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

         It is remarkable that Curlleaf Mt. Mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius, is not better known. It is a broadleaf evergreen that grows to 10’-15’, sometimes 20’. The leaves are dark green above, paler beneath, and are adapted to droughty conditions, being narrow, leathery and having a slight curl. The light gray branches are very attractive and the form is upright and is generally improved with light shearing or deer-browsing. It seems to take three to four years of developing a strong root system before it begins to grow rapidly. Watering to get it established can be helpful, but it requires no supplemental water once it is well rooted. The flowers are not showy except to the bees, and the silvery spiraling seed heads can be ornamental. Curlleaf Mt. Mahogany makes a very beautiful evergreen specimen or screen.

         Mahonia fremontii is a desert “holly” with evergreen leaves that are blue, with reddish new growth in spring. Even though it can take a lot of heat and drought, I suspect it would make a more attractive landscape plant when given protection from the late afternoon sun and especially from the winter sun. In full exposure, the leaves dry out more, are less blue and drop more leaves in the fall. These fallen leaves, by the way, are very sharp and painful if you are trying to weed near this shrub, so I recommend not planting it with perennials but with other mulched shrubs in a border. (Mine is in the middle of my rock garden, and I use a shop vac to remove the dead leaves in the fall.) The spring flowers are yellow with a sweet and strong fragrance. The red fruits that follow are at first flat with little flavor, but later they thicken up and taste like delicious sour cherries. Mahonia fremontii will grow to 6’-8’ high and 4’-6’ wide.

         Paxistima canbyi is a Plant Select shrub for 2003. It is another broadleaf evergreen growing only 8”-12” high and 15”-20” wide. The flowers are inconspicuous, but the foliage is very beautiful, especially in winter. Mine has performed very well for years in part-shade, with very little supplemental water, but has stayed small. This species is not a native of the west; the Colorado native is Paxistima mysinites which is 10”-20” high.

         Rosa woodsii, Wood’s Rose is a native with many seasons of interest. I wouldn’t put it in full sun with no water, but I would definitely call it drought-tolerant. For a good performance, give it a little (or moderate) water with protection from late afternoon sun. It doesn’t require good soil, but a little compost could be helpful. It is a very suckering plant, so it is excellent for stabilizing banks and washes, but it is unsuitable for most perennial borders or rose gardens. It will succeed at 4” high or up to 4’ high and will form patches. The single, 5-petalled pink flowers can be pale, deep or even somewhat striped. Following the flowers are copious fruits (hips) which turn red, and the red fall color is glorious. I saw this one planted at the Unity Church in the 5’ space between the building and the sidewalk where it was contained and very beautiful.

         A star performer in the heat and drought of 2002 was the native cholla, Opuntia imbricata, also known as Candelabra Cactus. At the end of June when many other plants were in decline, this serious survivor was pumping out its showy red-purple flowers. It gets 4’-5’ high and 5’-7’ wide in many years. It does not like wet clay, but enjoys gravelly unamended soils. It can be contained with loppers and if unwatered in fast-draining soils, has little problem with weeds.

5-10-5 with 1% Calcium. This increases seed germination, supports transplanting and aids in flower and fruit development. This is also slow release and long lasting. Contains rock dust, meat and bone meal, composted poultry manure, and blood meal.

More Plants Have Arrived!

Just in time for Mother’s Day!

Snowy days are perfect for planning your garden and Eve has put together an article onPlants For Pollinators that will help you attract bees, butterflies and other flying friends (below).

We just received a huge delivery of beautiful, neonic-free plants including Hostas, Peonies, Bleeding Hearts, and many more garden favorites. We also now have Dahlia tubers from our friends Julie and Kurt at Arrowhead Dahlias in Platteville, CO (see list below). Many of you have been waiting for the arrival of Hablitzia tamnoides (Caucasian Mountain Spinach). It’s here! Since this plant is a vigorous, viney perennial, remember to plant it in an area of your garden where you won’t have to dig it up. Next week, peppers will be arriving! Lastly, we have restocked our Solar Caps, horticultural vinegar, and worm castings.

Don’t forget, on Saturday, May 11th is a very special class on Vermicomposting with Fort Collin’s Worm

Master, John Anderson! John will discuss the many ways worms can save the planet and explain why and how you can create worm compost. Worms will be available for purchase at the class for $40, plus the class fee of $15. Please call to register: 303-939-9403.
On Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 12th), roses are 15% off (a maximum of 2 roses per person)!
Coming next week: peppers, blooming annuals, and more perennials!

Help wanted at Harlequin’s Wholesale 

Plant production: This is a Full-time position through the growing season, involving physical outdoor work five days a week thru October, possibly later. Duties include
planting, watering, weeding, and propagation of organic plants using NO toxic pesticides, and occasional diverse tasks as needed. An excellent opportunity for an all-weather, reliable, hard-working, detail-oriented, plant-loving person, and an excellent learning opportunity. Please direct inquiries and send your resume to wholesale@nullharlequinsgardens.com

Dahlias Have Arrived!

