytonutrients and antioxidants, Goji Berry juice and dried fruits can be found in many urban grocery stores. The 70+ species of Lycium are found on most continents and one species, Lycium pallidum, is native to Colorado. But the best known and most grown Goji is Lycium barbarum, the Chinese Wolfberry, also known as Matrimony Vine, Desert Thorn and Boxthorn. What is not commonly known is that this exotic superfood can be easily grown in Colorado.[Read More]

Curl-Leaf Mt. Mahogany

Curl-leaf Mt. Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius)

This tall shrub or short tree is a beautiful broadleaf evergreen that is native to Colorado and much of the west up to 9000’. It’s narrow, curled leaves are an adaptation to reduce exposure to drying sun and wind; consequently it is very drought resistant, needing no irrigation after being established.The leaves are also thick, leathery, resinous and dark green above and pale below. Flowers are mostly inconspicuous and the fruit is only 1/4” long with a 2”-3” long silky tail. In dry weather these tails twist like a cork screw and with a little wind can be carried a good distance and then they will screw the seed right into the soil.[Read More]

Easy Broadleaf Evergreens for Colorado

In the winter when the deciduous plants have dropped their leaves, the evergreens really stand out. If we go for a walk, especially in the older neighborhoods, what evergreens do we see? The greatest numbers are spruces, firs, pines and junipers. In general these conifers with their narrow needles or scales are adapted to our cold temperatures, strong winds and sunny winter days. But there are other woody evergreens to be seen in Colorado neighborhoods: the broad-leaf evergreens. In general their wide leaves transpire more and are more prone to desiccation in our drying conditions; however by choosing the right plants and siting them in their right places, we can enjoy these less popular but deeply satisfying winter-green shrubs and vines. In this article I will discuss the easy broad-leaf evergreens for Colorado and in the April issue we will talk about the difficult ones.[Read More]

Five Little-Used Xeriscape Shrubs

Fortunately, there are many choices of drought-tolerant shrubs. And not only can they tolerate drier conditions, the fact that they are taller than most perennials and groundcovers helps them to compete better with weeds, giving them a greater survival potential in untamed, harsh or more industrial locations. In native ecosystems, it is often the shrubs that begin to pioneer a barren ground, and the shade and wind-protection they create, gives more favorable microclimates for other plants to germinate and find a home. There are many fine non-native shrubs for xeriscapes, but in this article, I am mostly going to describe some of my favorite native shrubs for drier conditions.[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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]