The nursery industry is well aware that the majority of shoppers for plants are women. And it’s not just a cliché that women are the leaders in nurturing. Most of us are here because mothers took care of us when we were helpless. It is the spirit of motherhood, in people of all genders, that is turning lawns into gardens and gardens into habitat. When we take plants from pots and put them in to soil, they are helpless until they grow their roots into the earth. Our care and nurturing mothers them until they are more independent. Then our relationship becomes a partnership, and the plants give back to us, too.[Read More]
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Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
Mother’s Day is Sunday! Harlequin’s has a plethora of goodies to bring joy to Moms! First and foremost, you may purchase a gift certificate HERE.
Delightful gifts abound from locally crafted garden aprons to hold your trowel, gloves, and clippers to beautiful glazed ceramic pots to plant your vibrant annuals, herbs, or houseplants.
Glazed Ceramic Pots in 3 sizes
Earth Day Greetings!
It may sound trite or boastful, but truly – every day is Earth Day for us.
We are not just here to sell plants. We have a deep love and respect for plants and their roles in everything from making life on Earth possible for us humans and so many other life-forms, down to the minute details of their wondrous adaptations, behaviors and forms. We want to share all this with you,
Plant Recovery After a Cold, Snowy Winter
We’ve just endured one of the coldest and snowiest winters in the last 16 years.
On December 22nd Boulder saw low temperatures of minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by minus 10 on January 30th , and again in late February the temperature fell to minus 11. These cold temperatures seem to be the explanation for damage to plants that we are seeing.[Read More]
Pop-Up Markets for Your Bulbs and Gifts!
And now for the surprise! Just when you thought the gardening season was over, and that Harlequin’s Gardens has gone into winter hibernation until March 2024, we have a surprise for you! We will be open for 2 Saturday Pop-Up Markets, on November 11th and 18th from 10am to 4 pm!
Our earlier fall weather was so mild and beautiful that many of you weren’t ready to think about planting bulbs for spring flowers, let alone holiday gift giving. So these pop-ups will include lots of bulbs on sale (see below), and some of the CURATED ARTISANAL GIFTS we offered at our Holiday Gift Market, now 25% to 50% off.
New Year’s Greeting!
Two quotations greet me every morning, posted on our bathroom mirror: “Tell me. What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” (poet Mary Oliver) and “I wake up each morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. This makes it very hard to plan the day.” (author/editor E. B. White). The first inspires me to define my priorities, while the second, which perfectly describes my daily dilemma, allows me a little slack and sense of humor in the midst of my personal chaos and the chaos of life on Earth in this time. Perhaps you can take some inspiration and comfort from them, too.
Hold off on Spring Cleanup and Build a Strong Backyard Ecosystem
Praying Mantis Egg Case
It’s the time of year when we’re itching to begin planting for the season and preparing for this year’s growth. But hold onto those shears! We know that regeneration is occurring in our soil, with microbes and overwintering insects. Delaying Spring cleanup for another few weeks will ensure a healthy, vibrant ecosystem that best supports your plants. Here are tips for you to best help this process take place, while still having an aesthetically pleasing garden. [Read More]
Big Changes in Colorado Curbside Compost Collection
Spring is here and the time is right for dancing in the garden – to stay warm!
You can also work up a mild sweat by beginning your spring clean-up. If you have not yet sheared back your cool-season grasses, like Alkali Sacaton, Appalachian Sedge, June Grass, Korean Feather Grass, Karl Foerster’s Feather Reed grass and other Calamagrostis varieties, now is the time. And if you have any Clematis vines that are categorized in Pruning Group 3, February and March are the best times for cutting them back to 1 set of growth nodes above the ground.
June is Colorado Pollinator Month!
We’re celebrating all month, and we’d love to encourage you to support pollinators in your gardens.
Pollinator Month is a special time for Harlequin’s Gardens – a time when we 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! The descriptive signage on most of our plants is marked with bee, hummingbird, and butterfly icons, and you might notice that 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]
Fall Sale Continues!