Here are the varieties we’re carrying this year:
Banana Split
NTAC Solar Flare
Valley Rustbucket
Miss Delilah
Symphony
Diva
Camano Buz
Hollyhill Black Beauty
Cornel
Hillcrest Amour
Ivanetti
Caitlyn’s Joy

Pollinator Plants for Vegetable (and other) Gardens:

Photo at left: Malus ‘Thunderchild’ flowering crabapple by Joe Winslow

As gardeners, we are in a position to take positive and meaningful steps in supporting our diminishing pollinators and other beneficial insects, as well as many other members of our intricately interdependent ecosystems. Urban gardeners can be she/heroes in their own back yards and neighborhoods by eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and chemical herbicides. Now that we are cleaning up our act, we can invite our friends in the natural world to feast on the pollen, nectar fruits and seeds they need to survive and thrive. And at the same time, we are helping our gardens and ourselves to survive and thrive. Everybody does better when everybody does better! Harlequin’s Gardens is here to supply the best safe seeds, plants, products, and information to help you, your garden, your neighborhood, and ultimately, your planet.

Here are some suggestions for plant families and some of their specific members you can plant in and around your vegetable and fruit gardens to make them healthy, thriving havens for you and your ecosystem friends. To learn more, sign up for

The Borage (Boraginaceae) family contains many familiar garden flowers and native wildflowers, some of which are favorites of bees. Most of them are spring-bloomers. Borage and Phacelia are two of the best-known members of the family, which also includes Forget-me-Not, Chiming Bells (Lords & Ladies), Comfrey, Jacob’s Ladder, Lungwort, Alkanet (Anchusa), Echium, Lithospermum, and others.

The best Phacelia for supporting bees is P. tanacetifolia (known as Bee’s Friend), an annual species that is very pretty, with lacy-looking foliage and many small light purple flowers that show off their stamens. The blooms are arranged in a fascinating, spiraling structure called a scorpioid cyme. It grows very easily from seed, blooms all spring and into the summer, and is visited not only by honeybees, but also at least a few smaller native bees here. If allowed to self-sow, you can have a patch for years – especially if you shake the ripe seeds around in new beds. Every plant species seems to use (and potentially deplete) its own particular nutrient palette, and if grown continually in the same place, the colony will often diminish. Also be sure to maintain a diverse gene-pool by allowing self-sowing by numerous different individuals in the colony.

Phacelia campanularia is a smaller annual, with larger flowers (3/4”) that are stunning true blue, held singly or in small clusters in mid-spring. It is very drought tolerant, hence its common name: Desert Bluebells, and looks amazing with California Poppies.

If it’s bees you want to support, Calamintha nepeta (Calamint) and Pycnanthemum pilosum (Hairy Mountain Mint) are some of the best nectar sources for them, and are said to produce some of the finest honey. Both are perennials.  Actually, any plant in the Mint family, Labiatae, will get lots of attention from bees. Our native Monarda fistulosa (Bee Balm) is wonderful, as are the various selections and hybrid varieties of Monarda

that bloom in pink, lavender, purple,

or red. Many of our common culinary and medicinal herbs are in the mint family – Thyme, Savory, Rosemary, Sage, Lavender, Oregano, Catnip, Marjoram, Lemon Balm, Prunella (Self-Heal), Horehound (Marrubium) and of course, many varieties of Mint. The nectar of these plants contains powerful phytochemicals that help protect bees against mites, parasites and pathogens. Popular ornamentals in this family include Catmint (Nepeta), Agastache (sometimes called Hyssop), Traditional Hyssop, Salvia, Dragon’s Head, Phlomis. Members of the Mint family can be blooming through much of the spring, summer and fall.

Another Herb and Vegetable family that supports many, many beneficial insects, is the Apiaceae family –

notice that the family name refers directly to bees, though the primary pollinators of this group are hordes of tiny beneficials that help protect gardens from destructive insects. This family includes Parsley, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Celery, Lovage, Sweet Cecily, Chervil, Angelica, Queen Anne’s Lace, Carrot, Celeriac, Parsnip, and a long list of ornamental garden plants and natives. The family includes both highly edible and highly poisonous plants, so if you come upon a plant that looks anything like one of the familiar edibles when you are in the wilds, do not taste it until you have made an absolutely positive identification. One more thing –  most of the Apiaceae family herbs and veggies are harvested for their leaves, roots or stems and are not allowed to flower. I always leave my Parsley plants in the garden over the winter (they’re biennials), harvest some leaves in the spring and then let them put out their flowers (that look like small, light yellow Queen Anne’s Lace), which they will do for most of the summer. Then I allow them to self-sow. One year, some Parsnip roots escaped my attention and sprouted 2nd year foliage and flowers in my garden. They were gorgeous! 30 to 36-inch tall plants, with big flat heads of tiny, bright gold flowers, and bold tropical-looking foliage.

Many members of the Asteracea (Aster or Sunflower) family provide great mid-summer and autumn forage for honeybees, native bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects and pollinators. This is a huge, diverse and widely distributed family, including all the daisy-type flowers (Dandelion, Fleabane, Zinnia, Marigold, Jerusalem Artichoke, Shasta Daisy, Sunflower, Arnica, Echinacea, Gayfeather (Liatris), Gaillardia (Blanket Flower), Mexican Hat, Aster, Cosmos, Dahlia, Calendula, Chicory, Lettuce, Radicchio, Artemisia, Artichoke, Thistle, Gerbera, Chamomile, Yarrow, Ragweed, Goldenrod, Rabbitbrush, Black-eyed Susan, Coreopsis, and thousands more. Their seeds often provide important food for songbirds, as well.

Honeybees find my perennial ‘Rustic’ Arugula one of their top favorites in my garden. I always allow some of them to flower, sending up skinny bloom stalks up to 2 or 3’ tall for many months. They are always blooming, from late-spring to autumn frosts, with small bright yellow, 4-petaled (cruciform) flowers. If your Kale over-winters, it too will ‘bolt’ (start to flower) in its second spring. Other familiar members of this family, Brassicaceae,  include Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Collards, Mustard, ‘Canola’ (Rapeseed), Mizuna, Watercress, Radish, Turnip, Kohlrabi, Rutabaga, Stock, Wallflower, Sweet Alyssum, Basket-of-Gold, Aubrieta and many other garden flowers and wildflowers. The vegetables on the list will only benefit pollinators if they are allowed to bloom.

The Onion family,Amaryllidaceae, is well-represented in most vegetable gardens, as well as ornamental gardens. Flowers in this family provide great nectar sources for bees of many species. The edible Onions, Leeks, Garlic, Shallots, and Scallions aren’t usually given a chance to bloom before harvest, but Chives, Garlic Chives, Altai Onion, Welsh Onion and Ramps are perennial, so you can have flowers and still get a crop. There are plenty of popular ornamental Onions (Alliums), most growing from bulbs, and natives in the family. Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum), which blooms in summer, is an eminently garden-worthy native. Many spring-blooming bulbs (Crocus, Glory-of-the-Snow, Snowdrops, Tulips, Foxtail Lily, Camas, Hyacinth, Grape Hyacinth, and many more) are in this and other closely-allied families, and provide important bee forage early in the season.

Legumes, such as Clovers, peas and beans are members of the Fabaceae family. Some, like garden peas and beans, are self-

pollinating, and don’t require the help of pollinating insects. But lots of others can be important pollinator-attractors for honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies. Some garden-worthy natives that bees and butterflies of various types will flock to include the shrubs Amorpha fruticosa, A. nana, and A. canescens (Leadplant), and herbaceous perennials Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover), Golden Banner, and Silver Lupine. In addition, clovers and vetches support many bees and other pollinators, and are excellent cover crops in gardens. Traditional ornamentals in the family include Redbud trees, Wisteria vines, False indigo (Baptisia australis and other species), and garden Lupines (L. polyphyllus hybrids).

The Rosaceae family includes most of the temperate-zone fruits and berries, all of which are bee-pollinated: Apples, Crabapples, Pears, Peaches, Cherries, Plums, Apricots, Nectarines, Strawberries, Raspberries, Serviceberries, Blackberries, and a number of hybrids involving raspberries and blackberries. Along with these, the ornamental versions of these trees and shrubs, especially Flowering Crabapple and several selections of small-fruited plums, are equally dependent on wild and domesticated bees for pollination, and in a good year, will bring the pollinators in large numbers when they bloom. Roses are also pollinated primarily by bees, and are often popular with them. Native shrubs and trees in this family include Apache Plume, Fernbush, Fendlerbush, Sandcherry, Serviceberry, Chokecherry, American Plum, Antelope Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), Cliffrose (Purshia (Cowania) stansburyana).

A  few notable additions to this list are representatives of other plant families:

Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed) – eagerly pollinated by bees and butterflies. Larval host to Monarch butterflies.
Ribes aureum (Golden Currant) – pollinated by Bumblebees
Mahonia aquifolium and M. repens – excellent early spring forage for bees
Cleome serrulata (Rocky Mt. Bee Plant) – a wonderful wildling for bees of many kinds
Larkspur and Delphinium (Consolida ajacis or regalis, and native or exotic Delphinium) great for Bumblebees
Buckwheats (Eriogonum species like native Sulphur Buckwheat, and many others, as well as cultivated Buckwheat, grown as a seed crop or as a cover crop, and excellent forage for bees.
Poppies of all kinds are eagerly pollinated by honeybees and some native bees
Cactus flowers are also heavily laden with pollen that brings bees of many kinds.
Globe Mallow species attract lots of honeybees

OUR CLASS OFFERINGS

Call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

Our weekends are loaded with great classes you won’t want to miss! Our customers tell us that our classes have given them tremendous value, with practical and current information from local experts who have spent years honing their skills in Colorado and will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 (unless otherwise stated) for our classes to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up, or too few people register and we have to cancel. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. You can register at the nursery, by mail, or by calling 303-939-9403. We are unable to take class registration by email at this time.  Most of our classes run from one-and-a-half to two hours in length, and sometimes longer for hands-on classes, or if there are a large number of questions.  See the complete listing on our website.  

MAY

Sat, May 11 at 1 PM           
VERMICOMPOSTINGwith John Anderson 

The many ways worms can save the planet – they are nature’s gift that keeps on giving! Worm Man, John Anderson, will explain why and how you can create worm compost. The hope and change we’ve been waiting for right under your feet!  Worms will be available for purchase at the class for $40, plus the class fee of $15.
 

Sat, May 18 at 10 AM        
GARDENING WITH FRIENDS: INVITING WILDLIFE INTO YOUR GARDEN THROUGH LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck 

Living in a garden humming with life is a joy! Share you yard with birds, butterflies, pollinators and more.  You’ll learn how to provide a home for all life (maybe not deer), and why insects are a gardener’s friend, not the enemy. We’ll discuss overall landscape design strategies, as well as detailed information on plants that provide wildlife habitat, including many native plants. Alison has been designing landscapes for 25 years; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. Class cost: $15. 
 

Sat, May 18 at 1 PM           
SUCCESSFUL HIGH-ALTITUDE LANDSCAPE GARDENING with Irene Shonle

Mountain gardening is a challenge, with the short growing season, cold winters, water rights issues, critters and more. In this class, Irene will talk about ways to work with these challenges, and will discuss a palette of good mountain-hardy perennials, shrubs and trees that are low-water and provide pollinator/bird benefits. Irene Shonle is the Director of CSU Extension in Gilpin County. She holds a PhD in Ecology from U. of Chicago. She teaches and writes about native plants all across the state and is very involved with the Native Plant Master Program. She gardens (mostly with natives) in the mountains at her home and in demo gardens outside the Extension Office. Class cost: $15
 

Sun, May 19 at 10 AM
Tomato Tutelage with Kelly Grummons: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GROW GREAT TOMATOES!

This class takes the mystery out of growing good tomatoes in our area. You always hear “It’s a good tomato year” or “It’s a bad tomato year”. Learn how to make EVERY year a “good tomato year”! Kelly will discuss garden soil preparation, culture in the ground and in pots, nutrition, tomato pests and diseases. Learn about the best varieties to grow here and how to maximize your harvest. Kelly Grummons is a horticulturalist and tomato aficionado. Class Cost: $20
 

Sun, May 19 at 1 PM     
BEST FRUIT TREES FOR COLORADO with Mikl Brawner

Learn which varieties of fruit trees are successful here, which are not, and which are good flavored: Apples, Cherries, Plums, Pears, Peaches. Mikl’s first orchard was in 1976 and he will teach you how to care for your fruit trees. Class cost: $15
 

JUNE

Sat, Jun 1 at 10 AM          
JAPANESE BEETLES with Kristina Williams 

Our resident entomologist Kristina Williams will present the natural history of the Japanese Beetle so that you can better understand the pest you’re up against. Mikl Brawner will talk about the new products we are trying out at Harlequin’s Gardens, which are also available for purchase. Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Jun 1 at 1 PM          
DOG TUFF GRASS with Kelly Grummons 

Bring out the hammock! If you have a sunny yard and need a super low-water, low-maintenance, no-mow lawn that‘s short, lush, soft and green in summer, plant Dog Tuff™ African Dogtooth Grass instead of Kentucky Bluegrass!  Kelly Grummons has been working for over 20 years on techniques of growing this exciting, beautiful and extremely low-water turf grass. It was chosen as a PLANT SELECT variety and promoted across the US in 2016, and Dog Tuff™ is now available at Harlequin’s Gardens! In this class, Kelly will demonstrate the techniques for converting your thirsty lawn into one that requires just a fraction of the water. The low-profile, lush green turf is sure to become a staple in our region. By the way, Dog Tuff Grass is also surprisingly resistant to dog urine spots! Kelly Grummons is a horticulturist and owner of Prairie Storm Nursery, coldhardycactus.com, dogtuffgrass.com and Plantselect.org. Class cost: $20
 

Sun, Jun 2 at 1 PM         
BERRIES & SMALL FRUITS FOR COLORADO with Mikl Brawner 

Small fruits are delicious, high in antioxidants, take up less space and bear sooner than trees: strawberries, currants, raspberries, grapes, gooseberries. Learn about the best varieties for Colorado and how to grow them. Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Jun 8, 10 AM to 3 PM      
MUSHROOM CULTIVATION AND IDENTIFICATION HANDS-ON CLASS with Zach Hedstrom 

Mushrooms are delicious and healthy, but also shrouded in mystery! Learn more about them in this Mushroom Cultivation and Identification Workshop taught by mycology enthusiast Zach Hedstrom. Plan to leave the class with basic knowledge about how to grow mushrooms, the ways in which fungi can increase ecological vitality, as well as familiarity with the process of identification and various local wild mushroom species. Participants will partake in 2 hands-on mushroom growing activities and take away a log inoculated with Oyster Mushroom spawn that, with proper care, will produce tasty mushrooms for multiple years. Everyone will also receive a handout packet for help in identifying local mushrooms. Participants should bring their own lunch, and weather-appropriate clothing. It will be a day full of fungi, and FUN! Please call to reserve your spot by April 30^th(303-939-9403). $75 per person, 12 person maximum.
 

Sun, Jun 9 at 1 PM           
SUCCESSFUL HOME COMPOSTING with Mikl Brawner 

Learn how to turn waste into wealth by cultivating soil microorganisms. Nature does the work if you know how to lend a hand. In this class, you will learn what works in our climate, and what doesn’t. Mikl has been composting for 35 years. Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Jun 22 at 10 AM           
BENEFICIAL INSECTS with Kristina Williams 

Not all insects will harm your garden; and in fact many insects are “good guys” that will not only control garden pests but also help your garden in other ways. Learn how to recognize and attract beneficial insects to your yard and garden. Class cost: $15

 

Sat, Jun 22, 1-2 PM        
HABITAT HERO – WILDSCAPING 101 (FREE!) with Laura Somers 

Laura Somers, Wildscape Ambassador, representing Audubon Rockies and Colorado Native Plant Society will demonstrate the importance of restoring our communities, one garden patch at a time. From a birds-eye view, learn how to create wildlife-friendly gardens that help combat the loss of open spaces and create green corridors that link your wildscape to larger natural areas by providing habitat for wildlife.  Free admission!
 

Sun, Jun 23 at 10 AM
COLORADO NATIVE BEES with Kristina Williams 

If you have a backyard garden, it’s probably being pollinated by some of Boulder County’s 500+ species of native bees. We’ll talk about some of the basic types and how you can create bee friendly habitat to invite them to your yard. Then we’ll walk through Harlequins’ demonstration gardens to observe some of these bees in action. Class cost: $15


 

Sun, Jun 23 at 1 PM           
MANAGING GARDEN PESTS WITHOUT POISONS with Mikl Brawner     

Learn how to look for and identify common pests, and how to judge if anything needs to be done. Learn which organic solutions are the most effective, for what, and how to do it. Mikl has been walking this talk for 35 years. Class cost: $15

JULY

Sun, Jul 14 at 1 PM        
TIPS & 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 will pass on his 30 years of xeriscape experience. Class cost: $15


 

Sat, Jul 20 at 10 AM       
HONEY BEE MEET & GREET with Kristina Williams 

Have you ever watched bees coming out of a knothole in an old tree or seen those stacks of boxes near a field and wondered what was inside? Come take a peek inside a working hive of honeybees and chat about what it takes to have a hive of your own or to help bees in general. Please wear long sleeves and pants. Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Jul 20 at 1 PM         
BASIC LANDSCAPE DESIGN with Elaine Walker    

Elaine is a landscape architect who will show you the elements of designing areas of your property. Learn how to observe your site, identify goals, take a site analysis, create a comprehensive design, and how to approach installation in manageable pieces. Class cost: $15


 

Sun, Jul 21 at 10 AM     
FORAGING FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN MUSHROOMS —  P. 1:  REGIONAL MUSHROOM ID with Zach Hedstrom 

In this class, you will learn the basics of mushroom identification and what you should know before going out on a hunt. We will also introduce a variety of local mushrooms and their identification features. This is a good class for beginners as well as those who have done some foraging before. Class cost: $15

Sun, Jul 28 at 10 AM     
FORAGING FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN MUSHROOMS  —  P. 2: FORAGING FIELD TRIP with Zach Hedstrom 

In this class, you will take what you learned in the classroom and put it to practice on a mushroom hunting field trip in the mountains. Location given at registration.  Participants should come prepared with water, hats, and weather-appropriate clothing.  Pre-payment required: (303-939-9403).  Zach Hedstrom is a mushroom fanatic and grower at Hazel Dell! Class cost: $15.

AUGUST

Sun, Aug 11 at 1 PM      
PRUNING FOR STRENGTH, HEALTH, AND BEAUTY with Mikl Brawner                

Learn how to train young trees, restructure shrubs and trees damaged by storms, and to prune roses. Mikl has over 35 years of experience in pruning. (Repeated on Sep. 15). Class cost: $15


 

Sun, Aug 25 at 1 PM      
LOW TECH GREENHOUSE DESIGN & OPERATION with Mikl Brawner   

Mikl has been researching, building, and using simple greenhouses for 20 years. This class will focus on five designs on site at the nursery. Class cost: $15

SEPTEMBER

Sun, Sep 8 at 1 PM         
HOW TO MULCH with Mikl Brawner 

Weedbarrier, wood chips, straw, fine gravel, bark? Which mulches should be used and where? Why is mulching so important? What’s wrong with redwood and cedar? Mikl will discuss these questions and suggest solutions. Class cost: $15


 

Sun, Sep 15 at 1 PM      
PRUNING FOR STRENGTH, HEALTH, AND BEAUTY with Mikl Brawner    

Learn how to train young trees, restructure shrubs and trees damaged by storms, and to prune roses. Mikl has over 35 years of experience in pruning. (Repeat of Aug. 11) Class cost: $15
 

OCTOBER 

Sat, Oct 5 from 10 AM to 2 PM           
WHAT TO DO WHEN with Kelly Grummons 

Kelly Grummons of Prairie Storm Nursery (coldhardycactus.com, dogtuffgrass.com) and plantselect.org will answer those oft-asked gardening questions such as: when do I prune my roses, start tomato seeds, seed grass, put down sod, cut back ornamental grasses, prune lilacs and clematis, apply soil microbes, when to fertilize, transplant perennials, divide iris, etc., etc.  Get the picture?!  Answers provided.  Kelly is one of the region’s preeminent horticulturists, and an expert in natural plant nutrition and pest control. Plan to bring a sack lunch. Class cost: $30
 

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Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the most up-to-date information and photos! We’re looking forward to seeing you at our May Day Sale and Celebration! In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Get all the latest news from your friends at Harlequin’s Gardens.
www.harlequinsgardens.com

MAY DAY SALE & CELEBRATION

JUST DAYS AWAY!

We’re stocking up for our May Dale Celebration and Sale which begins Monday, April 29!  The Sale will continue through May 5 and segues into our unique and delightful May Day Celebration on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5.  Details about the sale and our May Day Celebration are below.  

In preparation we’ve received delivery upon delivery upon delivery from our propagators and suppliers!  We now have most of our tomato varieties in stock, an amazing selection of other veggies and culinary & medicinal herbs(including 4-packs of Nufar Genovese Basil!), and our annuals selection is growing.  Our hardy, own-root roses are available and ready to plant, including a new batch of roses in quart (4 ½”) pots, and we have lots and lots of neonic-free, pollinator-friendly perennials, natives, shrubs and trees in stock.  See below for some inventory listings.

To boost the success of your plants we also have a great selection of fertilizers, soil amendments and mulches.  

Grow your first, or your most successful ever veggie garden this year!  Our own Mimi Yanus will guide you in her very popular “Getting Started in Veggie Gardening” class this Saturday at 10 AM.  That afternoon at 1:00 Mikl will show you which shrubs should be pruned in the spring and how to do so in his “Spring Pruning Class”.

As our 

region becomes more arid, many people are choosing plants that require less water.  On Sunday at 10 AM Kelly Grummons, owner of Prairie Storm Nursery, will introduce you to “Dryer Plants for a New Landscape Era.”  Wind up the day with John Martin and Kayan Short of Stonebridge CSA Farm, class on “Growing Grapes on the Front Range”.  They will show how you can successfully grow table grapes and wine grapes on the Colorado Front Range. 

See below for more details and call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

Help wanted at Harlequin’s Gardens

Doing plant production: planting, watering, weeding, and propagation of organic-no toxic pesticide plants. Physical outdoor work five days a week thru October, possibly later.   
Send your resume to staff@nullharlequinsgardens.com

Don’t Miss our May Day Plant Sale and Celebration! 

Historically, May Day is a festival of spring and flowers; an old-fashioned holiday that has been celebrated for many centuries, although it isn’t commonly celebrated any more in the modern US. This earth-based celebration is inspired by gratitude for fertility and set at a time when seeds sprout, plants begin growing and baby animals are born.  For Harlequin’s Gardens, this is not just a time to hold a sale, but rather a time to share a true celebration with you, our friends, with live music and dancers.

When Mikl was growing up in Iowa, it was customary for children to make small May Day Baskets out of paper and glue and fill them with flowers or candy.  After leaving the basket on a neighbor’s porch, he would ring their doorbell and run!  

A main-stay of our entertainment is the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers, who dance every May Day, come rain or shine, on behalf of fertility.  They dance all over the County, and have said that we, Harlequin’s Gardens, are their roots because we are an earth-based business connecting with the earth and growing things. 

A fun poem from the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers website colorfully explains more: 

We do it all day, we do it all night, 
because it is, a fertility rite! 
That and the beer. 
And it helps preserve a very old tradition, 
much like drinking beer. 
And it embarrasses our offspring, 
which we laugh about while drinking beer. 
And it’s more fun than aerobics, 
which means we can drink more beer. 
And it makes us attractive to the opposite sex, 
so we can drink beer together. 
And it’s a social activity, 
which includes drinking beer.

Schedule of Events

We have a many other wonderful entertainers joining us on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5.  Our musicians, listed below, will provide great music to accompany your browsing. 

APRIL 29 thru MAY 5  

May Day Plant Sale

MAY 4 and 5

Annual May Day Celebration and Cinco de Mayo

SATURDAY, MAY 4 

10 AM: Maroon Bells Morris Dancers bring us fertility and merriment
11:30 AM: enjoy the duo Martian Acres playing classic pop and originals
1:30 PM: move to Bistro Marimba with the music of Zimbabwe

SUNDAY, MAY 5, CINCO DE MAYO

Light refreshments will be served
11:30 AM: Boulder Irish Sessionjig and reel with Boulder’s finest Irish tunes and songs!
1:00 PM: local harpist Margo Krimmel will treat us to the tunes of O’Carolan and other fine melodies. 
 

May Day Plant Sale beginning Monday, April 29! 

Our Store, Bee Barn, and Plant Shelves swill be full to bursting when you visit!   2019 Members will be eligible for a $10 discount on a $50 or more purchase of plants (excluding roses & fruit trees) during that time frame!

DEEP DISCOUNT PLANTS!

Not the dregs! These are wonderful, neonic-free plants in prime condition, ready for planting in your garden!

MEMBERSHIP

Memberships help Harlequin’s to do those extras that are so valuable to the community but that are not profitable, like: 5 demonstration gardens of Natives, low-water groundcovers, the New Western Garden etc; plus plastic pot recycling; plant and pest identification for customers; hand-outs on many subjects like pollinator plants, how to plant, what blooms in July etc; local seed collecting and propagation, and more.

If you like what we have been doing, please become a member and help us to do it better, and enjoy the benefits of membership.  For a $20 donation, you’ll receive membership for the current calendar year and the following benefits:

1)  Half-price Harlequin’s Class of your choice. (Restricted to regular $15 and $20 classes.)
2)  25% discount on books all year

3)  During the May Day Week get $10 off a $50 or more purchase of plants (excluding roses & fruit trees)
4)  During May Day Week, take 10% off roses (except quarts), then
5)  in August begin the fall sale a week early with 20% off most everything.

You can become a member anytime you are at the nursery, or mail a check for $20 to
Harlequin’s Gardens
4795 N.26th St.
Boulder, CO. 80301

We will put you in our Membership file. A membership is valid until the end of the calendar year.
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEMBERS!!!

TOMATO STARTS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE 

Below is our current listing of tomatoes.  Please see our website for descriptions. 

WARM-SEASON VEGGIES & HERB STARTS 

Nufar Basil
Okra ‘Jambalaya’
Okra ‘Stelley
Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry
 

COOL-SEASON VEGGIE STARTS 

Artichoke
Arugula
Asian Greens
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Chard
Chinese Cabbage
Cilantro
Collards
Endive
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Onions
Perennial Spinach (Hablitzia tamnoides)
Radicchio
Spinach

ANNUALS 

Amaranth ‘Hopi Red Dye’
Calendula ‘Pacific Beauty’
California Poppy – 5 colors!
Datura meteloides
Datura ‘Purple Currant Swirl’
Desert Bluebells
Ammi majus 
Lobelia ‘Crystal Palace’
Marigold ‘Lemon Gem’
Marigold ‘Red Marietta’
Nasturtiums
Sage ‘Blue Monday’
Sage ‘Pink Sunday’
Sweet Alyssum ‘Oriental Nights’
Sweet Alyssum ‘Tiny Tim’
 

APRIL & MAY CLASS LIST

Call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

Our weekends are loaded with great classes you won’t want to miss! Our customers tell us that our classes have given them tremendous value, with practical and current information from local experts who have spent years honing their skills in Colorado and will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 (unless otherwise stated) for our classes to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up, or too few people register and we have to cancel. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. You can register at the nursery, by mail, or by calling 303-939-9403. We are unable to take class registration by email at this time.  Most of our classes run from one-and-a-half to two hours in length, and sometimes longer for hands-on classes, or if there are a large number of questions.  See the complete listing on our website.  

APRIL

Sat, Apr 27 at 10 AM       
GETTING STARTED IN VEGETABLE GARDENING with Mimi Yanus

If you are new to Colorado, new to vegetable gardening, or have been unhappy with the results of your earlier attempts, this class is for you. Learn from Mimi what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful and bountiful, even in Colorado conditions!  (Class repeated by popular demand!)  Class cost: $15

Sat, Apr 27 at 1 PM      
SPRING PRUNING with Mikl Brawner

There are shrubs that should not be pruned in the spring and there are shrubs, roses and vines that are best pruned in spring. Learn which to prune when, and how to prune for strength, beauty, and production of fruit and flowers. (Rescheduled from April 14.  This is not a repeat of the Fall Pruning Class.) Class cost: $15

Sun Apr 28 at 10 AM
DRYER PLANTS FOR A NEW LANDSCAPE ERA with Kelly Grummons

Many beautiful cacti, century plants (Agave spp.), yuccas, and their relatives thrive in our harsh climate. These plants look as good in the winter garden as they do in the summer. Kelly is well known for his work with these hardy plants and is expert at using them in the garden. We’ll discuss companion plants, soil preparation and garden construction. Kelly Grummons is an accomplished Horticulturist, one of our region’s most important plant breeders, and Owner of Prairie Storm Nursery (coldhardycactus.com and dogtuffgrass.com).  Class cost: $20
 

Sun Apr 28 at 1 PM      
GROWING GRAPES ON THE FRONT RANGE with John Martin

Thanks to recent development in grape varieties, you, too can successfully grow table grapes and wine grapes on the Colorado Front Range. This workshop will present an overview of varieties suitable for this region, considerations for site location, trellising options, pest protection measures, and a brush across two basic pruning techniques.  Whether you are interested in fruit or wine, let’s explore how the taste of your grapes and wineswill define this locality. John and his partner, Kayann Short, tend nine different varieties of grapes and make wine at their CSA farm, Stonebridge, in Longmont.  Class cost: $15
 

MAY

Sat, May 11 at 1 PM           
VERMICOMPOSTINGwith John Anderson 

The many ways worms can save the planet – they are nature’s gift that keeps on giving! Worm Man, John Anderson, will explain why and how you can create worm compost. The hope and change we’ve been waiting for right under your feet!  Worms will be available for purchase at the class for $40, plus the class fee of $15.  Call 303-939-9403 to pre-order worms by April 30^th at a $5 discount.
 

Sat, May 18 at 10 AM        
GARDENING WITH FRIENDS: INVITING WILDLIFE INTO YOUR GARDEN THROUGH LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck 

Living in a garden humming with life is a joy! Share you yard with birds, butterflies, pollinators and more.  You’ll learn how to provide a home for all life (maybe not deer), and why insects are a gardener’s friend, not the enemy. We’ll discuss overall landscape design strategies, as well as detailed information on plants that provide wildlife habitat, including many native plants. Alison has been designing landscapes for 25 years; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. Class cost: $15. 

Sat, May 18 at 1 PM           
SUCCESSFUL HIGH-ALTITUDE LANDSCAPE GARDENING with Irene Shonle

Mountain gardening is a challenge, with the short growing season, cold winters, water rights issues, critters and more. In this class, Irene will talk about ways to work with these challenges, and will discuss a palette of good mountain-hardy perennials, shrubs and trees that are low-water and provide pollinator/bird benefits.Irene Shonle is the Director of CSU Extension in Gilpin County. She holds a PhD in Ecology from U. of Chicago. She teaches and writes about native plants all across the state and is very involved with the Native Plant Master Program. She gardens (mostly with natives) in the mountains at her home and in demo gardens outside the Extension Office. Class cost: $15
 

Sun, May 19 at 10 AM
Tomato Tutelage with Kelly Grummons: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GROW GREAT TOMATOES!

This class takes the mystery out of growing good tomatoes in our area. You always hear “It’s a good tomato year” or “It’s a bad tomato year”. Learn how to make EVERY year a “good tomato year”! Kelly will discuss garden soil preparation, culture in the ground and in pots, nutrition, tomato pests and diseases. Learn about the best varieties to grow here and how to maximize your harvest. Kelly Grummons is a horticulturalist and tomato aficionado. Class Cost: $20
 

Sun, May 19 at 1 PM     
BEST FRUIT TREES FOR COLORADO with Mikl Brawner

Learn which varieties of fruit trees are successful here, which are not, and which are good flavored: Apples, Cherries, Plums, Pears, Peaches. Mikl’s first orchard was in 1976 and he will teach you how to care for your fruit trees. Class cost: $15
 

Referrals

Know anyone that would also enjoy receiving our blogs?  If so, forward this blog to them and they can click here to subscribe. 

Social Media

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the most up-to-date information and photos! We’re looking forward to seeing you at our May Day Sale and Celebration! In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Additional Mason Bee Class by Popular Demand!

Call today to reserve your spot!

We’ve had such a popular response to our two Mason Beekeeping classes with Tom Theobald, that’s he’s agreed to add a third class next weekend!  On Saturday, March 23 at 10:00 AM, Tom will discuss the importance of native bees and the roll they play in pollinating our early crops.  You will also have the opportunity to purchase Mason Bee Straws (see details below as this must be done in advance.)

Tom’s class will be followed at 1:00 by Kristina Williams’ class on “Get Equipped for BeeKeeping”, which is Free!  Kristina will share how to build strong frames, and give a our of our Bee Barn.  A great combination with Tom’s class!  

Call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

Sat, Mar 23 at 10 AM
Mason Beekeeping with Tom Theobald  

The importance of our native ‘solitary’ bee species to the pollination of our crops, flowers, and native plants is receiving increased attention. For over 30 years, Tom Theobald of Niwot Honey Farm has been propagating one of the most ‘useful’ species, Mason Bees (Blue Orchard Bees), and will teach how to attract and care for these gentle native pollinators. Mason Bees are not a replacement for honeybees, but they are excellent pollinators of the early fruits – cherries, apples, etc.  They stay close to home, don’t sting, don’t require the year-round commitment of a colony of honeybees and provide a great way to introduce children to the world of pollinators. Harlequin’s Gardens will have filled straws (containing male and female adult bees in hibernation) for sale for $12 a straw. 

IMPORTANT: You must RESERVE your Mason Bee straws IN ADVANCE by calling Harlequin’s Gardens at 303-939-9403. Pre-payment of mason bee straws is required. Class cost: $15.  (Note: this class is a repeat of Tom’s March 2 class.) 

Sat, Mar 23 at 1 PM 
Get Equipped for Beekeeping with Kristina Williams  

For beginning and established beekeepers, alike!  Kristina will demonstrate how to build and crosswire frames. Learn the lingo of beekeeping supplies and take a tour of our Bee Barn. Harlequin’s Gardens is upgrading frames and foundation to be as strong as they can be and still use beeswax. Our resident entomologist and Bee Barn Babe, Kristina Williams, will share her vast knowledge with you!  Free Admission!   (Photo credit, right: Red Hot Pepper) 

See our complete list of classes on our website.  

Referrals

Know anyone that would also enjoy receiving our blogs?  If so, forward this blog to them and they can click here to subscribe. 

Social Media

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the most up-to-date information and photos! We’re looking forward to seeing you this week!  Throughout the month of March we’ll be open four days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

With asparagus and onions arriving soon!

Now that our cool-season veggies have begun to arrive (see list below) it feels like spring will be here very soon! We are also stocked with seeds for early spring crops (see list below).  We look forward to having you stop by to see them. 

When planting in the early season, it’s important to have a few extra tools on hand.  Soil Thermometers will help you accurately gauge when to plant.  

Row Cover gives you a few degrees warmer temperature, protection from drying sun and wind for seed beds, tender seedlings and transplants, as well as protection from insects and birds. The fabrics can be “floated” over your rows or beds, using weights of various kinds to keep them in place, and can also be used to cover garden tunnel frames. When handled gently, these fabrics can last several seasons.   We have two types of Row Cover fabrics – Ensulate (1.5 lb.) and Seed Guard (.6 lb), both in pre-cut sheets or custom cut from our 12′-wide rolls.

With the aid of Row-Cover fabric, you can plant our Broccoli, Aspabroc, Broccoli Raab, Cauliflower and Cabbage starts EARLY!  Eve has always had her best crops of spring-planted Broccoli and Cauliflower from starts set out in mid-March with protection. For heading Brassicas like these, you could also recycle 1-gallon water jugs, cutting out the bottoms and uncapping the tops, then setting them over the newly planted starts and pressing them into the soil just enough to keep them standing.  You can put the caps on at night, but don’t forget to remove the caps before your plants cook in the sun. 
  We continue to be open four days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the month of March.   Starting Monday, April 1, we’ll be OPEN DAILY! 

CLASSES

This weekend we’re again featuring three great classes.  In keeping with the arrival of our cool-season veggies, Mimi Yanus conducts her ever-popular “Getting Started in Veggie Gardening” class on Saturday at 10:00.  (Mimi will repeat this class on April 6.)   

It’s not too late to get your Mason Bee straws!  At 1:00 on Saturday, Tom Theobald hosts a repeat of his earlier “Mason Beekeeping” class. 

On Sunday at 1:00, Kirk Fieseler of Laporte Avenue Nursery in Fort Collins, will share valuable knowledge about propagating and growing evergreens in Colorado (which can be challenging!) in his “Dwarf Conifers for Gardens and Landscapes” class.  

 See below for more details and call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

COOL-SEASON VEGGIES 

Our organic, neonic-free cool-season veggie crops are rolling in!  Our early arrivals include:

• All Seasons Cabbage
• Tuscan / Lacinato / Dinosaur Kale (it’s known by many names)
• Bull’s Blood Beet Greens
• