JULY NEWS

Greetings to our Friends and Fellow Gardeners!

We hope you enjoyed the Independence Day weekend and that you were not inconvenienced by our having been closed on July 4th. We needed a vacation day ourselves. Mikl and I celebrated our wedding anniversary last week by taking a few days off and visiting the Denver Botanic Garden, as well as their mountain park at Mount Goliath, an area that features very ancient and picturesque Bristlecone Pine trees, as well as an extensive rock garden of high-altitude native flowers. Here’s a taste of what we saw.

We also paid a visit to our favorite foothills wildflower meadow, where we found a staggering profusion of elegant Sego Lilies (Calochortus nuttalii) – by far the most dazzling display of them we had ever seen! Also lots of Prickly Pear cactus, Yarrow, Bee Balm, Mexican Hat, Gaillardia and others.

Meanwhile, back at the home place, I knew I couldn’t tend a vegetable garden this year, so my friend Sequoia sowed a buckwheat cover-crop for me – so beautiful in frothy white bloom! The bees loved it, too. I had also allowed a big patch of parsley to go to flower (it’s a biennial, blooming the second year). It attracted lots of lady bugs, tiny wasps and other beneficial insects – just what I needed to keep the aphids down in the nearby ornamentals.

What’s Blooming in July
When I drive around, I notice what’s blooming in front yards and commercial landscapes. Right now, if I see any blooms at all, I see roses, Russian sage, daylilies, Echinaceas, Black-Eyed Susans, lavender and hollyhocks. And while these are excellent plants, the July-blooming plant palette for our area is much wider than that. Take a look at our list of ‘What’s Booming in July’ at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/whats-blooming-in-july/ to see how you can add more color and interest to your midsummer garden.

You CAN plant successfully in July
Here are some tips for successful summer planting:
Don’t plant more than you can care for.
For the first few weeks, mark new plantings with landscape flags so you can easily see which plants need to be checked often.
Check new plantings every day.
New transplants will take a while to expand their root systems, so water them as if they were still in their pots.
Plants in 4”, 1-gallon, or larger pots have larger and deeper root systems and won’t dry out as fast (but it IS possible to establish plants from 2.5” pots, too).
Apply mycorrhizae to the roots and the backfill when planting. Mycorrhizae greatly increase the plant’s ability to take up water.
Dig a large planting hole – both wide and deep.
Fill the empty planting hole with water, wait for it to soak in, then proceed with planting and backfilling.
Water plants thoroughly
Apply Compost Tea.
Plant in the evening or on a cloudy, relatively still day.
Erect temporary shade for new plantings – row cover fabric, shade cloth, other removable barriers to block wind and mid-day and afternoon sun.

Roses
We’ve got lots! Beautiful hardy roses that succeed in Colorado. Many that are hard-to-find varieties. Neonicotinoid–free. Mostly in one and two-gallon pots, easy to plant.

Seed Sale
All of our 2014 Botanical Interests seeds are now on sale for 40% off. Buy them now to get a head start on next year’s vegetable, herb and flower gardens. Botanical Interests is a wonderful local seed company, based in Broomfield, offering a wide diversity of excellent quality seeds. Their packets feature a treasury of information and gorgeous botanical illustrations by local artists.

Pest Management
While the unusually generous soil moisture and cool spring has, for many of us, made this a great year for plants, it has also turned out to be a great year for insects. No need to panic, though. Harlequin’s has been practicing non-toxic pest management for 22 years, and we offer an excellent selection of organic pest-management products, including a superior Neem spray from India that acts as a safe insecticide, an insect repellent, and a fungal control (note that 90% of chemical fungicides have been found to be carcinogenic). We also offer Green Cure and Actinovate, two other highly effective organic fungicides.
Mikl’s #1 go-to all-around non-toxic insecticide is PureSpray horticultural oil, also on our shelves.
We also carry a great line of OMRI certified pest controls by the Pharm company, including Veggie Pharm, which even knocks out the ravenous blister beetles that attack Clematis, and Garlic Pharm – repellent to flea beetles.
These non-toxic formulas are not as strong as toxic chemical insecticides, so 2 or 3 applications may be necessary to control difficult pests.

Grasshoppers
Nolo Bait is a non-toxic biological control for grasshoppers and Mormon crickets. It contains spores of a naturally occurring parasite which infects the grasshopper, reducing feeding, and later causing death. It is completely harmless to other insects, bees, wildlife, pets, people, plants and soil. Nolo Bait is most effective when the grasshoppers are still small. Begin using when you see about 8 hoppers in a square yard of your garden or field. You should see a 50% reduction of population in 3 to 4 weeks, and the effectiveness improves if applied 2 or 3 years in a row. We will receive this year’s Nolo Bait any day now.

Boulder Gold
The Daily Camera’s ‘Boulder Gold’ award competition is here. Voting in the Retail or ‘Shopper’s Paradise’ category will begin soon. Please visit their website in about a week and vote for us for Best Nursery/Garden Center, Best Tree Nursery, and Best Green Products/Services. Thanks to you, we have won first place in the latter two categories for the past 2 years! Please help us win again this year, and add Best Nursery/Garden Center too!

Thank you for your continued support and friendship!

Sincerely,
Eve & Mikl Brawner and the amazing staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

GREETINGS to our Friends and Fellow Gardeners!

The weather this spring has been so uncharacteristically gentle, cool and moist – archetypal Spring, making all the plants so full and floriferous. One of the silver linings of my injury is that I get to spend a lot more time in my home garden – not working in it, just enjoying.  Hardy cacti have been displaying their brilliantly colored and exotic-looking blossoms during the sunny hours (they close up at night), and this year, I get to see them. I get to watch the bumblebees, those impossible aviators, clutching and nuzzling for nectar and pollen from the sage blossoms, larkspurs, Jerusalem Sage, Lemon Drops, Penstemons, and Skullcap, as honeybees and many small wild bee species intently work the Thyme, Milkweed, Lamb’s Ears, Horehound (Marrubium rotundifolium), Sage, Catmint, Poppies, hardy Geranium and Erodium, Cacti, Allium, Roses, Clematis, Corydalis and more.  I’ve seen a few butterflies in my garden, Painted Ladies and Tiger Swallowtails, and where do you supposed they alighted?  Yup, on the dandelion flowers.

The moist air also carries scents better than our usual dry atmosphere, and since the theme of my garden is fragrance, it has become a heady experience to be anywhere within a block of our house.  The perfume of roses – especially the heirloom varieties – Stanwell Perpetual, Banshee, Desiree Parmentier, Darlow’s Enigma, Alba Semi-Plena, Marchesa Boccella, Louise Odier, Sydonie, Scotsbriar, fills the garden and beyond, joined by Serotina honeysuckle, Hall’s honeysuckle, Mock Orange, Lemon Lilies (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus), and now the native Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa).  In a few days the Regal Lilies will open and send powerful scent-waves through the air.  Heaven!

ROSES

Right now is the VERY BEST time to come and choose roses for your garden.  We offer an extraordinary selection of beautiful, hardy, disease-resistant, own-root, colorful, fragrant roses – more than 200 varieties of all shapes, sizes, colors and types!  The majority of them are in full, glorious bloom now, so you can see and smell them.

TRELLISES

Support your Climbing Rose, Honeysuckle vine, Clematis, etc. on one of our handsome and sturdy trellises.  We have both flat and 3-D selections, ranging from those small enough for containers to those tall enough for robust climbing roses.  And they are attractive all year.

POLLINATOR WEEK

June 16 through 22 is designated Pollinator Week, a great time to learn about our pollinators, why they are so important, what kind of support they need, how to avoid endangering them, how to plan your garden to attract and support them, etc.  From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday June 21^st we will have a special Pollinator table where you can get answers to your questions and literature about supporting pollinators.

We stock a great many wonderful ornamental and culinary plants that will enhance your garden and support butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators. Our pollinator-friendly plants are FREE OF NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES.  Neonicotinoids are a class of long-lasting systemic pesticides commonly used in the nursery industry, and are implicated in the decline of honeybee and wild bee populations.  All of the plants we grow ourselves, from seed, cuttings or liners, are grown organically, and we have gone to great lengths to research the ‘chemical history’ of the plants we bring in from wholesale growers.  Currently, at least 90% of our plants are neonicotinoid-free, and we aim to increase that to 100%.

Harlequin’s Gardens will also hold two excellent Pollinator-Related classes on Saturday June 21^st:  PLEASE VISIT or CALL 303-939-9403 to PRE-REGISTER

SAT. 6/21

10:00 am:

NATIVE BEES with Kristina Williams:  

Learn about some of the most interesting of the more than 500 species of bees native to Boulder County, why they are important, and learn how to make your garden friendly to them.  Kristina combines her background as a scientist with a passion for observing insect life, and in particular, native bees.  You will gain real insight into many aspects of native pollinators.  $15

SAT. 6/21

1:00 pm:

GARDENING for BEES, BIRDS and WILDLIFE with Alison Peck

Learn easy ways to provide food and shelter for wildlife, how to include plants that are particularly important for wildlife, and how to discourage ‘urban wildlife’ such as deer, raccoons, and skunks.  Alison Peck is a highly respected Landscape Designer with over 25 years experience specializing in Permaculture, Xeriscapes, native plant landscapes and other earth-friendly landscapes.  She is founder and owner of Matrix Gardens.  $15

The WESTERN GARDEN

Our newest Display Garden, located along 26^th Street at our entry drive, is maturing and filled-in, bursting with color, and absolutely gorgeous!  We call it the Western Garden because it includes both native and non-native plants that not only thrive in our tough arid Western conditions, but also look appropriate and express the character of our region as well.

On Sunday, June 22^nd at 1:00 p.m., Eve and Mikl will present a tour of the Western Garden in our class ‘A Garden for Colorado Conditions’.  We will discuss soil preparation, native and non-native shrubs, trees and perennials, and how the garden survived, even thrived, even though much of it was planted in the heat of mid-summer. $15

Please PRE-REGISTER at the nursery or by calling 303-939-9403.

SAT. 6/21, 10:00 am: MEDICINALS AS ORNAMENTALS in a XERISCAPE – A TOUR with herbalist Leslie Lewis.

Tour Leslie’s beautiful low-water front yard in Old Town Longmont.  See how she is using medicinal herbs ornamentally in a very public front yard, and learn medicinal uses of ornamentals you probably never suspected. Try delicious herbal teas made from plants in her garden. Leslie also keeps bees in the garden. Last year’s tour was a blast! $15

This is an OFF-SITE class.  PRE-REGISTRATION is REQUIRED – Visit the nursery or call us at 303-939-9403 during business hours to register and receive address and directions for the class/tour.  Please BRING CASH PAYMENT to the class.

OUR GRATITUDE

We continue to be deeply grateful for all the care, concern, prayers and generosity we have been receiving from you on my behalf.  It lifts our spirits and aids enormously in my recovery.  You’re the best!!!

We look forward to seeing you soon at Harlequin’s Gardens, where we invite you to stop and smell the roses – lots of them!

All the best,

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the fabulous staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Right now we have our biggest selection of the year: the most tomatoes, the most peppers, the most roses, the most fruit trees and berries, perennials, etc etc. At least 85% of our stock is free of the neonicotinoid pesticides that have probable links to the decline of honey bees and other pollinators. All of our veggie starts, herbs, roses and annual flowers are neonic-free.

Compost Tea is Here.

The soil is finally warming to activate the soil life, so now is a good time to inoculate your gardens with beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae and other beneficial fungi. These not only break down raw nutrients in the soil, making them into available forms for plants, they bring water and nutrients to the plants and help to outcompete disease organisms.

What is in our compost tea?:

dechlorinated water, a biodynamic compost, kelp, a mineral concentrate, molasses, calcium and a lot of oxygen. Mix with Age Old Liquid Grow for more nitrogen, or with Age Old Liquid Bloom for more phosphorus and potassium. Apply within 6 hours of purchase and spray or sprinkle over the foliage or as a soil drench. It is particularly effective applied to the roots of the plants as you are planting.

The Rose Cane Girdler 

is the insect that causes the swellings on the rose canes where they often break or die. Now is the time to remove the dead and damaged canes to prevent further damage. This bronze beetle emerges in late May and lays its eggs on the rose canes. When the eggs hatch, the larvae penetrate the bark and girdle the cane, causing the swelling. To discourage egg-laying, Mikl suggests spraying the canes with non-toxic Neem or garlic (with chili pepper). Spray end of May and 10 days later. Some girdling is considered acceptable since roses grow back so rapidly. 

Gooseberries:

There is a sawfly that eats the leaves of gooseberries and can defoliate to plant in a hurry if you ignore them. When you see damage, spray the leaves, top and bottom with Pure Spray Horticultural Oil, Veggie Pharm, Oil Pharm, Garlic Pharm or other non-toxic spray. Spray again a week later.

As with all organic pest management, annihilation is the wrong idea. Keeping insect damage to minor levels is the goal, so that we humans still have beauty and food, the beneficial insects have pests to eat so they live in our gardens, and so we have a safe environment and a healthy planet.

CLASSES for the rest of May

Sat. May 17, 10am AND 1pm: BEES, BEES, BEES with Miles McGaughey, President of Boulder Co. Beekeepers Assn. Miles has 20 years experience keeping bees. He will talk bees then demonstrate how to work with them using our live Top Bar hive. Wear light colored clothing and avoid scented body products.   $15    Sun. May 18, 1pm:

SUCCESSION PLANTING with Tracey Parrish. Learn to maximize the use of your garden space & keep your vegetable garden in continual production.Tracey is expert in culinary gardening $15 Sat. May 24, 10 am:

DO-IT-YOURSELF DRIP IRRIGATION with Alison Peck. Drip irrigation can be easy! It is a key part of most water conserving landscapes, but it can be intimidating.  Come learn a simple, easy to design and install system which Alison has been using for years, plus new efficient sprinklers. Save money, save water, reduce weeds and have healthier plants.  Alison Peck owns Matrix Gardens, which has been designing and installing sustainable landscapes in Boulder Valley for 25 years.  $15

Sat. May 24, 1pm: TIPS AND TRICKS OF XERISCAPE with Mikl Brawner. Gardening with less water is not that hard if you know how. There are tricks that will improve your success. Mikl’s xeriscape experience of over 25 years has taught him tricks that will cost you a lot less than it cost him.  $15

Sat. May 31, 10 am: RAINWATER ‘HARVESTING’ with Jason Gerhardt. Jason will cover the legal issues of water harvesting in Colorado and focus on what we can do to benefit from the free rain. Harvesting water in the soil, instead of in cisterns, helps us make the best possible use of our precious rainwater. Jason currently teaches a permaculture program for Naropa University and has a service: Real Earth Design $15   

Sat. May 31, 1pm: BEST FRUIT TREES FOR COLORADO with Mikl Brawner Learn which varieties are successful here, which are not, and which are good flavored: Apples, Cherries, Plums, Pears, Peaches, and learn how to care for them. Mikl’s 1^st orchard was in 1976.  $15

EVE is mending and the Sun is Shining at Harlequin’s Gardens

Do come out. Together we can do it yourself.

Sincerely,

Mikl, Eve and the Great Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings Friends and Fellow Gardeners,
April is here so we are open 7 days a week, 9-5 and until 6pm on Thursdays.

Plants are coming in every week, as they become ready and as we feel safe that they will not die if hit by cold weather or 12” of wet snow. We have lots of cold-season salad greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower etc right now. Grapes will be coming in about 3 weeks, Austin Roses in 4 weeks and tomatoes in 1 to 2 weeks. Why so early on tomatoes? Because we carry a clever improvement on the wall of water, we call the Solar Cap. It is a metal frame with a plastic bag with a water layer, that is bigger than a wall of water, can be left on all season to keep the soil warm during our cool nights, won’t blow over etc. Mikl always plants a tomato or two around April 15th, often with a snow storm blowing in over the mountains, and he begins picking tomatoes in July. More and more varieties of tomatoes, peppers etc will be coming out later in April and early May. All of these veggies are organic and free of bee-harming neonicotinoids.

Our fruit trees that overwintered outdoors can be planted now, and as the berry fruits start leafing, we will bring them out. Raspberries are vulnerable now, so we will be bringing them out in a couple of weeks.

Saturday, April 5, Janis Keift of Botanical Interests will be teaching a class on Seed Starting Success. Learn from an expert.

DON’T MISS for the first time: BABY GOAT DAY , Sunday April 6 at 12:30 for a couple of hours, until the 3 baby goats get tired of romping, frolicking, jumping around and creating hilarious entertainment for young and old alike. Margaret Hollander, who raises these goats near the reservoir will be minding them and perhaps bottle feeding them. Two are LaManche goats and one is a Nubian. Have you ever seen baby goats?

Mikl’s class on Successful Composting is scheduled at the same time. He’ll probably be lonely, but could do some successful composting Afterwards with what the goats leave.

Also we would like to bring to your attention a Boulder County Open Space program “Purge your Spurge”. You dig your Myrtle Spurge that is a noxious weed and bring a bag of it to one location in Longmont or one in Boulder and they will give you free native plants. This “Donkey Tail Spurge” has greenish yellow flowers early in spring and bluish succulent leaves that contain a toxic milky sap. I know children that were sent to the emergency room for playing with this plant and I also know of a tough grown man whose eyes were swollen shut the day after pulling it. PLEASE use gloves and long sleeves and wash with soap after digging. Take your Spurge on May 10, 9-12 noon to 6400 Arapahoe in Boulder or on April 26, to the Boulder Co. Fairgrounds in Longmont, 9-12noon. For more information: kroy@nullbouldercounty.org or 303-678-6294

P.S. Plants that have spent their spring in a greenhouse will need to be hardened off both to cold and to our intense sun. Get information about how to do this when you shop at Harlequin’s Gardens.

We look forward to seeing you and helping you with your gardening.

Sincerely,
The Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

*|FACEBOOK:LIKE|*

Holiday Gift Market 2013

On November 29th Harlequin’s Gardens will Re-Open for Holiday Gift sales, after having been closed for November.

Last year we inaugurated our Holiday Gift Market, featuring unique and exceptional goods crafted by local artisans, delicious local artisan foods, and sustainable, innovative and practical goods for home and garden. Many of you told us that it was your best shopping experience of the holiday season, that you appreciate our focus on locally-made and responsible products, and that you found outstanding, affordable presents at Harlequin’s for just about everyone on your list.

This year most of the artisans and products are back, and we have added more than 20 new products and at least 11 new artisans and producers, including Mikl! We have many choices of everything from stocking-stuffers to necessary luxuries. 

And every day of our Holiday Market offers a chance to escape from the repetitive mass-market Christmas music we’re bombarded with everywhere else. You will especially enjoy our Open House, where we will again present exquisite live music from some of our very best local talent.  

Please share this invitation with friends and family who haven’t discovered us yet!

 DOOR PRIZES !

Each day we are open in December, anyone who comes to the nursery and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY DRAWING for a $15 GIFT CERTIFICATE!  You do not have to be present for the drawing at the end of the day to win – we will call the winners. 

In addition, we will conduct a drawing at the close of our Holiday Market for three $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES!  To enter this drawing, bring in our entry form (bring the postcard we mailed to you with our Fall Newsletter, OR print a copy from our website at this link:  

https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/sitemap/drawing-entry/

and present it when you make a purchase during our Holiday Market.

Holiday Gift Market Offerings

We have arranged our list of products in categories so you can more easily locate the kinds of items you’re looking for. Look for the green category headings.

Note that you can click on the pictures to enlarge them!

Personal Adornment

Bandhani Silk Scarves

This summer I had the exciting opportunity to attend the International Folk-Art Market in Santa Fe, NM.  The market is unique in arranging sponsorship for hundreds of exceptional artisans from dozens of countries around the globe so that they can get the exposure they would never experience at home.  Attendees also had the opportunity to talk with many artisans about their work and their lives.

Amongst the thousands of wonderful handcrafts there, I found myself particularly drawn to these exquisite Bandhani tie-dyed silk scarves, made by a community of about 200 traditional tie-dyers in Kutch, Gujarat, where this art has been practiced for centuries. Bandhani is the art of creating beautiful patterns on fabric by intricately tying thousands of tiny knots, then coloring, using a complex, ancient, labor-intensive dying process unique to Gujarat and Rajastan.  These elegant scarves are one-of-a kind treasures, made by a socially and environmentally-responsible cottage industry awarded the Unesco Seal of Excellence for standard-setting quality and craftsmanship.  A gift any woman will treasure. Mixed patterns & colors. Limited stock.

Beads for Peace

The beads for peace jewelry project (part of the International Peace Initiative) provides HIV-infected and widowed mothers in Meru, Kenya, who are desperate to secure their childrens’ education and future, with economic, social and spiritual strength, independence and empowerment. They learn skills that enable them to support themselves and their children, instead of relying on their absentee husbands. The bold and richly colorful jewelry is designed and produced by the local women, using local seeds, Kenyan Amber made in the group’s workshop, and other stones. Proceeds go directly to the women and to IPI’s programs in their community.

Thank you for contributing to the lives of these women!

Recycled Copper Jewelry

Made from copper reclaimed from old roofing, gutters, pipes and such, these beautiful, original pins, shawl-pins and other pieces have a warm glow and beautiful patina, and feature design motifs from nature. Sheron Buchele Rowland, along with her husband, makes these in their Loveland CO studio.

Fingerless Gloves,  Scarves from FoxRyde

Sheron Buchele Rowland of Fox Ryde and Ildanach Studios is quite a multi-talented artisan. In addition to her body-care products and recycled copper jewelry, she also spins and dyes (with natural plant dyes) her own yarn, knits, weaves and felts.  Some of her pieces are titled ‘Gardener’s Revenge’ because she made the dyes from the weeds in her own garden – Canada Thistle, Bindweed, etc.! Using wool and silk yarns and natural dyes, she creates skeins of yarn, fingerless gloves, wrist-warmers and scarves that are luxuriously soft and lovely.

Art Papyrus Jewelry & ‘Poetics of the Natural World’ Garlands

From the fascinating Boulder studio of artist and friend Jill Powers, we are delighted to offer these jewelry pieces and hanging ‘garlands’. Jill is a well-known environmental artist and a master of natural art materials and processes, known for her sculptural and installation art.  Here, she shares her very special miniature works with us – jewelry and garlands made from her art papyrus make unique gifts for nature and garden lovers. Jill exhibits her art internationally and teaches art at Naropa University.  She offers workshops and retreats.  jillpowers.com

Scandinavian Slipper Socks

Our own Engrid Winslow makes these warm and beautifully patterned soft wool slipper-socks, based on traditional Scandinavian designs and knitted using Swedish twined knitting techniques which make them thick, warm and durable so they can be worn as house slippers.  They are made with 100% wool and are machine washable (cold water is best) and should be laid flat to dry. Sizes range from women’s shoe sizes 6 to 9.  She is also offering ‘regular’ socks in a washable wool/poly blend in interesting colors with reinforced heels and toes.  They will fit sizes women’s small to men’s medium/large.  Quantities are limited – the early bird gets the socks!

Twenty Pound Tabby Earrings and Ornaments

We’ve known Cheryl for many years in the context of her expertise in Roses (she grows about 500 of them in her home garden), and Morris Dancing (Cheryl, husband and kids have all danced with the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers at our May Day Festivals). We recently discovered that she is also a multi-talented craftswoman, and she is sharing some of her delightful creations with us for our Holiday Market. Her whimsical ornaments are original designs, meticulously hand-dyed, painted and beaded, sewn on a 1948 Singer sewing machine, and stuffed. They are double sided so they look good on both sides. Because of the nature of the hand dyeing and hand painting, no two ornaments are ever exactly alike

Cheryl also makes felted Acorn Earrings, made with real acorn caps, and dainty glass Flower Earrings. 

Fine Artisan Treats

Eve’s Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Eve can’t eat anything made with gluten. But she wasn’t about accept a life without great cookies, so she started baking these divine, rich, nut shortbread cookies, based on almond flour, pecans, and butter, subtly sweetened with a little maple syrup. Gluten-free and grain-free, but you don’t have to be gluten-sensitive to adore these rich and satisfying cookies.

Lemon Heaven Cupcakes & Purely Decadent Chocolate Truffles

Our dear friend Juliette (aka Culinary Jules) is an inspired and passionate ‘seed-to-plate’ caterer and personal chef who excels at creating incredibly delicious food that fits the palates and dietary choices of her clients. Her artistry in gluten-free baking is demonstrated in her Lemon Heaven Cupcakes, in which she has achieved perfect texture and divine flavor – rich, not too sweet, with lemon curd filling and coconut cream frosting, all made from scratch with real ingredients. They freeze beautifully, and come frozen, packaged in special gift-worthy boxes. 

Juliette’s Purely Decadent Truffles are made with the highest quality unsweetened chocolate, extract of Stevia (no sugar and no after-taste!), and non-dairy milks, and are a truly decadent flavor and texture experience. They come gift-bagged in sets of six, with two each of three flavors. When not cooking and baking, Juliette and her partner Dave devote themselves to the Farmer Cultivation Center, a non-profit farm in Niwot that they founded to provide a place for training new farmers and enhancing the region’s food security for the future.

Engrid’s Fine Colorado Fruit Preserves

Our own Engrid Winslow makes the kind of jams, jellies and chutneys that make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure.  Engrid uses fresh, organic Colorado fruit, and very little sugar, so the fruit flavors shine. She makes the classics as well as many delicious originals like Pear& Vanilla, Hand-picked Strawberry-Raspberry, and Pear & Peach Chutney, to name only a few. You’ll find delicious uses for Engrid’s preserves, from breakfast to hors d’oevres, to salad dressings, to glazes for meats, to desserts.

Ritual Chocolate

Ritual Chocolate is a quality-focused small-batch craft chocolate company based in Denver, Colorado. Their old-world, artisan approach, along with unmatched dedication to every detail of the complex process produces chocolate as delicious, distinctive and memorable as fine wine – meant to be savored. Ritual’s single-origin chocolate is made entirely under one roof using traditional, European methods with ethically-sourced cacao from around the world. Unlike most chocolate makers, who either buy their beans already roasted or even fully processed, Ritual Chocolate starts with the raw cacao beans and they hand-sort, roast, winnow, mix, refine, conche, age, temper, mold and wrap (bet you didn’t know how much goes into making a really good chocolate bar!). We offer three of their organic single-source bars: Belize, Costa Rica, and Madagascar.  This is chocolate to live for!

Balsamic Nectar

Our friends Kerry and Ben partnered to create Balsamic Nectar, a high quality balsamic vinegar reduction that would be a close cousin to Italy’s ‘Traditional Balsamic Vinegar’ which takes many years, even decades, of barrel-aging to mature to a thick, richly-flavored, sweet glaze (unlike ordinary Balsamic Vinegar), and is a treasure handed down through generations of the families in Modena who make it. They developed a reduction process that’s entirely natural yet doesn’t heat the vinegar, accelerating the aging to just a couple of months, and making it available for a fraction of the price. Balsamic Nectar is a completely natural product, produced in Boulder with only one ingredient… Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Balsamic Nectar is a ‘magic ingredient’, giving the perfect finishing touch to cheeses, grilled meat or fish, fresh berries, even ice cream! A customer favorite at last year’s Holiday Market. Ben will be at Harlequin’s on Saturday, Dec. 7th from 1 to about 3pm to conduct a tasting.

St. Claire’s Organic Mints, Candies, Pastilles & Lozenges

Yea! Totally organic! Made in Boulder! No corn syrup! Delicious! Packaged in pretty tins! Incredibly cheap!

Personal Care Products

Dr. Brawner’s Healing Aloe Aftershave

Formulated and made in Boulder by ‘the doctor’ himself (Mikl Brawner), from 99% pure Aloe Vera Gel, with cold-pressed, organic Rosehip Seed Oil; 100% pure Jojoba Oil, and 32,000 IU Vitamin E Oil, along with essential oils of Lavender, Vetiver, and Rose. That’s all. No alcohol, nothing synthetic, non-greasy. All the ingredients are natural plant products, chosen for their skin-healing qualities. The steam-distilled Rose Oil is a powerful anti-viral and antiseptic. The other ingredients are good for healing burns and dry and damaged skin, inflammation, wrinkles. They are moisturizing and uplifting to the spirits. Mikl has made and used this formula for more than 10 years to heal his Irish skin from the abrasion of shaving and the drying effects of the Colorado sun (and keep him looking youthful and handsome). And it smells wonderful!

Kisu Neroli Lip Balm

Created by Plum Botanicals, a small fair-trade organic skin-care line based here in Boulder. This long-lasting lip balm is based on wild-collected African shea butter from a women’s cooperative, and scented with the marvelous, unique, citrus-y essential oil of neroli.  Shea butter is a natural sun-blocker, so it really helps prevent chapping in all seasons. Kisu is, by far, Eve’s favorite lip balm.

Cool Goddess Mist & Sandalwood Mist

Cool Goddess is a wonderfully refreshing spritzer from Boulder-based Plum Botanicals. It provides instant relief when temperatures soar, and is especially helpful for hot flashes, containing plant essences known for balancing hormones, as well as cooling and calming.  Sandalwood mist is another great cooling and refreshing spritzer made with the finest essence of Sandalwood – woodsy, spicy, exotic!

Soul of the Desert ‘Trementina’ Traditional Pinyon Salve

The Spanish word ‘trementina’ has come to be used as the name for the sap of the pinyon tree ofNew Mexico. Folk remedies made from this sap have been used for centuries to relieve dry, cracked skin, abrasions and scrapes, and for drawing out splinters. Made in New Mexico’s ‘curandera’ tradition by our friend Pamela, who climbed the pinyon trees to gather the sap, and infused it in olive oil and New Mexico beeswax to create this rare traditional salve. Each tin of salve comes in a lovely organza gift bag.

Lamborn Mountain Farmstead Lotion, Soaps and Culinary Lavender

Our friends Carol and Jim Schott, who you may remember as founder of Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy of Niwot, CO, have resettled over on the Western Slope and created Lamborn Mountain Farmstead on Lamborn Mesa, overlooking Paonia, CO in the North Fork Valley, an area known for its organic orchards, vegetables farms, and vineyards; Carol and Jim are helping to add lavender to that list. From the milk of their own goats and lavender from their fields, they make the most luxuriously creamy, moisturizing hand and body lotion and gentle aromatic soaps. We also offer their Rose soap (our favorite rose-scented soap) and their Culinary Lavender – lavender buds harvested at their peak from varieties especially valued for use in cooking (some recipes included!) and tea. 

Blair’s Herbals

We are pleased to offer our friend Blair’s line of handmade, reiki-infused, self-care products that bring forth the healing properties of the biodynamically-grown plants she raises in her organic Boulder garden.  We carry her long-lasting, moisturizing Goddess Soaps (all natural glycerin infused with nourishing herbs and a magical touch of mica), relaxing and healing mineral-rich Bath Salts, and nourishing Breast Oil. 

Lavender Skin-Care Products by Colorado Aromatics

Mikl and Eve have been using ‘Mountain Mist’ lavender hand & body lotion from Colorado Aromatics for a long time.  The quality of the lavender scent is exceptional, and the lotion is so soothing and moisturizing to dry, abused gardeners’ skin.  We offer individual products, and gift sets in lovely mesh bags.  Also from Colorado Aromatics : Knuckle Balm, Hand Spa sets and Foot Spa sets,  made in Longmont CO with the finest natural ingredients.   

Eco Skin Sunscreen

Top-rated. Zinc oxide UV protection; no titanium dioxide, non-nano, no fragrances; good moisturizer, ideal for sensitive skin; does not sting eyes; very effective and Now Less Expensive.  The only sunscreen Mikl will use.

For the Home

Metal Sculptures for Garden & Home

Zink Metal Art is the collaborative effort of Charlotte and Ben Zink, who have made their whimsical and flowing designs of metal for home and garden for the past 15 years in Berthoud, CO.  Their steel garden sculptures are graceful, original, very easy to install, and

affordable, and similar designs are available as small indoor wall-pieces and as pendants on necklaces. All make great gifts! 

The art doesn’t stop there – their daughter Avery has enjoyed exploring the beautiful art of origami – her carefully crafted paper flowers use a vibrant combination of printed and solid colored papers, complemented by hand-painted leaves and stamens, and make a delightful, original and long-lasting bouquet that will brighten up any room. 

Quilted Pot-holders

Our dear friend Lynn Mattingly is a renowned fiber artist, and has been practicing and teaching quilting for decades.  An exceptional sense of color-combining, a fabulous collection of fabrics and a mastery of design and craftsmanship combine to make Lynn’s work really special.  We love seeing her beautiful pot-holders hanging on our stove, and they have held up in our kitchen for a very long time. Lynn lives just over the hills in Paonia.

Peace Garlands

Our friend Lynn also makes these artful painted fabric garlands or ‘prayer flags’ with the always-appropriate message of Peace.  Drape them on your holiday tree, across the top of a doorway or window, or any place where you’ll enjoy their beauty and soothing sentiment. 3” high.on silk ribbon approx. 48” long.

Abeego – Natural, Reusable, Eco Food Storage

We love this! A great natural way to keep food fresh and safe, and reduce our reliance on plastic. Abeego uses durable, natural hemp/cotton fabric, which they infuse with a blend of 100% natural, simple ingredients – pure beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin, all known for their preservative properties, to make a versatile, breathable

wrapping or cover for storing foods. Using gentle pressure and the warmth of your hands, shape the flat square to tightly cover a bowl of leftovers, wrap up cheese, form around produce, baked goods, etc. Abeego is malleable and slightly adhesive at room temperature and will stiffen when cool, holding the shape you created.  The beeswax coating is fluid-resistant, keeps food fresh longer than plastic, and is easy to clean. With proper care, you can expect Abeego to last over a year. Each 3-pack contains a 7”, 10”, and a 13” sheet. Made in Canada.

Fabrica Mundi

From the fiber and paper studio of our friend Sandra Williams in Taos NM, Fabrica Mundi tea cozies, oven mitts and neck roll pillows (filled with buckwheat husks), are made of rich toned cotton and silk fabrics from around the world. They bring an ethnic touch to your home. Keep your teapot piping hot and relax with a supportive neck roll pillow.

Hand-Dipped Beeswax Taper Candles

For decades, our friend Tom Theobold of Niwot Honey Farm has been nurturing bees, harvesting honey, and crafting the finest, most elegant, romantic, hand-dipped taper candles you’ll find anywhere.  They are naturally dripless and smokeless, and infuse the room with the gentle, warm fragrance of honey.  They are a perfect fit in any décor, from Shaker to Rococco.  Available in pairs, either clear-wrapped or gift boxed.

Majolica Bee Candle-holders

Our friends Thea and Lele are well known around Boulder and beyond for their charming tradition-based Italian majolica pottery. We asked them to design and create some small candleholders with a bee motif, to fit the beautiful Niwot Honey Farm beeswax taper candles we carry.  They make a delightful gift for almost anyone (especially paired with the beeswax tapers).

Amber Lights Cast Beeswax Candles

Our friend Clark and his grand-daughter spend quality time together making delightful cast beeswax candles in a variety of shapes and sizes in their Longmont studio. Their delightful array includes simple pillars (several sizes), patterned pillars, pine cones, honey-bears, angels, bee-hives, gnomes, turtles, dragons, and a brand-new line of wonderfully detailed traditional European holiday-season candles. They are highly decorative, naturally endowed with a heavenly honey scent, and burn clean and smokeless.

 Kathleen Lanzoni Cards & Paintings 

Notecards of vibrant paintings by Boulder watercolor artist and muralist Kathleen Lanzoni feature floral and local landscape subjects.  This year Kathleen will also offer some of her original paintings and prints.

Colorful Petrified Wood Specimens

Our friend Fred is a dedicated ‘rock hound’, with a special passion for meteorites and petrified wood.  His expeditions in Utah have yielded some wonderful specimens from the Jurassic era, including segments of small branches in which the exterior bark texture has been preserved, and the interiors have been replaced with vividly multicolored agate.  Fred has polished the top surface of each specimen to reveal the beauty of the agate. Each piece comes with an identification tag and a text explaining the process by which petrified wood was formed.  Sizes will probably range from 1” to 5” in height, varying widths.  Fred will be on hand at our market to talk about petrified wood on Friday Dec. 6th  2 – 3:30pm.

Smudges

Made with reverence, skill and healing intention by our friend Furry Foote, the elder who lives in the foothills, these traditional Native American smudge sticks are finely crafted of aromatic herbs (mostly natives) grown in her own organic garden.  Each herb is included for its specific medicinal and/or spiritual qualities: purifying, giving thanks, cleansing, infection-fighting, head-ache relief, etc.  

Landscape Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik  Brawner

Eve began painting small plein-air watercolors when she and Mikl made the decision to take their honeymoon in Italy.  She wanted to spend some time really looking at the landscape there and bring home more than snapshot photos, and she had a year to get good at painting fast and small before the trip.  At the end of the vacation she had 12 good paintings, and when she got home she just kept painting, focusing on landscapes closer to home.  These originals are all small and affordable; most are museum matted, a few are framed.

Botanical Watercolor Paintings and Clay Art by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve Reshetnik Brawner is an award-winning botanical artist whose work has been exhibited around the US and abroad, and is represented in the permanent collection of the prestigious Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation.  All of Eve’s paintings are executed in watercolor, a challenging but preferred medium for capturing the silky and vibrant translucency of flowers.  In her paintings she has tried to combine minutely accurate scientific detail with the grace and character of each subject. Matted and un-matted prints are available, as well as a few framed original paintings.

 In the past few years Eve has turned her talents to the playful medium of clay, and has managed to produce some planters, bird totems, pods, and miscellaneous other pieces to offer at our Holiday Gift Market.

For Kids

 Children’s Books

Children have a lively interest in the natural world. They love vivid pictures, but they are bored if we dumb it down for them. These children’s books are fascinating even for adults, full of in-depth science, but graphic and fun—many with projects and activities that make facts real. Geology of the Desert Southwest, Geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West, Discover the Desert, Discover the Oceans, Discover National Monuments & Natural Wonders. And two other books, Amphibians and Eye See You have luscious and dramatic color photographs.

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Holiday Gift Market – Week 2

Week #2 of Harlequin’s Holiday Gift Market

Open from 10am to 5pm 

Every Friday, Saturday & Sunday until Christmas

We had a beautiful Holiday Open House weekend, and a great response to the opening of our Holiday Gift Market.  Your support means so much to us and to the local artisans whose exceptional work we are featuring in our market. We enjoyed visiting with our gardening friends and customers who came out to shop, visit, and enjoy the beautiful live music and home-made refreshments. By the way, we are carrying CD recordings by several of the musicians who played for our Open House.

Several products sold out very quickly, but have no fear – we have deliveries and shipments on the way to restock them.

Please join us for several ‘Meet the Artisan’ opportunities this weekend and beyond:

Friday, December 6^th , from 2:00 to 3:30 pm 

Meet the Rock Hounds, Fred Hall and Kelly Manley, to explore the fascinating natural history of Petrified Wood and examine their intricate beauty. 

Saturday, December 7^th, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm 

Balsamic Nectar sampling with Ben Powell – Taste this unique gourmet treat and discover the many ways it can elevate a dish from ordinary to exceptional.

Saturday, December 7^th, from 1:30 to 4:00 pm

Book-Signing with Kayann Short, author of ‘A Bushel’s Worth: an Ecobiography’

See the description and details about A Bushel’s Worth below.

Sunday, December 8^th, from 12 noon to 2 pm,

& Sat. Dec. 21, 10:30-4

Meet Sheron Buchele Rowland of Fox Ryde. In her Loveland studio, herbalist and artist Sheron creates a wide range of natural products and crafts.  We carry her line of fine herbal body-care products, beautiful silk scarves and knitted accessories dyed by hand with natural dyes derived from the plants she grows in her garden, and striking lapel-pins made from recycled copper.  

Sunday December 15^th, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Book-Signing with Mark Andreas, author of ‘Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree’

See the description and details about the book below.

In our last newsletter, we were not able to present 100% of our artisans and their work, so we would like to tell you a bit about the ones we left out. And we also have some new artisans and writers bringing in their work this week:

Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree, by local author Mark Andreas

Mark Andreas, a Life-Coach in Boulder, collected these 61 true stories of creative and compassionate ways out of conflict.  Each story is unique in the resourceful and often surprising solutions that real people have found to change a fearful or threatening encounter into a humanizing connection.  Not moralistic, and genuinely eye-opening, heart-opening and inspiring. It makes a wonderful gift that can be opened again and again. Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree is strongly endorsed by Dan Millman (author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior), William Ury (author of Getting to Yes), and Eve & Mikl Brawner. Meet the author and have him sign your copies of the book on Sunday, December 15^th between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm.