Our 2022 Big Fall Sale continues, with 30% off most plants!
Sept. 20 thru end of the season take 30% off perennials, shrubs, roses, and trees, and 30% off soil products in big bags, and Compost Tea. (No discount on fruit trees, veggies, bulbs, 2023 seeds, or Holiday Market Books).
In our experience, fall is the most successful time to establish most plants, especially when mycorrhizae are applied to the roots during planting (and we’re well stocked with several types of mycorrhizae!). We have a large and diverse selection of perennials, particularly in larger quart and gallon sizes, that are ready for planting. (Photo: Grass Calamagrostis brachytricha)
Fall Sale Updates & More!
Our Big Fall Sale continues with many fresh, new plants added. We are continually propagating and potting up plants, and some of them are just ready now, just in time to go on sale at 25% off!
Our 2022 Deep Discount Area opens today & our Big Fall Sale continues, with 25% off for everyone! Included in this week’s sale are:
Sept. 6 thru 11 Enjoy:
- 25% off perennials, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees
- 20% off Roses. Note: the discount on roses will not increase
- 20% off Compost Tea.
No discounts on fruit trees, veggie starts, and bulbs.
Winter Solstice Greetings
Agave parryi in snow
As temperatures fall and the shortest day of the year approaches, most of us are taking a break from the physical work of gardening. But some of us are already beginning the seed-sowing process, following seed germination protocols for pre-treatment – from stratifying (exposing seeds to controlled cold temperature to break dormancy), scarifying (carefully sanding hard outer seed coats) to soaking in hot water or hydrogen peroxide solution, etc. At Harlequin’s, many of our growing-houses are full of seed trays or beautiful plants we potted up in the fall for spring 2023.[Read More]
Fall Sale Updates!
Our 2022 Big Fall Sale continues, with 30% off most plants!
Sept. 13 thru 18 take 30% off perennials, shrubs, and trees, and 20% off roses, soil products in big bags, books, and 20% off Compost Tea. (No discount on fruit trees, veggie starts, bulbs, and 2023 seeds).
We’ve added lots of timely COVER CROP SEEDS and BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES to our DEEP DISCOUNT offers!
In our experience, fall is the most successful time to establish most plants, especially when mycorrhizae are applied to the roots during planting (and we’re well stocked with several types of mycorrhizae!). We have a large and diverse selection of perennials, particularly in larger quart and gallon sizes, that are ready for planting. (Photo: Sedum “Matrona”)
Welcome to a Whiff of Approaching Spring!
Rock Garden Iris
It’s probably safe to assume you’re as anxious as we are to get our hands in the dirt, and happily, Harlequin’s Gardens is opening for our 31st season this Thursday March 2nd. We’re so looking forward to seeing you all again! We’ll have everything you need to get started for the season. Here’s what we’ll have available for you on March 2nd.
Gardening with your Values in Mind
Snowdrops in February (Galanthus), courtesy Bob Nold
Your landscape is not just something to look at. It is an opportunity to support your values by:
- Supporting global, local, and personal health
- Helping to reduce the impacts of the Climate Crisis
- Nourishing your family with organic, nutrient-dense food
- Partnering with Nature and learning from your garden
- Restoring habitat for our critically important beneficial insects, pollinators, birds, wildlife, and native plants
- Expressing your artistic vision while increasing biodiversity
- Experiencing the joy of sharing your goodness with the goodness of the natural world.
Crops to Start from Seed in May
Baby cucumber
Soil temperature—not the calendar—is the real signal for when seeds will sprout. Soil warms up far more slowly than the air. Many garden crops can be direct-sown this month when your soil is sufficiently warm to support germination and ensure survival of tender seedlings.
Prominent among these are all the vegetables in the group known as Cucurbits, including cucumbers, melons, summer and winter squashes, pumpkins and gourds.