Whimsy in Clay from Ann Kistner

Delightfully whimsical and lovable animals and figures in clay from artist Ann Kistner of Lafayette, CO.  Ann is a studio-mate of Eve’s in the Longmont Clay Collective at Katy Diver’s inspiring studio.  She has a special gift for capturing the gesture and character of her subjects.

Botanical Necklaces from Winter Garden Studios

In her Denver studio, Adrienne deLoe fashions these lovely pendants, each one a celebration of the flowers and foliage from her garden, some vivid, some subtle and demure, all very attractive and affordable.

Needle-Felted Creatures from Paula Slick

Paula Slick is an artist talented in many mediums. She lives in Louisville, where she is a graphic designer and a designer of seasonal events. Most of all, she loves gardening and all things natural. These days she is working in fiber, creating needle felted creatures from natural wool fiber.  The little birds and other creatures are perfect for the windowsill, the Christmas tree, next to an arrangement of flowers or to place in the hand of a friend.  They are non toxic but not intended for very young children.  Each one is very one-of-a-kind so people love to hold one after another to see which speaks to them.  Made by hand for your hands.  

Wall Niches, Figures & Planters from Mary Lynn Schumacher

Boulder clay artist Mary Lynn Schumacher makes almost mythical forms and figures that evoke stories, full of mystery and delight, intrigue and imagination. For the past 25 years, she has made functional pieces and sculptural objects in clay, combining patterns and forms of the natural world with influences of art and architecture from around the world and throughout time.

“I am interested in capturing a moment, a story, a poem, in following a vision into the heart, occasionally finding the universal and touching something timeless.”

We have some of Mary Lynn’s wall niches, which can be used in the home or garden as small personal shrines, a place to perch a votive candle, a flower or other ‘offering’, and other wall-mounted ornaments, as well as unique planters and holiday tree ornaments.

Ceramic Ikebana Pods and Garden Pods from Willi Eggerman

A fusion of whimsy, gesture, pattern, texture and patina characterizes Willi Eggerman’s works in clay, which she conceives as functional sculpture – useful pieces with enough presence to stand alone as objects of aesthetic interest for contemplation. To make her organic, botanically inspired porcelain pieces, she employs a wide variety of techniques.

“The seed pod has special appeal to me as a symbol of women, and specifically motherhood. I view seed pods as small sculptures, performance art even, as they form, swell, open, and eventually disintegrate. They are beautiful, strong, and very practical in getting their job accomplished. The female form appears in my work, stemming from an admiration of these qualities.”

A long-time member of the Boulder Potter’s Guild, Willi’s work is admired and acclaimed throughout the region. We are offering some of Willi’s Ikebana ‘pods’, perfect for small, informal floral specimens or mini-bouquets, and her fanciful pods that can mount on garden stakes or hang on the wall.

Wood-Block Printed Tea-Towels, Calendars & Cards 

Boulder is fortunate that Theresa Haberkorn, woodcut printmaker, has made Boulder her home for 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 household items as well, hand-crafting a collection of beautiful block-printed cotton tea towels, a charming wall calendar, and greeting cards.

‘Tis the season for parties and soirees. Be prepared with some unique, locally made treats to serve, and as hostess gifts and exceptional pot-luck offerings.  May we suggest:

Lemon Heaven Gluten-free Cupcakes with lemon curd filling and lemon coconut cream icing, from Boulder’s Culinary Jules. Made from scratch with delicious real ingredients. They come frozen, 4 per special cupcake box, and can stay frozen until needed. 

Purely Decadent Chocolate Truffles from Culinary Jules.  Hand-made from scratch with the finest real ingredients, incredibly rich and delicious, yet SUGAR-FREE – they are sweetened with natural extract of Stevia leaf, which has a zero glycemic index rating. Three flavors (Orange, Hazelnut and Peppermint) are packaged 6 per gift-bag (2 of each flavor).

Balsamic Nectar from Boulder Flavors – not your everyday Balsamic vinegar! Rich, sweet and thick, a remarkably versatile ‘secret ingredient’ to provide a finishing touch that makes almost any dish exceptional.

Ritual Chocolate – Hand-made small-batch artisan chocolate made in Denver.  One of the very finest chocolate we have ever tasted (and we are chocolate aficionados).  These single-source chocolates have exceptionally rich and complex flavors, worthy of savoring like fine wine. Madagascar, Belize, Costa Rica, and brand-new Nibs bars.

Eve’s Pecan Shortbread – gluten-free, grain-free, hand-made with simple organic, natural ingredients – nuts, nut flour, maple syrup, butter. And love.  Rich and delicious, and not too sweet.

We look forward to seeing you at our Holiday Gift Market on one of our weekends (Friday through Sunday). In the meantime, stay warm and open-hearted.

All the best,

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Harlequin’s Holiday Gift Market  Week 3

 

OPEN 10am to 5pm

FRIDAYs, SATURDAYs, & SUNDAYs

‘til XMAS

 

If you are looking for LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE, UNIQUE gifts (or things for yourself), please check out our Holiday Gift Market.  We continue to re-stock and add wonderful new items! You’ll find inspired, affordable gifts of all kinds for almost everyone on your list, most of them not available anywhere else(see photos below):

 

LOCAL ART– originals and prints

 

LOCAL CRAFTS – beautiful jewelry, holiday ornaments, 

scarves, household accessories, candles and MUCH MORE

 

LOCAL CARDS

 

LOCAL SPECIALTY FOODS – including delicious Gluten-free, low-sugar, and no-sugar home-made treats

 

LOCAL ORGANIC HERBAL BODY-CARE PRODUCTS for men & women, and kids

 

LOCAL GARDEN ORNAMENTS 

 

THE BEST GARDEN TOOLS & BOOKS

 

CDs & BOOKS by LOCAL MUSICIANS & AUTHORS – Book-signing with Mark Andreas, author of Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree Sunday Dec. 15, 11am-2pm

 

FAIR-TRADE, SUSTAINABLE, & NON-PROFIT PRODUCTS

 

Here are some pictures.  For more detailed information, go to: 

 

https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/2013/11/21/holiday-open-house-gift-market-catalogue/

Or call 303-939-9403

 

Thank you for your continued support!

 

 

Greetings to our Friends & Fellow Gardeners!

First of all, we want to thank you for your support this season.  We received so much positive feedback from you on the success of our plants, advice and classes. It is very gratifying to receive confirmation that what we are doing is really working for you.

On the one hand, we have closed up the nursery, taken inventory, and are starting to pack the plants in their winter ‘beds’.  On the other hand, we are planting garlic, placing orders for next year, cleaning seeds, and preparing for our Holiday Gift Market, which you do not want to miss!

Holiday Open House & Gift Market

Last year we inaugurated our Holiday Gift Market, featuring unique and exceptional goods crafted by local artisans, delicious local artisan foods, and sustainable, innovative and practical goods for home and garden. Many of you told us that it was your best shopping experience of the holiday season, and that you found outstanding, affordable presents at Harlequin’s for everyone on your list.

This year most of the artisans and products will be back, and we have added more than twenty new products and at least eleven new artisans and producers, including Mikl!  

And every day of our Holiday Open House offers a chance to escape from the same old mass-market Christmas music, as we will again present exquisite live music from some of our very best local talent: Margot Krimmel (harp), Jonathan Sousa (guitar, banjo), Colin Lindsay (fiddle, concertina), Mason Brown (pardessus viol, guitar) and Paul Visvader (guitar).

If you are receiving our blog, you probably did not receive the postcard announcement of the Holiday Market and Open House but received a link to it in our Fall Newsletter.  If you have not yet done so, remember to print a copy of the postcard (click on ‘Holiday Market 2013’ on our homepage) and bring it with you so you can enter our drawings for three $100 Gift Certificates to Harlequin’s Gardens!  In addition, at the end of each day of the holiday market we will have a drawing for a $15 gift certificate (so shop our holiday market early and often!)

Please watch for our upcoming blogs(s) with details about this year’s gift items, and our Holiday Open House schedule.

Mikl’s autumn ramble:

Autumn in the garden: the planting is done, or almost. The flowers are gone, or almost, and the veggie garden is nearly done. You can continue to harvest kale, chard, arugula, carrots, cilantro, parsley, leeks and other cool-season greens, especially if they were planted in September. For winter, it helps to make a tunnel over the crop(s) and cover it with a heavier row-cover fabric and/or heavy clear plastic. A more casual approach is to line bags of leaves around these plants and pile leaves over them to keep harvesting even in the winter. Straw can also be used to insulate.

Leaves are a valuable source of carbon, minerals and organic matter. Shredding them with the lawn mower makes them speeds them on their transformation into plant and worm food. They can be piled on the veggie garden and turned in with composted manure or an organic fertilizer in the spring to enrich and aerate the soil. They can be stored in bags to be added to kitchen scraps in the compost bin (approx. half and half). If they have been shredded, they make a wonderful mulch for roses, larger perennials, shrubs and trees, once the ground warms in the spring. Don’t haul away this valuable resource.

It does seem like the earth is flat, except for hills and mountains, of course. But we’ve learned that the earth is a globe that is moving through space, fast, around a very hot sun. As the earth tips toward the sun, we have summer. As the earth tips on its axis away from the sun, we have winter. We are now between the September 22 Fall Equinox, when day and night are of equal length, and the shortest day of the year, December 21, the Winter Solstice.

Now some days feel like autumn, some days feel like winter. When we were an agricultural society, the community changed with the seasons. Now as a culture, we are less in touch with natural rhythms. We gardeners are more in harmony with the seasons because we have to time our soil preparation, planting, harvesting and clean-up with the weather and with the seasons. But even we get caught up in the cultural bias for continual action and production.

As an older person who has spent most of my life outdoors, I would like to offer a few suggestions. Appreciate fall and winter as a winding down and resting period. Of course there are things that must be done, but allow yourself to be less ambitious, especially physically. Recharge your batteries and heal the body: reduce, relax, detox and unstress. Life is good; take the time to appreciate and enjoy.

Acknowledge the adjustments your body needs to make with each change of season and help the body prepare by taking immune-supporting herbs like Echinacea and Elderberry. The recommended way to use Echinacea is to take one or two capsules a day for 10 days, then pause 10 days, and perhaps do another round. If you feel you are starting to get a cold or flu, take a teaspoon of Elderberry syrup daily between Echinacea doses. I have found this approach to be very effective in preventing colds and flu. It is easier to prevent an illness than to cure one.

Winter is a good time to dream and imagine. Planning is also good, but there is no more fertile ground than open space. Take a break from accumulation and compulsive-doing. Things will come; they always do; no hurry.

Enjoy the glorious colors! We look forward to seeing you again in a few weeks.

All the best,

Mikl & Eve Brawner

Hi Again!

We forgot to say in yesterday’s blog that Garlic and Flower Bulbs are ON SALE!

Here’s the deal:

GARLIC:  25% OFF !

PAPERWHITE NARCISSUS: 25% OFF!

ALL OTHER BULBS: 40% OFF!

Our last day will be October 30 (until we re-open on 11/29 for our Holiday Gift Market), so don’t miss out!

Greetings to our Friends & Fellow Gardeners!

Autumn seems to be here in earnest now, and I’ve been cutting the remaining tender flowers that dotted the protected spots in my garden, making little bouquets of the last Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtium, Marigolds, Cup & Saucer Vine, Globe Amaranth, etc.  I’ve also been enjoying the sudden appearance of those autumn upstarts – violet-blue Autumn Crocus (Crocus speciosus) and rosy Colchicum blossoms popping up to accent the dark red foliage and late blue flowers of Plumbago and decorating the rock garden.  And, now that the soil is cool, I’m starting to

Plant Bulbs Now for Spring Flowers, & Plant Garlic!

Let’s start with Garlic: we offer 3 heirloom varieties this year – German Red hard-neck, Spanish Roja hard-neck, andInchelium Red soft-neck.  Garlic is easy to grow here, and very rewarding (and growing your own garlic and shallots can save you LOTS of money at the grocery store!).

Flower Bulbs

At Harlequin’s Gardens, we have been experimenting for years with bulbs in our display gardens. Since our gardens are xeriscapes (by default even where not by design), we have had the pleasure of discovering that a great many delightful bulbs can thrive and naturalize in our conditions and enliven the scene in spring and fall. No surprise, really, since most of these hardy spring and autumn-blooming bulbs originated in parts of the world with conditions much like ours, such as Central Asia. Visitors to our gardens have been wowed by enormous Star of Persia Alliums and brilliant sapphire miniature iris, and charmed by perky miniature daffodils and starry species tulips and crocus. They (you) kept asking us “where can I get these?”, so four years ago, we carefully selected our first-ever offering of bulbs for sale at Harlequin’s Gardens.

This fall, we have added 12 beautiful new varieties, and ‘archived’ a few to make room for them. Planting in the cooler weather of late October and November is perfect (except Crocus speciosus, which should be planted as soon as possible).  Planting depths are to the bottom of the planting hole where the base of the bulb rests.  Planting depth can vary depending on how light or heavy your soil is – plant deeper in light soils, shallower in heavier soils.  Tulipa viridiflora ‘Artist’ should be planted 8″ deep to perform as a perennial.

Here are some ideas for ways and places to use bulbs that you may not have thought of. One idea is to plant small early-blooming bulbs, such as many of the species tulips, where the ground is exposed in spring but will be covered in summer by spreading herbaceous perennials like Desert Four-O’Clock (Mirabilis multiflora), ‘Orange Carpet’ California Fuschia (Zauschneria garrettii), or Wine Cups (Callirhoe involucrata). Also, meadows and drifts of ornamental grasses are usually dormant until mid to late spring, and present a perfect stage for a brilliant display of many types of early spring bulbs. Also, deciduous groundcovers that emerge in mid-spring, like Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides), can partner nicely with the early miniature Iris (I. reticulata, I. histrioides, I. danfordeai), small species tulips and, later in the season with Autumn Crocus and Colchicum.

Last fall, we planted groupings of ‘Heart’s Desire’ Waterlily Tulip and ‘Red Riding Hood’ Greigii Tulip in our newest display garden, the Dry Slope garden along N. 26^th Street.  They took beautifully – the species tulips are such jewels of the spring garden, and they are so tough!

Complete descriptions and photos of our Garlic and Flowering Bulb varieties are available at our store, and on our website at 

https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/bulbs-2/ 

Only 2 weeks left before we close the nursery! 

Last chance and excellent time to apply organic fertilizers and pre-emergent weed suppressant: 

Fall is our primary time for fertilizing because it is when plants take nutrients down into their roots to store for winter and for making fruit buds. This is important for strengthening a plant in preparation for winter and spring nutrient needs.

Corn Gluten Meal: non-toxic pre-emergent weed suppressant and 9% nitrogen, organic fertilizer. It inhibits seed germination, but harmless to plants with root systems, people, worms and microorganisms. The effect can last up to 6 months and is especially useful in lawns. Apply again in March for significant weed-reduction.

Alpha One: a locally made organic fertilizer: 7-2-2. It is an alfalfa-based product with a high organic matter content, very high humic acid value, low pH for Colorado alkaline soils, and is non-burning. It also contains blood meal, cottonseed meal and bone meal. Excellent for vegetable gardens and lawns.Slow releasing over a long time. Feeds soil microbes.

Nature Cycle Lawn Fertilizer: locally made from composted chicken manure and wood chips. 6% Nitrogen. Excellent for normal fall lawn fertilizing and recommended forrejuvenating flooded lawns. Also a favorite for boostingraspberry production. An economical and general organic fertilizer for shrubs and perennials.

ROOT RALLY WITH MYCORRHIZAE (0-3-0) from Age Old Organics: Excellent for putting in the hole when planting bulbs, as well as any other late plantings. A complete blend of Endo-and Ecto-mycorrhizae spores with fossil rock minerals and nutrients. Provides mycorrhizae life support for trees, shrubs, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Applied to the plant’s root system this premium organic blend will reduce transplant shock, encourage root growth, increase water and nutrient uptake.

Only 6 weeks before our Holiday Gift Market opens!
Stay tuned for upcoming blogs with details of our Holiday Gift Market products and our Holiday Open House schedule!
Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to seeing you soon!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the awesome staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings to our Friends and Fellow Gardeners!

We know that many of you face enormous and unexpected challenges in the wake of our devastating historic flood, and we would like to be of assistance. So now that we better understand some of the effects of the flood, we would like to make some observations and suggestions that might be helpful:

1. Where mud was deposited under trees: Tree roots need oxygen as much as water, and raising the soil level more than 2” can suffocate most trees. Even if they don’t die, reducing their oxygen can stress them so they are more vulnerable to insects, diseases and (still likely) drought. It is best to remove mud at least down to 2” as soon as possible before winter.
2. Where mud was deposited over turfgrass: see CSU turfgrass expert, Toni Koski’s advice at www.gardeningafterfive.wordpress.com. He says where mud is less than 1” deep, aerate, fertilize and reseed if necessary. Where mud is more than 2”, the lawn may be heavily damaged. Where mud is 3” or more deep “…the majority of the lawn has already been severely damaged or killed and it will be necessary to establish a “new” lawn.”
   Mikl has heard of a lawn being buried under 5” of flood mud and the grass grew right up through it and recovered, but this may not be common.
3. Regarding vegetable and berry gardens, Carol O’Meara from the CSU Cooperative Extension office wrote: “Soil contamination may be as dangerous as that of uncomposted manure. Tilling in the soil and a minimum of 90 days between the recession of waters and harvest are needed to reduce this risk from pathogens, but recovering soil from chemical pollutants may take longer.”Mikl’s personal experience has shown that beneficial fungi and bacteria can break down pesticide residues (in one year) and digest organic debris, and out-compete disease organisms. Therefore we recommend using a sprayer or sprinkling can to apply compost tea and/or Pfeiffer Field Spray over the entire vegetable garden and surrounding area. This is not very expensive, as a little goes quite a long way: one gallon can cover 500 square feet when sprayed. Top-dressing with a lively compost should also help.
4. For interior cleanup:  There is a biological alternative to bleach and boric acid. It is called Concrobium Mold Cleaner. The manufacturer states it is “…an environmentally friendly formula which eliminates, cleans up, inhibits, and prevents mold growth…cleaning and prevention all in one… odorless… eliminates, musty odors and leaves surfaces with an invisible shield that prevents new mold growth…no rinsing required.” Available at McGuckin Hardware and Lowe’s.
5. Where plants were not drowned or washed away, they received a thorough, deep watering. This is good. On the other hand, the weeds are also prospering. We’ve never seen such an explosion of weed seedlings! This reminds us to recommend Kyle and Michele (yourconscientiousgardener@nullgmail.com) for your garden maintenance. Kyle has been maintaining the display gardens at Harlequin’s for the past two years and Michele has worked at Harlequin’s for three years. Both are knowledgable, hard-working and detail conscious, following organic and environmental principles.
6. The photo below was taken after flood waters pushed back the weed barrier fabric (you can see the fabric toward the back of the picture), revealing tree roots growing immediately under the fabric.  Because it impedes the flow of air and water to the soil, weed barrier fabric often forces trees to grow roots above the soil in their search for air and water. This makes the roots very vulnerable to damage from heat, cold and drying.  If this has happened to your trees and shrubs, we suggest that you cover the exposed roots with one to two inches of soil immediately, so that the fine root hairs (responsible for uptake of water, nutrients and air) don’t dry up. And skip the weed barrier.

Our Fall Sale is now at 40% off, the lowest it will go. With good soil moisture and warm weather holding, this is an ideal time to take advantage of near wholesale prices for high quality plants. Many of our fertilizers, composts and mulches are also on sale at their lowest prices. Our October hours are every day 9-5, closing on October 31 until our Holiday Gift Market opens on November 29.

 FALL VEGGIE STARTS now 75 cents each!

Thank you so much for your continued support!   

Sincerely,

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the wonderful staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Harlequin’s Weekend Sale Update

Greetings to our Friends& Fellow Gardeners!

Last week it was so difficult even to think about gardening, let alone work on the garden, so we are extending our sale on roses and on you-bag-it Boulder Compost – for another week.

Because of the flood disaster we are extending 2 Special Sales:

ROSES are 20% off from Saturday September 21^st through Sunday September 29^th.

AND

Bags of locally made Boulder Compost made from food and landscape wastes, are on sale for $3 a bag when YOU BAG IT in recycled burlap bags.  September 21^st through September 29^th.

We have also added our FALL VEGETABLE STARTS to the sale – this week 30% OFF

Botanical Interests Seeds are on sale for 50% off – lots of veggie, herb and flower varieties!

And our DEEP DISCOUNT section still has lots of amazing bargains, like John Davis roses for only $10 ( regularly $22 !) and much more.

 We would also like to remind you that our BULBS, GARLIC and SHALLOTS are here, so please come on in.  We’d love to see you!

 Below is some important post-flood garden information for folks who grow edibles from Carol O’Meara (CSU Boulder County Extension):

 All the best,
Eve & Mikl Brawner

 From Carol O’Meara
September 19,2013

Hi everyone,

I know some have been asking about the produce from flooded gardens, so wanted to share this with you.  I’m sorry it’s a bit of a long read, but there is information on what can be eaten and what should be discarded.

If you’re cleaning up your vegetable garden after the flood waters recede, consider the safety of eating produce from the garden.  If rain, and only rain, fell on the garden everything is fine, but if it was touched by or near flood water, your produce is risky-to-dangerous to consume.

Flood waters can contain sewage, pollutants such as oil, gasoline, solvents, etc., bacteria and parasites such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Shigella, Hepatitis A, and a host of other unsavory contaminants.  Young children, seniors, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems are at highest risk for serious effects from consuming contaminated food and should not eat any produce that was in or near floodwater.

In every case where the edible portion of the plant came into contact with flood water – submerged or splashed – there is risk, regardless of whether it is above or below ground.  In many cases, there is no effective way for washing the contaminants off of the produce.

To help you sort through what to do for crops that were near to flood waters, here are quick tips:

All crops eaten raw should be discarded, such as lettuce, mustards, spinach, cabbage, collards, Swiss chard, arugula, or micro greens.  Soft fruits like strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries as well as leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard, beet tops, or kale may be impossible to clean well and must be cooked before eating; avoid eating them raw.  Because rain or sprinklers can splash contaminated soil back onto these plants and contaminants can become embedded in the leaves, stems, petioles, etc., the area is not safe for growing for 90 days, minimum.

Root crops, including carrots, radishes,  parsnips, beets, or potatoes should be washed and rinsed in clean, potable (safe for drinking) water, sanitized in a dilute bleach solution, and then rinsed in potable water.  They should also be peeled and cooked before consuming.

Make your sanitizing solution by mixing a scant tablespoon of food grade bleach, without fragrances or thickeners, to one gallon of potable water.  Wash the produce with clean, potable water, using a vegetable brush to clean in crevices.  Rinse, then dip into the sanitizing solution for two minutes, then rinse in clean water.

Peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, summer squash and other soft skinned crops that are present during the flood should be discarded.  Winter squash, winter melons, and pumpkins, with their thick rinds, can be washed and rinsed in potable water, then sanitized in the dilute bleach solution described for root crops, and rinsed.

Questions on stage of plant growth versus potential for contamination can be summed up in this very good Purdue University response from Liz Maynard, Regional Extension Specialist, Commercial Vegetable and Floriculture Crops: “Risks can be described as follows:

•Edible portion of crop present: Very High Risk.  Fresh produce is considered adulterated.

•Plant emerged, edible portion not present: High Risk.  The potential presence of microorganisms in the plant as well as in the soil could result in indirect contamination of the crop post flooding (splashing onto plant, etc.).

•Planted but not emerged: Still High Risk for reasons given above from post flooding contamination in soil.

•Pre-planting: Moderate Risk.

Soil contamination may be as dangerous as that of uncomposted manure. Tilling in the soil and a minimum of 90 days between the recession of waters and harvest are needed to reduce this risk from pathogens, but recovering soil from chemical pollutants may take longer.

To protect crops and areas not directly touched by flood water, wash your hands before and after you’re in the garden, leave your garden shoes just outside your door, and change out of clothing you wore to work the vegetable patch.

For more information on post-flood issues, visit the Colorado State University Extension website at extension.colostate.edu/boulder/index.shtml orhttp://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/disease/infectious.asp

Greetings to our Friends & Fellow Gardeners

We are in shock from the stories of destruction and trauma caused by the flooding. Our hearts go out to all those affected, especially those who are bereaved, left homeless or unable to work. We are grateful that Harlequin’s Gardens is on high ground and was not directly impacted.  We always try to respond to all of Nature’s actions in a positive and constructive way, but this time we are at a loss for words.  Maybe in a few days we will be able to offer more than our condolences.

In the meantime, we are open every day and our Fall Sale is continuing (see below for details of this week’s offers) – even though our phone isn’t working (we do have voicemail, however, so you can leave messages and we will return them from other phone lines).  Our gravel road is a little bumpy, but is easily navigable in any vehicle if you take it a little slow. If any of you have suggestions or requests, feel free to communicate them to us.

Anyone needing assistance or able to offer assistance should visit www.BoulderCountyFlood.org for instructions and information.  If you are able to offer short-term housing to flood victims, contact the Red Cross at  imsalvationarmy.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) and designate “Colorado Floods.”

Our FALL SALE continues:

This week, 9/16 through 9/22, we offer the following discounts:

30% OFF Perennials, Shrubs, Trees 

20% OFF Soil Products in big bags (compost, fertilizer, mulch)

10% OFF Books

THIS WEEK ONLY: Boulder Compost (composted local food and landscape wastes) $3/big bag – you bag it in recycled burlap bags.

Thank you so much for your support in these difficult times, and always!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and our wonderful staff

Greetings from the Tomato Patch

We had a wonderful turnout of tomatoes and tomato-lovers at the 3^rd Annual Taste of Tomato last Saturday.  Thanks to all of you who participated for making this event so successful and enjoyable.  We have compiled the ‘People’s Choice’ voting results and posted them on our website at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/third-annual-taste-of-tomato-voting-results/ 

FALL BULBS 

Glory Hallelujah! Our fall bulbs arrived at last, after the shipper sent them to Ohio by mistake.  We have added some lovely new selections.  Now is the best time to purchase bulbs, but hold off on planting them until October.  There is an exception – fall-blooming bulbs like our Autumn Crocus (Crocus speciosus) should be planted as soon as possible so that you will have blooms this fall, in October or November.

FALL SALE

Our Fall Sale continues, with the following offers this week, through Sunday 9/15:

25% OFF Perennials, Shrubs, Trees

20% OFF Roses (this is the ONLY WEEK that Roses will be on sale at a discount)

20% OFF Compost Tea

10% OFF Soil Products in big bags (composts, mulches, fertilizers)

10% OFF Books

Deep Discount Tables – we have some incredible deals on beautiful plants, such as John Davis roses (one of the prettiest, toughest, long-blooming hardy roses ever bred), regularly $22, now $10.  Shrubs, Vines, Grasses and Perennials at below wholesale prices!

The following week, 9/16 through 9/22, we will offer the following discounts:

30% OFF Perennials, Shrubs, Trees 

20% OFF Soil Products in big bags

10% OFF Books

THIS WEEK ONLY: Boulder Compost (composted local food and landscape wastes) $3/big bag – you bag it in recycled burlap bags).

Sign up for our last CLASS for 2013:

Saturday 9/21, 1:30 pm:  LOW-TECH GREENHOUSE DESIGN & OPERATION

with Mikl Brawner, owner/founder of Harlequin’s Gardens.  Milk has been researching, building and using simple greenhouses for over 20 years.  This class will focus on 5 designs on site at the nursery.  The first design, a “pit” greenhouse, is passive solar/passive geothermal, and has grown beautiful tomatoes using no supplemental heat with outdoor temperatures down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.  $15

You can pre-register by phone (303-939-9403) or in person at the nursery.

SEEDS

All of our Botanical Interests Seeds are now on sale at HALF PRICE, including vegetable, flower and herb seeds.  These are fresh seeds that will still have strong germination next year. Many are certified organic, and all are good varieties for Colorado gardens.

Somebody did a really good rain dance!  Thank you!

If you are working on your xeriscape, come out and see our Dry Slope display garden for some ideas of what thrives, and what blooms in late summer.

Thank you for your support.  We look forward to seeing you soon.

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the great staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings to our Friends & Fellow Gardeners!

It’s Summer Harvest Time again, a time of abundance, sharing, and some of the most delectable flavors our Good Earth has to offer.  Whether you are growing your own, participating in a CSA, or shopping at your local Farmer’s Markets, we hope you have been enjoying the bounty, sharing it with friends and with those in need, and canning, freezing, fermenting, curing or drying the surplus so you can enjoy some of the treasures of summer later in the year.

Sometimes the right moment to harvest a particular variety is not that obvious. We have written up some Harvesting Guidelines for Summer Crops at the end of this blog, so don’t forget to scroll all the way down. And we always try to include some harvesting tips in the vegetable descriptions on our website at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/.

Fall Vegetable Starts

You don’t have to say goodbye to fresh homegrown vegetables just because it’s almost Fall and frost is coming. We have LOTS of hardy vegetable starts for fall planting and fall/winter harvests, including many varieties of kale, lettuces, mescluns, mustards and other spicy greens, broccoli and broccoli raab, swiss chards, spinach, cilantro, arugula, green onions, beet greens, etc.

Bulbs, Garlic and Shallots

We have received notification that our Garlic, Shallots and Flowering Bulbs have shipped and we are expecting them to arrive some time this week. For a preview of what we’re offering this year, go to https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/bulbs-2/

Ornamental Grasses

This is the time of year when hardy ornamental grasses really shine. Grasses often make the perfect ‘shrub-substitute’ in narrow planting spaces, especially along walkways.  And they add grace, fine texture and movement to perennial and shrub plantings, as well as color and tremendous winter interest. Our grasses establish very successfully from fall plantings.

FALL SALE

Fall really is a great time to plant, and our Fall Sale has begun, with the following discount offers on our healthy, well-adapted plants and garden products:

THIS WEEK – Monday 9/2 through Sunday 9/8

20% OFF MOST PLANTS (exceptions are roses, fruit trees and berries, fall vegetable starts)

10% OFF ALL BOOKS

10% OFF ALL SOIL PRODUCTS in LARGE BAGS (fertilizers, composts, mulches)

And our DEEP DISCOUNT AREA is open, with an amazing variety of excellent

perennials, herbs, roses, grasses, shrubs and trees at below-cost prices!  You will definitely find some treasures!

Tomato Lovers Unite!

Harlequin’s Gardens is happy to be partnering again with Boulder County CSU Extension Service to present the 3^rd Annual Taste of Tomato: a Tasting & Celebration of Home-Grown Tomatoes on Saturday September 7^th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. under the big tent at the Gateway Park Fun Center, 4800 North 28^th St. in Boulder.  The event is FREE to those who bring tomatoes to share and only $3 otherwise. Click on the link here for complete entry information: 

https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/taste-of-tomato-2013/

If you have never attended one of our tomato tastings before, you are in for a great treat! We invite you to a rare opportunity for tomato-lovers of all ages, an event that’s the most fun you can have with food, especially for such a low entry fee! At last year’s Taste of Tomato, close to 200 people got to sample more than 100 different varieties of tomato! Some were new to us, and many were awesome. Each participant gets to taste, evaluate, and then vote for their 5 favorites. Some of the varieties we thought were ‘winners’ were ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry’ and several similarly tiny and intensely flavored ‘currant’ tomatoes, a fabulous sweet cherry tomato called ‘Isis Candy’, a huge, meaty, golden-orange heirloom called ‘Amana Orange’, and ‘Black Sea Man’, a dark, complex heirloom that produces very large, delicious fruits on a bush that’s compact enough to grow in a container. We thought you would really like them too, so we added all four to our offering of starts this past spring! Please bring your home-grown favorites for us all to taste!

This year we will again conduct a drawing every half hour for valuable door-prizes, and Harlequin’s Gardens staff and Boulder County Master Gardeners will be on hand to offer expert tomato-growing advice and help with tomato problems, We will also conduct seed-saving demonstrations, demonstrating how easy it is to save seeds from your own tomatoes. And we have invited the Farmer Cultivation Center to bring their tomatoes and other delicious, fresh, local organic produce for you to buy and enjoy at home. The Farmer Cultivation Center is a local non-profit farm that trains new young farmers in the skills they need to start their own small organic farms on the Front Range, with the aim of securing our local food supply.

For event and entry details, go to  

https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/taste-of-tomato-2013/

To whet your appetite, here are some photos from the 2012 Taste of Tomato.

Here are a few harvest guidelines for summer crops: 

Eggplants should be picked while they are still firm and glossy.  Once their skins have become dull, they will be softer and have dark seeds, which can spoil the flavor. Eggplants don’t keep long, so use them soon after harvest.

Bell peppers and sweet frying peppers are sweetest when allowed to ripen fully to their mature color, yellow, orange, red, purple or mahogany.  Bell peppers are often picked green, but their flavor will be a lot more pungent and they may be more challenging to digest.

Some of the hot peppers are traditionally enjoyed green – poblano, mulatto, jalapeno, Anaheim-type, while most of the rest are allowed to ripen to red (cherry, habanero, cayenne, lanterna, any chile dried for a ristra, etc.) orange (Bulgarian Carrot), or dark brown (Pasilla).

Many ‘black’ or ‘purple’ tomatoes have green ‘shoulders’ and should be picked when the fruit is plump and firm, and the bottom ½ to 2/3 of the fruit attains its rich mature color and the shoulders are still green. There are a few varieties I have found attain their most perfect flavor when plucked from the vine a day or two before eating, and allowed to ripen further on the kitchen counter (most notably ‘Purple Calabash’).

Green tomato varieties like ‘Green Doctors’, ‘Aunt Ruby’s German Green’ and ‘Green Zebra’ are ripe when you can detect a gentle blush of yellow infusing the green. Tomatoes should not be refrigerated, as it ruins their texture.

Tomatillos are ready to harvest when the fruit completely fills its papery husk and the berry is revealed.The color may still be green, or it may have begun to turn yellowish.

Summer Squash are quite varied (zucchini, crookneck, scallop, tromboncino, Lebanese, etc.), but most are best for sauté, steaming or salad when quite small. In Italy we found that zucchini was always sold when only 4” long and with the big orange blossom still attached. But of course there are good uses for the ones that got away, too.

Winter squash should generally be left on the vine or bush as long as possible for the flavors and sugars to develop, but should be harvested when its skin resists puncture by a fingernail and before the first hard frost. Many varieties of winter squash can be stored for months in the house and attain their best flavor after such ‘curing’ (kabocha-types, butternut, hubbard, and more).

Pumpkins can be harvested after their rinds are hard and skins have turned their ultimate orange, scarlet or white, depending on the variety. Be sure to leave 3 to 4” of stem attached so they will store well.

Melons are tricky, as there are so many types.  Whenever possible, we have included tips in our descriptions of individual varieties on our website. Most canteloupes will ‘slip’ easily from the stem when ripe. For other types of melons, check the leaf closest to the fruit, and when it begins to yellow, the fruit is probably ripe. Some melon varieties give fruit color or texture clues. Watermelons are usually deemed ripe when the tendril closest to the fruit is dry and brown, or when the bottom side of the fruit is yellow.

Cucumbers vary enormously, too, so you may have to research the varieties you are growing.  Generally speaking, cukes for pickling need to be small and very firm.  We are growing Poona Kheera cucumber this year, and although we have read that it is still tasty when the skin has turned brown, we find it most delicious when still ivory-colored.  Cauliflower should be harvested while the head of ‘curds’ is firm, the florets are tightly bunched and you cannot see any space between them, and the surface has not browned. Cucumber plants are most productive when kept picked. Oversized cukes can be fed to the chickens.

Celery Root (Celeriac) is usually best picked at about 3” diameter. It keeps in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for months. You can freeze puree of celeriac for future use in a potato soup or as a side dish.

Most Green Beans require daily inspection to catch them at their peak, when they are nearly full size, firm and crisp, and seeds are still small. Romano beans are more forgiving, and the long flat pods are still delicious and tender even when they are fairly large. To prevent the  possible spread of diseases, don’t harvest beans when the vines are wet.

If you sowed Rutabaga in July, it should be harvested in October-November, when it will be tasty and tender. Small roots are the tastiest and sweetest. They keep for a long time at 33 degrees F. (in the refrigerator bin).

Kohlrabi from spring sowings should be harvested when small – less than 2”. Sowings made between July 10 and August 10 are less likely to become woody, and can remain in the ground well into fall, as they are hardy to about 10 degrees F. They can be allowed to reach 4-5” diameter.

Swiss Chard should be harvested continuously throughout the season.  Once the plant is fully developed, harvest the outer leaves on a regular basis, always leaving at least 3 leaves around the core. Harvested this way, Swiss Chard is an incredibly productive crop, and many varieties continue to grow, with protection, through most winters.

Bulbing Onions are cured in the field before being harvested (unless you are going to use them immediately). When the tops begin to dry out and are falling over, withhold water, if possible, so the bulbs can mature in dry soil. After about half of the tops have fallen, push over the remainder, wait about a week and harvest the bulbs. Cure them for about a week to toughen the skins. This allows them to last much longer in storage. To cure them, spread the bulbs out on the ground in the sun, covering them at night with a tarp to prevent dew from wetting them.  If the weather at this time is cloudy and wet, cure them on the floor of the garage, barn, shed or house. They are ready for storage when the necks are completely dry and shriveled.

Leeks are ready whenever they have reached ½” diameter or larger.  Winter varieties like Bleu de Solaize are very cold-tolerant and can be left in the ground and packed in straw to prevent the ground freezing around them so you can pull them out as needed through the winter.

Parsnips taste best when left in the ground through a couple of frosts. Begin harvesting in October, and mulch heavily with straw or hay to keep the ground from freezing. You can continue harvesting as needed through the winter.

We appreciate your support and we hope to see you soon!
Eve & Mikl Brawner and the wonderful staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Harlequin’s  Gardens

Fall 2013 Newsletter
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www.HarlequinsGardens.com       303-939-9403
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Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

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

This year’s gardening was a releaf after last year’s very hot and dry weather. If we can forgive Spring’s killing cold, we will remember her frequent drenching snows, and how the plants recovered and the reservoirs filled. We have to call it good, this Natural World, powered by the sun and nourished with water, even though we can’t purchase the natural conditions we would like.

We have enjoyed afternoon showers and cool temperatures. Now with the fresh, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans and berries coming from our gardens, eating at home is way better than going out to a restaurant. And now strolling through the beauty in our gardens, we can taste the bittersweet flavor of fall. We see the harvest and know winter is coming; not yet, but certainly winter will come. So at this time of year, Harlequin’s Gardens holds our annual Fall Plant Sale.

September is a very successful time to establish plants. When plants prepare for winter they redistribute the nutrients from upper activities like growing and flowering into lower activities like growing roots and storing nutrients in their roots. Also with September come cooler temperatures and often more rain to help plants get established. This is why Fall is good for planting and why fall is the best time to fertilize our plants.

Our sale has graduated discounts that change and increase through September. Our discounts might not dive as rapidly or as deeply as some stores, because we are not dumping the dregs before they crash. Our plants are still strong and healthy. We choose our plants carefully, buy from the better suppliers, and we grow thousands of plants organically in nutritious potting mixes that we blend ourselves. Our soils are not the usual soilless mixes that must be frequently fertilized with chemical fertilizers. Our mixes feed the plants for a long time and contain beneficial mycorrhizae fungi that will multiply in your soils to help our plants get established. We go to great lengths to insure your planting success, and to support your organic methods. See below for Fall Sale schedule details.

Besides plants, our sale includes excellent composts, mulches, organic fertilizers and compost tea to feed the soil and strengthen the plants as they prepare for winter and make fruit buds for next year’s harvest. And we have seeds, and great books so you can cultivate your mind in the winter.

Available at the Fall Sale (no sale discount) 

FALL VEGETABLE STARTS:
We are again offering organic cool-season veggie starts: Piracicaba Broccoli, broccoli raab, lettuce (Romaine, Butterhead, Loose-leaf, Mesclun, Heirloom, and more), super-hardy spinach and arugula, kale (Red Russian, Black Tuscan/Lacinato, Dwf. Blue Curled, White Russian, Winterbor), swiss chard (Fordhook Giant, Ruby Red, Bright Lights mixed, Seafoam), mustard greens (India Red Giant, Senposai, Mizspoona), collards (Variegated, Georgia Southern), tatsoi, pak choy, Bull’s Blood beet greens, cilantro, winter/upland cress, and more!. These are available in 2 ½” pots and some also in 10” fiber planters. We also have Tulsi (Holy) basil plants (great medicinal and delicious tea) and rosemary plants you can continue to grow indoors when temperatures drop.

BULBS: (no discount)
This year we will offer a number of delightful new species and varieties as well as many reliable old favorites. Check our website under Plants/Bulbs for detailed descriptions and photos of this year’s selection. Buy bulbs in September, while the selection is best, and hold for planting in October & November.

FRUIT TREES and BERRY BUSHES: (no discount) excellent, hard-to-find varieties for good flavor and local success.

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA: Opens Sept. 2  Both pre-stressed and new plants for rock-bottom prices. Many customers have been thrilled with how quickly they grow and look beautiful. This area will contain perennials, roses, shrubs and trees. For example: 2 ½” pots only $1.25; 1 gallon beautiful John Davis Canadian Shrub/Climber reg.$22 now $10. Very xeric Hackberry trees reg.$70, now $35, super fragrant Hall’s Honeysuckle reg. $17 now $10; evergreen Euonymus vines reg $19 now $11

And before we lose you in the fall sale details, we want to be sure you see the announcement for our incomparable Holiday Gift Market, when we will be offering locally-made artisan goods & products.  You will want to print off a copy of the invitation ‘postcard’ as a reminder, and because it is also your entry form for a drawing for three $100 Harlequin’s Gift Certificates!  One entry per customer, please. Here’s the link: Printable Postcard

Here is a taste of some of the great plants available at our Fall Sale

NATIVES: Native plants are adapted to dramatic ups and downs of weather and drought. They support local pollinators & birds and help create a successful western landscape.

Golden Dome-Gutierrezia- a local native subshrub forming a 12”-16” dome of vivid green thin stems that bloom in fall a rich yellow. Very drought tolerant. Similar to Dwarf Rabbitbrush, but smaller. Use as a specimen, in a meadow or hell-strip. Shear after bloom.

Eriogonum ‘Kannah Creek’-one of the best Sulfur Flowers; evergreen foliage is low to the ground and turns burgundy in winter; drought tolerant, good in full sun or part shade, good soil or poor,  yellow pom-poms on 6” stems turn rusty, look good for a long time

Many-Flowered Puccoon-Lithospermum multiflorum-you won’t find this Boulder Co. native at other nurseries, 6”x10” mound with soft yellow bells; likes well-drained soil and is showier in part shade, even dry shade. Slow to develop but tough; from locally-collected seed.

Pitcher Sage-Salvia azurea: stunning blue flowers in summer on 6’ plants, lax growth is better with a buddy like big rabbitbrush which blooms yellow at the same time. Xeric

Wild Grape-powerful, cold-hardy grape that quickly covers anything, flowers are not showy but smell very grapey; the small fruits make a great pie and are excellent food for wildlife

Fernbush- 4’-6’ xeric shrub with short spikes of showy white, fragrant flowers blooming mid to late summer, very attractive to pollinators; ferny, aromatic leaves stay green most of the year. A very unusual and dense shrub that offers variety and smothers weeds.

Clove Currant-Ribes odoratum: spicy, very fragrant golden flowers, like Golden Currant, but has larger fruit and is more tolerant of dry conditions. A 4’-5’ shrub that turns red in the fall. These plants are seedlings from Crandall so should have loads of big, tasty fruit.

Littleleaf Mockorange- usually fragrant 4-petalled white flowers can be smelled from a distance,  3’-4’ shrub for rock garden, front of border or specimen, blooms over a long period if watered deeply once a week, likes growing next to a big rock

Hackberry Tree: the fastest-growing hardwood tree and most drought tolerant; very adaptable (moist is fine); grows to 50’; good for hot, windy western exposure to make shade from the late afternoon sun; attractive bark, strong branching; the gall is not a health issue

Plus: Pussytoes, Penstemons, Compass Plant, Gaillardia, Aster, Goldenrod, etc.

VINES: these plants can make a tall statement in a narrow space, cover a boring fence or wall, hide the neighbor’s junk car, create a sense of intimate space and be beautiful.

Hall’s Honeysuckle: powerfully fragrant white flowers age yellow, blooming all summer; nearly evergreen vine to 15’+, performs best with composted soil not too dry; intoxicating fragrance can be inhaled across the yard; not invasive in Colorado, sun or part shade

Baltic Ivy: very hardy evergreen vine to zone 4; more tolerant of sun and cold than English Ivy; great for groundcover in dry shade; low maintenance if by itself; prefers some compost; water in drought; can cling to walls & fences; a sustainable choice for a vertical garden

Wintercreeper Vines:

Euonymus fortunei: we love them because they are all tough, evergreen, water-thrifty, and can fulfill many functions.

Purpleleaf Wintercreeper-E. coloratus: the most drought tolerant; deep, glossy green leaves do turn purple in winter; must be trained but can be a 12” groundcover, a 3’-4’ shrub or hedge, or a 12’ vine.

E. Minima: small leaves, the most delicate; for a trellis in part to deep shade, to 10’

E. Vegeta: big woody stems make a strong vine and evergreen screen; heavy with orange berries in the fall; very cold hardy; to 20’.

And many Clematis, Honeysuckles, Wisteria, Trumpet Vines etc.

HERBS: True Lavender-Lavandula vera: the original Lavender and considered by Horizon Herbs to be “the best of all Lavenders”; fragrant, medicinal, graceful, 2’-3’; blue flowers.

And many other herbs, nearly all grown organically.

SHADE PLANTS: Palace Purple Coral Bells-metallic, coppery purple leaves, white flowers

Viola corsica-extremely long-blooming purple flowers; And many more for shade  

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES: 

Giant Sacaton-7’ with the seed heads, low-water, big impact; And many more grasses.

ROSES: Our proven, sustainable own-root roses will be on sale 1) during the Members Sale and 2) Sept 9-15 when they will be 20% off.

TREES: many varieties, container grown have complete root systems and are easy to plant.

SHRUBS: both native and non-native, some in #2 pots are Harlequin-Grown in nutrient-rich soil mix with worm compost and mycorrhizae; economical and premium quality.

HUNDREDS OF PERENNIALS: like ‘Harlequin’s Silver’ Germander, Stiff Goldenrod, Tuscan Honeymoon Dianthus, Filligree Daisy (Anthemis marschalliana), Lemon Drops (Onosma)

Corn Gluten Meal-9% nitrogen winterizer for lawns that also acts as a Non-toxic pre-emergent herbicide, suppressing the germination of weed seeds. Apply in Sept/October and again in late February/March for significant weed control.

Newsletters by Email: Please choose to receive our newsletters by email. Go to our website @ www.harlequinsgardens.com and click on  Subscribe, Or leave your information at the front desk at Harlequin’s Gardens.

Special Event September 7:  don’t miss the 2013 Taste of Tomato: festival & tasting (see www.HarlequinsGardens.com for complete information)

Harlequin’s Gardens is Open:

Daily 9-5 and  Thursday 9-6 ;  October: daily 9-5

CLOSED FOR THE SEASON: OCT 31  Reopening Nov. 29 for our Holiday Gift Market

www.HarlequinsGardens.com     303-939-9403

FALL SALE SCHEDULE

Monday, August 26 through Sept 1:  MEMBERS SALE: for your special support, you are rewarded with first pick: 20% off all plants and 25% off books (Membership is still $20).

Sunday, Sept 2 thru 8, the Fall Sale begins for everybody: 20% off most plants except roses, berries and fruit trees.  10% off books & 10% off soil products in big bags. Also the Deep Discount section will be opened with perennials, roses, shrubs and trees.

September 9 thru 15 enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs & trees THIS WEEK ONLY  20%  off most ROSES  And 10% off books and soil products in big bags; 20% off Compost Tea.

Sept. 16 thru 22 take 30% off perennials, shrubs and trees and 20% off soil  products in big bags; 10% off books. THIS WEEK ONLY: Eco-Econo $3 big bag Boulder Compost (local food and landscape wastes) You bag it in recycled burlap bags. This is local power.

Sept. 23 thru 29 take 35% off perennials, shrubs and trees, and 30% off soil products in big bags, 30% off Compost Tea, 10% off Books.

 Sept.30 thru Oct. 30 there will be a 40% discount off perennials and shrubs and trees.          And 30% off soil products in big bags, 30% of Compost Tea; 10% off books.  

NEW   WINTER HOURS – HOLIDAY MARKET   NEW

Closed Oct 31- Nov.28

HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET Open Nov. 29-Dec. 22 every Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10-5

Offering: wonderful local artisan goods, including Eve’ gluten-free shortbread cookies, Engrid’s jams & preserves, organic herbal body-care products, garden sculpture, jewelry, handmade ornaments, ceramic sculptures, cards, beeswax candles, local fine chocolate, hand knitted slipper-socks, Balsamic Nectar, natural-dyed silk scarves, gift certificates, books, gardening tools, planting calendars, quilted pot-holders, Eve’s watercolor prints, Gift Baskets, illuminated magnifiers, and many, many other great gifts. Door prize drawings daily!

IN MARCH by Popular Demand: we will be OPEN Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays  10-5 

Offering: our great Series of Gardening Classes, organic composts and fertilizers, mulches, seeds and seed-starting supplies, tools and more. Check our website for details. 

Harlequin’s Gardens’ 20/20 Sale

Greetings to our Gardening Friends!

 Harlequin’s Gardens’ 20/20 Sale
Tuesday August 20th
Save 20% OFF the following selection of Plants & Products
(one day only, while supplies last)

Great planting weather is back, and for our AUGUST 20/20 SALE we have assembled a diverse group of favorite plants we love not only because they are beautiful, but also for their qualities of being neat, well-behaved, low-maintenance, long-lived, reliable, adaptable and water-wise.  These perennials, ornamental grasses, and cacti have no notable disease or insect problems, require very infrequent trimming or tending, and do not sucker, spread underground, or produce a proliferation of unwanted seedlings.

And we have extended the sale to several excellent products we think you will appreciate.

Aethionema ‘Warley Rose’ (‘Warley Rose’ Persian Stonecress)
One of our all-time favorite rockery plants, being showy, long-blooming, well-behaved, hardy, long-lived and easy to grow. This exceptionally beautiful and durable perennial plant is a great addition to xeriscapes, rock gardens, walls, crevices, and troughs. It forms a neat, compact, shrubby evergreen mound of small linear gray-green leaves to ~4” tall and 12” wide, smothered in dense clusters of small, rich rose-pink flowers for weeks in May and June. ‘Warley Rose’ has earned the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Grow in full sun in any well-drained soil, with low to moderate water. Good companions are Filligree Daisy, Thyme-leaf Veronica, Cerastium candidissimum, ‘Little Gem’ Evergreen Candytuft. Stonecress is native to sunny limestone mountainsides in Europe and West Asia, especially Turkey.

Marrubium rotundifolium (Silver-edged Horehound) *PLANT SELECT
One of our favorite xeriscape ground-covers! Marrubium rotundifolium makes a dense, prostrate, even cascading, evergreen mat of softly fuzzy spoonshaped leaves, pale green velvet with a white edge. It is an excellent companion for brightly colored flowers and the 1”-2” tall foliage mat will grow to 18-24” wide, with flower stalks rising to about 12”.  The small cream-colored flowers are inconspicuous, but are adored by bees.  Marrubium thrives in well-drained, dry soil, in full sun. Once established, it needs almost no supplemental water. Cold-hardy to at least 7,000’.

Acaena saccaticupula (Blue Goose-leaf, Blue New Zealand Burr)
This unusual ground-hugging hardy perennial has beautiful, tiny scalloped blue foliage. It is easy to grow and incredibly adaptable to almost any soil conditions (including poor, lean soil), stays very low (2-4”), and spreads up to 12” across. The tiny, inconspicuous green flowers and very small, round, mahogany, innocuous capsules on short stalks are few and far between, keeping the plant looking very tidy. Use to edge pathways, as an accent in rock gardens or hyper-tufa trough planters, let it creep among paving stones, or try under-planting with small spring-blooming bulbs like species crocus or ‘Little Beauty’ species tulips. Grow in full sun to part-shade, with moderate to low water.  Deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, and cold-hardy to Zone 5 (4?).

Thymus baeticus (Spanish Lemon Thyme)
This vigorous, tough, little-known evergreen ground-cover and rockery thyme from Spain is one of the showiest – covered with clusters of lavender flowers in June, and very drought- tolerant and easy to grow. It reaches 5-6” tall and up to 24” wide. The hairy, linear foliage turns dark purple and looks good in fall and winter. Grows in full sun, in most soils with reasonable drainage. Copious flowers are great bee forage.Cold-hardy to Zone 5 (4?)

Nepeta Little Trudy *PLANT SELECT
The most compact catnip cultivar (to 8-10” tall and 12-16” wide), and one of the few that are sterile and will not self-sow. Because it does not set seed, ‘Little Trudy’ blooms continuously from April to October! This hybrid catnip was selected at a Colorado nursery for its distinctive serrated silver foliage & long season of lavender blooms.  A very easy and reliable perennial, ‘Little Trudy’ thrives under average or dry conditions in most soils in full sun to part shade.  The pleasantly aromatic foliage is very deer-resistant. Cold-hardy to 8,000’.

Nepeta x faassenii ‘Select Blue’ (‘Select Blue’ Catmint)
A distinctly blue-flowered selection of the very popular catmint Nepeta x faassenii discovered by David Salman of High Country Gardens. It is otherwise identical to the classic Faassen’s Catmint, which has become a cornerstone in xeriscapes because of its hardiness, longevity and long bloom. After the first flush of bloom in late spring, prompt deadheading will produce a second flush in late summer. The neat mound of gray-green foliage provides attractive texture and pleasing, deer-resistant fragrance, ‘Select Blue’ is sterile and will not reseed and make a weed of itself. Cut back dried foliage in late February to expose green basal growth. Very attractive to butterflies and bees. Grow in full sun or a.m. sun/ p.m. shade. 15” tall x 18” wide. Tolerates most soils with reasonable drainage, and very low to moderate water. Cold-hardy to 7,000’ or higher (Zone 4).

Dianthus gratianapolitanus ‘Blue Hills’ (Blue Hills Cheddar Pinks)
Probably the bluest-foliaged Dianthus, Blue Hills makes a low, dense, very blue mat of linear foliage 12-16” in diameter, from which rise many slender 4-6”-tall stems bearing lots of long-lasting, deliciously fragrant, 1”-wide, fringed, purple-pink flowers. A beautiful and tough plant for the front of the sunny, well-drained waterwise perennial bed or rock garden. Does not tolerate standing water and it’s probably best to avoid organic mulches. Good companions are Keller’s Yarrow, Cerastium candidissimum, Amethyst Falls Oregano.  Hardy to Zone 4.

Anthemis marschalliana (Filigree Daisy) *PLANT SELECT
We love Filigree Daisy for its drought-tolerance and striking, long-lasting blooms.This hardy perennial thrives in the dry garden or rock garden in any well-drained, not-too-fertile soil. Blooms are glowing chrome-yellow 1”+ daisies in May and June on erect silver stems above a tidy low mound of finely dissected powdery grayish-white leaves. 6-12” tall and wide, Plant in full sun to partial shade. Native to the Steppe region of Western Asia (conditions just like ours!), & cold-hardy to 8,000’(Zone 4).

Erodium chrysanthum (Golden Storksbill) *PLANT SELECT
One of our favorite xeriscape perennials/groundcovers. Native to Greece, this long-lived, small, evergreen perennial is grown as much for its beautiful silvery mounds of evergreen, ferny foliage, which remains attractive all winter, as for its fragrant, creamy yellow flowers, which begin bloom in very early spring and rebloom sporadically through the season. An easy, adaptable plant for the front of a xeriscape border or rock garden, or edging a path. Good companions include Purple Sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurea’), Ornamental Oregano cultivars, Sedum ‘Matrona’ or ‘Purple Emperor’, Star of Persia Allium. Thrives in most garden soils with very low water once established. Forms a mat or mound 10”-25” wide, 4-10” tall. Cold-hardy to 8,000’, Zone 4.

Primula elatior (Oxslip) *PLANT SELECT PETITE
This charming, tough primrose tolerates more heat & drought than most of its kin. In April and May, clusters of soft yellow flowers, often fragrant, rise above pale green rosettes of crinkled foliage, bringing woodland character to an area of dry shade. Grow in part shade (afternoon or filtered shade), in most soils (tolerates clay). Grows to10-15” tall x 12-15” wide. Cold-hardy to Zone 4.

Digitalis mariana (Marian Foxglove)
A fine perennial foxglove for xeriscapes and rock gardens, with rosettes of soft, dark green foliage and strong 12” stems of lovely, large, pendant, spotted reddish-purple thimble-shaped flowers in late spring and early summer. One of the showiest flowers for water-wise gardens in part-shade. Pollinated by honeybees and bumblebees.  Very adaptable, moderate water in sun, low water in part shade. All Foxgloves contain a toxin that affects the function of the heart.  Deer will leave it alone. Native to poor and dry soils in the mountains of central Spain. Hardy to Zone 5.

Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’ (Palace Purple Coral Bells)
The elegant foliage of Palace Purple is an attractive deep purple above and beet-red beneath,  with a lobed maple-like shape. It provides a striking contrast to its airy sprays of small pinkish-white ‘coral bell’ flowers on slender12-18” stalks, and to paler and variegated foliage plants such as Oxslip, Variegated Yellow Loosestrife, Norton’s Gold Oregano, or Euonymus ‘Harlequin’. It is very effective used as an edging plant, in masses of 5 or more plants as a groundcover, and as an individual accent. Unlike many of the newer colored-foliage Coral Bells, Palace Purple is a proven champion in relatively dry gardens with part-shade, filtered, or full shade. Provide compost-enriched, fertile soil and moderate to low water. Grows to12-18” tall and wide. Divide clumps in spring every 3-4 years. Foliage color may fade to bronze-green in hot summers. Cold hardy to 8,000’ (Zone 4)

Thymus ‘Clear Gold’ (‘Clear Gold’ Thyme)
The most golden of the gold thymes, this old cultivar is upright-growing to 2” tall and fast-spreading to 24” wide, suitable for groundcover use, providing wonderful charteuse-gold color and lemony fragrance along pathways and between pavers. Foliage may ‘fade’ to green in summer, but can be sheared to produce new golden foliage. ‘Clear Gold’ takes low to moderate water, grows in sun and in most soils with reasonable drainage and only moderate fertility (no manure, please). It appreciates some afternoon shade in xeriscapes. The preferred mulch for thyme is pea gravel or squeegee. Some good companions are Lavender, Silver Thyme, Turkish Veronica. Cold-hardy to Zone 5.

Heuchera pulchella (Sandia Coral Bells) *PLANT SELECT PETITE
This Southwest native is a miniature, extra cute version of the well-known Coral Bells, grows to 3-8” tall and 6-10” wide, and makes a tidy evergreen tussock of ruffled fresh green leaves. Spikes of petite rose-pink bells emerge in late spring, attracting hummingbirds and bees. Perfect in the rock garden, miniature or fairy garden. Grow in compost-amended soil with good drainage, in part sun, with moderate to low water. Cold-hardy to Zone 4.

‘Blonde Ambition’ Blue Grama grass *PLANT SELECT
30-36″ tall x 30-36″ wide.  A different and exciting selection of our native Blue Grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis), sporting a long-lasting profusion of larger, showier ‘flowers’ are held horizontally above the leaves, looking like a swarm of blonde eyelashes or tiny flags. These provide exceptional winter interest. ‘Blonde Ambition’ is also an exceptionally large-growing selection, with 2 1/2 – 3’ tall, stiff, weather-resistant flower stems rising from a mound of blue-green foliage in mid-summer. This beauty is extremely cold hardy, grows in a wide range of soil types and is a perfect choice for low maintenance landscapes. Grows in most soils, including clay, and requires very little watering once established. Cold-hardy to Zone 4.

Blue Avena/ Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens)
Slender blue-gray blades form a neat, open, evergreen, mounded tuft to 2-3’ tall and wide. Graceful arching sprays of light buff-colored seed spikes appear above the foliage in early-mid summer. Blue Avena looks great in all seasons, in any informal landscape, in groups or as single specimens. It performs well in most garden soils, in full sun or part shade, with moderate or low water (but not very dry). Try Blue Avena grass in front of tall perennials like Sea Kale, Ironweed, Pitcher Sage, Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Texas Sand Sage, Hollyhocks, Snowbank Daisy (Boltonia). It does not need to be cut back in spring (in fact, it usually resents it). If it develops a lot of tan stems, they can be gently ‘combed’ out. Cold-hardy to 8,500’.

Cold-Hardy Ball Cacti: Many species, all regional natives.
all very xeric, most bearing very showy flowers, add care-free color and interest to your sunniest, driest gardens! Cold-hardy to Zone 5 or colder.

Escobaria vivipara (Beehive Cactus, Spinystar): 3”x 3”, CO native, many 1” glowing pink flowers.

Escobaria sneedii v. leei (Lee’s Pincushion): a teeny tiny treasure, a tidy, well-groomed cactus that can make a large cluster of tiny stems so covered with short white spines hugging the stems that they appear white. Very cold-tolerant (zone 4) if kept dry in winter (e.g under an overhanging roof).  Provide sharply draining soil (add lava sand or expanded shale).Terrific for troughs or xeric rock gardens outdoors, pots indoors. Small flowers in shades of pink.

Echinocereus x lloydii (Lloyd’s Hedgehog): Similar to Claret Cup,columns 4-8” tall, gorgeous, large silky red-orange flowers.

Echinocereus viridiflorus (Green Pitaya): Native to our grasslands, plains and mountain parks. 3”x 3” low, rounded single stems or clumps , many pretty 1” chartreuse flowers.

Echinocereus fendleri (Fendler’s Hedgehog): A small hedgehog with upright cylindrical columns to 5”, bears beautiful large red-violet flowers.

Echinocereus reichenbachii albispinus (Lace Cactus): slowly forms impressive clumps 6-8”x4-6”. Showy white to tan radial spines, stunning pink-purple flowers in late spring.

ALSO 20% OFF:

BOOKS: We have the best books for Front Range gardeners! Here are just a few…..

The Undaunted Garden 2^nd edition (Lauren Springer Ogden), Xeriscape Plant Guide (Denver Water), Vegetable Gardener’s Bible (Ed Smith), Four-Season Harvest (Elliot Coleman), Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land (Gary Paul Nabham), Dryland Gardening (Bennet), Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West (Marcia Tatroe), The Resilient Farm & Homestead (Ben Falk), Cacti & Succulents for Cold Climates (Leo Chance), Hardy Succulents (Gwen Moore Kelaidis), Homegrown Herbs (Tammi Hartung), Attracting Pollinators (Xerces Society), Bountiful Container (McGee & Stuckey), Seed to Seed (Suzanne Ashworth), Carrots Love Tomatoes (Riotte), Organic Gardeners Companion (Shellenberger), Plant-Driven Design (Lauren S. & Scott Ogden), The Wild Garden (Robinson/Darke), & MANY MORE!

Mushroom Compost:
A byproduct from a Front Range organic mushroom grower. The mushroom is just the above-ground part. The miles of mycelium fibers below comprise the majority of what’s in mushroom compost. The rest is composted sawdust and manure. This compost has a wonderful texture, and is an excellent soil amendment in vegetable gardens, perennial beds, etc.

TULSI TEA from Holy Basil
We are now carrying several kinds of Tulsi Tea. Tulsi Basil, also known as Holy Basil, Ocimum sanctum, has been used in India for thousands of years for its many benefits to human health. The list of benefits includes reduced stress, support immune system, aids digestion, balances energy, anti-allergy, promotes mental clarity etc. Plain tulsi is good by itself, the rose formula is wonderful for calming stress, the Jasmine tulsi is very floral, the India Breakfast is a non-jangling black tea with tulsi, and tulsi with ginger is soothing to the stomach and warming.

Mikl has been using these teas and highly recommends them.

The Tulsi Tea, the Damask Rose, the Jasmine and the Ginger used in these teas are all raised organically and bio-dynamically in India by a very socially responsible company, Organic India. They are giving people uplifting jobs in healthy working conditions with decent pay.

We appreciate your support and we hope to see you soon!

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the wonderful staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings to our Friends & Fellow Gardeners,

Just a quick note to let you know that Fall Vegetable Starts are here. Most are ready now, and the ones that require cooler weather will be here soon. It’s time to plant those ‘cool-season’ crops, like kale, lettuce, chard, mustards, etc. so you will have lovely home-grown greens to harvest this fall and (with some protection) winter.  We have vegetable starts in 2 ½” pots, and some in 10” fiber pots as well. Our selection includes:

Kale (Red Russian, White Russian, Tuscan/Lacinato, Winterbor, Dwf. Blue Curled)Broccoli Raab
Piracicaba ‘Calabrese-type’ Broccoli
Lettuce (Romaine, Butterhead, Leaf, Mesclun, Heirloom, etc.)
Scallions
Swiss Chard (Ruby Red, Seafoam, Fordhook Giant, Bright Lights)
Collards (Georgia, Variegated)
Spinach (super-hardy Serbian Heirloom)
Bull’s Blood Beet Greens
Pak Choy
Tatsoi
Mustard Greens (Senposai, Mizspoona, Giant Indian Red)
Arugula
Winter/Upland Cress
Cilantro
whatever else I have forgotten…..

 We also have LOTS of cool-season veggie seeds, as well as lots of discounted summer vegetable and flower seeds (25% off) that will give you a head-start next year.

 Be sure to ask about getting some of our Row Cover Fabric to help keep your seedbeds from drying out and to provide some frost protection and insect protection for fall & winter crops.  We carry two weights: lightweight ‘Seed Guard’ (1/2 oz.), and medium-heavy ‘Ensulate’ (1 ½ oz.). 

Garlic and Shallots should arrive in the first week of September.  We will have certified organic Inchelium Red soft-neck garlic, and 2 varieties of hard-neck garlic: Spanish Roja and German Red.

Look for our August 20/20 Sale Announcement in a few days (the sale will take place on Tuesday, 8/20) featuring an assortment of great plants and products at 20% discount for one day only), and our Fall Newsletter/Fall Sale Announcement in about a week

The weather has been very kind lately, with reasonable temperatures and some moisture – perfect planting weather!  So we look forward to seeing you soon.

All the best,
Eve & Mikl Brawner & the wonderful staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings to our Gardening Friends!

We hope you are all enjoying summer – the heat, the thunderstorms, the wildflowers, some lovely cool mornings and evenings, the festivals and special events, the vegetable harvests and some time off.

I will be writing to you again soon, but right now we wanted to let you know that voting in the ‘Shopping’ (retail) segment of the Daily Camera’s BOULDER GOLD awards opened today, and continues through July 28^th.  Last year (thanks to you!) we were awarded Best Tree Nursery and Best Green Products/Services, and came in 2^nd place for Best Garden Center/Plant Nursery.  Please help us win First Place in all three categories this year! 

This recognition from the community can help us to be more sustainable financially, help others in the community learn about us, and enable us to educate and steer the community toward the earth-friendly approaches to gardening that we have been learning, practicing and teaching for 21 years. 

HOW TO CAST YOUR VOTES:

For your vote to be valid, you are required to follow ALL of their instructions, including writing the full name HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS, and all votes must be received by 5 pm July 28^th.  PAPER BALLOTS can be filled out and put in the ballot box at our nursery or at other participating stores, such as PC’s Pantry for Cats & Dogs.  Paper ballots are also available in some issues of the Daily Camera. 

You can also VOTE ONLINE at http://www.futureofnews.com/AdEverywhere/SI/PR/RC/?S=dailycamera&B=1062

We hope you will spread the word to your friends and family and urge them to participate on our behalf.  Thank you so much!

All the best,

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings to our Gardening Friends!

Let’s cut to the chase: We have 2 sales to announce. Here’s the first one:

The week of June 17 to 23 has been officially designated as Pollinator Week, and we are participating in the efforts of the Colorado Beekeepers Association and BBB Seeds to educate the public about our pollinators, their vital importance to our ecosystems and food supply, and how to support them. They will also share information on the harmful effects of pesticides on honeybees and other pollinators. There will be an information table at Harlequin’s Gardens on Saturday June 22^nd  from 10 to 2 pm.  Harlequin’s will also share free handouts about plants that provide food and habitat for pollinators.

Harlequin’s Gardens’ 20/20 Sale

Save 20% off Selected Plants, Soil Amendments & Products

on the 20^th of every month this season

In honor of Pollinator Week, the theme of our June 20/20 Sale is Support Our Pollinators! Our sale features plants that attract and support honeybees, wild bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, with bloom-times ranging from late spring to fall.

SUPPORT OUR POLLINATORS on JUNE 20!

20% OFF the following Plants, Seeds, Books & Compost Tea

Support BUTTERFLIES

Eriogonum jamesii (Antelope Sage, James’ Buckwheat): An excellent compact, dry-land native plant and an important nectar source for many species of butterflies and bees. The dense, compact mats of leathery gray-green hairy leaves are evergreen, spreading to 1 to 2’ wide, and it blooms for a month in August –September. Thin flower stalks to 6-12” tall hold wide, dense umbels of tiny cream-colored or yellow flowers that cover the plant, and turn an attractive rusty-red as they dry.  It is one of the very few of our native plants that can be used as a groundcover in the garden. It grows easily in poor soils as long as they are well-drained. Native American tribes have used Antelope Sage for everything from eyewash to contraceptive. Deer do not pay it any mind, and it is hardy to 9,500’ elevation.

Scabiosa caucasica (Perennial Pincushion Flower):  An elegant, large and hardy perennial Pincushion Flower, with lovely 2 ½ to 3” lilac-blue ‘pincushions’ dancing atop slender, 18-24”- tall wiry stems, very appealing to butterflies, bees, and flower-arrangers.  Dead-head for continuous bloom through the summer.  Makes a great cut-flower, too. Grow in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil in a moderately-watered or slightly drier location. Grow with Coreopsis v. ‘Moonbeam’, Gaura lindheimeri ‘Summer Breeze’, Echinacea ‘Cygnet White’, ‘Coral Canyon’ Twinspur. Hardy to 8,000’ elevation.

Scabiosa caucasica ‘Fama’: A selection of perennial Pincushion Flower with large (up to 4”), elegant, vibrant blue-violet flowers, excellent for cutting. ‘Fama’ is particularly lon-blooming. Grow in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil in a moderately-watered or slightly drier location. Grow with Salvia darcyi ‘Vermillion Bluffs’, Coreopsis v. ‘Moonbeam’, Gaura lindheimeri ‘Summer Breeze’, Echinacea ‘Cygnet White’, ‘Coral Canyon’ Twinspur. Reportedly hardy to Zone 3.

Coreopsis lanceolata (Lance-leaf Coreopsis): Cheerful golden-yellow, 1 ½” to 2 ½” daisy flowers bloom for weeks on end on graceful plants 1’ to 2’ tall and wide, creating a fantastic early-summer display that supports many species of butterflies.  Bloom can be extended from June to frost by dead-heading the spent flowers, but the ripe seeds are great food for songbirds in late summer. This very durable, long-lived prairie native grows in full to part sun in any well-drained soil (especially sand or loam), low to moderate watering. Great companion to ‘Coral Canyon’ Twinspur, ‘Red Rocks’ Penstemon and Scutellaria resinosa (Prairie Skullcap). Hardy to Zone 4.

Echinacea purpurea ‘Cygnet White’ (Compact White Coneflower): This lovely dwarf 1-2’ tall prairie native attracts many showy butterflies, songbirds and hummingbirds!  The large white flowers with coppery-orange central ‘cones’ bloom profusely for up to two months in mid to late summer (June-August) and attract butterflies and songbirds. Echinacea thrives in fertile soil in full sun to part-shade (more drought-tolerant with afternoon shade). In autumn, the ‘cones’ remain attractive, and are full of nutritious seeds that attract songbirds. Grow with Pincushion Flower, Agastache cana ‘Sonoran Sunset’, ‘David’ Tall Summer Phlox. All parts of the plant are also used to make a safe but powerful immune-boosting tea or tincture. Hardy to Zone 3.

Gaillardia aristata (Native Blanket Flower):  1’-2’ tall, Hardy to Zone 3  This showy native wildflower is an amazingly long-blooming herbaceous perennial, and is remarkably tough and adaptable.  Blooming from May to September, Gaillardia has somewhat bristly lance-shaped leaves, and large red and yellow flowers composed of an orange-red domed center and either solid yellow or red/yellow bicolor with serrated outer edges. Easy to grow in all but the heaviest clay soils, Blanket Flower thrives in full sun in meadows and native, xeriscape and conventional gardens. Familiar native in Boulder County. The flowers attract butterflies and bees. Dead-head for longest, continuous bloom, but leave some seed-heads to attract goldfinches. Some Plateau Indian tribes used Blanket Flower to treat wounds and reduce fevers. Plant with Purple Prairie Clover, Penstemons (rostriflorus, strictus, mensarum, cyananthus, alpinus), Sundancer Daisy (Hymenoxys scaposa), Sundrops (Calylophus serrulatus), Silver Blade Evening Primrose, Mexican Hat.

Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed): A bold and beautiful clumping and spreading rhizomatous native plant to 3-4’ tall, with attractive large, silvery-green, soft leaves and very fragrant 3-4”, dense round clusters of antique rose flowers of fascinating design in late spring/early summer. Found in habitats ranging from sunny and dry to moist in savannahs, prairies, road-sides, old fields, and meadows. It’s very tough and vigorous, and you can grow it next to your driveway, in your dry ‘hell strip’, somewhere your hose won’t reach, on a hillside and especially in a xeric or native garden. Grow it in full sun, in virtually any soil (it is very tolerant of alkalinity and poor, dry soil). Water it a bit the first year and don’t worry if it disappears, it’s just going temporarily dormant. Once established, the Monarch butterflies, who can smell a milkweed a mile off, will come to it for larval food and for nectar, and lay its eggs on the undersides of the foliage. It is the native host-plant for our Western Monarch butterfly. The alkaloids associated with milkweeds give the monarch and other butterflies that feed on it protection from predators. Painted Ladies and other butterflies and moths also swarm to Showy Milkweed, as do honeybees and native bees. Conspicuous, showy large boat-shaped seed-pods ripen from green to tan and split open to reveal glistening white, incredibly silky, soft seed-parachutes. Showy Milkweed needs cross-pollination for fruit and seed development. Cold-hardy to Zone 2

Support HUMMINGBIRDS:

Agastache rupestris (Sunset Hyssop, Licorice Mint): This erect-growing 2005 Plant Select winning Agastache has narrow gray-green foliage with a spicy root-beer scent and tall spikes of flowers in an unusual combo of orange and mauve- lavender.  Sunset Hyssop will bloom from July through September and draw hummingbirds from miles around. It will grow to 3-3.5’ tall x 18” wide and thrives in well-drained, lean soil in sunny locations, and requires little water. Beautiful in groupings with late-blooming blue and purple flowers such as Russian Sage, Pitcher Sage (Salvia azurea), Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris ‘Dark Knight’) and Sea Lavender (Limonium latifolium or L. caspium) Hardy to Zone 4.

Penstemon barbatus ‘Coccineus’ (Scarlet Bugler, Jingle Bells): Native to SW Colorado and neighboring states, we have encountered it at high elevation in the Pikes Peak area. In Spanish-speaking areas it is known as ‘St. Joseph’s Staff’. This 3’ tall beauty offers many stems of screaming red tubular flowers, loaded with nectar, in mid to late summer. The late-summer bloom-time coincides with the southern migration of the Rufous Hummingbird, who use the Scarlet Buglers as ‘filling stations’ for their long journey. Don’t baby this plant – it is a great subject for the hot, dry garden in lean or average, well-drained soil. It will grow in full sun or dappled shade. Hardy to Zone 4, 8,000’ elevation.

Support BEES:

Verbascum phoeniceum ‘Violetta’ (Temptress Purple Mullein): Unlike most Mulleins, which are biennial, ‘Violetta’ is a beautiful, hardy, tap-rooted perennial from Southern Europe Europe, Central Asia  and North Africa. It thrives in dry to moderately moist well-drained soils in full sunlight or part shade. From a basal rosette of long, textured dark green leaves, the bloom-stalks rise to 2-3’ tall. ‘Violetta’ blooms in late spring (earlier than most mulleins), on tall, branched spikes densely clothed in 1” deep purple flowers with fuzzy golden stamens. It is long-blooming if dead-headed.

Verbascum phoeniceum is pollinated by domesticated and wild bees and hoverflies, although it is suspected that moths also take part in pollinating mulleins. Grow with roses, Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Salvia nemorosa ‘Rose Queen’, Tricolor Sage. Cold-hardy to Zone 4.

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia): Vigorous, tall and super-drought-tolerant, Russian Sage is upright and shrubby, and thrives in lean, dry soil, full sun, and heat. It should be cut back to about 6” tall in spring when new growth begins to appear at the base of the plant. Blooms from mid-summer to into autumn. The smoky violet-blue flowers are a favorite with bees and look terrific with Goldenrod (Solidago), Evening Primrose (Oenothera), Hummingbird Mint (Zauschneria/Epilobium ‘Orange Carpet’) and Sunset Hyssop (Agastache rupestris) and Double-Bubble Mint (Agastache cana).  Hardy to Zone 5.

Origanum vulgare ssp. humile (Dwarf or Creeping Oregano): This subspecies of Greek Oregano differs quite a bit from the more familiar Greek Oregano in that it is very dwarf (only about 6-8” tall and 12-15” wide), with smaller, smoother leaves that form dense, tight, almost formal-looking mounds.  It is both an excellent ornament and a delicious culinary herb. It can easily be sheared, with the sheared bits used in the kitchen, fresh or dried, for flavoring sauces, soups, potatoes, omelets, etc. Leaves can be steeped in olive oil to make a flavored oil for salads or cooking. The pale pink or lavender flowers in summer are much loved by bees. Grow in full sun in well-drained soil, along with other culinary herbs, or as an edging for the perennial garden. Cold-hardy to Zone 5, very deer-resistant, and heat-tolerant. As a medicinal herb, Oregano’s  essential oils possess numerous phenolic chemical components that are antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-hyperglycaemic, antifungal, immunostimulatory, anstispasmodic, & antioxidant in their effects.

Creeping Winter Savory (Satureja Montana ssp. illyrica): This low-growing (to 6”), highly aromatic Mediterranean ‘sub-shrub’ is not only great for culinary use (with the same flavor and uses as ordinary winter savory) but its high thymol content helps bees fight off mites and diseases.  Thrives on very low water and the lavender flowers provide great late-season bee forage. Plant with Tricolor Sage, Dwarf Oregano (Oreganum vulgare humile). Hardy perennial to Zone 4.

Tricolor Sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’): A colorful accent for the culinary herb garden or any xeriscape or rock garden, this showy ornamental selection of culinary sage  typically grows 1-1.5′ tall and features wrinkled, oblong leaves (to 4″ long) which are marbled with grayish-green, white and purple and edged with pink. Leaves are strongly aromatic and may be used fresh or dried in cooking. In May and June the showy spikes of lavender blue flowers are a favorite with bees and butterflies. Grows in sun in most well-drained soils, with low to moderate watering. Very deer-resistant. A great companion to other Mediterranean culinary herbs, and to’ Wisley Pink’ Sunrose, Aethionema ‘Warley Rose’, Agastache ‘Sonoran Sunset’ and ‘Max Frei’ Soapwort. Hardy to zone 5/6.

SEEDS: ‘Bee Rescue’, ‘Honey Source’ Hummingbird and Butterfly flower seed mixes from BBB Seeds, a local, Boulder-based seed company specializing in wildflower seeds and seed mixes. 20% OFF

COMPOST TEA: 20% OFF  – $4/gallon (regularly $5)

Compost Tea creates fertility biologically.  Of course there is nutritional value in the tea, like kelp and minerals, but the main value comes from the millions of microorganisms that inoculate the plants.  These beneficial bacteria, fungi and others function as the digestive system of plants, breaking down complex nutrients into simpler forms usable by plants.  They also improve soil aeration and structure.  You can keep the microorganisms multiplying in your soil by incorporating composts, humates, kelp, molasses, manures and other minerals and organic matter.  Our compost tea is made from Biodynamic compost, concentrates with sea minerals, kelp, molasses and sea calcium, while vigorously aerated in our vortex brewer.  We sometimes add Age Old liquid fertilizer to the tea we use to give more immediate fertilizing results.  Biological fertility is not as fast-acting as chemical nitrogen, but it builds topsoil instead of destroying it.  Compost tea must be used within 8 hours of purchase.

BOOKS:

BUTTERFLIES of the COLORADO FRONT RANGE – 20% OFF

The perfect gift for any Front-Range Coloradan (including children) who enjoys butterflies or appreciates the natural world.

We are very happy that we have signed copies of this wonderful new book by Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones, two of Boulder’s most dedicated naturalists and foremost experts on our local butterflies.

This guidebook offers a page for each of the 80 species covered; each includes superb photographs taken in the field by the authors, and descriptions of the butterfly’s appearance, host plants, life cycle, habitat, behavior, identification tips, and descriptions of similar species.  The first section of the book concisely presents the anatomy, ecology and life-cycle of butterflies, and great advice on watching and photographing butterflies.  Also included in this guide-book are a glossary of terms, an easy-to-use chart of the species, their habitats, their flight seasons, and whether they are abundant, common, uncommon or rare.

This beautiful paperback guidebook is slim enough to slip in the back pocket of your jeans, and has a durable cover and binding.

Limit: 2 books per customer at sale price.

‘ATTRACTING NATIVE POLLINATORS’ by the Xerces Society – 20% OFF

LIMITS:

Plants in 2.5” pots: 5 plants of each kind at sale price per customer

Plants in Quart pots: 2 plants of each kind at sale price per customer

Plants in 1 gallon pots: 2 plants of each kind at sale price per customer

Compost Tea: 2 jugs at sale price per customer

Books: 2 books at sale price

Seeds: 2 packages at sale price per customer

All the above advertised plants and products are discounted for one day only on June 20^th, 2013, while supplies last.

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!!!! VEGGIE STARTS ON SALE  – 50% OFF !!!!

It’s not too late! We still have tomatoes, hot peppers, and A LOT of cucumbers, zucchinis and other summer squashes, melons, watermelons, winter squashes and pumpkins.  Many of our carefully selected varieties are rare and hard-to-find; some have been placed on Slow Food’s ‘Ark of Taste’.  See the amazing list and descriptions of our vegetable and fruit varieties for this year on our website at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/

Mountain gardeners will find that we still have excellent short-season varieties of tomatoes, cucumber, summer squash, etc., as well as Solar Caps for successfully growing warm-weather veggies.

Sale Starts Thursday June 20 and continues while supplies last!

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HERBS
Our Herb collection is overflowing with many different culinary and medicinal herbs. Here are a few highlights:

We recently received Stevia plants – a very hard-to-find item, and one that can be brought indoors as a houseplant at the end of the summer.  If you haven’t yet tried it, Stevia is a wonderful natural sweetener with NO calories and a Zero glycemic rating!  Add a leaf or two to any tea, or use to sweeten a curry or other Asian dish, for puddings, sauces, and many other dishes!  We have Pineapple Sage, which makes a lovely tea (from the foliage) and is a beautiful ornamental with brilliant red flowers. We still have some Lemon Verbena, which makes delicious tea, and Vietnamese Coriander, which really should be called Vietnamese Cilantro, as it has a flavor similar to Cilantro (although it is botanically unrelated and looks entirely different) and is a wonderful fresh addition to Southeast Asian or Mexican dishes. Eve makes a delicious Mango Salsa with it. It makes an excellent potted plant and can be brought indoors in the fall.  And a new addition to our selection of Mints is Pineapple Mint – a beautiful and delicious variegated spearmint with bright green crinkled leaves broadly edged in glistening white – great in containers or to brighten up a shady area.

BASIL:
We have lots of basil plants: Genovese, Italian Large-leaf, Marseilles, Sweet, Cinnamon, Lemonette and Red Osmin.  Tulsi (Holy Basil) and Lime Basil will be coming along soon.

Eve recommends using Cinnamon Basil in Mexican dishes: pinch off the flower bud clusters and leave to dry in a shallow bowl.  The crumbled dried buds and leaves are a delicious seasoning for black beans, cheese or chicken enchiladas, roasted chicken, quesadillas.

ROSES:
Roses are in full bloom!  We have an excellent selection of own-root roses right now – come and see and smell them!  Note that our roses in small (4.5” ‘quart’ size) pots will soon be taken out of circulation to be moved up to larger size pots, so get them now while you can.  Many of these are varieties not currently available in any other size.

Also, visit the rose garden at the Boulder-Dushanbe teahouse, which is in glorious, fragrant bloom right now.

ANNUALS:
This year we increased our offerings of Annual flowers and foliage plants, with an emphasis on  beautiful seed-grown varieties that are unusual, hard-to find and well-adapted to our climate, either in the ground or in containers. We still have a fully-stocked table (and then some!) of beautiful and interesting annual flowers for garden and containers –

Globe Amaranths (‘Strawberry Fields’ and ‘QIS Orange’)

Old-fashioned fragrant Petunias

Heirloom Zinnias

’Red Road’ Dahlias (dark bronze foliage)

Fragrant heirloom Aztec Jasmine Flowering Tobacco

Stunning true-blue Gentian Sage

Rose Queen Cleome

Drought-tolerant ‘Crystal Orange’ Zinnia angustifolia

Dracaena ‘Spike’

‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass

Moss Rose (Portulaca) and Flowering Purslane

and much, much more!

We also have wonderful succulents for containers that can come inside for the winter (Echeveria, Cotyledon, Aloe, etc.)! And we have cactus & succulent potting soil, and a wonderful assortment of very attractive containers to plant them in!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings to our Gardening Friends!

Water! – all I can think about is water! We were so fortunate to receive a lot of snow in April, allowing many of us in the Denver Metro area communities to irrigate our gardens this year. But this heat! Not only am I wishing I could run through the sprinkler (darn! my irrigation is all by drip and soaker hoses), but I’m thinking that if this high heat in early June is the ‘new normal’, we are going to have to adapt our gardens and gardening practices to make the best use of our precious ‘blue gold’ – water.  Here are a few tips for helping plants through this ‘trial by fire’.

• Mulch with a good organic mulch like fine wood chips, Soil Pep (a partially composted fine bark mulch) or with fine gravel, called ‘squeegee’.   Water deeply, then apply mulch 2” to 4” thick.  Organic mulches should not be in direct contact with the bark of trees or shrubs and should not be used around very xeric plants like Penstemons.

• Mix a little Quench in with the backfill of new plantings. Quench is an organic-based water absorbing gel made from cornstarch. It seems superior to other starch-based gels in that it will last 3 years instead of 6 months. It is also reported to absorb 500 times its weight in water and to be able to release that water better than the synthetic polymer products. It is fully biodegradable and non-toxic, and is said to be more effective than polymers in hanging baskets. We used it at about ½ strength, since we were planting xeric perennials such as Moon Carrot, Penstemon,  Poppy, and many others.

• Inoculate the roots of new plantings with mycorrhizae.  If possible, do this while you are planting, using Root Rally, Myke, ‘Age Old’ Soluble Mycorrhizae, Myco Apply, or Boomerang (all currently available at Harlequin’s Gardens).  Last July and August, in the midst of the intense summer heatwave, we had amazing success with planting and establishing lots of new perennials in our Dry Slope display garden because we applied mycorrhizae to their roots and a little Quench (see below) to the backfill.  Nearly all of these plants never missed a beat!

• Add Expanded Shale to your planting beds. Expanded shale is a product that is mined and fired just south of Boulder to create a porous, light ‘gravel’ that holds both water and air, and creates optimal housing for beneficial soil microorganisms.  It helps water to penetrate tight clay soils – a real ‘clay-buster’! When creating a new planting bed in heavy clay soil, spread a 3” layer of expanded shale and a 4” layer of compost, and working them into the soil to a depth of 1’.  Expanded shale does not break down, so it holds soil structure and reduces watering needs for a long time.

• Erect temporary shade and wind-blocks for newly-planted plants, and for prized plants that are in bloom. You can use row-cover fabric (often called ‘Reemay’, the trade name of one manufacturer), shade-cloth, or burlap.  Any of these can be wrapped over Loop Hoops or home-made supports.  We sell row cover fabric in 2 weights, and Loop Hoops.  When using row cover fabric for this purpose, leave some open space rather than covering the hoops all the way to the ground. For vertical plants like trees and shrubs, you can improvise a shade and wind screen using bamboo poles and one of the aforementioned fabrics.

• Remove flowers/flower stalks or deadhead spent flowers promptly from new plantings. Plants use a great deal of energy to produce flowers, so if you can wait til next year when your plants are established and deeper-rooted, they may be better able to survive the heat this year.

• Plant in the evening after sunset or when your planting location is shaded for the remainder of the day.

• Make notes in your garden journal regarding plants that had trouble taking the heat and plan for relocating them in early spring next year or replacing them.

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CLASS REMINDER

Your Xeriscape Garden can do double-duty by providing you not only with gorgeous color, textural interest, shade, and pollinator activity, but also with effective herbal remedies you can make yourself.  We highly recommend the following class, given this Saturday by Leslie Lewis, a highly experienced and inspired herbalist and gardener.  The plants in her stunning front yard were carefully chosen for their beauty, drought-tolerance and medicinal properties, and artfully arranged as well. Some of the plants and their herbal uses may be familiar to you, while others will be intriguing new discoveries.

You can still pre-register for the class by coming in to Harlequin’s Gardens before this Saturday, or by calling us at 303-939-9403. When you register we will give you the address and directions.  It’s a 12 mile, 15 minute drive from Harlequin’s Gardens.

Saturday June 15, 10 am: MEDICINALS AS ORNAMENTALS in a XERISCAPE GARDEN. Join Leslie Lewis, herbalist and gardener par excellence for a detailed tour of her beautiful and successful low-water front yard in which most of the plants function both as colorful ornamentals and as medicinal herbs that she uses to make effective herbal home remedies. Be prepared to be surprised and learn a lot! Old-Town Longmont location. $15

SPECIAL OFFER !
Harlequin’s Gardens is offering students of this class a 10% discount off purchases of plants presented in the class, valid on Saturday June 15^th only.  

Look for our June 20/20 Sale Announcement next week, which will include detailed descriptions of the plants and products we will be offering at 20% discount on June 20^th..

In the meantime, drink lots of water and try to stay cool!

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Hello fellow gardeners!

You know just how fast the planting season has come on since the snows ended.  Well, you can imagine how busy we are at the nursery.  Too busy, in fact, to write the descriptions for our May 20/20 sale, but we did it anyway!

We have more plants to choose from right now than at any other time of the year. We’ve brought out huge numbers of our own Harlequin-grown plants and had deliveries this week from at least seven suppliers, so we are way beyond ‘well-stocked’ with plants and soil products, as well as tools, accessories and ornaments.

20/20 SALE – MONDAY, MAY 20th

20% OFF SELECTED PLANTS & PRODUCTS for ONE DAY ONLY!

The theme of our 20/20 sale is ‘Self-Sowing Beauties for Low-Water Gardens’.  The selection includes annuals, biennials and perennials that can be relied upon to perpetuate themselves in the garden for years, without making a nuisance of themselves.  We sell plants of self-sowing annuals and biennials for several reasons.First of all, it’s a way to bring you special varieties you won’t easily find in seed packets. Also, when you start with plants, you usually get a lot more seed than you would in a packet, and the plants sow the seeds at the right time, giving the seeds a better chance of starting your new crop for the following season. Gardeners often find that they have less success with scattering the seeds themselves. Many of the seeds will actually germinate in autumn, spend the winter producing deep roots, making strong plants that are ready to spring into action early in the year, with roots that have already gone deep enough to stay cool and find moisture even in a dry garden. And then there is the delightful serendipity of their self-placement. They are very easy to grow, and make a very showy display with a very small initial investment. All of these self-sowers are easy to control and any unwanted seedlings can be weeded out with a hand cultivator like the Garden Bandit.

We plan to offer the following at 20% off on Monday May 20:

Tanacetum niveum (Snow Daisy) Snow Daisyforms a 2’ x 2’ mound of finely cut silvery-grey foliage, loaded with small white, yellow-eyed daisies for months on end. It combines beautifully in the sunny low-water border with nearlyanything else, and is even useful in containers.Also produces masses of filler-flowers for bouquets. Drought tolerant once established. It is highly attractive to butterflies, and the aromatic foliage is unpalatable to deer and rabbits. Hardy to Zone 4 or 3.

Alyssoides graeca (Greek Bladderpod): This unusual and drought-tolerant hardy perennial bears loads of clusters of ½” bright butter-yellow four-petaled flowers in mid-to late-spring on semi-prostrate plants 9” to 15” tall. Flowers are followed by columns of spherical seed-pods (bladders) that eventually shed their outer skins to reveal the silky-white inner sceptum, like a miniature ‘money plant’, and are nice in dried-flower bouquets. Tough and strong-growing in full sun or part shade. Hardy to Zone 5.

Tanacetum parthenium Double White (Double White Feverfew): A close relative of Snow Daisy, the feathery foliage of this heirloom garden perennial is bright green, and the very double white pom-pom flowers with yellow centers look like miniature Chrysanthemums (formerly classified as a Chrysanthemum). It forms a low bushy mound of fragrant, critter-resistant foliage to 18” to 24”, and masses of blooms. Plants may be pruned back hard to rejuvenate the leaves after blooming, and encourage further blooms.Feverfew is used as a most effective herbal remedy for preventing or relieving headaches, especially migraines. Very long-blooming and easy to grow in most soils in full sun with moderate to lowwater.  Provides masses of flowers for bouquets.  Hardy to Zone 4 or 3.

Verbascum wiedemannianum (Indigo Mullein):An unusual and impressive species from Anatolia (Turkey). In the first year this very drought-tolerant biennial makes an attractive basal rosette of large, very fuzzy-wooly silvery-white foliage, which persists through the winter. In the second year, the basal rosette increases in size, and inmid-late spring sends up 3’ tall branched bloom stalks like narrow candelabras, clothed in velvety deep purple 1” blooms with fuzzy stamens, very attractive to bees and butterflies. Stunning! Like many Verbascum species, this one likes bare open ground and full sun, with low to moderate water.Plant at least two to insure seed production, as Mulleins are not self-fertile.  Save some seed to scatter in alternate years to have them flowering every year in your garden.
Blue Larkspur: Beautiful, tall branched spires of brilliant shades of blue, with the occasional white or pink.  Very drought-tolerant, tough, and long-blooming from mid spring to mid-summer.  Bumblebees adore them! And they can supply armloads of cut-flowers for bouquets. Allowed to self-sow, Larkspur readily colonizes to produce a burst of brilliant color. Plant in full sun in any soil.

White Cloud Larkspur: Very different and very hard to find! This species of Larkspur forms a much-branched little ‘bush’ of slender stems bearing clouds of small white spurred flowers. The effect is like a cloud of little white butterflies. Grow in sun, with low to moderate water in virtually any soil. Gorgeous in the garden and in bouquets. Another bumblebee favorite.

Black Prince Snapdragon:  Deepest red flowers on a strong plant to 18” tall, with burgundy shadings in the foliage.  It is tougher than most snapdragons, and often perennializes in the garden. Very long-blooming if dead-headed, and thrives in sun with low to moderate water. It will self-sow, and seedlings will be deep black-red if it hasn’t cross-pollinated with a snapdragon of another color.

California Poppies: Rosa Romantica (gorgeous double flowers look like roses, shadings from cream to deep salmon-rose), White Linen: (elegant creamy white single flowers weave together a pastel-colored xeriscape garden – beautiful with blue catmints (Nepeta), yellow evening primrose or sundrops, and pink soapwort. California poppy often perennializes in Boulder/Denver, and self-sows to form graceful colonies. California Poppies often perennialize in the Boulder/Denver area.

Batchelor Buttons (Cornflower): Emperor William (heirloom blue)

Annual Poppies: Lauren’s Grape (single purple), Purple Peony (very double), Carnation Rose (very double pink), Frosted Salmon (double salmon with white), Turkish Red (single blood-red), Peshawar White (large single white), Black Peony (very double black-red).

COMPOST TEA: 1-gallon jugs (Normally $5, on sale for $4 each)

LIMITS:

Plants in 2.5” pots: up to 5 plants of each variety at sale price

Compost Tea: up to 4 gallons at sale price

Sale prices valid for one day only, Monday May 20, while supplies last.

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the fabulous staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

May Day Sale and Festival

Greetings to our Gardening Friends!

Is it spring yet? Yes, I think so!  You are probably anxious to get out there and plant, and we have been extremely busy growing and bringing in great plants for you – and seeds, composts, organic fertilizers, potting mixes, gardening tools & accessories, ornaments, books, etc.

But before we get into the details of what’s in stock, we want to invite you to join us for our  Harlequin’s Gardens Annual May Day Celebration and Plant Sale.

THE MAYDAY CELEBRATION

Saturday May 4 & Sunday May 5

Once again, we will celebrate the beginning of a new season of growth with happy, heartful, high-quality local music, dance, ritual and magic!

Saturday, May 4:

From 11-11:30 a.m. don’t miss the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers, who will bring us fertility and merriment

From 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. hear the very fine & lively Boulder Irish Session Band

From 1:45 to 3:00 p.m. get down with the hot African Marimba Music of Jesse and Briannah.

Sunday, May 5 (World Laughter Day, Cinco de Mayo)

Refreshments will be served through most of the day!

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. enjoy Meadowlark, a spirited Celtic trio featuring award-winning hammered dulcimer, mandolin & fiddle

From 1 to 3:00 p.m. Magician Stuart Hayner will delight and amaze adults and children of all ages.

And from 2 to 3:00 p.m. listen to the harmonies of Coconuts Barbershop Quartet.

Also watch for our favorite Superhero Stele Earth E Man the Eco-Troubadour.

THE PLANT SALE

The Plant Sale runs from Monday April 29 through Sunday May 5^th.  We will have many wonderful plants discounted in our sale area.  And current Members will enjoy a new membership benefit: During the May Day Week members receive 20% off a one time $50 or more purchase of plants (except roses & fruit trees) and 10% off roses (except quart size). 

Ask our staff about how and why to become a supporting Member of Harlequin’s Gardens, or read about Membership on our website.

Mikl’s Advice:

Garden soil does not make a good potting soil. If a potting medium is too dense, roots will rot.  And potting mixes made from Sphagnum peat, perlite and vermiculite are soil-less mixes, and do not make good amendments for the soil in your garden. 

In your garden, use composts, organic fertilizers, and specialized planting mixes; and ‘clay-busters’ like expanded shale to provide air space and cultivate soil life. 

WHAT’S NEW 

ROSES:  Our outdoor rose tables are filled with hardy varieties that we have grown and over-wintered outside. They are ready to plant! And we just received a big delivery of roses in quart-size (4”) pots – many of these are unusual varieties that we can only get in this size.  And we will receive a large delivery of roses in 1-gallon pots later this week! 

PERENNIALS: More than 50 new varieties this year! We have beautiful plants that succeed in Colorado conditions, from Cacti to Clematis. We grow many ourselves, from seeds and cuttings, and bring in excellent plants from local specialty growers.

VEGETABLE STARTS:

Our Seed Potatoes, Onion and Leek Plants and Asparagus Crowns can all be planted NOW.  Potatoes: Mountain Rose (red), Bintje (yellow), Purple Majesty (purple). Onions: Copra, Patterson, Red Zeppelin, Ailsa Craig, Red Marble, Purplette, Rossa Lunga di Tropea, Red Bottle, King Richard leek, Bleu de Solaize leek, and more! And Purple Passion and Jersey Giant Asparagus crowns.

TOMATOES are here!   Right now we have starts for a couple dozen varieties of superb tomatoes, and more are coming ready every day.  This year we are offering 60+ varieties, all organically grown! See our website for our complete list. Set up your Solar Caps now, and plant under them when they have warmed the soil (after about 5 days).

PEPPERS & EGGPLANTS are coming in – we have several varieties of both hot and sweet peppers, and Rosa Bianca eggplants ready now.  By the week of May 13 we will have about 50 kinds of peppers and eggplants to choose from. Pepper, Eggplants and Tomatoes need very warm conditions – warm soil and warm air. Peppers and eggplants can also be started early in Solar Caps.  Remove the Solar Caps when the weather is reliably very warm and the plants have emerged from the Solar Caps.

HERBS: Lots of our herbs are in! Most are hardy and are already acclimated to the great outdoors. We have some basil, and will have a lot more starting in a week or so.  Basil should be kept inside until we are frost-free. They can be damaged at temperatures below 45 degrees.

SEEDS: Our Botanical Interests rack is well stocked with seeds for veggies, herbs and annuals. Now is a great time to sow carrots, parsnips, scallions, beets, lettuce, swiss chard, kale, cilantro, borage, and hardy annual flowers like cosmos.

ANNUALS: We’re growing all kinds of unusual and heirloom annuals to plant in the garden or in containers;many are hardy, many xeric and many provide goodpollinator support. A bunch are ready now and hardy enough to plant out now. You won’t find most of these beauties elsewhere. And we have brought in more beautiful Pansies and Violas in bloom!

FRUITS: We have fruit trees, berry bushes, and strawberry plants, with more coming as the spring progresses.  Grape Vines will be coming in one or two weeks.  We are waiting to avoid damage from cold spells. We’ll have 6 or 7 kinds of delicious, cold-hardy table grapes, and several varieties for wine.

UPCOMING CLASSES: please register in advance by calling 303-939-9403

Saturday May 11, 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 and has decades of experience as one of Boulder’s first Permaculture designers; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. $15

Saturday May 11, 1:30 pm: HANDS-ON CONTAINER PLANTING with HG staff

Judy Whitfield & Elaine Walker. Come spend part of the afternoon learning step-by step how to put together a beautiful and successful planter for your balcony, patio, doorstep, window or garden, using ornamentals and/or vegetables and herbs. We will help you choose from our excellent selection of planters of all sizes, materials, designs and prices (or bring your own), and our unique and wonderful selection of plants appropriate for your site conditions, your container

and your aesthetics. We will help you assemble them in the right potting soil and best arrangement, so you can take home a completed planter for yourself or (hint, hint) for a fantastic, 

personal Mothers Day gift. Bring a trowel and gardening gloves or buy them here. Limited enrollment!

$15 plus the materials you choose.

Thank you so much for your support!  We are looking forward to seeing you soon!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the awesome staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Mid-April Blog & 20/20 Sale Announcement

Hello Gardening Friends!

I was planning to write this blog about 10 days ago, and I was going to say that the familiar emblems of spring, the daffodils and Forsythia, the Japanese flowering quince and violets were beginning to bloom. As it turned out, I had so much work to do that I didn’t have time to write, and now look!  The good news is that I don’t think more than a few of the plants in our gardens were actually killed by the sudden and cruel dive to single digit temperatures. By the way, this has happened before: a low of 5 degrees Fahrenheit on April 10 1959, and a low of 2 degrees on April 12, 1997!

At our home garden, we had almost no snow cover to provide insulation. I will miss the fragrant blooms of my Daphne ‘Carol Mackie’ and several fragrant Viburnums, but there’s always next year. Interestingly, the small ‘rock garden’ Daphnes in my garden were unfazed by the cold.  Maybe because they grow closer to the ground?  There were some surprises like toasted hardy geraniums, but most perennials, bulbs, shrubs and trees took the deep freeze in stride. Bulbs are perhaps the most endangered group when this happens – frozen flowers are a disappointment, but not fatal.  However, if the leaves turn to mush, they won’t be able to elongate, photosynthesize and replenish the bulb.

The emerging new leaves on some of our shrubs and trees were frozen, but they will recover. Temperatures in the single digits are not common in April when many plants have started to leaf out.  So we don’t have a tried-and-true solution to help the plants whose new leaves were frozen. But here’s the approach we are going to take for our plants:

Basically:

Strengthen the health of the plants so they can have the energy to make new leaves and grow and flower. (Plants will usually make new leaves with no help from humans, but they may be low in energy reserves after the record heat and drought of 2012.

Specifically:

1) Water when the soil is dry

2) Don’t keep the soil always wet. Plants need air as much as water.

3) Supply nutritional elements like micro-nutrients, calcium to build strong tissues and organic fertilizers with the major nutrients (NPK). Organic liquid products are faster-acting than dry materials. We will be using liquid kelp and fish products like Kelp, Grow, and Fish and Seaweed from Age Old Organics. And we may be more diligent than usual in scratching organic dry fertilizers into the top 2” of soil: Yum Yum Mix, Alpha One, or Dry Grow. But do not apply more than is recommended. The object is to build strength, not to force unsustainable growth.

When you are working in the garden, be careful not to step on the new emerging growth of peonies, false indigo, gas plant, balloon flower, and acanthus – these succulent and brittle shoots contain all the nascent  leaves and flowers for this season, and are unlikely to be replaced if they are broken off. The new shoots of False Indigo (Baptisia) are dark purple, so they’re especially hard to see against the brown earth.

You may be wondering when it’s safe to prune your roses, and how to do it.  While rose pruning is not particularly difficult, there are right and wrong ways to do it, and things to know that you wouldn’t necessarily intuit. Join us for our class ‘Fearless Pruning in the Rose Garden’ on Sunday April 21 to learn when, why and how to prune shrub roses and climbers. See  https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/classes/ for the full description.  Join us again on June 9 for ‘Eve’s Top 40 Fragrant Roses’, when I will have samples of as many of my favorite fragrant hardy roses as I can find, so you can see and smell them, and learn the details of these plants so you can choose which to include in your garden. Please register for classes well in advance whenever possible.

In the Vegetable Garden

Our great helper in the greenhouse (and many other areas!),Marilyn Kakudo, saved her vegetable starts last week, and contributes this lesson on the value of row-cover fabric in times like these:

a typical Colorado spring…

That is to say there’s no such thing as a typical spring here in Colorado whether you live on the plains, the Front Range, the mountains or the Western slope. I squeezed in a day of cleanup, prep and planting starts into my raised vegetable bed the last day of March after a few 60-70 degree days and above freezing nights. I’m sure I had not hardened those greenhouse starts sufficiently by then, but that’s when I had the time to do it and, what the heck, the weather sure was nice and spring-like, right? So in they went. I created a mini-hoop house for them using Loop Hoops and two layers of 1-oz. row cover. I like to use big paper fasteners to secure the row cover to the hoops and that makes it easy to take the cover off and on, or switch to just one layer depending on the weather.

Although you might worry about the plants freezing early in spring, another problem is too much of our bright sunshine. The mini-hoop house did a great job protecting the baby plants from direct sun and strong breezes, although a few leaves did burn. I was just feeling like they were in the clear when we got the prediction of blizzard conditions and single digit nights early this week. Major bummer! I mentally prepared myself to get another flat of starts, but we’d also see how much protection the row cover and some snow could give those cool weather vegetable plants. While we still had some warmth in the day, I pushed the hoops deeper into the soil so they’d be sturdier under the weight of snow, added another layer so there were now three layers of cover, secured them with the fasteners at the tops of the hoops and weighted the edges of the cover all around the raised bed with heavy rocks so it wouldn’t be torn off by the wind. Then we all hunkered down.

We didn’t get as much snow as forecast in Lafayette which would’ve provide added insulation. The low on the east side of our house dipped to 11° so it was even colder in the garden areas. I patiently waited for the snow to melt and temperature to get back to the 40’s and then uncovered the bed yesterday. I was amazed how well the row cover had protected the plants along with the stored warmth of the raised bed soil. There were frozen leaves on some plants on the borders, but all had survived! Hopefully we’ve had the last of severe spring freezes, and we can enjoy spring greens from our garden sooner than later. Happy growing and eating!
   

COOL-SEASON VEGETABLES

‘Graffiti’ Cauliflower                                                                  ‘Seafoam’ Swiss Chard

Our greenhouse is bursting with seedlings, and the covered ramada in our sales area is bursting with strong vegetable starts – the ‘cool-season’ varieties, including many varieties of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, lettuce, mustards, Asian greens, Swiss chard, spinach, and more uncommon vegetables like Miner’s Lettuce and Celeriac.

Not familiar with celeriac? Here’s a link to our Veggie Descriptions page for Marilyn’s portrait of this wonderful European root vegetable: scroll down to the entry forCELERIAC at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/ .  You can also check out her entries for CHERVIL andANGELICA on our HERBS page. Marilyn is not only a smart and adventurous gardener but also a superb and highly trained chef; we are fortunate to have her back after several years of teaching at the Cooking School of the Rockies. She will be adding recipes to the Harlequin’s Gardens website and blogs, and you can follow her own blog at http://cookteachgrow.wordpress.com/

We have onion plants (Copra, Patterson, Red Zeppelin, Rossa Lunga di Tropea, Red Marble Cippolini, Red Bottle and Purplette, and Tokyo Long scallion). It’s good to get seeds or plants of bulbing onions into the ground as early as possible, as they are sensitive to day length, so the amount of growth before Summer Solstice will determine the bulb size (note that onions also do their best in rich soil and with regular watering).  Another tip about onions and their kin: they do poorly when planted where Brassicas (cole crops) were grown the previous year.

Seed potatoes are here (Bintje, Purple Majesty, Mountain Rose).  We are expecting our Asparagus crowns in about a week.

All of these can be planted soon after the deep-freeze predicted for this Wednesday and possibly Thursday nights. And remember: row cover fabric is a darned good thing to have around for just such occasions. We now carry the heavier, more insulating 1.5 oz. Row Cover fabric (called ‘Ensulate’), as well as the light .5 oz. ‘Seed Guard’.  Ensulate is very sturdy and will hold up for several seasons of use.  We recommend a double or triple layer to protect cool-season crops against these early-spring deep freezes. We also have Loop Hoops (see Marilyn’s photos above), great for supporting row cover over seedlings, recent transplants and short crops like lettuce.

WARM-SEASON VEGETABLES

If you haven’t already done so, Mid-April is a good time to set up your Solar Caps and warm the soil for a week or so, then begin planting your tomatoes and peppers in them for an early jump on the season.  We have lots of Solar Caps and replacement bags in stock.

TOMATOES & PEPPERS

Our first tomato and pepper starts are ready for you! – more than a dozen varieties, and more coming toward the end of the week, with a veritable avalanche of them to follow soon after!  These are for planting in greenhouses or in Solar Caps, where the soil has been pre-warmed (planting tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in cold soil will stunt or kill them!). Take a look at our annotated list for this year atwww.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetablestarts.

A list of 2013 fruit trees, fruit bushes and vines is now posted on our website at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/fruits/ . Descriptions will follow as soon as we get a chance to write them. We have brought in limited quantities of some new and interesting varieties to try out in our area.  If we’re out of something you wanted to try, let us know and we’ll order again for next year.

NEW ARRIVALS & FACEBOOK

We have new plant and product arrivals happening almost daily now.  The best way to stay tuned to these details is to connect with us on Facebook, where we will be trying to announce new arrivals as frequently as possible.

Some of our new products include beautiful, hand-made local art and craft items, like clay planters by Boulder’s MaryLynn Schumacher (perfect for houseplants, herbs or succulents), lyrical metal garden sculptures by Charlotte & Ben Zink of Berthoud (a few photos below), and exuberantly colorful and practical Mexican oil-cloth tote bags and aprons made by Rodrigvitz Style in Longmont.

APRIL 20/20 SALE

SATURDAY, APRIL 20

Save 20% off Selected Plants, Soil Amendments & Products

on the 20^th of EVERY MONTH through August 2013

This year we start off our series of 20/20 sales with a celebration of Earth Day (just 2 days early).  As always, we encourage you to THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY, and one way we can help to preserve and restore the environmental health of our local piece of the planet is by including locally native wild plants in our gardens.  So we are offering the following wildflower plants and seeds native to Boulder County and much of the Front Range, discounted 20% for one day, on Saturday April 20.

Ipomopsis aggregata (Scarlet Gilia, Scarlet Rocket):

Native to the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains, often seen around the Peak to Peak Highway. Showy spikes of intense red, narrow trumpet-shaped flowers in late summer are very attractive to hummingbirds. They are borne on a biennial plant that makes a small mound of finely-cut foliage the first year, then elongates to as much as 4’ tall and blooms in the mid-late summer of the second year.  Self-sows to create a colony where happy, so plant several to start (for genetic diversity). Grows in well-drained soils in full sun with moderate to low water. Lovely with ornamental grasses, such as Blue Grama, Alkali Sacaton, Korean Feathergrass, or Karl Foerster’s Feather Reed Grass. Hardy to 9,000’ elevation.

Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur Flower, Sulphur Buckwheat)
This superb, compact, dry-land native plant is an important nectar source for many species of butterflies and bees. The dense, compact mats of leathery dark green leaves are evergreen, spreading to 1 to 2’ wide, and it blooms for a solid month. Thin flower stalks to 6-12” tall hold wide, dense umbels of tiny sulphur-yellow flowers that cover the plant, and turn an attractive rusty-red as they dry.  It is one of the very few of our native plants that can be used as a groundcover in the garden, and grows easily in poor soils as long as they are well-drained. Deer do not pay it any mind, and it is hardy to 10,000’ elevation!

Liatris punctata (Dotted Gayfeather)
This great butterfly favorite is native right here at our nursery and all around us in the dry shortgrass prairies and foothills. The deep-rooted  Liatris punctata is the most xeric species of Gayfeather, growing in unamended soils, including clay, with little or no supplemental water once established. Beautiful stiff spikes of purple-pink flowers bloom in late summer, along with Zinnia grandiflora, Aster laevis and Solidago.  The compact plant grows to 12” to 18” tall, is very durable and long-lived.  After blooming, the feathery seeds look lovely when backlit by the low afternoon sun, and will attract goldfinches and other songbirds.  Hardy to Zone 4.

Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower)
This showy, drought-tolerant native is easy to establish and grow in full sun in low-fertility, well-drained soils with low to medium moisture. The flowers, held on slender stems 15”–24” tall, resemble small sombreros, with golden-yellow reflexed ‘petals’ (ray florets) and prominent, tall greenish-brown columnar centers. Mexican Hat is a heavy bloomer, blooming for 1 to 2 months in summer, and a mature plant can produce hundreds of flowers. It naturalizes readily by self-sowing, and looks great in large colonies. A wonderful plant for grassy meadows, xeriscapes and cottage gardens, attracting butterflies and songbirds. Mexican Hat is a lovely companion for Blanket Flower, Tufted Evening Primrose, Western Spiderwort and native grasses. Cold-hardy to Zone 4.

Monarda fistulosa v menthifolia (Wild Bergamot, Bee-Balm)
Mint-scented foliage and stunning, nectar-rich purple-pink flowers that are a magnet for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Leaves make a delicious tea. 2’ to 5’ tall. A very hardy perennial to zone 3, adaptable to many soils. Can endure periodic drought, but thrives with some moisture. A location with late afternoon shade is perfect. One of the showiest wildflowers in summer in the canyons near Boulder.

Gutierrezia sarothrae (Snakeweed, Broom Snakeweed)
Not commonly available in the nursery trade, Snakeweed is an attractive xeric perennial sub-shrub, from 8” to 30” tall, native from Western Canada to Central Mexico, occurring here in our foothills and plains. It often goes unnoticed until it blooms in late summer, crowned with a dome of clusters of rich yellow ¼” flowers in late summer, looking much like an earlier-blooming, smaller, more upright and greener Rabbitbrush.  The flowers attract butterflies, bees and many other native pollinators, and the seeds attract songbirds.  Snakeweed’s narrow green stems branch upwards from a woody base, and are clothed in short, linear, rich green leaves. It produces a long woody taproot which enables it to thrive in rocky plains, dry foothills, ridgetops and steep mountain slopes. Deer-resistant, xeric and cold-hardy, it will grow with very little supplemental water once established. Use with natives Salvia azurea (Pitcher Sage), Mentzelia decapetala and Fallugia paradoxa (Apache Plume), and non-native ‘Little Spire’ Russian Sage. Shear in spring to remove winter die-back. Western Native American tribes had a variety of uses for it: treating snakebites, colds, coughs, dizziness, headaches, insect bites, making brooms, and more. Hardy to 9,000’.

Gaillardia aristata (Blanket Flower/Firewheel)
This showy, easy, and hardy 1-2’ native perennial bears masses of large red daisies with fringed bright yellow tips and domed red-brown centers above fuzzy green foliage. It thrives in hot, sunny places in poor soil and blooms all summer with little water.  Keep dead-headed for more flowers and a neater look. A favorite of bees and butterflies. Cold-hardy to 8,500’.

Calylophus serrulatus (Dwarf Sundrops, Plains Yellow Primrose)
Native to the short-grass prairies of the western Great Plains, this little known sub-shrub is dainty and cheerful, yet tough and long-blooming, forming a bushy mound to 15” tall and wide. It is a heavy bloomer from late spring through summer, with bright lemon-yellow flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon, changing to orange or pink as they age. This drought-and heat-tolerant native likes a lean, well-drained soil, and should be sheared in late spring before new growth begins to keep it looking tidy and loaded with blooms. The serrated leaves turn so that their edges face the sun, an adaptation to hot conditions. A perfect companion to xeric blue and purple Penstemons, Western Spiderwort, and low-growing Catmints (Nepeta).

Tradescantia occidentalis (Western Spiderwort)
One of the most graceful and beautiful native wildflowers of our short-grass prairie and dry foothills. The lovely three-petaled blue-purple flowers are held in clusters emerging from boat-shaped bracts, and appear in succession in June and July atop 12” to 24” high grass-like foliage. Multiple flower-stems can be blooming on one pant simultaneously, making a striking display, as I witnessed this spring in Left Hand Canyon. Western Spiderwort is a very hardy member of a mostly tropical and subtropical family (including the houseplants known as ‘Wandering Jew’ and ‘Bridal Veil’). It is very drought-tolerant, highly deer-resistant, re-seeds a little but is not at all invasive, and supports native bee species. Spiderwort goes dormant in mid-late summer. Thrives in sun or part-shade in any well-drained soil; a low-care gem for the xeriscape border or meadow. Grow with Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata), Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera), and Fendler’s or Prairie Sundrops (Calylophus hartwegii and C. serrulatus). Cold-hardy to Zone 3.

Sedum lanceolatum (Native Lance-leaf Stonecrop)
Widely distributed in the west from Alaska to New Mexico, this native succulent grows in exposed, rocky mountainous habitats, from foothills to alpine tundra. The rich maroons and yellows of Yellow Stonecrop are easily spotted. The tiny, bulbous-looking, red-purple fleshy leaves turn green, and stems elongate and are topped by starry, bright yellow flowers, often tinged with red. This small creeping plant is not a ground-cover, but perfect among rocks in a wall. In xeriscapes, Sedum lanceolatum  seems to do best with some afternoon shade.

ALSO ON SALE:

Native Wildflower Seed Mixes from Beauty Beyond Belief Seeds:
Rocky Mountain Native Wildflower mix
Prairie Native Wildflower mix

Yum Yum Mix:
An excellent fertilizer for natives and xeriscapes, this 2-1-1organic fertilizer formulated in New Mexico for alkaline, nutrient-poor Western soils like ours in Colorado. It is made from alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, rock dust, greensand and soft rock phosphate. It feeds the plants and the beneficial microbes that feed the plants. Far more effective than its 2-1-1 formula implies, especially when used in conjunction with humate. Use by the handful when planting, top-dress established plantings, or incorporate 4 lbs. per 100 square feet when preparing new planting beds. Vegan: no animal ingredients.

Limits:
Plants in 2.5” pots: 4 plants of each kind at sale price per customer
Plants in Quart pots: 2 plants of each kind at sale price per    customer
Plants in 1-gallon pots: 1 plant of each kind at sale price per customer
Yum Yum Mix: 1 bag per customer

All advertised sale plants and products are discounted for one day only on April 20th while supplies last.

We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Welcome to Harlequin’s Gardens. This year we will open on March 1 and will be open in March on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 5:00 to support an early start to the gardening season. Climate changes may make this beneficial. Since 1992 we have specialized in helping you to garden successfully in challenging conditions, and we can help you garden this year in spite of drought and heat.

Our locally sourced organic soil products will be on hand so you can prepare your soil early. We carry top-rated locally made organic composts, organic fertilizers, and excellent local-sourced mulches. We will also have seeds, premium potting soils and other materials for starting seeds indoor, as well as cool-season veggie starts and seed potatoes.

Our tried-and-true selection of shrubs and perennials we’ve over-wintered outdoors will be successful planted now. And our great tools, books and classes will help get you ready for Spring.

Whether you want to beautify your landscape while supporting bees, butterflies and birds, or you want home-grown, organic food, Harlequin’s Gardens has the experience, products and staff to help you succeed.

We offer empowering classes with great teachers throughout the season. PRE-REGISTRATION is strongly advised and appreciated. Call, mail, or come in to pre-register. March Classes include:

Seed-Starting Success (3/2 & 3/23)

Building Topsoil & Fertility (3/10)

Secrets for Growing Great Tomatoes (3/9)

Raising Backyard Chickens (3/16)

Planting by the Moon (3/17)

Succession Planting (3/24)

Growing Veggies & Herbs in Containers (3/30)

Getting Started in Vegetable Gardening (3/31)

Go to www.HarlequinsGardens.com/classes for class descriptions and details.

Many more classes will follow in April, May, June and the rest of the season (please refer to our 2012 schedule of classes  – many of them will be back this year!)

Our recent Holiday Market proved the popularity of a number of locally crafted artisan products, so we will continue to offer some of these throughout the year.  Come visit us for fine beeswax candles, candleholders, organic herbal personal care products, unique garden sculptures, and more!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings to our Friends and Fellow Gardeners!

We hope all of you enjoyed a meaningful and joyful Thanksgiving celebration, whether it involved great food, great friends, family, travel, lending a hand, or even just taking a lovely walk or hike on that perfect, archetypal autumn day.

Well, the good news is that we’ve had such lovely warm, dry weather this fall – perfect for planting bulbs, cleaning up the garden, preparing the soil for next year’s vegetable patch, and for hiking and biking in our beautiful parks and open spaces. The bad news is that we’ve had such lovely warm, dry weather this fall – little appreciable moisture for our forests, farmlands and gardens.  And following such a hot, dry summer, too.  Please don’t forget to give your shrubs and trees a monthly deep soaking this fall and winter, and be especially attentive to watering anything evergreen and almost anything newly planted. Evergreens don’t go dormant and require moisture year-round, especially if they are exposed to sun and wind.  You can include in the Evergreen category plants like Candytuft, Sun Rose (Helianthemum), Daphne, the various ‘brooms’ (Genista, Cytisus), and Roses (the green canes are vulnerable to winter dessication). New plants won’t have had a chance yet to develop deep roots, so even if they are ‘drought-tolerant’ they may be dependent on you for water. Of course, if we are blessed with lots of big snowstorms this winter, you’re off the hook.

Now is a good time to scatter seeds of some of the annuals and biennials that do well in low-water gardens.  Larkspur, California Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy, Bachelor’s Buttons, Cosmos, Desert Bluebells, to name a few. The temperature and moisture fluctuations of winter will open up the soil surface, creating small crevices that will provide good conditions for the seeds to germinate in late winter and early spring.

Fall is usually a very busy season for us, with lots of behind-the-scenes activity, even after we close up shop at the end of October.  But this year we’ve been at least twice as busy, getting ready to re-open for our Holiday Market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in December through 12/23, from 10 am to 4 pm! 

We begin with our Holiday Open House on December 1^st & 2^nd. Live music both days! 

• Saturday 11 am to 1 pm: Jonathan Sousa, guitar, banjo
• Saturday 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Paul Vissvader, guitar
• Sunday 10:30 am to Noon: Margot Krimmel, harp
• Sunday 1:30 to 3:15: Adam Agee, Irish fiddle

You’ll be amazed at the transformation of our humble little store! Please use the following link to refer back to our last blog for the details: 

https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/2012/11/20/winter-hours-holiday-gifts/

PLEASE REMEMBER to bring CASH or CHECKS.

We DO NOT accept Credit or Debit cards.

Since our last blog, we have added more wonderful art, craft, personal care products, gourmet food and jewelry to our already large selection of choice holiday gifts.  Here are a few of them:

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Here are some of our NEW offerings

Trementina Traditional Pinyon Salve

The Spanish word ‘trementina’ has come to be used as the name for the sap of the pinyon tree ofNew   Mexico.  Folk remedies made from this sap have been used for centuries to relieve skin abrasions and scrape, and for drawing out splinters.  Made in New Mexico’s ‘curandera’ tradition by our friend Pamela, who climbed the pinyon trees to gather the sap, and infused it in olive oil and New Mexico beeswax to create this rare traditional salve. Each tin of salve comes in a lovely organza gift bag.

Eve’s Ceramic Garden Totems

Eve has always been fascinated by the diverse and elegant architecture of plant forms, and especially of seed pods. The large collection of native and exotic seedpods she has amassed over the years inspired this series of garden sculptures.  These are hand-built ceramic pieces, each one unique.  Each ‘totem’ stack stands approximately 18” tall.

Majolica Candle-holders

Our friends Thea and Lele are well known aroundBoulderand beyond for their charming tradition-based Italian majolica pottery.  We asked them to design and create some small candleholders with a bee motif, to fit the beautiful Niwot Honey Farm beeswax taper candles we carry.  They were ready just in time for the opening weekend of our Holiday Market, and sold out before the weekend was over!  So we never got a chance to take a photo for you, but we are sure you will want at least one!  Thea and Lele are busy making a second batch for us, and we expect them either this weekend or next.

Rose Lotion, Spritzer, and Body Oil

These fine, hand-made natural herbal products are from our friends at Fox Ryde inLoveland. The blend of essential oils used in their lotion, oil and spritzer gives them the best rose fragrance we have found in any personal care products.

Recycled Copper Jewelry

Made from copper reclaimed from old roofing, gutters, pipes and such, these beautiful, original pins and shawl-pins have a warm glow and beautiful patina, and feature design motifs from nature.

Hand-knitted Shawls, Fingerless Gloves & Wrist-warmers

Sheron Roland of Fox Ryde is a multi-talented artisan.  In addition to her body-care products and recycled copper jewelry, she also spins and dyes (with natural plant dyes) her own yarn, knits and felts. Some of her pieces are titled ‘Gardener’s Revenge’ because she made the dyes from the weeds in her own garden – Canada Thistle, Bindweed, etc.!  Using wool and silk yarns, she makes fingerless gloves, wrist-warmers and shawls that are luxuriously soft and lovely.

Small Quilts

We are pleased to offer one of Lynn Mattingly’s brilliant small quilts in shades of red, pink and orange.  This is a one-of-a-kind art quilt, and would look stunning displayed on a wall, or draped over the back of a sofa.  It is also conceived as whatLynncalls a ‘Woman Kind’ quilt – meant to be used to protect bed-linens during menstruation.  Of course it is sturdy and machine-washable.Lynnlives and quilts in beautifulPaonia,CO.

We also have a small quilt wall-hanging from the American Folk-Art tradition, with a charming appliqué motif of cats and stars.  It is signed by the artist, who has exhibited at theMuseumofAmerican Folk ArtinNew York   City.

More Air Plants :

We sold out of Air Plants in no time, so we have re-ordered and are hoping to receive them in time for this weekend.  Air Plants are so easy to care for, so sculptural and so affordable! Perfect for college students who can’t keep conventional house-plants alive.

Potted Rosemary & Succulents

We didn’t get a chance to bring out our potted Succulents last weekend – so if you’re looking for Aloe or other handsome, easy-care, low-water houseplants, we’ve got them.

Fresh Organic Basil

We are cutting a few bunches of organic Genovese basil from our greenhouse every weekend so you can bring back the taste of summer in your salads, pasta and sauces. We may also have a little Tulsi (Holy) basil to offer as well.

Seed-Starting Supplies

We have the seeds, pots, trays, dome-tops and premium organic seed-starting soil mix you’ll need for starting perennials and early vegetables.  The seeds of many perennials germinate best after exposure to cold winter temperatures.  And vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and mustards do best when started indoors and transplanted out when they are several inches tall in March or early April.  We know many gardeners who have their best success with peas started early indoors and transplanted. Ask us for advice on getting a head-start on your 2013 garden.

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‘Toasty Tootsies’ Foot-Warmers

Anyone with cold feet (literally, not metaphorically) and a microwave oven will appreciate these basmati rice-filled foot-warmers. Heated in the microwave to the desired temperature and placed between the sheets, they’ll keep your feet warm for hours – they retain heat much longer than a hot water bottle.  And they smell good, and they’re pretty, too.  They are also great for applying to body pains that respond to heat, like sore low-back, neck or shoulders. A limited number of these are available, (including a few for kids) hand-made by Eve Brawner in her not-so-spare time.

Handmade Ornaments 

We’ve known our friend Cheryl for many years in the context of her expertise in Roses (she grows about 500 of them in her home garden), and Morris Dancing (Cheryl, husband and kids have all danced with the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers at our May Day Festivals). We recently discovered that she is also a multi-talented craftswoman, and she is sharing some of her delightful creations with us for our Holiday Market. Her whimsical ornaments are original designs, meticulously hand-dyed, painted and beaded, sewn and stuffed.

Cheryl also makes felted Acorn Earrings, made with real acorn caps.  And she makes the most charming Flower Earrings, too. Most of the earrings are made with hypo-allergenic ear wires.

We are very happy to be featuring ‘Beads for Peace’ necklaces and bracelets made by village women in Kenya who are living with HIV /AIDS.  Through this great project of International Peace Initiatives (IPI), the proceeds from the sale of these exuberant pieces supports these women and also supports amazing projects in their community, including a home for village children orphaned by AIDS which allows them to remain in their community, receive schooling, grow their own food, and more.

Balsamic Nectar

Definitely not your ordinary, everyday Balsamic Vinegar! Inspired by the very costly Italian Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, Balsamic Nectar is thick-textured, sweet, and richly complex-flavored, but is available for a fraction of the price.  We were introduced to this culinary luxury when our friend Kerry’s family hosted a student from Modena, Italy for a summer. This young woman brought them a small bottle of her family’s treasured Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, aged for decades.  She introduced us to the unexpected pleasures of vinegar for dessert! Drizzled sparingly on vanilla ice cream – divine! And a drop of the dark ambrosia on a shaving of a fine Parmesan cheese – amazing! It also makes a fabulous glaze for roasted or grilled vegetables, meat, poultry or fish. Kerry has now developed a technique for accelerating the aging process of genuine, top-grade Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (no chemicals or anything scary involved) that takes only a couple of months, instead of decades. And Balsamic Nectar is made in Boulder!

Also: Candleholders, Ceramic Garden Sculptures, Trementina traditional New Mexico hand-balm, and ???? Come and have a look!

We wish you all a very happy Winter Solstice and Holiday Season, with lots of precipitation! And we look forward to seeing you soon!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

WINTER HOURS & HOLIDAY GIFTS

In December, Harlequin’s Gardens will Re-Open for Holiday Gift Sales, after having been closed for November.

We will be open from 10 to 4 on FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS & SUNDAYSfrom December 1st through December 23rd.

Please remember ~ We accept CASH & CHECKS ONLY 

No Credit or Debit cards.

 DOOR PRIZES !

Each day we are open in December, anyone who comes to the nursery and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY PRIZE DRAWING for a $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE!  You do not have to be present for the drawing at the end of the day to win – we will call the winners.

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Here are some of our NEW offerings

Trementina Traditional Pinyon Salve

The Spanish word ‘trementina’ has come to be used as the name for the sap of the pinyon tree ofNew Mexico. Folk remedies made from this sap have been used for centuries to relieve skin abrasions and scrape, and for drawing out splinters. Made in New Mexico’s ‘curandera’ tradition by our friend Pamela, who climbed the pinyon trees to gather the sap, and infused it in olive oil and New Mexico beeswax to create this rare traditional salve. Each tin of salve comes in a lovely organza gift bag.

Eve’s Ceramic Garden Totems

Eve has always been fascinated by the diverse and elegant architecture of plant forms, and especially of seed pods. The large collection of native and exotic seedpods she has amassed over the years inspired this series of garden sculptures. These are hand-built ceramic pieces, each one unique. Each ‘totem’ stack stands approximately 18” tall.

Majolica Candle-holders

Our friends Thea and Lele are well known around Boulder and beyond for their charming tradition-based Italian majolica pottery. We asked them to design and create some small candleholders with a bee motif, to fit the beautiful Niwot Honey Farm beeswax taper candles we carry. They were ready just in time for the opening weekend of our Holiday Market, and sold out before the weekend was over! So we never got a chance to take a photo for you, but we are sure you will want at least one! Thea and Lele are busy making a second batch for us, and we expect them either this weekend or next.

Rose Lotion, Spritzer, and Body Oil

These fine, hand-made natural herbal products are from our friends at Fox Ryde in Loveland. The blend of essential oils used in their lotion, oil and spritzer gives them the best rose fragrance we have found in any personal care products.

Recycled Copper Jewelry

Made from copper reclaimed from old roofing, gutters, pipes and such, these beautiful, original pins and shawl-pins have a warm glow and beautiful patina, and feature design motifs from nature.

Hand-knitted Shawls, Fingerless Gloves & Wrist-warmers

Sheron Buchele Rowland of Fox Ryde is a multi-talented artisan. In addition to her body-care products and recycled copper jewelry, she also spins and dyes (with natural plant dyes) her own yarn, knits and felts. Some of her pieces are titled ‘Gardener’s Revenge’ because she made the dyes from the weeds in her own garden – Canada Thistle, Bindweed, etc.! Using wool and silk yarns, she makes fingerless gloves, wrist-warmers and shawls that are luxuriously soft and lovely.

Small Quilts

We are pleased to offer one of Lynn Mattingly’s brilliant small quilts in shades of red, pink and orange. This is a one-of-a-kind art quilt, and would look stunning displayed on a wall, or draped over the back of a sofa. It is also conceived as what Lynn calls a ‘Woman Kind’ quilt – meant to be used to protect bed-linens during menstruation. Of course it is sturdy and machine-washable. Lynn lives and quilts in beautiful Paonia, CO.

We also have a small quilt wall-hanging from the American Folk-Art tradition, with a charming appliqué motif of cats and stars. It is signed by the artist, who has exhibited at the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City.

More Air Plants :

We sold out of Air Plants in no time, so we have re-ordered and are hoping to receive them in time for this weekend. Air Plants are so easy to care for, so sculptural and so affordable! Perfect for college students who can’t keep conventional house-plants alive.

Potted Rosemary & Succulents

We didn’t get a chance to bring out our potted Succulents last weekend – so if you’re looking for Aloe or other handsome, easy-care, low-water houseplants, we’ve got them.

Fresh Organic Basil

We are cutting a few bunches of organic Genovese basil from our greenhouse every weekend so you can bring back the taste of summer in your salads, pasta and sauces. We may also have a little Tulsi (Holy) basil to offer as well.

Seed-Starting Supplies

We have the seeds, pots, trays, dome-tops and premium organic seed-starting soil mix you’ll need for starting perennials and early vegetables. The seeds of many perennials germinate best after exposure to cold winter temperatures. And vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and mustards do best when started indoors and transplanted out when they are several inches tall in March or early April. We know many gardeners who have their best success with peas started early indoors and transplanted. Ask us for advice on getting a head-start on your 2013 garden.

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Gift Certificates

Harlequin’s Gardens Gift Certificates are always a perfect gift for any Front Range gardener (okay, maybe not perfect for someone who only grows a water garden) and are always available.  Come in to buy gift certificates and shop our Holiday Market, or follow the instructions on our website to order by phone or mail.  If you need a gift certificate during the months when we are closed (November, January, February) you are welcome to order it by mail or phone.  See Gift Certificates at www.harlequinsgardens.com.

Hand-Dipped Beeswax Taper Candles

For decades, our friend Tom Theobold of Niwot Honey Farm has been nurturing bees, harvesting honey, and crafting the finest, most elegant, romantic, hand-dipped taper candles you’ll find anywhere.  They are naturally dripless and smokeless, and infuse the room with the gentle, warm fragrance of honey.  They are a perfect fit in any décor, from Shaker to Rococco.  Available in pairs, either clear-wrapped or gift-boxed.

Super Illuminated Loupe

This very small, extremely high quality 12x power magnifier is great for getting a closer look at what’s bugging your plants, taking out splinters, or helping to identify flowers.

Telescope

A toy that’s not a toy. 15x magnification enables you to see that bird or butterfly up-close and personal without scaring it away.  Folds to only 7.5”, extends to 14”.

Mini Microscope

With 40x magnification, this amazing compact, hand-held, illuminated microscope allows you to examine the scales of a butterfly wing, detect spider mites, see fungal threads, etc. Very useful and fun!

Silly Putty

The original toy play-plastic; remember the fun? Comes in a 2.5” egg-shaped container.  Non-toxic! For children age 5 to 85.

Shortbread Cookies

Eve can’t eat anything made with gluten. But she wasn’t about accept a life without great cookies, so she started baking these divine, rich, nut shortbread cookies, based on almond flour, nuts, and butter, subtly sweetened with a little honey or maple syrup. You don’t have to be gluten-sensitive to adore these cookies. Want to make sure your sweetheart accepts your proposal?  Give her a box of Eve’s Pecan Shortbread cookies.  And maybe a ring.

Engrid’s Fine Colorado Fruit Preserves

Our own Engrid Winslow makes the kind of jams, jellies and chutneys that make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure.  Engrid uses fresh, organic Colorado fruit, and very little sugar, so the fruit flavors shine. She makes the classics as well as many delicious originals like Pear& Vanilla, Hand-picked Strawberry-Raspberry, and Pear & Peach Chutney, to name only a few. You’ll find delicious uses for Engrid’s preserves, from breakfast to hors d’oevres, to salad dressings, to glazes for meats, to desserts.

Paper Mache Bowls

Our friend Kelly makes these delightful flower bowls from paper mache pulp that began as junk mail in her mailbox.  She molds and hand-paints the small bowls in the shapes, colors and patterns of some of her favorite garden flowers – poppy, morning glory, anemone, evening primrose, tulip.  The petal and sepal details are painted on the outsides of the bowls as well as the insides.

Chinook Book Sustainable Local Coupons

This coupon book makes a great gift (and do keep one for yourself!). Focusing on the Denver Metro and Boulder areas, it’s full of discount coupons (430 of them!) for environmentally conscious, organic, healthy and fair-trade products, stores, eateries and services you will really use, such as  Boulder County and Denver Farmer’s Markets, Natural Grocers, Rally Sport, McGuckin, Ace Hardware, Harlequin’s Gardens, Butterfly Pavillion, Colorado Music Festival, RTD, Ben & Jerry’s, Meininger, Denver Center Theater, Boulder Phil, Art Cleaners, Rags Consignment, Grant Family Farms, all kinds of organic foods and personal care products, pet foods and services, chocolate, stuff for kids and moms, gluten-free foods, dance, music and yoga classes, sporting goods, gyms, chocolate, massages, cleaning services, espresso, chocolate, pizza, granola bars, etc., etc. And, did I mention chocolate?

Both the paper coupon book ($14.95) and the mobile app ($10) are available. Trust me – you or the lucky recipient will easily make back the cost of the book many times over.

Cards

Note cards of vibrant paintings by Boulder watercolor artist and muralist Kathleen Lanzoni feature floral and local landscape subjects.

Botanical Interests Seeds

Botanical Interests is a local seed company we have come to love and trust. Their seed quality is excellent, and their packets are not only beautiful, featuring illustrations by many of Colorado’s best botanical artists, but incredibly chock full of information.We are partially re-stocked with seeds packaged for 2013; we will have themed ‘sets’ of seed packets available, with varieties pre-selected to make a Children’s Elfin Flower Garden, Native Flower Garden, Pollinator & Songbird Garden, Container/Small Space Veggie Garden, an Annual Herb Garden,  etc.  These sets will make great gifts and stocking-stuffers.

Beauty Beyond Belief Seeds

BBB is another great local seed company, offering wildflower mixes (Rocky Mt. natives), and flower seed mixes for supporting honey bees and wild bees.  We have their Honey Source and Bee Rescue seed mixes in small tins that are perfect for gifts or holiday party favors.

Quilted Pot-holders

Our dear friend Lynn Mattingly is a renowned fiber artist, and has been practicing and teaching quilting for decades.  An exceptional sense of color-combining, a fabulous collection of fabrics and a mastery of design and craftsmanship make Lynn’s work really special.  We love seeing her beautiful pot-holders hanging on our stove, and they have held up in our kitchen for a very long time. Lynn lives just over the hills in Paonia.

Peace Garlands

Our friend Lynn also makes these artful painted fabric garlands or ‘prayer flags’ with the always-appropriate message of Peace.  Drape them on your holiday tree, across the top of a doorway or window, or any place where you’ll enjoy their beauty and soothing sentiment. 3” high.on silk ribbon approx. 36” long.

William Blake Stained-Glass Coloring Book

Sixteen illustrations adapted from the art of William Blake.  Use crayon, felt-tip pen, acrylic, watercolor or tempera paints to color one or both sides.  Place in windows for a stained-glass effect.

Amber Lights Cast Beeswax Candles

Our friend Clark and his grand-daughter spend quality time together making delightful cast beeswax candles in a variety of shapes and sizes including simple pillars (several sizes), patterned pillars, pine cones (several sizes), honey-bears, and angels.  They are highly decorative, naturally endowed with a heavenly honey scent, and burn clean and smokeless.

Colorful Petrified Wood Specimens

Our friend Fred is a dedicated ‘rock hound’, with a special passion for meteorites and petrified wood.  He has collected some wonderful specimens from the Jurassic era, including segments of small branches in which the exterior bark texture has been preserved, and the interiors have been replaced with vividly multicolored agate.  On many of the specimens Fred has polished one surface to reveal the beauty of the agate. Each piece comes with an identification tag and a text explaining the process by which petrified wood was formed.  Sizes will probably range from 1” to 5” in height, varying widths.

Rosemary plants

Enjoy cooking with fresh rosemary year-round! Grow these hardy ‘Arp’ Rosemary plants indoors in a sunny window this winter, then transplant into the garden in spring. Planted in a warm, sunny spot in a Boulder Valley or Denver garden, they can thrive for a long time (a friend has had hers for 10 years so far – mine lasted 5 years).  Each robust, bushy plant is potted in an attractive faux terracotta 10” plastic pot. Detailed indoor and outdoor growing instructions are included.

Fresh Basil Bundles

Just because summer has ended, there’s no reason to do without fresh basil!   We have fresh-cut organic basil from our own greenhouse for immediate culinary ecstasy.

Potted Succulents & Cacti

Aloe, Echeveria, and ‘Elk Horn’ Cotyledon and small cacti– great low-water houseplants for a sunny window.

Smudges

Made with reverence, skill and healing intention by our friend Furry Foote, the elder who lives in the foothills, these traditional Native American smudge sticks are finely crafted of aromatic herbs (mostly natives) grown in her own organic garden.  Each herb is included for its specific medicinal and/or spiritual qualities: purifying, giving thanks, cleansing, infection-fighting, head-ache relief, etc.

Air plants (Tillandsias)

These remarkable tree-dwelling plants from South America don’t need to be potted, so you can put them almost anywhere in the house – even on a refrigerator magnet.  And all they require is an overnight soak once every few weeks.  Like little living sculptures, with great textures and colors!

Kisu Neroli Lip Balm

Created by Plum Botanicals, a small fair-trade organic skin-care line based here in Boulder. This long-lasting lip balm is based on wild-collected African shea butter from a women’s cooperative, and scented with the marvelous, unique,  citrus-y essential oil of neroli.  Shea butter is a natural sun-blocker, so it really helps prevent chapping in all seasons. Kisu is, by far, Eve’s favorite lip balm.

Lavender Skin-Care Products by Colorado Aromatics

Mikl and Eve have been using ‘Mountain Mist’ lavender hand & body lotion from Colorado Aromatics for a long time.  The quality of the lavender scent is exceptional, and the lotion is so soothing and moisturizing to dry, abused gardeners’ skin.  We will have individual products, and gift sets in lovely mesh bags.

2013 Stella Natura Astrological Planting Calendar

The Stella Natura Wall Calendar is an easy-to-use, informative and beautiful planting and gardening calendar that shows the best times to take advantage of the cosmic influences of the moon, sun and planets. This is a research-based system that is used by Biodynamic farmers and gardeners.  We have been using this calendar for 21 years and believe it has helped with germination of seeds, root development of cuttings, and healthy plant development. More than just a calendar – it’s packed with valuable information and insights for successful growing, from seed to harvest. Mikl will be giving a class in Planting by the Moon in March 2013.

Landscape Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve began painting small plein-air watercolors when she and Mikl made the decision to take their honeymoon in Italy.  She wanted to spend some time really looking at the landscape there and bring home more than snapshot photos, and she had a year to get good at painting fast and small before the trip.  At the end of the vacation she had 12 good paintings, and when she got home she just kept painting, focusing on landscapes closer to home.  These originals are all small and affordable; most are museum matted, a few are framed.

Botanical Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve Reshetnik Brawner is an award-winning botanical artist whose work has been exhibited around the US and abroad, and is represented in the permanent collection of the prestigious Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation.  All of Eve’s paintings are executed in watercolor, a challenging but preferred medium for capturing the silky and vibrant translucency of flowers.  In her paintings she has tried to combine minutely accurate scientific detail with the grace and character of each subject.  Framed original paintings, as well as matted and un-matted prints are available.

Gardening and Nature Books by Local Authors

Winter is the season when most gardeners get to read gardening books to help them plan and dream their next gardening season. For the most accurate gardening advice for your Colorado garden, look to our local garden writers!

The new ‘Organic Gardener’s Companion’ by Jane Shellenberger, editor & publisher of the Colorado Gardener magazine, offers up-to-date Colorado-specific advice on every aspect of organic vegetable gardening.

We will also have recent books from Colorado’s ‘garden-laureates’ Lauren Springer Ogden & Scott Ogden, including the new revised ‘Undaunted Garden’.

And we have other great books by local garden and nature experts:

Gwen Moore Kelaidis (Hardy Succulents), Marcia Tatroe (Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West), Bob Nold (Columbines), Jim Knopf (Waterwise Landscaping), Tammi Hartung (Homegrown Herbs),

Steve Jones and Jan Chu (Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range), George Peknik (The Meaning of the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse)

‘Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range’

The perfect gift for anyone who enjoys butterflies or appreciates the natural world, and great for children, too! We have plenty of signed copies of this wonderful recent book by Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones, two of Boulder’s most dedicated naturalists and foremost experts on our local butterflies.
This guidebook offers a page for each of the 80 species covered; each includes superb photographs taken in the field by the authors, and descriptions of the butterfly’s appearance, host plants, life cycle, habitat, behavior, identification tips, and descriptions of similar species.  The book also covers the anatomy, ecology and life-cycle of butterflies, useful charts, and great advice on watching and photographing butterflies. Slim enough to slip in the back pocket of your jeans, (or a Christmas Stocking), with a durable cover and binding. Chu and Jones say it best: “We watch butterflies because they’re exquisitely beautiful, have magical life cycles, and teach us about intricate and life-sustaining relationships among plants, insects and their host ecosystems.”

If you live outside the metro area and would like us to mail this book to you or a friend, please contact us by phone for details.

St. Claire’s Organic Mints, Candies, Pastilles & Lozenges

Yea! Totally organic! Made in Boulder! No corn syrup! Delicious! Packaged in pretty tins! Incredibly cheap!

West County Gardening Gloves

We love West Count gloves!  They are made from recycled plastic bottles, are very durable and stand-up to several seasons of tough gardening. They are machine washable and retain their shape.  And they come in great colors!  We carry their Work Glove, Landscaper Glove, Waterproof Glove, Rose Gauntlet, Mud Glove and Grip Glove, all in a range of sizes.  If you give these gloves as a gift, be assured that the recipient is welcome to exchange them for a different in-stock size, as long as they are still unused and in their original packaging.

Fine Art Photography by Britt Ripley

We are excited that Eve has arranged for Harlequin’s Gardens to offer Britt’s lyrical and compelling photographs! Enthralled with photography ever since he was given his first camera 47 years ago, Britt continues to be fascinated with capturing the forms, textures, and patterns of the natural and built world and the play of constantly changing light. Britt’s background as a landscape architect and his passion for music inform his work. His award-winning photographs have been featured in solo exhibitions, group shows and prestigious fine art festivals, and his work is found in private collections across the US.

Britt is known for his beautiful high country horse portraits, composite images combining horses and ranch architecture, floral portraits, and intimate highly textured landscapes.

Matted and un-matted prints, as well as framed pieces, will be available.

Matted & Un-matted: $25 to $140

Framed: $95 to $300

Ceramic Garlic Keepers

These beautiful glazed stoneware garlic-keepers, hand-crafted by Boulder potter Cathy Abelson, have perforations to keep garlic fresh as long as possible on the kitchen counter or in your pantry. They are big enough to keep up to a pound of garlic at your fingertips. Cathy’s work is sold in fine galleries around the nation.

Mason Bee Nest Boxes

Mason Bees are small, docile, solitary, wild bees that are many times more effective than honeybees for pollinating early and mid-spring bloomers, most notably our fruit trees.  They do not sting. These fascinating creatures will find your nest box and will busy themselves with gathering pollen and depositing it, along with their eggs, in the precisely drilled holes, sealing each chamber with mud (try to keep a dish of mud near the nest box in spring). The new generation of bees will emerge at just the right time to pollinate the following spring’s blossoms. Beautifully hand-crafted in Washington State from reclaimed fir by Andrew’s Reclaimed, this new design features stacking trays from which you can extract the cocoons for safe winter storage. Adorned with their attractive bee logo.

Our Favorite Gardening Tools

Japanese Knife-Weeders (see below)

Radius Trowels (ergonomic)

Radius Pro Spade (ergonomic)

Radius Pro Garden Fork (ergonomic)

Radius ‘Garden Shark’ Ergonomic Rake

World’s Best Trowel

Garden Bandit Weeders

Kneeling Pads

High-quality clippers, shears and loppers

Japanese Knife-Weeders

Reviewed by our Deb: This is the best all around tool ever!  Whenever I go out into the garden with no particular task in mind (other than peace of mind putzing) I grab this tool.  It can dig, saw into fat roots, slice into bindweed roots with the pointed tip, it’s wonderful.  I have a sheath for it which slides nicely onto a regular belt or garden-tool belt. I love using if for planting bulbs as I can make a deep, small hole.  If I could only have one tool forever…I would choose this one.

Eco Skin Sunscreen

Top-rated. Zinc oxide UV protection; no titanium dioxide, non-nano, no fragrances; good moisturizer, ideal for sensitive skin; does not sting eyes; very effective and Now Less Expensive.  The only sunscreen Mikl will use.

‘Big Green Purse’

By Diane MacEachern, environmental advisor to the EPA, World Bank, Old Wildlife Fund, etc.  400 pages of powerful advice for women to use their purchasing power to clean up and protect our environment and the planet.

Examples:

25 commodities where your dollars have the most impact

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down ratings to shift to eco products and services

Eco-cheap strategies

Tricks for seeing through ‘green-washing’

Regularly $17.95, on sale for $12.00

‘Toasty Tootsies’ Foot-Warmers

Anyone with cold feet (literally, not metaphorically) and a microwave oven will appreciate these basmati rice-filled foot-warmers. Heated in the microwave to the desired temperature and placed between the sheets, they’ll keep your feet warm for hours – they retain heat much longer than a hot water bottle.  And they smell good, and they’re pretty, too.  They are also great for applying to body pains that respond to heat, like sore low-back, neck or shoulders. A limited number of these are available, (including a few for kids) hand-made by Eve Brawner in her not-so-spare time.

Handmade Ornaments 

We’ve known our friend Cheryl for many years in the context of her expertise in Roses (she grows about 500 of them in her home garden), and Morris Dancing (Cheryl, husband and kids have all danced with the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers at our May Day Festivals). We recently discovered that she is also a multi-talented craftswoman, and she is sharing some of her delightful creations with us for our Holiday Market. Her whimsical ornaments are original designs, meticulously hand-dyed, painted and beaded, sewn and stuffed.

Cheryl also makes felted Acorn Earrings, made with real acorn caps.  And she makes the most charming Flower Earrings, too. Most of the earrings are made with hypo-allergenic ear wires.

Beads for Peace

We are very happy to be featuring ‘Beads for Peace’ necklaces and bracelets made by village women in Kenya who are living with HIV /AIDS.  Through this great project of International Peace Initiatives (IPI), the proceeds from the sale of these exuberant pieces supports these women and also supports amazing projects in their community, including a home for village children orphaned by AIDS which allows them to remain in their community, receive schooling, grow their own food, and more.

Balsamic Nectar

Definitely not your ordinary, everyday Balsamic Vinegar! Inspired by the very costly Italian Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, Balsamic Nectar is thick-textured, sweet, and richly complex-flavored, but is available for a fraction of the price.  We were introduced to this culinary luxury when our friend Kerry’s family hosted a student from Modena, Italy for a summer. This young woman brought them a small bottle of her family’s treasured Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, aged for decades.  She introduced us to the unexpected pleasures of vinegar for dessert! Drizzled sparingly on vanilla ice cream – divine! And a drop of the dark ambrosia on a shaving of a fine Parmesan cheese – amazing! It also makes a fabulous glaze for roasted or grilled vegetables, meat, poultry or fish. Kerry has now developed a technique for accelerating the aging process of genuine, top-grade Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (no chemicals or anything scary involved) that takes only a couple of months, instead of decades. And Balsamic Nectar is made in Boulder!

Thank you for your support.  We will be thrilled to see you in December!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Autumn Greetings to our Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

This week I cleared the remains of frost-stricken summer vegetable plants from my garden and started harvesting some of the frost-kissed kale and collard greens (they taste sweeter now).  And I brought my bulbs out to the garden and planned their placement – there is now a small stone marking the place where each one will be planted.  

FLOWER BULBS

Bulb-planting time has arrived for those of you gardening in the foothills, and is about to begin for the rest of us in the valley.  The window for bulb-planting is pretty long – late October and November planting is ideal, but provided the soil is not frozen, you can plant bulbs through December.  Indoors, I am starting my fragrant Paperwhite and Grande Soleil d’Or Narcissus so that they will be in bloom for the Holidays.  We still have lots of wonderful bulb selections for outdoor and indoor planting – check our bulb page at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/bulbs-2012/.

GARLIC BULBS

Right Now is the time to plant garlic.  We have lots of Inchelium Red, our favorite soft-neck variety, with large, easy-to-peel cloves, great flavor, great cold-hardiness and exceptionally long storage capability. For a full description and planting instructions, go to the link above.

WINTER HOURS & HOLIDAY GIFTS

In December, Harlequin’s Gardens will Re-Open for Holiday Gift Sales, after having been closed for November.

We will be open from 10 to 4 on FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS from December 1st through December 23rd.

You are invited to ourHoliday Open House, Saturday & Sunday December 1st & 2nd

We will have refreshments and music, and we’ll introduce our full array of wonderful, affordable local art, craft and products, along with many other wonderful gifts for gardeners and their non-gardener friends and relatives. Plan on doing a lot of your holiday shopping at Harlequin’s, where you will find dozens of special gifts for less than $25. For great gift presentation, we can pack our lovely baskets with the gift items of your choice.  Beautiful, sustainable gift packaging will be available for your individual purchases as well. Please BRING YOUR FRIENDS, and spread the word.  

DOOR PRIZES !

Each day we are open in December, anyone who comes to the nursery and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY PRIZE DRAWING for a $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE!  You do not have to be present for the drawing at the end of the day to win – we will call the winners.

We already have some of these gift items in our store, so you are welcome to come and shop early.  We’ll be open 9 to 5 through October 30th.

Here are descriptions of many of our special gift ideas.

Gift Certificates

Harlequin’s Gardens gift certificates are always a perfect gift for any Front Range gardener (okay, maybe not perfect for someone who only grows a water garden) and are always available.  If you need a gift certificate during the months when we are closed (November, January, February) you are welcome to order it by mail or phone.  See Gift Certificates at HarlequinsGardens.com.

Hand-Dipped Beeswax Taper Candles

For decades, our friend Tom Theobold of Niwot Honey Farm has been nurturing bees, harvesting honey, and crafting the finest, most elegant, romantic, hand-dipped taper candles you’ll find anywhere.  They are naturally dripless and smokeless, and infuse the room with the gentle, warm fragrance of honey.  They are a perfect fit in any décor, from Shaker to Rococco.  Available in pairs, either clear-wrapped or gift-boxed.

Super Illuminated Loupe

This very small, extremely high quality 12x power magnifier is great for getting a closer look at what’s bugging your plants, taking out splinters, or helping to identify flowers.

Telescope

A toy that’s not a toy. 15x magnification enables you to see that bird or butterfly up-close and personal without scaring it away.  Folds to only 7.5”, extends to 14”.

Mini Microscope

With 40x magnification, this amazing compact, hand-held, illuminated microscope allows you to examine the scales of a butterfly wing, detect spider mites, see fungal threads, etc. Very useful and fun!

Silly Putty

The original toy play-plastic; remember the fun? Comes in a 2.5” egg-shaped container.  Non-toxic! For children age 5 to 85.

Shortbread Cookies

Eve can’t eat anything made with gluten. But she wasn’t about accept a life without great cookies, so she started baking these divine, rich, nut shortbread cookies, based on almond flour, nuts, and butter, subtly sweetened with a little honey or maple syrup. You don’t have to be gluten-sensitive to adore these cookies. Want to make sure your sweetheart accepts your proposal?  Give her a box of Eve’s Pecan Shortbread cookies.  And maybe a ring.

Engrid’s Fine Colorado Fruit Preserves

Our own Engrid Winslow makes the kind of jams, jellies and chutneys that make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure.  Engrid uses fresh, organic Colorado fruit, and very little sugar, so the fruit flavors shine. She makes the classics as well as many delicious originals like Pear& Vanilla, Hand-picked Strawberry-Raspberry, and Pear & Peach Chutney, to name only a few. You’ll find delicious uses for Engrid’s preserves, from breakfast to hors d’oevres, to salad dressings, to glazes for meats, to desserts.

Paper Mache Bowls

Our friend Kelly makes these delightful flower bowls from paper mache pulp that began as junk mail in her mailbox.  She molds and hand-paints the small bowls in the shapes, colors and patterns of some of her favorite garden flowers – poppy, morning glory, anemone, evening primrose, tulip.  The petal and sepal details are painted on the outsides of the bowls as well as the insides.

Chinook Book Sustainable Local Coupons

This coupon book makes a great gift (and do keep one for yourself!). Focusing on the Denver Metro and Boulder areas, it’s full of discount coupons (430 of them!) for environmentally conscious, organic, healthy and fair-trade products, stores, eateries and services you will really use, such as  Boulder County and Denver Farmer’s Markets, Natural Grocers, Rally Sport, McGuckin, Ace Hardware, Harlequin’s Gardens, Butterfly Pavillion, Colorado Music Festival, RTD, Ben & Jerry’s, Meininger, Denver Center Theater, Boulder Phil, Art Cleaners, Rags Consignment, Grant Family Farms, all kinds of organic foods and personal care products, pet foods and services, chocolate, stuff for kids and moms, gluten-free foods, dance, music and yoga classes, sporting goods, gyms, chocolate, massages, cleaning services, espresso, chocolate, pizza, granola bars, etc., etc. And, did I mention chocolate?

Both the paper coupon book ($14.95) and the mobile app ($10) are available. Trust me – you or the lucky recipient will easily make back the cost of the book many times over.

Cards

Notecards of vibrant paintings by Boulder watercolor artist and muralist Kathleen Lanzoni feature floral and local landscape subjects.

Botanical Interests Seeds

Botanical Interests is a local seed company we have come to love and trust. Their seed quality is excellent, and their packets are not only beautiful, featuring illustrations by many of Colorado’s best botanical artists, but incredibly chock full of information.We are partially re-stocked with seeds packaged for 2013; we will have themed ‘sets’ of seed packets available, with varieties pre-selected to make a xeriscape flower garden, native flower garden, a great beginner’s veggie garden, an annual herb garden, an heirloom garden, etc.  These sets will make great gifts and stocking-stuffers.

Beauty Beyond Belief Seeds

BBB is another great local seed company, offering wildflower mixes (Rocky Mt. natives), and flower seed mixes for supporting honey bees and wild bees.  We have their Honey Source and Bee Rescue seed mixes in small tins that are perfect for gifts or holiday party favors.

Quilted Pot-holders

Our dear friend Lynn Mattingly is a renowned fiber artist, and has been practicing and teaching quilting for decades.  An exceptional sense of color-combining, a fabulous collection of fabrics and a mastery of design and craftsmanship make Lynn’s work really special.  We love seeing her beautiful pot-holders hanging on our stove, and they have held up in our kitchen for a very long time. Lynn lives just over the hills in Paonia.

Peace Garlands

Our friend Lynn also makes these artful painted fabric garlands or ‘prayer flags’ with the always-appropriate message of Peace.  Drape them on your holiday tree, across the top of a doorway or window, or any place where you’ll enjoy their beauty and soothing sentiment. 3” high.on silk ribbon approx. 48” long.

William Blake Stained-Glass Coloring Book

Sixteen illustrations adapted from the art of William Blake.  Use crayon, felt-tip pen, acrylic, watercolor or tempera paints to color one or both sides.  Place in windows for a stained-glass effect.

Amber Lights Cast Beeswax Candles

Our friend Clark and his grand-daughter spend quality time together making delightful cast beeswax candles in a variety of shapes and sizes including simple pillars (several sizes), patterned pillars, pine cones (several sizes), honey-bears, and angels.  They are highly decorative, naturally endowed with a heavenly honey scent, and burn clean and smokeless.

Colorful Petrified Wood Specimens

Our friend Fred is a dedicated ‘rock hound’, with a special passion for meteorites and petrified wood.  His expeditions in Utah have yielded some wonderful specimens from the Jurassic era, including segments of small branches in which the exterior bark texture has been preserved, and the interiors have been replaced with vividly multicolored agate.  Fred has polished the top surface of each specimen to reveal the beauty of the agate. Each piece comes with an identification tag and a text explaining the process by which petrified wood was formed.  Sizes will probably range from 1” to 5” in height, varying widths.

Rosemary plants

Enjoy cooking with fresh rosemary year-round! Grow these hardy ‘Arp’ Rosemary plants indoors in a sunny window this winter, then transplant into the garden in spring. Planted in a warm, sunny spot in a Boulder Valley or Denver garden, they can thrive for a long time (a friend has had hers for 10 years so far – mine lasted 5 years).  Each robust, bushy plant is potted in an attractive faux terracotta 10” plastic pot. Detailed indoor and outdoor growing instructions are included.

Basil plants and Basil Bundles

Just because summer has ended, there’s no reason to do without fresh basil!  We have potted basil plants to grow in a sunny window, and we have fresh-cut basil for immediate culinary ecstasy.

Potted Succulents

Aloe, Echeveria, and ‘Elk Horn’ Cotyledon – great low-water houseplants for a sunny window.

Smudges

Made with reverence, skill and healing intention by our friend Furry Foote, the elder who lives in the foothills, these traditional Native American smudge sticks are finely crafted of aromatic herbs (mostly natives) grown in her own organic garden.  Each herb is included for its specific medicinal and/or spiritual qualities: purifying, giving thanks, cleansing, infection-fighting, head-ache relief, etc.

Air plants (Tillandsias)

These remarkable tree-dwelling plants from South America don’t need to be potted, so you can put them almost anywhere in the house – even on a refrigerator magnet.  And all they require is an overnight soak once every few weeks.  Like little living sculptures, with great textures and colors!

Kisu Neroli Lip Balm

Created by Plum Botanicals, a small fair-trade organic skin-care line based here in Boulder. This long-lasting lip balm is based on wild-collected African shea butter from a women’s cooperative, and scented with the marvelous, unique,  citrus-y essential oil of neroli.  Shea butter is a natural sun-blocker, so it really helps prevent chapping in all seasons. Kisu is, by far, Eve’s favorite lip balm.

Lavender Skin-Care Products by Colorado Aromatics

Mikl and Eve have been using ‘Mountain Mist’ lavender hand & body lotion from Colorado Aromatics for a long time.  The quality of the lavender scent is exceptional, and the lotion is so soothing and moisturizing to dry, abused gardeners’ skin.  We will have individual products, and gift sets in lovely mesh bags.

2013 Stella Natura Astrological Planting Calendar

The Stella Natura Wall Calendar is an easy-to-use, informative and beautiful planting and gardening calendar that shows the best times to take advantage of the cosmic influences of the moon, sun and planets. This is a research-based system that is used by Biodynamic farmers and gardeners.  We have been using this calendar for 21 years and believe it has helped with germination of seeds, root development of cuttings, and healthy plant development. More than just a calendar – it’s packed with valuable information and insights for successful growing, from seed to harvest. Mikl will be giving a class in Planting by the Moon in March 2013.

Landscape Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve began painting small plein-air watercolors when she and Mikl made the decision to take their honeymoon in Italy.  She wanted to spend some time really looking at the landscape there and bring home more than snapshot photos, and she had a year to get good at painting fast and small before the trip.  At the end of the vacation she had 12 good paintings, and when she got home she just kept painting, focusing on landscapes closer to home.  These originals are all small and affordable; most are museum matted, a few are framed.

Botanical Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve Reshetnik Brawner is an award-winning botanical artist whose work has been exhibited around the US and abroad, and is represented in the permanent collection of the prestigious Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation.  All of Eve’s paintings are executed in watercolor, a challenging but preferred medium for capturing the silky and vibrant translucency of flowers.  In her paintings she has tried to combine minutely accurate scientific detail with the grace and character of each subject.  Framed original paintings, as well as matted and un-matted prints are available.

Gardening and Nature Books by Local Authors

Winter is the season when most gardeners get to read gardening books to help them plan and dream their next gardening season. For the most accurate gardening advice for your Colorado garden, look to our local garden writers!

The new ‘Organic Gardener’s Companion’ by Jane Shellenberger, editor & publisher of the Colorado Gardener magazine, offers up-to-date Colorado-specific advice on every aspect of organic vegetable gardening.

We will also have recent books from Colorado’s ‘garden-laureates’ Lauren Springer Ogden & Scott Ogden, including the new revised ‘Undaunted Garden’.

And we have other great books by local garden and nature experts:

Gwen Moore Kelaidis (Hardy Succulents), Marcia Tatroe (Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West), Bob Nold (Columbines), Jim Knopf (Waterwise Landscaping), Tammi Hartung (Homegrown Herbs),

Steve Jones and Jan Chu (Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range), George Peknik (The Meaning of the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse)

‘Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range’

The perfect gift for anyone who enjoys butterflies or appreciates the natural world, and great for children, too! We have plenty of signed copies of this wonderful recent book by Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones, two of Boulder’s most dedicated naturalists and foremost experts on our local butterflies.
This guidebook offers a page for each of the 80 species covered; each includes superb photographs taken in the field by the authors, and descriptions of the butterfly’s appearance, host plants, life cycle, habitat, behavior, identification tips, and descriptions of similar species.  The book also covers the anatomy, ecology and life-cycle of butterflies, useful charts, and great advice on watching and photographing butterflies. Slim enough to slip in the back pocket of your jeans, (or a Christmas Stocking), with a durable cover and binding. Chu and Jones say it best: “We watch butterflies because they’re exquisitely beautiful, have magical life cycles, and teach us about intricate and life-sustaining relationships among plants, insects and their host ecosystems.”

If you live outside the metro area and would like us to mail this book to you or a friend, please contact us by phone for details.

St. Claire’s Organic Mints, Candies, Pastilles & Lozenges

Yea! Totally organic! Made in Boulder! No corn syrup! Delicious! Packaged in pretty tins! Incredibly cheap!

West County Gardening Gloves

We love West Count gloves!  They are made from recycled plastic bottles, are very durable and stand-up to several seasons of tough gardening. They are machine washable and retain their shape.  And they come in great colors!  We carry their Work Glove, Landscaper Glove, Waterproof Glove, Rose Gauntlet, Mud Glove and Grip Glove, all in a range of sizes.  If you give these gloves as a gift, be assured that the recipient is welcome to exchange them for a different in-stock size, as long as they are still unused and in their original packaging.

Fine Art Photography by Britt Ripley

We are excited that Eve has arranged for Harlequin’s Gardens to offer Britt’s lyrical and compelling photographs! Enthralled with photography ever since he was given his first camera 47 years ago, Britt continues to be fascinated with capturing the forms, textures, and patterns of the natural and built world and the play of constantly changing light. Britt’s background as a landscape architect and his passion for music inform his work. His award-winning photographs have been featured in solo exhibitions, group shows and prestigious fine art festivals, and his work is found in private collections across the US.

Britt is known for his beautiful high country horse portraits, composite images combining horses and ranch architecture, floral portraits, and intimate highly textured landscapes.

Matted and un-matted prints, as well as framed pieces, will be available.

Matted & Un-matted: $25 to $140

Framed: $95 to $300

Ceramic Garlic Keepers

These beautiful glazed stoneware garlic-keepers, hand-crafted by Boulder potter Cathy Abelson, have perforations to keep garlic fresh as long as possible on the kitchen counter or in your pantry. They are big enough to keep up to a pound of garlic at your fingertips. Cathy’s work is sold in fine galleries around the nation.

Mason Bee Nest Boxes

Mason Bees are small, docile, solitary, wild bees that are many times more effective than honeybees for pollinating early and mid-spring bloomers, most notably our fruit trees.  They do not sting. These fascinating creatures will find your nest box and will busy themselves with gathering pollen and depositing it, along with their eggs, in the precisely drilled holes, sealing each chamber with mud (try to keep a dish of mud near the nest box in spring). The new generation of bees will emerge at just the right time to pollinate the following spring’s blossoms. Beautifully hand-crafted in Washington State from reclaimed fir by Andrew’s Reclaimed, this new design features stacking trays from which you can extract the cocoons for safe winter storage. Adorned with their attractive bee logo.

Our Favorite Gardening Tools

Japanese Knife-Weeders (see below)

Radius Trowels (ergonomic)

Radius Pro Spade (ergonomic)

Radius Pro Garden Fork (ergonomic)

Radius ‘Garden Shark’ Ergonomic Rake

World’s Best Trowel

Garden Bandit Weeders

Kneeling Pads

High-quality clippers, shears and loppers

Japanese Knife-Weeders

Reviewed by our Deb: This is the best all around tool ever!  Whenever I go out into the garden with no particular task in mind (other than peace of mind putzing) I grab this tool.  It can dig, saw into fat roots, slice into bindweed roots with the pointed tip, it’s wonderful.  I have a sheath for it which slides nicely onto a regular belt or garden-tool belt. I love using if for planting bulbs as I can make a deep, small hole.  If I could only have one tool forever…I would choose this one.

Eco Skin Sunscreen

Top-rated. Zinc oxide UV protection; no titanium dioxide, non-nano, no fragrances; good moisturizer, ideal for sensitive skin; does not sting eyes; very effective and Now Less Expensive.  The only sunscreen Mikl will use.

‘Big Green Purse’

By Diane MacEachern, environmental advisor to the EPA, World Bank, Old Wildlife Fund, etc.  400 pages of powerful advice for women to use their purchasing power to clean up and protect our environment and the planet.

Examples:

25 commodities where your dollars have the most impact

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down ratings to shift to eco products and services

Eco-cheap strategies

Tricks for seeing through ‘green-washing’

Regularly $17.95, on sale for $12.00

Thank you for your support.  We will be thrilled to see you in December!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Greetings to our Friends & Fellow Gardeners,

We are thrilled to announce that WITH YOUR HELP we ranked FIRST PLACE in the Daily Camera’s Boulder Gold competition in two categories – BEST TREE NURSERY, and BEST GREEN PRODUCTS/SERVICES !  And we won 2^nd place for BEST GARDEN CENTER/PLANT NURSERY !  Thank you so much for showing us your appreciation, and for your support in helping us get some promotion in our own community.  We still meet folks who, in spite of being long-time Boulder residents, have never heard of Harlequin’s Gardens.  That may be about to change!  It would still be nice for an unconventional, non-toxic, diversified nursery like Harlequin’s to get that ‘blue ribbon’ for best plant nursery, so we’ll try again next year.

FALL SALE

Our Fall Sale is progressing, and from today, 9/23, through 9/29 we’re offering the following discounts:

35% off perennials, shrubs and trees

10% off books 

10% off soil products in big bags (composts and soil amendments, fertilizers, mulches)

September is an ideal time for planting, fertilizing and topdressing, and we still have lots of wonderful healthy plants, seeds, really useful books, products, tools, accessories, seeds, etc. So come in soon for some great bargains!

BULBS

Fall Bulbs are in stock now.  We are offering 31 varieties – 34 if you include the shallots and 2 varieties of garlic!

The gorgeous violet-blue fall-blooming crocuses – Crocus speciosus and Crocus sativus (Saffron Crocus) – should be planted as soon as possible to get blooms this fall.  These flowers are such a delightful surprise, suddenly bursting forth from the autumn leaves when everything else has finished!  Saffron Crocus is hardy in sunny locations in Boulder/Denver, while C. speciosus withstands much colder temperatures and can be grown at higher elevations (to Zone 3).

The spring-blooming bulbs (Tulips, Narcissus, botanical Iris, etc.) should be planted starting in mid-October.

HOLIDAY GIFTS for GARDENERS

Harlequin’s Gardens will be open every day through October 31^st, and will re-open on December 1^st for unique holiday sales. Our hours in December will be 10 am to 4 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through December 23^rd. 

We will let you know the details of our Winter Open House on the first weekend of December, when we will have live music and refreshments, and the full array of our holiday season wares.

No, we won’t be selling cut Christmas trees, nor ornaments from China.  But we will have seeds, tools, gloves and books for gardeners, and an array of very special, beautiful, useful, unique, hand-crafted items, most of them from local artisans – beeswax candles, home-made preserves and baked delicacies, ceramic garlic-keepers, quilted potholders, organic herbal personal care products, sage smudge-sticks and sweetgrass braids, cards, mason-bee nest boxes, Eve’s original watercolors and botanical prints, etc., etc. We can help you put together lovely gift baskets, too.

Harlequin’s Gardens gift certificates will be available at our store, as well as by phone or mail, and we plan to have potted rosemary and basil plants, and bunches of fresh basil, too. 

We are grateful for your enthusiastic support!  

We hope to see you soon.

Sincerely, 

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

‘TASTE of TOMATO’ Report:
The 2012 Taste of Tomato was a huge success – delicious and so much fun! The mood was very upbeat, the tent full of gardeners and eaters excited to be learning and sharing. 160 people braved the potential traffic snarls on the morning of the Pro Race day, and many brought with them their best tomatoes for us to sample and compare. We had 103 varieties to taste! We tasted some wonderful tomatoes that were new to us and which we will try to grow for you next spring. Many gardeners have reported that it has been a difficult year for their tomatoes, with blossom-drop and disease issues, so could it be that the varieties submitted for the Taste of Tomato are better able to withstand the heat and drought? It’s something to consider.

Each participant was given forms on which to make notes as they made their way around the tables, where the samples were grouped in four categories – cherry, beefsteak, salad/slicing, and paste. They were also given five stickers to paste next to the names of their five top favorite varieties when they were finished tasting and evaluating. Making those choices from such an array was not easy! For the ‘peoples’ choice’ results of the Taste of Tomato, click on the link on our home page or go directly to https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/2012-taste-of-tomato-voting-results/

Many thanks to all who shared their bounty, including several local organic farms – Cure Organic Farms, of Boulder, contributed a pile of huge, delicious ‘Black Sea Man’ heirloom ‘beefsteaks’; the very popular heirloom ‘Pineapple’ was grown to perfection and donated by Aspen Moon Farm in Hygiene; and Zweck’s Farm, of Longmont, contributed ‘Big Beef’’, ‘Lemon Boy’, ‘Ruby Red’ and ‘Pink Wonder’. Also, we are happy that Abbondanza Organic Seeds and Produce brought their beautiful melons, peppers, eggplants, garlic, as well as their organic tomato seeds for open-pollinated and heirloom varieties that are successful in Boulder Valley.

Huge thanks also to the Boulder County Master Gardeners, who helped set up, greeted and oriented guests, washed all the entries, wrote out descriptions, kept up with the flood of tomatoes and got them out onto the tables for all to taste in bite-sized pieces, and then helped clean up!
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Don’t be unhappy if your entry didn’t garner the votes you thought it should. The voting was not at all scientific, and while there were over 100 varieties presented, some tomatoes were brought in late, or in smaller quantities than others, and therefore may not have had the votes they deserved. I really feel that any tomato that ranked in even one person’s top 5 favorites is a very good tomato. Some varieties, like Black from Tula, or Juliet, may not have been at the very top, but are so successful and easy to grow here, that they may be more worthwhile than another variety that received more votes.

HARVESTING, CURING & STORING ONIONS and WINTER SQUASH

ONIONS:
Pull up the bulbs when the tops have fallen over. Leave them to dry in the sun for a day with their roots up. To prevent decay in storage, cure them by laying them out in a single layer on a drying rack where they will have good air circulation and be out of direct sun. A simple drying rack can be made by supporting a window-screen on two sawhorses, and if you don’t have a garden shed, you can use a shaded porch or an open garage. Curing is complete when neck is shriveled and tight, and the outer skin is dry and rustles like paper. Cut the tops 1” above the bulbs and place the onions in a net bag. Store your onions in a cold (but frost-proof), dry place, like an unheated attic, basement or enclosed porch. ‘Milestone’, ‘Copra’, ‘Front Range Yellow Globe’, ‘Clear Dawn’ and ‘Red Zepellin’ should stay in good condition until mid-winter or longer. ‘Walla Walla’ onions should be eaten soon after harvest, as they do not store well
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If your onion crop did poorly in spite of your best efforts (providing very fertile soil, plenty of water, and good weed control), you may be interested to know that whereas onions do best where lettuce, squashes or melons grew the previous year, they are very adversely affected when planted where any member of the Cabbage family had grown. I have personal experience of the truth of this observation. This might be because while most plants benefit from symbiotic relationships with beneficial fungi (mycorrhizae) in the soil, plants in the cabbage family do not. So they may leave the soil ‘barren’ of the mycorrhizae onions need in order to thrive.

WINTER SQUASH:
Harvest winter squash when the skin is hard enough to resist being punctured by a thumbnail. Fruit maturity is often accompanied by dulling of rind. The vine may or may not have yellowed and withered, and the stems of the fruits may or may not have dried. Cut fruit from the vine with sharp pruners or knife, be sure to include at least an inch of stem, and never carry a squash by its stem. Some growers recommend curing the Cucurbita maxima group of winter squashes before storage by leaving them in a well ventilated place, like a sunny porch or a garage with open windows, providing protection from frost when necessary, for two or three weeks to further harden the skin for enhanced shelf-life. These would be the Hubbard, Buttercup, Kabocha, Banana, Turban, Australian Blue, and other miscellaneous varieties. Curing is not necessary for Delicata, Sweet Dumpling and Acorn-type varieties. Store winter squash spread out on a shelf or rack in a single layer in a location with temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and 50-70% humidity – many basements are ideal. When well-matured and cured and properly stored, squashes should last three to six months in good condition.

FALL SALE
Harlequin’s Gardens FALL SALE is now in progress. Our plants are in excellent condition and we still have a wide selection of perennials, herbs, shrubs, trees, composts, fertilizers, mulches, books, and much more. For details of our Fall Sale, see our 2012 Fall Sale Newsletter at

https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Fall-2012-Newsletter.pdf

Also, for the first time ever, Harlequin’s Gardens will be open three days a week in December for the holiday season, and in March for classes and a jump on the spring gardening season. Watch our website for details.

FALL VEGETABLE STARTS
It’s time to plant out those cool-season leafy greens for fall and winter harvests. We have starts of lettuce (many cold-tolerant varieties), mesclun mixes, swiss chard (Ruby Red and Lucullus), kale (Lacinato aka Tuscan aka Dinosaur, plus Winterbor and Red. Russian), arugula, upland(winter) cress, broccoli raab, spinach and collards. They are available both in 2.5” pots ready to plug in to your garden, and in larger pots for growing on your patio, terrace, etc., easy to move into more shade or more sun as the season progresses and the weather changes. Also in portable pots, we have several varieties of basil: Nufar Genovese, Italian Large-Leaf, Sweet, Cinnamon, Thai, Tulsi (Holy), and more. These can be brought indoors to a sunny window when temperatures are likely to dip below 45 degrees.

GARLIC
This year we are offering bulbs of our favorite softneck garlic, Inchelium Red, and another classic favorite, Spanish Roja hard-neck garlic. They are both very easy to grow in our climate, produce very large bulbs with large cloves, have excellent flavor and are easy to peel. When properly stored, Inchelium Red can last until May, and Spanish Roja stores for 4 to 5 months. We expect our garlic and shallot bulbs to arrive by September 14. You can buy the garlic in September to ensure that you’ll get some, but don’t plant it until mid or late October. For more complete descriptions and planting instructions, go to the Bulb page on our website: https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/bulbs-2012/

FLOWERING BULBS
We are expecting our flowering bulbs to arrive in mid-September. We don’t have a specific date at this time, but you are welcome to call us to check on their arrival. We are in the process of updating our Bulb page to include the many wonderful new varieties we have added for this year, like the beautiful purple fall-blooming Crocus speciosus, ‘Ice Follies’ and ‘Carlton’ daffodils, and light sky-blue ‘Valerie Finnis’ Grape Hyacinth, to name just a few.

IN the HOME LANDSCAPE & FLOWER GARDEN
Fall is a perfect time to fertilize with organic granular blends like Yum Yum Mix, Alpha One, Nature’s Cycle, Biosol, Mile-Hi Rose Feed, etc., and also to top-dress planting beds and lawns with compost. Harlequin’s Gardens still has a good stock of fertilizers and composts.

If you have trees in your lawn, and the trees have been depending on the lawn sprinklers all through this hot, dry summer, now is the most important time to give them a good, deep soaking. You’ll want to taper off the watering in October to allow the trees to go dormant.

Deadheading of perennials and shrubs, followed by deep watering and mulching, can perk up plants that may have been stressed by the heat of this summer. Newly planted perennials and shrubs should be flagged or otherwise conspicuously marked so you will be reminded to check on them and don’t let them dry out.

WATER
Clean, uncontaminated water is a finite resource, and something we and our friends in the animal and plant kingdoms simply cannot do without. In our personal lives, we need to act accordingly and not take our water supply for granted. Scientists studying global climate change are forecasting a hotter and drier future for Colorado and the Interior West, which along with population growth and development, is sure to challenge our water supply. Another new threat to the availability of clean water is posed by the proliferation in our area of oil and gas wells using hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). This method uses immense quantities of water which, after being used for drilling, cannot be returned to the water supply for reuse. The oil and gas industry has far more money and influence to secure and buy water than do farmers, cities and communities. In addition, there have already been many documented cases of irreparable contamination of residential water wells with highly toxic chemicals from fracking operations, which our current state regulations allow as close as 350’ from homes and schools. Addressing this threat requires us to go beyond our personal realms to take action as a community.
If you are registered to vote in Longmont, you have the opportunity to vote for the Longmont Health, Safety and Wellness Act in this November’s election. For more information about this proposed Charter Amendment and more information about fracking and its implications, go to http://ourlongmont.org/ .

We hope to see you soon!

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Welcome to Fall, to better conditions for establishing plants, and to Harlequin’s Gardens 2012 Fall Plant Sale.

This is a good planting time because plants are sending their energies and nutrients to their roots, because temperatures are cooler and, hopefully, rainfall will be more plentiful. Fall is also a more pleasant time to do planting, soil building, and fertilizing. Some books say we shouldn’t fertilize after the middle of July, but that rule only applies to chemical fertilizers. Because organic fertilizers are naturally slow releasing, they do not force fast, soft growth, and they feed the soil and plants over a 4-6 month period. Both plant and animal waste composts nourish the soil organisms which digest raw materials and minerals into plant-available forms, increase the nutritional value of plants, and with fertilizers, help fruit trees and berry bushes to set fruit buds for next year’s crop.

We will again be offering organic cool-season veggie starts: lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, chard etc. As interest grows in this opportunity to grow more food, our selection will increase. We will have potted rosemary and basils you can grow indoors.

AND now is an ideal time to plant meadow mixes and cover-crops. This fall we will have 5 different meadow mixes and 3 different cover crop seeds. In September and October we will have hardy and water-thrifty bulbs with an emphasis on shorter and species varieties. AND, of course, we have a very good selection of healthy perennials, shrubs, native wildflowers and shrubs; hardy, sustainable roses, trees, ornamental grasses, vines and herbs. Our great selection of water-wise plants will give your gardens and landscapes endurance and beauty even as the planet warms and water becomes more expensive.

When you shop at Harlequin’s Gardens, you are not only getting successful plants and organic soil amendments, you are supporting a company that for 20 years has made sustainability our bottom line. Because we source our plants and products from mostly local suppliers and because our fertilizers and pest management products are not made from petroleum, your purchases contribute far less to greenhouse gases that help to create the climate changes we are seeing and not seeing.

So please come to our Fall Sale. See page 4 for details and the schedule. ALSO on page 4 are details of our first-ever Winter Hours, when we will be open in December for gardeners’ gifts, and in March to help you prepare a great organic garden. 

Here is a taste of some of the great plants available at our Fall Sale

NATIVES: Native plants are adapted to dramatic ups and downs of weather and drought. They support local pollinators & birds and help create a successful western landscape

Native Gayfeather-Liatris punctata: Totally drought tolerant butterfly magnet, purplish-pink spikes of flowers in the heat of late summer; 12”-16”; great addition for your meadow

Spiderwort-Tradescantia occidentalis- 3-petalled blue flower, local prairie forb, xeric

Desert Four O’Clock-Mirabilis multiflora: lavender trumpet-flowers with purple throats in profusion late day/morning, attracts hummingbirds; 12”x36”+; fabulous xeriscape plant

Asclepias tuberosa-striking orange-flowered Butterfly Weed, 24” high, xeric, attracts Bflies

Lithospermum multiflorum-Bldr Co.native, 6”x10” with yellow bells, from local seed

Chocolate Flower-yellow daisies with dark eye smell like chocolate, xeric, 12”x24”+

Eriogonum ‘Kannah Creek’-Sulfur Flower, yellow pom-poms, burgundy fall color, xeric

Eriogonum jamesii-local, silvery foliage, light yellow pom-poms, xeric mat, very tough

Yellow Evening Primrose-‘Silver Blade’-very silvery leaves, gold flowers, xeric in clay

Pitcher Sage-stunning blue flowers in summer on 6’ plants, great with rabbitbrush, xeric

Bee Balm-Monarda fistulosa-rosy-lavender flowers, for butterflies, hummers, bees & teas

Penstemons: xeric and colorful in blues and reds & many forms: Penstemon: arenicola, aridus, barbatus Elfin Pink & coccineus, secundiflorus-local violet pink, mensarum-bright blue, linarioides-mat, eatonii-hummingbird heaven, pseudospectabilis-electric pink, strictus-durable purple, rostriflorus-orange-red (excellent), alpinus, cyanathus, palmeri, etc

Plus: Pussytoes, Wallflower, Wild Grape, Compass Plant, Purple Loco Weed, Lupine etc

HERBS: useful wild/tough plants that have followed humans thru centuries of adversity to provide flowers, flavors, medicines & other benefits like fiber and support for pollinators

Lavenders– 24” tough hardy Country Lavender, 16” dark purple Hidcote, Grosso-big & hardy, L. vera-true lavender-old & great, Munstead-hardy & compact; great fragrances

True Comfrey-great medicinal for sores, bones, muscles, and good in composts

Roman Chamomile-ferny foliage, small yellow & white flowers, easy tea for sleep or stress

Bronze Fennel-beautiful xeric ornamental, seeds for digestion, foliage for swallowtail Bflies

Silver Thyme & Lavender Thyme-attractive edging, flavorful & valuable medicinal herb

Valerian-4’tall, white flowers, roots used for insomnia, muscular tension, migraine, etc.

Echinacea-tough species varieties, for building immune system, beautiful coneflowers

SHADE PLANTS: In Colorado many high water, rich soil, acid-loving, eastern woodland plants fail. However these selections are on our success list.

Plumbago- great low-water spreading plant with true blue flowers and red fall color

Campanulas: elatinoides-shade/sun, low growing, low water with small blue bells, tough

C.poscharskyana-lavender bells, C. carpatica-sky blue, & C. trogerae, C. pyramidalis

Geraniums: cantabrigiense & macrorrhizum: tough, beautiful flowers, red winter color; fragrant,dense foliage smothers weeds, unpalatable to deer & rabbits, low water needs

Corsican Viola-very long-blooming purple flowers are edible, self-sowing, low water

Lady’s Mantle-big scalloped leaves, chartreuse flowers glow, women’s herb, low water

Firefly Coralbells-not a fragile boutique variety, red flowers, green foliage, low water

Foxgloves: perennial varieties: pink, red-pink & yellow, beautiful, graceful, deer-proof

Sweet Woodruff-low-water groundcover, white flowers, herb, best grown with shrubs

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES:  Giant Sacaton & Alkali Sacaton, Blonde Ambition Blue Grama, Muhlenbergii reverchonii-Autumn Embers, Mt. Atlas Fescue (Festuca mairei) etc, etc.

ROSES: Our proven, sustainable own-root roses will be on sale 1) during the Members Sale and 2) Sept 9-15 when they will be 20% off..

TREES

Hackberry, Mt. Ash, Adams Crab, May Day Tree, Honeylocust, Autumn Purple Ash Chokecherry, , Arizona Cypress,  many hawthorns, Crab Apples, Coyote Willow, Redbud, Dwarf Alberta Spruce ( Plums, Peaches & Cherries available now, but not discounted)

SOIL PRODUCTS-We offer high quality organic fertilizers, organic composts & two very good mulches at reasonable prices. ALSO: Corn Gluten Meal-9% nitrogen winterizer for lawns that also acts as a Non-toxic pre-emergent herbicide, suppressing the germination of weed seeds. Apply in October and again in late February for significant weed control

Hundreds of Shrubs and Perennials-both native and non-native, too many to describe:

Fernbush, Isanti Dogwood, Dwarf Forsythia, Viburnams: juddii, burkwood, dwarf cranberry; Elderberry, American Plum, Rocky Mt. Juniper, Lilacs, Sand Cherry, Spireas, Texas Scarlet Quince, Crimson Pygmy Barberry, Mt. Mahogany, Native Currants

AND Mrs. Bradshaw Geum, Erodium chrysanthum, Coral Canyon Twinspur, Blue Hills and Firewitch Dianthus, Luna Basket of Gold, Catmints: 6 Hills Giant, Walker’s Low, Nepeta faassenii; Dwarf Candytuft, Herniaria glabra, Salvias: Blue Queen, cyanescens, argentea, May Night, daghestanica (Platinum); Max Frei Soapwort, Snow Daisy, etc etc

BULBS: Many of you have been interested in the bulbs you’ve seen blooming in our xeriscape display gardens in April and May, so this fall we will offer small numbers of an interesting selection of bulbs that thrive in our xeriscapes, plus a few more.  Many of them are early, short and naturalizing forms of tulips, daffodils, iris, and alliums, Spring Starflower (Ipheion), Saffron Crocus, and even Paperwhites for indoor fragrance in winter AND GARLIC: comes with directions to help you get to a successful harvest.

For example: Narcissus ‘Quail’An outstanding floriferous, fragrant, long-blooming, naturalizing daffodil with up to four golden flowers per 12” – 14” stem in mid-spring.   Zone 4. Deer/rodent-proof.

Iris danfordiae, reticulata ‘Harmony’, histrioides ‘George’:These rich yellow, blue or purple miniature iris (4-8” tall) are jewel-like harbingers of spring, Very early, very cold-hardy (Zone 3), deer-resistant, water-wise.

Forcing Narcissus Potted Paperwhites & Grand Soleil d’Or bring intoxicating fragrance to your home in winter, and make wonderful holiday gifts: heavily-scented flowers on up to three stems per bulb.

Tulipa bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’A 6-8” mid-spring beauty with lilac pink petals and sunny yellow hearts; a great companion to daffodils like ‘Carlton’ or ‘Quail’ .Naturalizes vigorously in xeriscapes, rock gardens; zone 5

Ipheion ‘Rolf Fiedler’SPRING STARFLOWER: A spring gem for dry or moderately watered gardens in shade and part-shade producing a long succession of fragrant starry cobalt blue flowers on 3-6” stems, zone 5

Look on our website in Plants/Bulbs for a complete listing with full descriptions and pictures.

Landscape Consultations: Eve and Mikl are available for consultations year-round. See our website for details.  Call 303-939-9403 for rates and to schedule with Mikl, Eve or both. If you schedule a consultation to take place between Nov 1 and Feb 28, we’ll give you 15% off a one-time purchase of plants at Harlequin’s Gardens.

Newsletters by Email: Please choose to receive our newsletters by email. Go to our website @ www.harlequinsgardens.com and click on the Subscribe link in the left margin of the home page, enter your name and addresses and press submit. Or leave your information at the front desk at Harlequin’s Gardens.

If you have signed up and are not getting them, they may be going into your spam box. If so, add our e-mail address to your contact list: NoReply-HarlequinsGardens@nullcomcast.net or resign-up on our website www.HarlequinsGardens.com

Special Event: Aug.25 don’t miss A Taste of Tomato: festival & tasting (see www.HarlequinsGardens.com for complete information)

Open:  Daily 9-5 and  Thursday 9-6 ;  October: daily 9-5

www.harlequinsgardens.com     303-939-9403

CLOSED FOR THE SEASON: OCT 31

                              Harlequin’s FALL SALE

Sunday, August 26 through Sept 1:  MEMBERS SALE: for your special support, you receive our Fall Sale discount a week earlier: 20% off all plants and 25% off books

Sunday, Sept 2 thru 8, the Fall Sale begins for everybody: 15% off most plants except roses.  10% off books & 10% off soil products in big bags. Also the Deep Discount     section will be opened.

September 9 thru 15 enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs & trees THIS WEEK ONLY  20%  off most ROSES  And 10% off books and soil products in big bags.

Sept. 16 thru 22 take 30% off all perennials, shrubs and trees and 10% off soil  products in big bags. THIS WEEK ONLY: 20% off books

Sept. 23 thru 29 take 35% off perennials, shrubs and trees, and 10% off books and soil products in big bags.

Sept.30 thru Oct. 6 there will be a 40% discount off perennials and shrubs and trees.          And 10% off soil products in big bags, 10% off books.   

Oct. 7 thru 13, trees, shrubs & perennials will be discounted 50% and fertilizers and soil products will be 20% off.

We will continue to offer these prices every day in October through Oct.31st

NEW   ! WINTER HOURS      NEW !

In DECEMBER we will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays  10-4  thru Dec 23

Offering: gift certificates, organic potted basil & rosemary plants to grow indoors, books, soil products, gardening tools, home-made preserves, organic personal care products, bulbs, Eve’s great botanical and landscape watercolor paintings & prints, Garden Gift Baskets, Biodynamic calendars, indoor succulents and air plants and some surprises.

In MARCH by Popular Demand: we will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays  10-5 

Offering: organic composts and fertilizers, mulches, seeds and seed-starting supplies, tools & more. Also check our website for a great Series of Gardening Classes starting in March.

Greetings to our Gardening Friends !

Please join us this Friday, 7/27 at 3:30 in the afternoon (until 4:30 or 5:00) for LEMONADE, WINE & STORY TIME including liquid refreshments, old photos and Mikl’s stories of Harlequin’s Gardens:

The history of the property and how it was found and won; how the nursery business got started, the structures built, etc;  early characters who helped us get started; snake stories, skunk stories; grasshoppers; the wind that blew the trailer over; struggles with the beaurocracy; how Harlequin’s has grown and survived for 20 years and more.

And may we remind you:

There are only a few days left to help us win First Place in the Boulder Gold! Votes must be in by the end of the day Sunday July 29^th.

Please vote for Harlequin’s Gardens Sustainable Nursery as Best Garden Center/Plant Nursery in the Daily Camera’s Boulder Gold competition (web link below).  This is our 20th Anniversary year!  If you are a fan of Harlequin’s Gardens and you appreciate that:

• We are more than 100% organic (we don’t even use/sell/promote the so-called “safe” toxic pesticides like pyrethrum, rotenone, etc. that are broad-spectrum killers, or anything that can harm bees and other beneficials)
• We carry an extraordinary selection of organic vegetable and herb starts, including Fall vegetable starts
• We carry an extraordinary selection of Native, Xeriscape, Rock Garden and Unusual plants
• We carry an extraordinary selection of Hardy, disease-resistant Own-Root Roses
• We offer dozens of really useful classes in a wide range of sustainable gardening & related topics
• We have an extraordinary staff who give our customers real assistance and solutions so that their gardening efforts will be successful
• The 40+ classes we offer each year are famous for being valuable, practical, informative and affordable.  We draw on the best local experts to teach.
• We operate with sustainable practices and resource conservation foremost in our modus operandi and promote sustainability in every way we can

You can fill out a paper ballot here at Harlequin’s Gardens (we have a ballot box), or vote on-line.

Here’s the link to their page for voting in the ‘Shopping’ section of the Boulder County Gold.

http://www.futureofnews.com/AdEverywhere/SI/PR/RC/?S=dailycamera&B=1053
(if the link doesn’t work, copy & paste into your browser, or go to www.dailycamera.com/vote)
Their site is kind of slow, so be patient. You may have to click more than once on the ‘Shopping’ link.

Voting for this section closes July 29, so please don’t wait. Please be sure to follow their instructions and fill out all of the required fields so that your vote will be valid.  You can vote for Harlequin’s Gardens for up to 3 categories – may we suggest BEST GARDEN CENTER/PLANT NURSERY,   BEST TREE NURSERY, and BEST GREEN PRODUCTS/SERVICES STORE.  You have to write in the name Harlequin’s Gardens even if our logo is below the box.

This is also an opportunity to support many of your other favorite local independent enterprises – pet supply stores, consignment and thrift stores, hardware stores, clothing stores, grocery stores, etc.

Thank you!!! We appreciate your support immensely!!!

Please share this appeal with your friends.

We hope you’re having a wonderful summer!

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

PLEASE VOTE FOR US as
Best Nursery / Garden Center
in the Daily Camera’s Boulder Gold Awards.

Voting is between July 18 and July 29 only.

HELP US be recognized for the best plants, environmental solutions and empowering classes. Go to www.dailycamera.com/vote

THANK YOU!!!

HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS’  20th ANNIVERSARY SALE
Save 20% off Selected Plants, Soil Amendments & Products
on the 20th of every month this season

20/20 Sale for FRIDAY JULY 20th
This month we are featuring a sampling of the hundreds of great Xeriscape plants for which Harlequin’s Gardens is well known, and a few of our excellent soil products. And we always include some ‘Surprise’ additions to the sale!

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (Hardy Blue Plumbago, Leadwort)
An outstanding, extremely adaptable and long-lived deciduous groundcover to 6-12” tall and 18” wide, Plumbago will grow equally well in shade or sun, and is not fussy about soils. It is tolerant of quite low-water conditions, especially in shade. The foliage is slow to emerge in spring, so small, early-spring bulbs like species crocus and ‘botanical’ iris can be planted in its midst. The beautiful ¾” vivid cobalt blue flowers begin blooming in mid to late summer, and continue into autumn, when the foliage turns deep red – a memorable combination! Plumbago spreads underground, and can overtake other plantings, so choose your location wisely. It looks great sprouting between rocks (if planted near a dry-laid stone wall it will find its way there). Hardy to Zone 5 / 7,000’.

Euonymus fortunei ‘Coloratus’ (Purleleaf Wintercreeper) in 1-gallon pots
Purpleleaf Wintercreeper is a tough broad-leafed evergreen that can be grown in shade or sun as a groundcover (12-18” tall and spreading), as a sheared shrub or hedge 24” tall and 36” wide, or as a vine to 8’ tall. How’s that for versatility! Once established, this Euonymus is very drought-tolerant. The pointed oval leaves are leathery and semi-glossy, and turn purple in winter (hence the common name). It requires some management to guide it into the form you desire, but just think: as a vine, Purpleleaf Wintercreeper can completely obscure a chain link fence, year-round! Cold-hardy to 7,000’.

Euonymus fortunei ‘Minima’ in 1-gallon pots
This selection of E. fortunei is a tough broad-leafed evergreen vine that does best in shade, morning sun, or year-round dappled shade. Its smaller, semi-glossy dark green leaves make it a more elegant and refined-looking vine than its larger-scale relatives. It will easily grow to 10’ tall on a trellis, fence or wall. ‘Minima’ is drought-tolerant once established and cold-hardy to Zone 4.

Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ (Golden Hop Vine)
in 1-gallon pots
A vibrant and highly ornamental selection of Hops, ‘Aureus’ is a very fast-growing, twining perennial to 15’ with deeply lobed, maple-like leaves in a luminous, glowing shade of citron yellow. Golden Hops provides very fast screening or shade on a trellis or arbor (or even on strings), or coverage on a blank wall or fence or telephone pole. It grows in leaps and bounds in May – 6” a day! Golden Hops can also be allowed to weave through the garden and over spring-flowering shrubs, providing a bright yellow-green connecting ‘theme’ (but this requires diligent removal wherever it may have rooted along the way). All hops do sucker, but the suckers are not too difficult to dig out as long as they don’t tangle with perennials. Since it is an herbaceous perennial, Golden Hop vine dies back to the ground in winter, but re-sprouts in spring, bigger and stronger every year. It will grow in sun or shade (best color in sun), in most soils, with very little water once established. As with other hop vines, the inflorescences or ‘cones’ of Golden Hops can be used for tea or ‘dream pillows’ to help with sleep, for making beer, etc. Wear gloves and long sleeves when taking down the dead stalks at the end of the season. Hardy to Zone 4.

LAVENDER: All Lavenders originated in Southern Europe. While lavenders appreciate some supplemental watering in hot weather, they are very drought-tolerant. Good drainage is key to their success, and is especially important for their winter survival. Plant them in a sunny spot, and avoid overly rich soil. Lavender is at home in our alkaline soils, and would rather be grown in lean soil without supplemental nitrogen. All Lavender varieties are evergreen, and have highly aromatic foliage and flowers which attract butterflies and bees and aren’t bothered by deer or rabbits. Lavender should be sheared in early spring and again in summer, right after it has finished blooming. Though cold-hardy in most of our region, after some years, Lavender may become too woody and need replacement. Lavandin (French hybrid Lavender) is typically replaced after 3 to 5 years. In our region, it is best to plant Lavender before autumn. Try it in combination with ornamental grasses, any of the summer-blooming Hyssop (Agastache) selections like ‘Coronado’ (orange) and ‘Sonoran Sunset’ (pink), Filigree Daisy (Anthemis marschalliana), ‘Amethyst Falls’ Ornamental Oregano, ‘Silver Blade’ Evening Primrose, Sulphur Flower and Wine Cups (Callirhoe involucrata). But lavender looks great with practically everything, and is at home in both formal and informal designs.

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ (Hidcote English Lavender)
This choice, compact plant to 24” tall (with bloom spikes) and 18-24” wide, is highly successful and popular. The gray-green foliage sets off the spikes of fragrant deep blue-violet flowers. Cold-hardy to Zone 5.

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Krajova’ (Czech or Country Lavender)
Country Lavender hails from northern Europe and in early summer produces profuse beautiful large, deep purple-blue flowers with exceptionally high essential oil content, and a unique, softly invigorating scent. A favorite lavender for tea and oil infusions. Very cold-tolerant and long-lived. Stout mounded plants are larger than most ‘English’ lavender selections, with flower stalks up to 36-48” tall. Cold-hardy to zone 4/5.

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’ (Munstead English Lavender)
Sometimes called Dwarf Munstead, this very popular and dependable strain is named after Munstead Wood, the home of the famous garden designer Gertude Jekyll. Munstead produces abundant spikes of sweetly fragrant blue-lavender flowers, above compact mounds of narrow grey-green foliage. Grows to 18” tall (with flower spikes) and 12-18” wide. An excellent choice for edging paths, and for herbal and culinary use. Said to be somewhat more heat-tolerant than other varieties, and one of the most cold-hardy. If promptly dead-headed after its early summer bloom, Munstead will often bloom again in late summer. Cold-hardy to zone 5 (4?).

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Potpourri White’ (‘Ellegance’ White English Lavender)
An elegant, compact companion to or substitute for purple English Lavenders, this one is just as fragrant, deer/rabbit resistant, drought-tolerant and attractive to bees and butterflies, and is cold-hardy to -20 degrees F. Potpourri White bears an abundance of dense spikes of large white flowers from July to September, and makes a compact mound to 12-14” tall and 10-12” wide, with rich green foliage, thriving best in full sun and moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Also nice in containers!

Lavandula angustifolia vera (Old Fashioned/True English Lavender)
Native to Southern Europe, this is the original wild species of what has come to be called ‘English’ lavender (‘Vera’ means ‘true’). An outstanding performer, ‘Vera’ blooms in early summer and has superior cold-hardiness. The sweet, highly fragrant lavender flowers on thin spikes are excellent for medicinal, aromatic and culinary uses, and as cut-flowers. The dense, bushy plants grow to 18”-24” tall and 24-30” wide. Our plants are grown from wild-harvested seeds from an unchanged landrace. Cold-hardy to Zone 4b.

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’ (Fat-Bud Lavandin)
The name Lavandin refers to the French hybrid varieties commonly grown in France for use in making perfumes and sachets. Grosso’s exceptional abundance of very long spikes of fragrant, deep violet flowers standing well above the grey-green foliage in mid-summer make it perfect for weaving Lavender ‘wands’, for cut-flowers, etc.. The flowers have a strong lavender fragrance with a hint of camphor. Grosso is larger in all respects than any of the English (angustifolia) selections – a larger plant (30” tall and 24-30” wide), with longer, wider leaves and longer flower spikes. Grosso is less cold-hardy than English Lavender, to Zone 5-6, but is the hardiest of the French Hybrid Lavenders and has proven quite successful in the Boulder-Denver area.

Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain Juniper) in 2-gallon pots
One of the emblematic trees of the Interior West, Rocky Mt. Juniper is a locally native evergreen tree offering perfect acceptance of our drought, wind, alkaline soil and erratic weather patterns, requiring almost no care. A very drought-tolerant tree, it will grow at a slow to moderate rate to 20-25’ tall and 8-12’ wide, in an upright and pyramidal shape. The dense foliage has a gray or blue-gray cast, and the bark and blue berries are very attractive. Rocky Mt. Juniper is great for screening and windbreaks, and takes up less horizontal space than most conifers. It provides great shelter for small birds. Cold-hardy to 10,000’.

Penstemon pseudospectabilis (Desert Beardtongue)
This showy, long-blooming Penstemon is native to southern New Mexico but is surprisingly cold-hardy and easy to grow here in the dry garden. The long spikes of hot-pink flowers, up to 36” tall, are beautifully set off by large blue-gray leaves. If you keep spent flowers removed and give it a few deep soakings in the heat of the summer, it will bloom for many months. Very happy in a hot, sunny spot in well-drained soil. Desert Beardtongue is popular with hummingbirds, and looks terrific with Western Spiderwort, California Poppy, and silver or blue-grey-foliaged plants like ‘Powis Castle’ or ‘Seafoam’ Artemisia, and Moon Carrot. Resists rabbits and deer. Cold-hardy to Zone 5.

Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Penstemon)
One of the showiest, easiest to grow, longest-lived Penstemons for our region. From the glossy evergreen foliage, the 1-2’ tall flowering stalks rise straight up, clothed in large, intense deep blue-violet flowers, blooming for more than a month in late spring. Rocky Mt. Penstemon grows best in well-drained soils and tolerates both drought and moister conditions. It self-sows readily, and also spreads by stolons to form large clumps. Resists rabbits and deer. Try growing it with ‘Kannah Creek’ Sulphur Flower, Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus ruber), Filigree Daisy (Anthemis marschalliana), ‘Moonshine’ Yarrow, Oriental Poppy ‘Beauty of Livermere’ or ‘Princess Victoria Louise’. Cold-hardy to Zone 3.

Sedum spurium ‘Red Carpet’ (Red Carpet Stonecrop)
One of the best evergreen groundcovers for low-water gardens, ‘Red Carpet’ has strongly red-tinted, succulent, wedge-shaped leaves on trailing stems and forms a dense, weed-smothering, flowering carpet topped by clusters of starry carmine flowers in midsummer. Butterflies and bees love the flowers. The red foliage color intensifies to rich mahogany-crimson in fall and winter, and is not prone to reversion to green. ‘Red Carpet’ stays low, to 2-4” high, and spreads 12-18”. Plant in full sun or light shade in average to lean well-drained soil, and don’t over-water. Once established, hot dry conditions and poor stony soils are not a problem. Cold-hardy to Zone 3/ 8,500’.

Sporobolus wrightii (Giant/Wright’s Sacaton grass) in 1 gallon pots
The largest of the native grasses in our region, Wright’s Sacaton’s extravagant fountain of foliage 3-5’ tall and airy flower/seed plumes to 6-7’ tall make a great focal point in Xeriscape garden. This Southwest native is long-lived, adaptable and drought-tolerant, and will grow in most soils, in full sun or part shade, and can be grown with very low water once established. Wright’s Sacaton is a ‘warm-season’ grass, which means it is actively growing in late spring and summer, and blooms late in the season. The attractive dry, wheat-colored foliage can be left standing through the winter and cut down in early spring. Use as an accent, among tall, late-blooming perennials such as Pitcher Sage (Salvia azurea/ S. pitcheri), Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Willow-leaf Sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius), Tall Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea sp.) and shrubs like Rabbitbrush, Sumac, Fernbush and Bluemist Spirea, or as a seasonal ‘shrub’, a seasonal ‘living fence’ or windbreak. Cold-hardy to Zone 5, 7000’.

Tradescantia occidentalis (Western Spiderwort)
One of the most graceful and beautiful native wildflowers of our short-grass prairie and dry foothills. The lovely three-petaled blue-purple flowers are held in clusters emerging from boat-shaped bracts, and appear in succession in June and July atop 12” to 24” high grass-like foliage. Multiple flower-stems can be blooming on one pant simultaneously, making a striking display, as I witnessed this spring in Left Hand Canyon. Western Spiderwort is a very hardy member of a mostly tropical and subtropical family (including the houseplants known as ‘Wandering Jew’ and ‘Bridal Veil’). It is very drought-tolerant, highly deer-resistant, re-seeds a little but is not at all invasive, and supports native bee species. Spiderwort goes dormant in mid-late summer. Thrives in sun or part-shade in any well-drained soil; a low-care gem for the xeriscape border or meadow. Grow with Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata), Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera), and Fendler’s or Prairie Sundrops (Calylophus hartwegii and C. serrulatus). Cold-hardy to Zone 3.

Vinca major (Big-Leaf Periwinkle)
Where all else fails, Vinca major will probably grow! A very handsome, weed-smothering, trailing evergreen groundcover 6 to 12” tall and spreading to at least 18-24”, with dark green, glossy oval foliage, and pretty 1” blue flowers in spring. Big-leaf Periwinkle thrives in sun or shade. Once established, it can survive on minimal water and care, the trailing stems rooting where they rest on the soil. This is not a plant for the refined garden, as it does not play well with others, but is really serviceable and attractive for covering some territory in places where neglect is the only care available. Cold-hardy to 8,000’.

SOIL PRODUCTS at 20% OFF:
Western Grow Compost
Fine Wood Chip Mulch
Our own Compost Tea (on sale throughout July!)

LIMITS:
Plants in 2.5” pots: 5 plants of each kind at sale price per customer

Plants in Quart pots: 2 plants of each kind at sale price per customer

Plants in 1 and 2-gallon pots: 2 plants of each kind at sale price per customer

Bagged Soil Products: 2 bags of each kind at sale price per customer

All advertised plants and products are discounted for one day only on July 20th while supplies last.

Greetings to our gardening Friends!

Thank goodness we are (for the moment, anyway) starting to cool down and are enjoying some merciful rain. Mikl and Eve spent a few days in the mountains, and it was HOT (not just warm) at 11,000’ elevation! We were going to talk about how July is always the hottest, driest month, how it is best to water twice as much in July if you want to save your perennials, shrubs and trees and if you want your vegetables and fruits to be productive. But now that it’s cooler and pouring rain…..

As we gardeners know, Colorado is full of surprises that are often hard on our plants. It’s best to be prepared for anything, so a little advice on dealing with drought may still be in order.

More plants are killed by over-watering than by under-watering. Plants need oxygen to their roots as much as they need water. Deep, infrequent watering, once or twice a week, is far better than shallow frequent watering. With a trowel, dig a hole to check moisture at 2”, 4” and 6” depths before and after watering to really know if your soil is dry, moist or soggy. Contact the Center for Resource Conservation (303-999-3820) for a FREE irrigation audit.

If watering restrictions are imposed in your community and you have to make tough choices, save your trees first, then shrubs, then perennials, and lawns last. This list reflects the replacement time for each type of planting if you lose them to drought. Obviously, the time investment in a tree is substantial, and its value for shade and cooling is difficult and expensive to replace. To water trees, don’t put the hose next to the trunk – that’s not where the fine roots that take up water are located. Instead, water a wide area inside and outside the dripline (the ends of the branches). One rule of thumb for watering trees is to apply 10 gallons once a week for every inch of diameter of the trunk. One trick that can save drought-stressed plants and to help establish young trees is to drill two holes in the side of a 5-gallon plastic bucket, about an inch apart, each 1/8” diameter and just a ½” above the bottom of the bucket. Place the bucket with the holes near the drip-line, fill the bucket with water and leave it there to dribble slowly and deeply. For larger plants, you can use 3 or 4 buckets.

Turf, especially bluegrass, is naturally dormant and brown in summer and will green up when weather typically becomes cooler and moister in mid-August or early September.
Go to www.colostate.edu and search for Turf Drought Response by Tony Koski.

Mulch is very useful for keeping the soil cooler and for reducing water loss through evaporation. Fine organic mulches like woodchips or small bark blow less and feed the soil better (sheet compost faster). “Monkey Hair” shredded redwood bark and cedar mulches repel microorganisms and take too long to feed the soil. Besides, they are not local products. Fine gravel mulches, like squeegee and pea gravel make good mulches when applied 1” to 2” thick for rock gardens or cactus, succulent and Penstemon gardens. Any larger size of gravel or rock makes weeding and planting extremely difficult.

And of course, choosing Xeriscape plants that need less water will not only save water, anxiety, and the costs and time to replace plants, they will usually look more appropriate in a Colorado landscape. We have specialized in xeriscape for 20 years and have an extensive selection of water-wise plants. Also be sure to group plants together that have similar watering needs. This will save water and make both xeric and water-loving plants happy.

ON SALE though JULY at HARLEQUIN”S GARDENS:

50% OFF:
all Summer Vegetable Starts
all Annuals

40% OFF:
All ‘Botanical Interests’ Seeds

20% OFF:
All Basil (Sweet, Italian Large-leaf, Napolitano, Cinnamon, Thai, Mrs. Burns’ Lemon, Holy (Tulsi), Opal (Purple)

20% OFF:
Our COMPOST TEA, brewed fresh daily

TIMELY PRODUCTS IN STOCK NOW:
NOLO BAIT (biological control for grasshopper)
Mikl’s Superior PLANTER’s MIX (for raised planters, filling low spots or holes)
FINE WOOD CHIP Mulch
SOIL PEP Mulch

COMING VERY SOON:

Friday JULY 20th: Our 20/20 Sale on (look for details in our next BLOG in a few days)

FALL VEGETABLE STARTS: We will soon have starts for Broccoli and Cauliflower, then Kale and Swiss Chard and other fall greens. By the way, mid July is a great time to sow seeds for Carrots, which will be ready for harvest in autumn, and can be held in the ground for winter harvest as well.

Fri. 7/13, 10:00 am. BUGS for KIDS: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, ages5+ with Michele Bailey Learn about insects in the garden and about the pollinators & their favorite plants.   $15 (Please call 303-939-9403 right away to pre-register)

Sat. 7/14, 10:00 am: Mikl’s class on ORGANIC STRATEGIES for GRASSHOPPER CONTROL: There’s no perfect solution to stopping grasshoppers, but there are non-toxic methods to significantly reduce their damage. $15 (Please call 303-939-9403 right away to pre-register)
Sun. July 15, 1:30 pm: LANDSCAPING WITHOUT CHEMICALS with Mikl Brawner. Plants do not need petroleum fertilizers and toxic pesticides. They do just fine with organic products and methods. Learn how. Mikl has been researching and testing this for 35 years. $15 (Please call 303-939-9403 right away to pre-register)
Fri. July 27, 10:00 am: Children’s Class: MAKE GARDEN STEPPING STONES, ages 5+. Michele Bailey will guide the children to make a decorated cement stepping stone. $25 materials included. (Please call 303-939-9403 to pre-register)

Successful Gardening,
From Mikl and Eve Brawner
And the Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Mid-summer Greetings to our gardening friends!

We hope your gardens are thriving.  This intense heat and little rain may be stressful to some of your garden plants,  so remember that plants have to expend a great deal of energy to make seed and you can save them from exhaustion by removing the spent flowers before seed begins to develop. Applying a layer of mulch is another strategy for helping plants retain moisture and keep their roots a little cooler. Also, if you are wondering why some of your new plants are not showing signs of growth, consider that many plants are not able to metabolize at temperatures above 85 degrees, and provide some temporary shade to cool them down.

We’re excited about the upcoming week and want to tell you about our upcoming events!
First, our 20/20 sale coming up this Wednesday, June 20th,  features selected plants that attract and support hummingbirds at 20% off (see the descriptions below).  We will also have one of our organic composts and one of our mulches at 20% discount, along with all pollinator-related books, and BBB seeds.

The week of June 18 to 24 has been officially designated as Pollinator Week, and we are participating in the efforts of the Colorado Beekeepers Association and BBB Seeds to educate the public about our pollinators, their vital importance to our ecosystems and food supply, and how to support them. They will have a table at our Mid-Summer Festival on Sunday June 24th from 10 to 2…..which brings up our next big event:

YOU’RE INVITED
to our
first-ever, 20th Anniversary
MID-SUMMER FESTIVAL!

Sunday June 24th from 10a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bring the family to this FREE EVENT to enjoy unique
LIVE MUSIC- roving Irish fiddler Colin Lindsey
Eco-songster Stele Erth, and songs from Eve & Mikl (we’re not shy).
MAGIC SHOW and balloon animals by Stuart Haynor,
JUGGLING,
STORYTELLER Nina Berezina,
TOURS of our DISPLAY GARDENS,
POLLINATOR INFORMATION table
Plus
REFRESHMENTS and
Hourly DOOR PRIZES,
as well as a sale on all LAVENDER and native MONARDA,
50% off a jug of Compost Tea and a bag of Western Grow compost.
and SURPRISE BARGAINS on plants and ???

SEE OUR MID-SUMMER FESTIVAL SCHEDULE for details of what’s happening at each hour of the day

June 20/20 Sale
Celebrating Harlequin’s Gardens’
20th Anniversary !

WEDNESDAY 6/20/12
the following selected PLANTS for HUMMINGBIRDS are
20% Off original prices:

Note: sale plants and products are discounted only on 6/20/12, while supplies last. See quantity limits at the end of these descriptions.

Agastache (pronounced a-GAS-ta-kee or AG-ah-STAK-ee) is a member of the Mint family, which provides some of the best plants for attracting and supporting pollinators and songbirds. All Agastaches have nectar-rich tubular flowers on stiff upright stems and are very attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and bees, and all have highly scented foliage with aromas that are very pleasant to humans, but quite unpalatable to deer and other chewing critters. Famous for attracting hummingbirds (as a group, they are often called Hummingbird Mint), they are also “famous in beekeeping circles – so rich in pollen the bees visit no other plant while the plant is in bloom. Agastache honey is reputed to be of good quality, light in color and slightly minty in taste.” Pairing with Salvias (such as ‘May Night’ or ‘Caradonna’), Lavender, Sulphur Flower (Eriogonum) and tall sedums such as ‘Matrona’ or ‘Autumn Joy’ will provide a long season of nectar for pollinators. Agastaches are also, to varying degrees, drought-tolerant and sun-loving.  They are easy to grow in full sun or light shade, in well-drained soil with periodic summer water in average,  well-drained soils (may not survive winter in unamended clay soils). Drought and heat tolerant once established. Dead-heading encourages reblooming. In spring, do not cut down the previous year’s stalks until late April.
The following Agastache species and cultivars will be on sale:

Agastache ‘Firebird’: This highly regarded cross between A. coccinea and A. rupestris is a prolific bloomer with coppery orange flowers that age to pink and wonderfully scented foliage grows to 2-3’ tall x 1-2’ wide. Firebird blooms from June to September and draws hummingbirds and other pollinators. It grows well in raised beds, containers and rock gardens. Excellent drainage is a must for winter survival. Hardy to Zone 5

Agastache ‘Coronado Red’: This medium-sized cultivar, to 15-18”H x 12-15”W was chosen for the Plant Select program in 2009.  Coronado Red blooms from July to September, sporting reddish-orange flowers that turn darker crimson and maroon as they age and is a terrific hummingbird magnet. Coronado Red Hyssop grows well in full sun to light shade, in clay, loam or sandy loam soils, with moderate to low water.  Hardy to Zone 5
ALSO: Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado’ (orange)

Agastache rupestris (Sunset Hyssop, Licorice Mint): This erect-growing 2005 Plant Select winning Agastache has narrow gray-green foliage with a spicy root-beer scent and tall spikes of flowers in an unusual combo of orange and mauve- lavender.  Sunset Hyssop will bloom from July through September and draw hummingbirds from miles around. It will grow to 3-3.5’ tall x 18” wide and thrives in well-drained, lean soil in sunny locations, and requires little water. Beautiful in groupings with late-blooming blue and purple flowers. Hardy to Zone 4.

Agastache cana (Double Bubble Mint/Texas Hummingbird Mint/Wild Hyssop/Mosquito Plant):
 This very popular Hummingbird Mint is native in Texas and New Mexico, and is easy to grow in most soils as long as it has sun and good drainage, thriving with moderate or low water and lean soil. The showy and prolific raspberry-pink flowers bloom from July to frost and attract hummingbirds and butterflies. The plant grows to 18-24” tall and 15” wide, and the sweet-scented, deer-resistant  foliage is reported to repel mosquitoes if rubbed on the skin. Excellent in the water-wise perennial border along with Goldenrod, Salvias, Lavenders, Blue Mist Spirea and ‘Little Spire’ Russian Sage. Hardy to Zone 5.

Agastache foeniculum, A. ‘Blue Fortune’: A great drought-tolerant, native summer bloomer that supports bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Large, hardy perennials to 3’ tall, blooming in mid-summer. The flower spikes of the species are lavender, and ‘Blue Fortune’ is powder blue. If dead-headed before making seed, they will rebloom until frost.  Allowing seed to form, however, will feed the finches in autumn.  The leaves make a lovely tea. “A useful herb, the highly aromatic leaves can be used for tea that tastes of licoricy mint, or dried for poupouri. Young leaves are tasty raw in salads or fresh fruit-cups; tougher older leaves can be added to cooked foods. Extracted oils have been used in food flavorings. Chinese herbalists believe it is useful for heart conditions, though there are no well-designed double-blind studies to lend credence to this traditional use. It may more certainly help relieve cold symptoms, as its mildly antiviral properties appear to be legitimate.”Paghat’s Garden“. Will self-sow. Hardy to Zone 5.

Agastache ‘Golden Jubilee’: Just like A. ‘Blue Fortune’, but lit up with bright chartreuse Coleus-like foliage (yellow in full sun, chartreuse in part shade, which is recommended). An All-American selection in 2003. Will self-sow. Hardy to Zone 5.

Agastache barberi ‘Tutti Frutti’ (Pink Hyssop): A tall and vigorous selection with 24-30” (or taller) purple stems with whorls of bright rose-pink flowers and bubble-gum scented foliage. Blooms from mid-summer to frost.  Much loved by hummingbirds and other pollinators. Hardy to Zone 5.

Buddleia  davidii nanhoensis ‘Petite Indigo’ and ‘Petite Plum’ (Compact Butterfly Bush): These graceful, fast-growing woody shrubs bear long cone-shaped terminal panicles of very fragrant flowers on slender arching stems from mid-summer to frost.  The flowers are a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as honeybees. ‘Petite Plum’ is regarded as reliably compact (to 4-6’ tall by 4-5’ wide), with plum-purple flowers, each with an orange ‘eye’. ‘Petite Indigo’ wasn’t so petite in Eve’s garden (grew to 8’ tall), and bears bright lavender-blue flowers with an orange ‘eye’. The sweet fragrance of Butterfly Bush carries on the air, even in our dry climate and even in the daytime. The narrow grey-green foliage is seldom browsed by deer. Tops may die back to the ground in colder winters, but they are usually root-hardy and will quickly re-grow. Hardy to Zone 5.

Campsis radicans (Trumpet Vine, Trumpet Creeper): Trumpet Vine is a vigorous and long-lived woody clinging vine to 20-30’ tall.  The handsome pinnately compound foliage is deep green and leathery. In mid summer, Trumpet Vine is decorated with hundreds of gorgeous large waxy trumpet-shaped orange flowers that are a magnet for bees and hummingbirds. ‘Red Sunset’ (red), ‘Flava’ (yellow), and ‘Flamenco’ (orange) are selections from the species and are equally tough and hardy. Trumpet Vine climbs by aerial roots and must be grown on a sturdy structure such as a pergola or wall (I have also seen it make a small ‘tree’ by wrapping around an old laundry-line post), because mature plants produce considerable weight. Foliage grows well in shade, but plants need good sun for best flowering. Easily grown in most soils, but best in lean to average soils with regular moisture. But Trumpet vine is drought tolerant. It blooms on new growth, so early spring pruning will not affect the flowering. Mature vines can sucker profusely by underground runners and it freely self-seeds, so if possible, grow it in a bed that is isolated by deep edging or concrete paving, remove the large seed pods before they ripen, and don’t be too generous with it once it is established. Native to the eastern and south central United States; hardy to Zone 4.

Ipomopsis aggregata (Scarlet Gilia, Scarlet Rocket): 
Native to the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains, often seen around the Peak to Peak Highway. Showy spikes of intense red, narrow trumpet-shaped flowers in late summer are very attractive to hummingbirds. They are borne on a biennial plant that makes a small mound of finely-cut foliage the first year, then elongates to as much as 4’ tall and blooms in the mid-late summer of the second year.  Self-sows to create a colony where happy, so plant several to start (for genetic diversity). Grows in well-drained soils in full sun with moderate to low water. Lovely with ornamental grasses, such as Blue Grama, Alkali Sakaton, Korean Feathergrass, or Karl Foerster’s Feather Reed Grass. Hardy to Zone 9,000’ elevation.

Penstemon barbatus ‘Coccineus’ (Scarlet Bugler, Jingle Bells):
 Native to SW Colorado and neighboring states, we have encountered it at high elevation in the Pikes Peak area. In Spanish-speaking areas it is known as ‘St. Joseph’s Staff’. This 3’ tall beauty offers many stems of screaming red tubular flowers, loaded with nectar, in mid to late summer. The late-summer bloom-time coincides with the southern migration of the Rufous Hummingbird, who use the Scarlet Buglers as ‘filling stations’ for their long journey. Don’t baby this plant – it is a great subject for the hot, dry garden in lean or average, well-drained soil. It will grow in full sun or dappled shade. Hardy to Zone 4, 8,000’ elevation.

Penstemon pinifolius (Pineleaf Penstemon):
 This long-lived perennial is native to the mountain forests of southwestern Arizona, southwest New Mexico and into
Mexico, but is perfectly at home on the Front Range. From June to September, it bears narrow tubular red-orange flowers that are adored by hummingbirds, on thin, erect stems. The glossy dark green evergreen foliage is short and narrow, reminiscent of tiny pine needles. The plants are low-growing and somewhat mounding, growing to 1 to 2 feet tall and wide. Pineleaf Penstemon requires full sun or morning sun and good drainage, and low to medium-low water (it will be quite short-lived if over watered). Dead-heading will prolong bloom.
Hardy to -40 degrees F or 8,000’.

Penstemon rostriflorus (Bridges’ Penstemon): One of our favorite Plant Select choices (chosen for the Plant Select program in 2006), this is another long-lived evergreen Penstemon.  Hummingbirds love the brilliant red tubular flowers that bloom over a long period in mid-summer. Pensstemon rostriflorus grows well in full sun or dappled shade, in most soils as long as they are well-drained. This beauty is quite drought-tolerant, grows to 2’ x 2’, and is hardy to 9,000’.

Scrophularia macrantha (Red Birds in a Tree):
 This Penstemon relative is fairly new to cultivation, having been first grown from seed collected by Panayoti Kelaidis (curator of plant collections at Denver Botanic Gardens) in a few remote high-altitude locations in the mountains of New Mexico. David Salman of High Country Gardens came up with the very apt common name, as the tall stems are clothed from early summer through fall with tubular cherry-red flowers that truly look like dozens of red birds perching on slender stems! The dark green serrated foliage is handsome as well. This rare and unusual plant grows to 3-4’ tall and will lean on and scramble around tall neighboring plants. Good companions would be Anise Hyssop (or ‘Blue Fortune’ Hyssop or ‘Golden Jubilee’ Hyssop,) Goldenrod, and Salvia azurea Scrophularia macrantha grows well in many soils, including clay, as long as there is good drainage. Dappled shade or a northern exposure seem to suit it well, and its water needs are low.  Hummingbirds adore this plant!  Hardy to Zone 4, up to 8,000’.

Salvia darcyi (‘Vermillion Bluffs’ Mexican Sage):
 A real show-stopper in the garden!  Towering 3’ to 4’ erect spires of 1.5” long, brilliant scarlet flowers bloom non-stop from July or August to October.  Grow in full sun or light shade in a xeric bed.  Performs best in amended loamy soil with reasonable drainage. Though perennial, it requires a protected location here, and dies back to the ground.  Wait until April to trim the previous year’s stems to the ground. Even if it behaves as an annual in your garden, the spectacular show and the hummingbird visits make Vermillion Bluffs worth growing. Listed as hardy to Zone 5b (up to 5,500’ elevation).

Zauschneria (Epilobium) garrettii ‘Orange Carpet’ (California Fuschia): This splendid low-growing hummingbird favorite produces masses of orange-scarlet trumpet-shaped flowers from mid-summer to frost, on a spreading plant to 2’ wide and only 6” tall.  Wonderful for cascading over rocks and walls, in ‘hell-strips’ or for the front of the water-wise border. Hardier and more garden-adapted than other Zauschneria selections, Orange Carpet was designated Plant Select in 2001 and was grown from seed collected in Idaho, its most northerly habitat. Grows in most soils with good drainage in full sun to part shade (afternoon shade is good), and low water. May take a couple of years to establish, but worth waiting for. Hardy to 8,000’.

Limits:
Plants in 2.5” pots: 4 plants of each kind at sale price per customer
Plants in Quart pots: 2 plants of each kind at sale price per    customer
Plants in 1-gallon pots: 1 plant of each kind at sale price per customer
EcoGro Compost: 2 bags per customer
Fine Wood-chip Mulch: 2 bags per customer

YOU’RE INVITED
to our
first-ever, 20th Anniversary
MID-SUMMER FESTIVAL!

Sunday June 24th from 10a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bring the family to this FREE EVENT to enjoy unique
LIVE MUSIC– roving Irish fiddler Colin Lindsey
Eco-songster Stele Erth, and songs from Eve & Mikl (we’re not shy).
MAGIC SHOW and balloon animals by Stuart Haynor,
JUGGLING,
STORYTELLER Nina Berezina,
TOURS of our DISPLAY GARDENS,
POLLINATOR INFORMATION table
Plus
REFRESHMENTS and
Hourly DOOR PRIZES,
as well as a sale on all LAVENDER and native MONARDA,
50% off a jug of Compost Tea and a bag of Western Grow compost.
and
SURPRISE BARGAINS on plants and ???

SEE OUR MID-SUMMER FESTIVAL SCHEDULE below for details of what’s happening at each hour of the day.

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

Doorprizes will be awarded every hour, on the hour, beginning at 11 am. On arrival, come to the cashier’s desk to get your ticket for the drawing!
Light refreshments will be available all day starting at 10am.

10:00 to 11:00am : Possibly Mikl and/or Eve will sing. If not at 10, then we’ll sneak it in later.

10:00am to 2:00pm: Colorado Beekeepers Assoc. & BBB seeds will be on hand to answer questions & distribute information about pollinators.

11:00 to 12:00noon: Warren the Juggler will perform his masterful juggling feats

11:00am to 1:00pm: Colin Lindsey, outstanding master of Irish fiddle and concertina will wander through the nursery playing lively traditional Irish tunes

12:00 noon: Tour of Harlequin’s Gardens Display Gardens

12:00 noon to 3:00 pm: Magician Stuart Hayner will be on hand to perform his sleight of hand and tie balloons into critter-shapes for the kids.

1:00 to 1:45pm: Amazing Magic Show (all new!) in the tent, with Magician Stuart Haynor

2:00pm: Nina Berezina, Storyteller will entrance us with tales for young and old

3:00 to 4:30pm: Stele Erth, eco-songwriter will sing and play his guitar to delight us with his playful vision of a world gone environmentally friendly!

4:00pm: Tour of Harlequin’s Gardens Display Gardens

Greetings to our Gardening Friends,

Our 20th Anniversary year has been remarkable so far!  The unusually warm spring weather and the explosion of interest in home food production, native plants and Xeriscape, combined with your loyal patronage and referrals have certainly resulted in a lively season for us.  We hope it’s been a great spring for you as well!

We are proud that on April 19th at the Boulder Magazine’s second annual ‘Recognizing Everything About Local’ (REAL) Awards event, Harlequin’s Gardens was honored with the Agriculture/Horticulture award.  We were chosen from eight nominees for our years of dedication to sustainability and community support.

This weekend there will be 4 excellent classes at Harlequin’s Gardens.  Please call us at 303-939-9403 to pre-register!
Saturday May 19, 10:00 am: Fruit Trees for Colorado with Mikl Brawner. Learn which varieties are successful here, which are not, and which are good flavored: Apples, Cherries, Plums, Pears, Peaches, and learn how to care for them. Mikl’s first orchard was in 1976.  $15
Saturday May 19, 1:30 pm:   Do-It-Yourself Drip Irrigation with Alison Peck
Drip irrigation can be easy! Drip irrigation is a key part of most water conserving landscapes, but it can be intimidating.  Come learn a simple, easy to design and install system which we have been using for years.  This drip irrigation system can be connected to an outside hose bib with a battery-operated timer, giving you an inexpensive automatic watering system.  Save money, save water, save time, reduce weeds and have healthier plants.  We will also talk about new efficient sprinklers which can reduce the water use for lawns and groundcovers. Alison has been using this system in her award-winning landscaping business, Matrix Gardens, for over 20 years.  $15
Sunday, May 20, 10:00 am: Gardening for Pollinators with Niki Hayden
Many gardeners don’t realize that most fruits and vegetables, as well as horticultural plants, only develop fruits or seeds by pollination.  Our bees, both domestic honeybees and wild bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and even some bats, are pollinators.  Plant a garden designed to attract the pollinators your plants need.  You’ll get easy-to-follow instructions on how to choose plants that evolved with native pollinators, plant for a long blooming season, avoid using pesticides. Armed with a list of sturdy ornamentals, native grasses for habitat, and bee-identification information, you’ll be prepared to plant a pollinator’s garden of your own. Bees rarely sting – most stings are from wasps; many important pollinating bees have no stinger at all.  Learn how to tell the difference between bees and wasps, and how to protect yourself against wasps without harming bees. It is possible to have a drought-tolerant garden that is beautiful, safe and abundant. $15
Sunday May 20, 1:30 pm: Gardening with Native Plants with Mikl & Eve Brawner. Native shrubs & wildflowers thrive in CO., support native pollinators & birds, save water & have a beautiful,  regionally-appropriate Western look. Learn how to choose & grow natives successfully, and see what they look like at maturity in the garden. A tour and talk. $15
We have been noticing that this spring there are many more butterflies than we’ve seen in years!  We can support them by growing the plants they need for nectar and larval food.  See our SALE announcement below for some ideas of what to grow for the butterflies (there are many more butterfly plants than these, and we would be happy to show them to you).
Many of you have your vegetable gardens well under way, but if you still need plants and seeds, we have LOTS of wonderful selections, including many Heirloom varieties! Now that we are probably past the danger of killing frosts, come in for organically-grown starts of celery-root, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, squashes, melons, even a few okra.  We have kale and Swiss chard starts as well.  Many of our carefully selected varieties are rare and hard-to-find; some have been placed on Slow Food’s ‘Ark of Taste’.  See the amazing list of our vegetable and fruit varieties for this year on our website.

Mountain gardeners will find that we still have cauliflower and cabbage starts, excellent short-season varieties of tomatoes, peppers, etc., as well as Solar Caps for successfully growing warm-weather veggies.

And our Herb Table is overflowing with many different culinary and medicinal herbs. In a week or two we expect to receive Stevia plants – a very hard-to-find item, and one that can be brought indoors as a houseplant at the end of the summer.  If you haven’t yet tried it, Stevia is a wonderful natural sweetener with NO calories and a Zero glycemic rating!  Add a leaf or two to any tea, or use to sweeten a curry or other Asian dish, for puddings, sauces, and many other dishes!

Roses are in full bloom!  We have an extraordinary selection of own-root roses right now – come and see and smell them!  Also, visit the rose garden at the Boulder-Dushanbe teahouse, which is in glorious, fragrant bloom right now.

We have a fully-stocked table (and then some!) of beautiful and interesting annual flowers for garden and containers – unique petunias, pansies, heirloom Marigolds, fragrant heirloom Flowering Tobacco, Zinnias, Cleome, and much, much more.  Coming soon – fabulous succulents for containers that can come inside for the winter! And we have some very attractive containers to plant them in!

Speaking of containers, we have a wonderful assortment of light-weight hyper-tufa TROUGHS for sale – great for rock-garden gems, succulents, cactus.  Learn to make your own troughs at our CLASS on Sunday, June 10th at 1:30 (Pre-registration is Required). This is great fun – guaranteed!

Harlequin’s Gardens’ 20th Anniversary Sale
Save 20% off Selected Plants, Soil Amendments & Products
on the 20th of every month this season

Our second 20/20 Sale will be this Sunday, May 20th.  The ‘theme’ of this sale is planting to attract and support BUTTERFLIES.  Come in this SUNDAY for 20% off the following while supplies last:

Book: BUTTERFLIES of the COLORADO FRONT RANGE – On Sale $10.36, regularly $12.95,
The perfect gift for any Front-Range Coloradan (including children) who enjoys butterflies or appreciates the natural world.
We are very happy that we have signed copies of this wonderful new book by Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones, two of Boulder’s most dedicated naturalists and foremost experts on our local butterflies.
This guidebook offers a page for each of the 80 species covered; each includes superb photographs taken in the field by the authors, and descriptions of the butterfly’s appearance, host plants, life cycle, habitat, behavior, identification tips, and descriptions of similar species.  The first section of the book concisely presents the anatomy, ecology and life-cycle of butterflies, and great advice on watching and photographing butterflies.  Also included in this guide-book are a glossary of terms, an easy-to-use chart of the species, their habitats, their flight seasons, and whether they are abundant, common, uncommon or rare.

This beautiful paperback guidebook is slim enough to slip in the back pocket of your jeans, and has a durable cover and binding.
Limit: 2 books per customer at sale price.

SEEDS: ‘Butterflies & Birds Wildflower Mix’ flower seed mix from BBB Seeds, a local, Boulder-based seed company specializing in wildflower seeds and seed mixes. Limit: 2 bags of sale-priced seeds per customer.

The following selected PLANTS: 20% off original prices:

Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur Flower, Sulphur Buckwheat): This superb, compact, dry-land native plant is an important nectar source for many species of butterflies and bees. The dense, compact mats of leathery dark green leaves are evergreen, spreading to 1 to 2’ wide, and it blooms for a solid month. Thin flower stalks to 6-12” tall hold wide, dense umbels of tiny sulphur-yellow flowers that cover the plant, and turn an attractive rusty-red as they dry.  It is one of the very few of our native plants that can be used as a groundcover in the garden, and grow easily in poor soils as long as they are well-drained. Deer do not pay it any mind, and it is hardy to 10,000’ elevation!

Liatris punctata (Dotted Gayfeather): This great butterfly favorite is native right here at our nursery and all around us in the dry shortgrass prairies and foothills. The deep-rooted  Liatris punctata is the most xeric species of Gayfeather, growing in unamended soils, including clay, with little or no supplemental water once established. Beautiful stiff spikes of purple-pink flowers bloom in late summer, along with Zinnia grandiflora, Aster laevis and Solidago.  The compact plant grows to 12” to 18” tall, is very durable and long-lived.  After blooming, the feathery seeds look lovely when backlit by the low afternoon sun, and will attract goldfinches and other songbirds.  Hardy to Zone 4.

Liatris ligulistylis (Meadow Blazingstar):  This is the ultimate Monarch butterfly magnet!  We have seen swarms of Monarchs feeding from Meadow Blazingstar in Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden’s Fort Collins garden, where it grows 3 to 5’ tall.  The numerous crimson flower buds open to large bright purple-pink florets that bloom over an extended period of time in summer.  It is a prairie native, the Front Range being the farthest western portion of its range.  Give it full sun, or sun with late-afternoon shade in loam or clay soil and deep, infrequent waterings once established. And make sure it’s located where you can watch the show!  After flowering, the seeds are a favorite food for goldfinches.  Hardy to Zone 4.

Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’ (Compact Dense Gayfeather): Many 18” to 24”-tall bold flowerstalks, densely clothed in lavender-purple florets appear late in the season after other Gayfeathers are finished.  This compact selection of the prairie native is an excellent attractor for butterflies and hummingbirds, and is easy to grow in full sun in most soils with average watering. Also makes a great cut-flower for fresh or dried arrangements. Hardy to Zone 4.

Asclepias tuberosa (Orange Butterfly Weed):  Certainly NOT a weed, this essential butterfly plant is irresistible to butterflies, hummingbirds and people.  The very long-lived, tap-rooted plant may be slow to establish and reach mature size, but it attracts legions of butterflies (and hummingbirds) to its brilliant orange flowers, and is an important food source for Monarch caterpillars. Watch for the beautiful Monarch chrysalises dangling from your plants! Best in full sun with low to moderate water.  Requires good drainage in sandy or loamy soil.

Asclepias incarnata ‘Cinderella’ (Red Milkweed):  Cinderella bears dense clusters of sweetly-scented, dark rosy-pink flowers from early summer to fall on slender, erect branches. The flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and the leaves of Red Milkweed are a preferred food source for Monarch caterpillars.  Plant some of this native along ponds and streams, in detention basins or any spot with moist soil, whether sand, clay or loam, and you’ll have a Monarch Butterfly farm!  Hardy to Zone 3-4.

Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’: A profusion of lilac-blue flowers on wiry 12” to 18” stems are produced all summer on this outstanding selection of Pincushion Flower, which was awarded Plant of the Year  status by the Perennial Plant Association in 2000. The compact habit does not require staking and, as the cultivar name suggests, the flowers are a great butterfly attractor. Dead-head for continuous bloom.  Grows in full sun in most soil types, with moderate or somewhat less water. Hardy to 6500’ elevation.

Scabiosa caucasica:  A hardier and larger Pincushion Flower, with lovely 2 ½ to 3” lilac-blue ‘pincushions’ dancing atop slender, 18-24”-tall wiry stems, very appealing to butterflies and to people.  Dead-head for continuous bloom through the summer.  Makes a great cut-flower, too. Hardy to 8,000’ elevation.

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower): This lovely 3-4’ tall prairie native attracts many showy butterflies, songbirds and hummingbirds!  The large purple-pink flowers with rusty red central ‘cones’ bloom profusely for up to two months in mid to late summer. Echinacea thrives in fertile soil in full sun to part-shade (more drought-tolerant with afternoon shade). In autumn, the ‘cones’ remain attractive, and are full of nutritious seeds that attract songbirds All parts of the plant are also used to make a safe but powerful immune-boosting tea or tincture. Hardy to Zone 4.

Solidago rigida (Stiff Goldenrod): This summer-blooming golden beauty is a Monarch Butterfly favorite!  Native right here at the western edge of the prairie, Stiff Goldenrod is widely adaptable and will thrive even in poor, dry soils. The flowers also support bees and many other beneficial insects. The stems serve as perches for songbirds, and the seeds provide important protein-rich late-season bird food. Hardy to Zone 4.

Coreopsis lanceolata (Lance-leaf Coreopsis): Cheerful golden-yellow, 1 ½” to 2 ½” daisy flowers bloom for weeks on end on graceful plants 1’ to 2’ tall and wide, creating a fantastic early-summer display that supports many species of butterflies.  Bloom can be extended from June to frost by dead-heading the spent flowers, but the ripe seeds are great food for songbirds in late summer. This very durable, long-lived prairie native grows in full to part sun in any well-drained soil (especially sand or loam), dry to moderate watering. Hardy to Zone 4.

Vernonia fasciculata (Ironweed):  Another great prairie native, this one for a tall accent or background in the garden, with magenta-crimson flower clusters topping stout stiff stems that never need staking, standing 4-6’ tall. This late-season butterfly magnet thrives in full sun with little care in clay, sandy, or loamy soils with moderate to low water.  Hardy to Zone 4.

Fennel: This familiar hardy perennial herb is the preferred food of the beautiful Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar.  Hollow, jointed stems to 5’ tall bear very finely ferny foliage, and the entire plant has a sweet anise/licorice flavor and aroma. The large flat umbels of tiny yellow blossoms support butterflies, bees, and many other beneficial insects.  The plant has very deep roots and can grow in dry, poor soil.  Use the foliage in salads and collect the seeds to use as seasoning.  We have both the green Florence Fennel and the dramatic Bronze Fennel, with dark, bronze-purple tinted foliage. Hardy to Zone 5.

Buddleia  davidii nanhoensis ‘Petite Indigo’ and ‘Petite Plum’ (Compact Butterfly Bush): The name says it all!  These graceful, fast-growing woody shrubs bear long cone-shaped terminal panicles of very fragrant flowers on slender arching stems from mid-summer to frost.  The flowers are a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds. ‘Petite Plum’ is regarded as reliably compact (to 4-6’ tall by 4-5’ wide), with plum-purple flowers, each with an orange ‘eye’. ‘Petite Indigo’ grew to 8’ tall in Eve’s garden, and bears bright lavender-blue flowers with an orange ‘eye’. The sweet fragrance of Butterfly Bush carries on the air, even in our dry climate. The narrow grey-green foliage is seldom browsed by deer. Tops may die back to the ground in colder winters, but they are usually root-hardy and will quickly re-grow. Hardy to Zone 5.

Limits: Plants in 2.5” pots: 4 plants of each kind at sale price per customer
Plants in Quart pots: 2 plants of each kind at sale price per customer
Plants in 1-gallon pots: 1 plant of each kind at sale price per customer

20% OFF COMPOST TEA: $4/gallon (regularly $5)

Compost Tea creates fertility biologically.  Of course there is nutritional value in the tea, like kelp and minerals, but the main value comes from the millions of microorganisms that inoculate the plants.  These beneficial bacteria, fungi and others function as the digestive system of plants, breaking down complex nutrients into simpler forms usable by plants.  They also improve soil aeration and structure.  You can keep the microorganisms multiplying in your soil by incorporating composts, humates, kelp, molasses, manures and other minerals and organic matter.  Our compost tea is made from Biodynamic compost, concentrates with sea minerals, kelp, molasses and sea calcium, while vigorously aerated in our vortex brewer.  We sometimes add Age Old liquid fertilizer to the tea we use to give more immediate fertilizing results.  Biological fertility is not as fast-acting as chemical nitrogen, but it builds topsoil instead of destroying it.  Compost tea must be used within 8 hours of purchase.  Limit: 2 gallons per customer at sale price.

The above selected items are discounted only on Sunday May 20, while supplies last.
We hope to see you soon!

Eve & Mikl Brawner, and the Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Spring Greetings to our gardening friends!

We hope you are all enjoying time in your gardens, smelling the apple blossoms and other flowers that have been blooming weeks ahead of their expected time. The apricot and peach trees may have escaped the dreaded hard frost this early spring, and we are hoping for a great fruit harvest this summer.  Our little apricot tree (‘little’ not because it’s so young, but because it receives no supplemental water) is loaded with tiny green baby fruits for the very first time!

In the ornamental garden, it’s time to get busy cleaning up last year’s dead flower stalks in the perennials bed, digging out unwanted tree seedlings while you can still see where they are, and cutting down warm-season grasses to let in light for the new growth (cool-season grasses have already greened-up, and should have been trimmed back in February).  To keep the grass trimmings from making a mess, before you cut, wrap some twine or a short bungee cord tightly around the mass of dry blades, then cut below where they’re cinched and carry a neat bundle to the compost pile.  Wait another week or two to prune your roses.  If you are uncertain about how to prune your roses, you may want to register for Eve’s class ‘Fearless Pruning in the Rose Garden’, this Saturday at 1:30 pm (if we hear from you soon enough!).  In fact, check the list of classes on our website and sign up now to expand your gardening skills. It’s also a good time to plant new hardy perennials, roses, shrubs and trees, and to lift and transplant perennials that you’d like to move to a new location (such as the progeny of perennials that self-sow).  We are adding to our selection of plants every week now, so check in often!

In the vegetable garden, it’s time to work in your soil amendments (if you haven’t already) and put in your seeds and transplants for cool-weather crops.  Down here in the valley, you can sow seeds directly in the garden for carrots, parsnips, parsley, arugula, spinach, lettuce, beets, onion, scallions, leeks, peas (if you plant right away), cilantro, radish, turnip, kale, swiss chard, rutabaga.  Now is the time to plant potato ‘seed’ (we have organic Bintje, Red Sangre, and All-Blue), onion and leek plants (we have bundles of Walla Walla, Milestone and Red Zeppelin onion plants and Lancelot Leeks, and some other varieties in pots). It’s also high time to transplant starts of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, leaf-broccoli, celeriac, and celery.  Harlequin’s Gardens is currently well-stocked with loads of beautiful plants of the best varieties of these veggies and more, as well as pre-planted salad boxes for continual harvests of ‘cut & come again’ lettuces, mesclun, spinach, etc.  And we have plenty of seeds from Abbondanza Farm and Botanical Interests. It’s very helpful to use a light Row Cover fabric over your seed bed to protect it from drying out so fast, and also protect from critters.  And Row Cover fabric is also great for protecting your new transplants from wind and direct sun while they get established.  You can leave it on until harvest if you wish to protect crops from cabbage moths, leaf-miners, and such.  Ask us for pre-packaged or custom-cut pieces

Now is also the time to set up your Solar Caps and warm the soil for a week or so, then begin planting your tomatoes and peppers in them for an early jump on the season.  We have our first tomato and pepper starts ready for you, with a veritable avalanche of them to follow soon after!  Take a look at our annotated list for this year at www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetablestarts.

Harlequin’s Gardens’ 20^th Anniversary Sale

Save 20% off Selected Plants, Soil Amendments & Products

on the 20^th of every month this season

Our first 20/20 Sale will be this Friday, April 20^th.  The ‘theme’ of this sale is planting to attract and support bees.  Come in this Friday for 20% off

PLANTS: Limit: 5 sale-priced plants of each kind per customer.

Native Bee-Balm (Monarda fistulosa v menthifolia): Mint-scented foliage and stunning, nectar-rich purple-pink flowers that bring bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Leaves make a delicious tea. 2’ to 5’ tall. Very hardy perennial to zone 3, adaptable to many soils. Needs some moisture.

Native Blanket Flower/Firewheel (Gaillardia aristata): This easy, hardy 2’ perennial bears masses of large red daisies with fringed bright yellow tips. Thrives in hot dry places and blooms all summer.  Keep dead-headed for more flowers and a neater look. A favorite of bees and butterflies.

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia): Vigorous, tall and super-drought-tolerant, Russian Sage thrives in lean, dry soil, full sun, and heat.  The smoky violet-blue flowers are a favorite with bees. Hardy to Zone 5.

‘Golden Baby’ Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis): A superb, compact upright native Goldenrod to 2’ tall, with golden-yellow sprays in fall.  Drought-tolerant hardy perennial. Supports bees and many other beneficial insects.

Winter Savory (Satureja montana): Highly aromatic Mediterranean ‘sub-shrub’, not only great for culinary use, but its high thymol content helps bees fight off mites and diseases.  Thrives on very low water and the white flowers provide late-season bee forage.  Hardy perennial to 1’.

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum & A. ‘Blue Fortune’): A great drought-tolerant, native summer bloomer that supports bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Hardy perennial to 3’ tall. The flower spikes of the species are lavender, and ‘Blue Fortune’ is powder blue. The leaves make a lovely tea.

Blue Flax (Linum perenne & L. lewisii): Everybody knows this one already, yes?  L. perenne is the European blue flax, with deeper blue flowers. L. lewisii is the native, with sky-blue flowers. Both very blue, very xeric. Local botanists have found that the two do not cross-pollinate.

Honeywort (Cerinthe major ‘Kiwi Blue’): This unusual annual is an excellent nectar source for bees.  Very attractive foliage is a light blue-green, sprinkled with white polkadots.  The clump of stems usually reaches about 1’ high and arches over with graceful nodding flower scapes that sport conspicuous blue bracts. Honeywort can self-sow moderately and make a nice colony.

SEEDS: ‘Bee Rescue’ and ‘Honey Source’ flower seed mixes from BBB Seeds, a local, Boulder-based seed company specializing in wildflower seeds and seed mixes. Limit: 2 bags of sale-priced seeds per customer.

BOOKS:

‘Attracting Native Pollinators’ by the Xerces Society

SOIL AMENDMENTS:

Composted Dairy Cow Manure: this diary cow manure is from a local farm that is managed organically, and is thoroughly composted.  A great locally-sourced amendment for nitrogen and carbon.  Spread a layer 1” thick and work into your soil.  Don’t over-do it; 1” is enough. Limit: 5 bags per customer at discounted price.

The above selected items are discounted only on Friday April 20, while supplies last.

Don’t miss our MAY DAY Festival, May 6 & 7, featuring live music, magic, Morris Dancers, Laughter Yoga, and more!

Member’s Plant Sale begins Monday 4/30 and continues through Sunday 5/6.

Please check our Spring 2012 Newsletter for the complete schedule and details of our May Day festival and Members Plant Sale.

Greetings, Fellow Gardeners

Thank goodness we have been blessed with snow this winter on our plants; and if the snow pack increases, we will have water for our reservoirs. Water will always be an issue for us in Colorado, and the predictions are that in 20 years, demand will exceed supply by 30%. So we need to learn how to grow landscapes and food with less water. The right plants and soil development are essential. In addition we need to defend the quality of the water we have from agricultural chemicals, endocrine disruptors and from fracking chemicals.

Getting our hands in the soil, smelling the flowers, watching new life emerge and develop, seeing the bees and butterflies and birds in our gardens: these experiences give us such joy and peace. It would be nice if we didn’t have to think about all the dangers that threaten our modern lives. An aphid infestation is so minor compared to the new Monsanto sweet corn that is genetically modified and is not labeled. And we dare not ignore these issues.

However we are so bombarded with bad news that, for now, we would like to tell you some good news.

This year Harlequin’s Gardens will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary of being a sustainable garden center in Boulder County. We started from scratch without a prominent location and with an unproductive well. We had little money and a big vision to grow plants organically and supply plants that would thrive in Colorado conditions without copious amounts of water, and without chemical fertilizers and  toxic pesticides. We wanted to provide organic fertilizers and composts and we wanted to grow demonstration gardens and teach people how to garden sustainably.

Little by little we grew, while Mikl operated a tree care business to pay the mortgage. And you, our wonderful customers, saw what we were trying to do and supported us. You encouraged us and bought our plants and products. And we studied and learned and were helped by many knowledgeable people. And when we could no longer afford to maintain our extensive display gardens (we now have 8) we asked people to join our membership program, and through the generous support of our members we have enough money to pay for plants, water and maintenance.

A drought in 2002 helped promote one of our specialties: xeriscape. Native plants became popular, and we were already specializing in natives. Own-root hardy roses drew customers from great distances because they were so successful and beautiful. We predicted the increased interest in home-grown food and we had stepped up our production of organic vegetable starts by the time the big wave hit. And our classes have become so popular that we are going to have to build a bigger classroom.

So, thanks to our dedication to what is good for you and the planet, and thanks to your love and support for us and telling your friends, we are 20 years old and doing better every year.

We are planning some special events and will be bringing in some new and helpful products. Right now we are busy getting things ready.

One more piece of good news for now: Mikl indulged his passion for soil science by attending an Acres USA Ecological Agriculture Conference in December, and learned some great new information about growing food without chemicals. The overall idea is that the soil life (micro-organisms, etc.) function as the digestive system of the plants. When plants become so healthy that they start storing complex carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and essential oils, fungal and bacterial pathogens and pest insects cannot digest these complex foods and so they cease to be pests. So soil health becomes plant health and plant defense system. What is very interesting is that the nutrients in these healthy plants then become nutritious food for animals and humans and in turn protect us from diseases. So let’s build healthy soil.

We are also building our staff this year. Harlequin’s Gardens is looking for a couple of good people to join us. The positions available are part-time seasonal, requiring a commitment from late March through September or October. If you are knowledgeable and experienced with plants and gardening in this region, are eager to learn more about well-adapted plants for Colorado, like to work with people, are dedicated to the organic approach and would like to work hard in a pleasant, non-toxic environment, please let us know as soon as possible by calling Eve at 720-291-7826.

Every year when the season ends for Harlequin’s Gardens, we feel a measure of sadness, knowing we won’t see or talk with most of you until next spring. We take our relationships with our customers personally, and we will miss you, and your support and encouragement.  It is heart-warming to us that so many of you have demonstrated such loyalty and goodwill and trust in us, and care for the Earth, and we are ever grateful.  2011 has been a very good year for Harlequin’s Gardens, and you have made it possible for us to have arrived at our 20^th Anniversary!   Imagine that!  This fall and winter we are planning a variety of ways to celebrate and share this milestone with you.  We will keep you posted about special events, sales, new offerings, etc.

FALL CROPS
Lately, we’ve been harvesting parsnips, kale, parsley, upland cress, carrots, swiss chard and celeriac (celery root) from our vegetable garden, and fresh greens and salads from our cold-frame and greenhouse.  Eve will soon be placing bags of leaves over the rows of root crops to keep the soil from freezing, making it possible to harvest throughout the winter.  Our kale has magnetized a large colony of aphids, so when we harvest the leaves to cook, we soak them for about a half hour in a sink-full of cold water with 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.  This dislodges most of the critters, and gently rubbing will take care of the rest.

A few days ago, Eve was cleaning up a large ceramic planter where she’d grown annual flowers and foliage plants.  When she pulled on the dried remains of the two chartreuse-leafed ‘Margarita’ ornamental sweet potato plants, a big, fat tuberous root came up with each, and we remembered that it’s an edible sweet potato.  The tubers, sometimes called Cuban Sweet Potato, have a thin pink-red skin and pale yellow flesh.  We baked them last night and found them absolutely delicious – something like a cross between a russet potato and the familiar orange-fleshed sweet potatoes – lightly sweet and aromatic, with a rich, flaky texture.
FALL GARDEN CHORES
Because of the heavy snowstorms and strong wind, many trees and shrubs need corrective pruning. Be very watchful working under any trees if there is wind, as damaged branches can continue to fall for some time.
In April 2012, Mikl will give a class on pruning storm-damaged trees and shrubs.

There are not too many garden chores required at this time of the year.  If your ornamental bulbs haven’t been planted yet, now is a good time to do it, while the soil is not too wet and before the ground freezes.  If your bulbs came without planting instructions or you’ve lost track of them, a good rule of thumb for planting at the proper depth is to set the bulb at the bottom of a hole that’s three times the height of the bulb. If you are planting Anemone blanda (Grecian Windflower), it’s hard to tell the top from the bottom, so you can plant them sideways.  Eve also soaks the hard Anemone tubers in water for a few hours or overnight to assure that they’ll be moist enough to get started.

It’s not too late to fertilize and topdress your perennial and shrub beds.  You can casually sprinkle any organic, low-nitrogen fertilizer (Yum-Yum mix, etc.) and toss a light layer of compost over it, then water thoroughly.

Don’t forget winter watering, especially for evergreens and roses, and most any plant that was planted in September or October. Evergreens continue to transpire (give off water) during the winter, because they have leaves or needles. If these plants cannot take up water, they will dehydrate and suffer, not showing injury until it’s too late. And roses, with their green-skinned canes, are far more likely to perish in winter from dehydration than from cold temperatures. Water once or twice a month, in late morning or early afternoon so that the water has time to sink in before it freezes.  Aside from conifers, some other evergreen
plants that will benefit from some winter watering are Manzanita, Kinnickinnick, Scotch Broom, Spanish Broom, Hardy Jasmine, Oregon Grape Holly, and the evergreen Euonymus selections.  Sagebrush, Curl-leaf and Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany, and Ephedra are probably fine without supplemental winter water, as long as they had adequate time to establish.

FALL & WINTER GARDEN CONSULTATIONS
Mikl and Eve continue to provide consulting services through the winter.  Most years, there are plenty of days that are warm enough and free of snow on the ground to make garden consultations and tree-health consultations practical.  In return for giving us a small trickle of winter income, we offer a coupon for a 15% discount on a purchase of plants in the 2011 season.  Here’s a link to our Consultations page for more information: https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/consultations/.
***  HOLIDAY GIFTS from HARLEQUIN’S  ***
For holiday gifts (or any other reason) this winter, in addition to Harlequin’s Gardens Gift Certificates (see below), we also have a very special, brand new book and a biodynamic planting calendar we can mail to you or the person you are gifting. Please note the prices below, and send us your check or money order (make sure it has your current address and phone number on it) and a note with the recipients’ name(s) and address(es).
Mail it to us at:
Harlequin’s Gardens, 4795 N 26^th St., Boulder CO 80301.

We will also provide a free gift-card with each order sent directly to the gift-recipient; just be sure to let us know what you want the card to say, e.g. Happy Holidays from Mom & Dad.

BUTTERFLIES of the COLORADO FRONT RANGE – Hot off the press!
The perfect gift for anyone who enjoys butterflies or appreciates the natural world.

We are very happy to announce that we have on hand a big stack of signed copies of this wonderful new book by Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones, two of Boulder’s most dedicated naturalists and foremost experts on our local butterflies.

This guidebook offers a page for each of the 80 species covered; each includes superb photographs taken in the field by the authors, and descriptions of the butterfly’s appearance, host plants, life cycle, habitat, behavior, identification tips, and descriptions of similar species.  The first section of the book concisely presents the anatomy, ecology and life-cycle of butterflies, and great advice on watching and photographing butterflies.  Also included in this guide-book are a glossary of terms, an easy-to-use chart of the species, their habitats, their flight seasons, and whether they are abundant, common, uncommon or rare.

This beautiful paperback guidebook is slim enough to slip in the back pocket of your jeans, (or a Christmas Stocking), and has a durable cover and binding.

We can send the book by 1^st class mail for $17.95. For each additional copy mailed in the same envelope, add $14.10. Multiples will be sent by Priority Mail. These prices include sales tax, packaging and postage. We can fit up to 4 books in an envelope.

Chu and Jones say it best: “We watch butterflies because they’re exquisitely beautiful, have magical life cycles, and teach us about intricate and life-sustaining relationships among plants, insects and their host ecosystems.”

view a sample of BUTTERFLIES of the COLORADO FRONT RANGE

2012 Stella Natura  PLANTING CALENDAR
The Stella Natura Wall Calendar is an easy-to-use, informative and beautiful planting and gardening calendar that shows the best times to take advantage of the cosmic influences of the moon, sun and planets. This is a research-based system that is used by Biodynamic farmers and gardeners.  We have been using this calendar for 20 years and believe it has helped with germination of seeds, root development of cuttings, and healthy plant development. More than just a calendar – it’s packed with valuable information and insights for successful growing, from seed to harvest. Mikl will be giving a class in Planting by the Moon in early spring.

We can send the calendar by 1^st class mail for $20.50. For an additional calendar mailed in the same envelope, add $15.66.  We can fit up to 2 calendars in an envelope.  Price includes sales tax, packaging and postage.

GIFT CERTIFICATES
Harlequin’s Gardens may be closed, but Harlequin’s Gardens Gift Certificates are available year-round, so it’s not too late to purchase Gift Certificates with a promise of spring for the gardeners and homeowners on your holiday list – see our Gift Certificate page at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/gift-certificates for ordering instructions.

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Wishing you
all a season of peace, community and abundance,

Eve & Mikl
Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from us, and no doubt you can understand that in this heat, everything slows down – including us.  But now we’re back, with a few reminders, announcements, suggestions and reports.

BOULDER GOLD in the Daily Camera:

First, a reminder that we’d love to have you vote us #1 in the Daily Camera’s ‘Boulder Gold’ competition.  Voting ends on July 30^th, so please go right away to: http://www.futureofnews.com/AdEverywhere/SI/PR/RC/?S=dailycamera&B=1040 and cast your ballots for us in the BEST GARDEN CENTER and BEST PLANT NURSERY categories, and a third category of your choice (may we suggest Best Locally-Owned Store, Best Shopping Destination, Best Company that Gives Back to the Community, or Best Tree Nursery). THE RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1) You MUST vote in at least 10 categories, 2) You can vote for the same business in up to 3 categories, but no more, and 3) You MUST fill out the required fields at the end of the ballot and submit your vote, and 4) You must get your ballot in by the end of the day Saturday July 30. Thank you for your support!

IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN (and the kitchen):

We have been checking the vegetable garden, harvesting lettuce, rustic arugula (very heat-tolerant),  radicchio, spring onions, zucchini, swiss chard, kale, broccoli side-shoots, cauliflower, upland cress, fava beans, leaf broccoli (aka Minestra Nera or Spigariello), strawberries, basil, parsley, mint (the latter two for making quinoa tabbouli).  Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tomatillos, green beans and cucumbers will be ready very soon.  You are welcome to visit the vegetable garden at Harlequin’s and see how we support our tomato plants.  Just ask someone on our staff to show you.

Eve has been making lots of pesto, not only with basil, but she’s also pestifying with parsley, cilantro, arugula and tarragon.  Parsley Pesto (made with pecans, garlic, parsley, olive oil, salt and lemon juice) is fabulous on pasta or potatoes, bruschetta, grilled meat, chicken or fish.  Arugula pesto is made with walnuts, garlic, arugula, olive oil, salt and lemon juice, and is great for all the same uses.  Tarragon Pesto, made with brazil nuts or pignoli, tarragon and olive oil, is particularly good spread on crackers or bruschetta with some soft goat cheese, or on chicken. Eve’s cilantro pesto is made with walnuts, cumin seeds, garlic, cilantro, virgin coconut oil, olive oil, salt and lime juice.  It’s a daily staple in our home, used on avocado, grilled chicken or fish, sweet potato, black beans or bean soup, or anything that’s handy. Did you know that cilantro is known to draw out and cleanse the body of toxic heavy metals, especially mercury?

PESTS and DISEASES:

We have received reports from a few of you that Early Blight is affecting some of your tomato plants.  Early Blight is a fungal disease, and can be organically controlled by spraying with Green Cure, which we have in stock.

This summer also seems to be particularly buggy, and we are well-stocked with effective, non-toxic, organic pest management supplies.

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE:

We would love to get your feed-back on which vegetable and herb varieties you liked and didn’t like.  Your feedback helps us enormously when it comes time to choose which varieties we should grow for the coming year (we make those selections in December). The best way to let us know what you think is to go to our website and click on PLANTS, then EDIBLES, then VEGETABLES, then SPEAKING OF VEGETABLES.  Or save this link to go directly to it: https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/the-veggie-report/

FRUIT TREES:

Mikl has just brought out a new crop of fruit trees, including Apples (Cortland, Sweet Sixteen, Honeycrisp), Plums (Stanley), Peaches (Red Haven, Reliance) and Apricots (Moorpark).

SEASON EXTENDING in the VEGETABLE GARDEN:

In the midst of the midsummer heat it may be hard to imagine that we really will be seeing cool, short days again in the not-so-distant future. But it is true, and NOW is the time to plan and plant cool-season crops for fall and winter harvests.

With this in mind, we have just re-stocked our supply of seeds from Botanical Interests with many great varieties of Carrots, Beets, Radishes, Kale, Lettuce, Mesclun, Bok Choy, Tat Soi, Arugula, Kohlrabi, Spinach, Cilantro, Swiss Chard, Green Onion, Collards, and more.  We also have lots of Abbondanza Lettuce, Chard, Kale and Tatsoi seeds.

Eve has been planting and potting starts for Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Leaf Broccoli, Kale, Chard, Lettuce, Arugula, etc., and these will soon be ready for sale.  We have SeedGuard row-cover to protect your seed beds and new crops.  And for those of you who are new to season-extending, we have Eliot Coleman’s essential books ‘The Four-Season Harvest’ and Winter Harvest Handbook’.

Rhubarb and Sea-Kale plants in one-gallon pots are still available.

IN THE ORNAMENTAL GARDEN:

We still have lots of wonderful perennials, vines, grasses, groundcovers, roses, shrubs and trees to choose from. New selections continue to come out of our growing houses and ‘fields’ daily.  We have mulches, row-cover fabric, mycorrhizae, compost tea and ‘Super-Thrive’ in stock to help your new plants get established in spite of the heat.

In July, gardens require TWICE AS MUCH WATER than any other month to support them in the stresses of heat, flowering and making seed.  You can also help them through the heat by adding mulch, and by dead-heading (removing) half or more of the spent blooms before a plant has made seed.

LOOKING AHEAD:

This fall, starting in early September, we will again offer a delightful, hand-picked selection of bulbs for spring blooms, with an emphasis on jewel-like beauty, easy naturalizing, drought-resistance and deer-resistance.  We will also offer an expanded selection of organic Garlic and Shallot bulbs.

Stay tuned for details about our TOMATO TASTING event, coming up on September 10^th.

We hope you are having a splendid summer and that we will see you soon!

All the best,

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Dear Harlequin Gardeners,

We have put our organic veggie starts on sale!  Our usual price of $2.50 per plant has been reduced to $1.50!  Our starts include tomatoes, summer and winter squashes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, leeks, and more.  (Basil excluded from sale.)  So, come on in for a great bargain!

Fly on into Harlequin’s Gardens between Friday, June 17 and Sunday, June 19 to learn more about the pollinators in our area!

Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 17, 18, and 19, folks from the Pollinator Partnership will have an information table at Harlequin’s Gardens to educate our customers on the harmful effects of pesticides on honeybees and other pollinators.  The goal is to empower us in supporting the pollinators in our area.  Harlequin’s will also share free handouts about plants that provide food and habitat for pollinators.

You can support the Coalition 4 Bees by purchasing a “Honey Bee Haven” sign for $5.00 and sign their pledge to not use pesticides or herbicides in your yard.  They will track the sign locations in an effort to begin mapping pesticide free yards in Boulder County.

We look forward to seeing you at this unique event later this week!

Harlequin’s Gardens may be closed, but HG Gift Certificates are available year-round, so it’s not too late to purchase Gift Certificates with a promise of spring for all the gardeners and homeowners on your holiday list – see our Gift Certificate page at https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/gift-certificates for ordering instructions.

 Mikl and Eve also continue to provide consulting services through the winter.  Most years, there are plenty of days that are warm enough and free of snow on the ground to make garden consultations and tree-health consultations practical.  In return for giving us a small trickle of winter income, we offer a coupon for a 15% discount on a purchase of plants in the 2011 season.  Here’s a link to our Consultations page for more information: https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/consultations/.

Every year, a lot of people ask us what we do in the winter, when the nursery is closed.  Sometimes we wish the answer was “Oh, we usually spend a few months on the beach in Mexico or Costa Rica”.  But in reality, we begin by putting all the plants to bed and packing up the remaining products, while simultaneously compiling and placing early orders for seeds and plants for the next season.  We erect fences around our display gardens to keep the rabbits at bay.  Every year we collect seeds from many of the plants we grow and from native wildflowers and shrubs. We have to clean the seeds (separating them from the chaff and debris) before the end of the year because we begin sowing seeds in the greenhouse in early January.  Some seeds sprout quickly, so transplanting has usually begun by the first of February. Plant descriptions are researched and written, ordering continues, we work on improving and updating our website, and make plans for the classes and events we will offer in the coming season.  And there are always some repairs and building projects.  To sum it all up, we are preparing to re-open Harlequin’s Gardens on April 1, 2011 as a better resource for gardeners and the larger community than ever before.

With all the holidays coming up, you may not be thinking much about gardening, but there are some things that could be done on a warm day (today’s forecast calls for a high of 60 degrees!).  It’s not too late to finish planting bulbs, and to top-dress your perennials and shrubs.  A thin (1/2”) layer of compost applied in fall or winter will be absorbed into the earth with rain and melting snow.  This mimics the fall top-dressing done by Nature and is an easy and gentle way to build soil, especially if done annually.  Organic matter, especially in the composted form, does more than hold moisture and supply some mild nutrients.  It has the dynamic effect of feeding the earth worms and beneficial soil microorganisms that make nutrients available to plants – which is far more relevant than the simple presence of nutrients.  In addition, this soil life secretes a sticky substance which binds small clay particles together, making aggregates of soil that increase porosity and tilth (ease of digging).

So far, it’s been very dry this fall, so remember to thoroughly water your evergreens – especially broadleaf evergreens – at least once a month, preferably early in the day.  For a more complete discussion of winter watering, see our Thanksgiving Greetings blog.

Happy Holidays!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

         At this time of Thanksgiving, we truly want to thank all of you for a good year, for your purchases and for your trust and continued support. Without you, we could not do this work that we love.  We hope this Thanksgiving celebration is a joyful and meaningful one for you.

         The weather guessers are predicting temperatures around zero degrees for tonight, so if you still have root crops like beets, carrots, and parsnips in the ground, grab those bagged leaves from the curb and lay them over the vegetable beds (don’t unpack the bags!).  You should be able to lift the bags and dig any time you want to harvest the roots throughout the winter. 

         Now that the nursery is closed for the season, we are busy using those leaves to pack around our containerized plants in to give them some insulation until next spring.  When our over-wintered plants are brought out for sale next year, the packing leaves will be shoveled under the plant tables so that when the plants are watered, so are the leaves, the worms and the bacteria and fungi which compost the leaves. We use this rich worm compost in our potting soil mixes.  We also used some in amending the soil of a new 32” x 72” solar-vented coldframe that we installed in late September, and Eve top-dressed the salad greens seed with the same rich compost. In only 2 days, about 120% of the seeds had sprouted and in no time at all the greens were ready to harvest and we have been eating delicious, fresh salad from that coldframe for almost six weeks now.  We built and sold several of these coldframes this year, and expect to have more available for 2011.  Let us know if you are interested in reserving one.

          If any of you are having problems with voles eating the bark off the lower branches of junipers and undermining and pulling plants down into the ground, now is a good time to mow your lawn short (under 4”) so there won’t be any bent-over grass to provide tunnels for the voles to hide in from owls and other predators.

          Don’t forget winter watering for all evergreens and roses, and most any plant that was planted in September or October. Evergreens continue to transpire (give off water) during the winter, because they have leaves or needles. If these plants cannot take up water, they will dehydrate and suffer, not showing injury until it’s too late. And roses, with their green-skinned canes, are far more likely to perish in winter from dehydration than from cold temperatures. Water once or twice a month, in late morning or early afternoon so that the water has time to sink in before it freezes.  Aside from conifers, some other evergreen plants that will benefit from some winter watering are Manzanita, Kinnickinnick, Scotch Broom, Spanish Broom, Hardy Jasmine, Oregon Grape Holly, and the evergreen Euonymus selections.  Sagebrush, Curl-leaf and Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany, and Ephedra are probably fine without supplemental winter water.

         We thought we knew everything we needed to know about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), but we have recently learned much more. The Food and Drug Administration allows the release of GMO crops without requiring adequate safety tests; but in independent research, scientists have found that GMO foods in which the inserted genes are from bacteria and viruses (such as Round-up Ready crops and BT crops) create new and unpredictable proteins, cause toxic and allergic reactions in humans, and cause sickness, sterility and death in livestock. In addition, GMO foods contain higher herbicide residues. The main GMO foods on the market are soy, corn, canola, cotton, all of which are components of ‘vegetable oil’, which we unknowingly consume in massive amounts if we eat processed food, fast food, or eat out at ordinary restaurants.  GMO sugar beets are set to be the next threat, along with GMO salmon.  In order to avoid these foods, eat organic – organic certification does not permit inclusion of any GMO ingredients. And some foods have “non-GMO” labels. Read labels of processed foods very carefully, and avoid those which contain the 5 GMO foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables are safe (to date, the only ones that may be genetically modified are papaya, zucchini and crookneck squash). But most meats are from animals fed GMO corn and soybeans. To make it easier to avoid these GMO foods, you can download a free Non-GMO Shopping Guide at http://www.responsibletechnology.org/. Also, to comment on the plan to release genetically modified salmon, go to www.foodandwaterwatch.org. Besides protecting your own health and the health of our children, if just 5% of Americans refuse to buy GMO foods, we could kick them off the market.  This is not far-fetched – Americans have rejected Bovine Growth Hormone in milk, and most of the big retailers have followed suit.

          Wendell Berry said that “Eating is a political act”. Let’s vote with our dollars and our food choices.

Here’s to eating well, loving well, and living well!  Happy Holidays!

Mikl & Eve Brawner, and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Our long and fruitful summer is drawing to a close, and we still have not experienced even a light frost at Harlequin’s Gardens.  Soon, though – we heard the ‘S’ word (Snow) mentioned in the long-range forecast.  We hope you have enjoyed a rewarding season of gardening this year.

The 2010 season brought a number of notable ‘firsts’ to Harlequin’s Gardens – our first celebration of World Laughter Day (first Sunday in May), the first year we have offered our own home-brewed Compost Tea, about a dozen wonderful new classes including introductions to raising chickens, keeping bees and growing the best tomatoes, the first year we have constructed and offered our excellent cold-frames, and the first year we have written a blog.

It’s also the first year we are staying open 6 days a week in October (Tuesday through Sunday, 9 to 5), and the first time we are selling bulbs!

Now is the perfect time to start planting bulbs for spring flowers.  With only a week left before we close for the season, we encourage you to come out and choose from our carefully selected array of bulbs, including many that we have been growing (and you have been admiring) in our display gardens for years.  Many are either deer-proof or deer-resistant, most are drought-tolerant species and varieties that will naturalize in your garden, and all are guaranteed to cheer you up with their sudden bursts of color after a long winter.  The list of our bulb offerings, along with photos, descriptions and planting instructions, is on our website in ‘Plants’.

Now is also a great time to apply organic fertilizer and top-dress your garden with compost.  Organic fertilizers are naturally slow-release, and when applied in autumn, the nutrients will be stored in the roots of your plants to help them get through the winter and support new growth at the beginning of next spring.  We recommend Nature Cycle fertilizer, which you can broadcast by hand, and Eko Lawn Top-Dressing (which is not just for lawns!).  Both are now on sale for 25% off.  The Eko Lawn Top-Dressing is the same as Eko Compost except that is finely ground and free of lumps.  This makes it easy to spread by hand in perennial and shrub beds, and also easy to spread on lawns with a mechanical spreader.  Top-dressing with compost is a great way to replenish the organic matter in your soil without digging or disturbing your plants.  Earthworms and micro-organisms will do the work for you, slowly incorporating the compost into your soil over the winter.

Our Fall Sale continues through Saturday, October 30^th, the last day of our 2010 season, and we still have lots of great perennials, herbs, and shrubs at 40% off, trees at 50 % off, hardy own-root roses at 20% off, and soil products (fertilizers, soil amendments, and mulches) are 25% off.  Remember, we’ll be open every day except Monday, though our last day, which is Saturday October 30.

CONSULTATIONS & GIFT CERTIFICATES are available year-round!

 Mikl and Eve are available for consultations year-round, either together or separately.  To see our rates and the scope of our consultations, go to the Consultations section on our website at www.HarlequinsGardens.com .  Then call us at 303-939-9403, or call Eve directly at 720-291-7826 to schedule your appointment. 

If you schedule a consultation to take place between November 1 and February 28, we’ll give you a coupon for 15% off a one-time purchase of plants at Harlequin’s Gardens to use in 2011.

Gift Certificates to Harlequin’s Gardens are always appreciated by the gardeners in your life.  See the instructions for ordering gift-certificates on our website, or leave us a message at 303-939-9403.

We look forward to seeing you as we finish out the season!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

We are experimenting with extended hours in October; it was Thursday-Saturday now it will be Tuesday through Sunday 9am to 5pm (closed October 31st).  Come in and get your plants for Fall at discounted prices.  It’s a great time to plant and have strong, healthy plants in Spring.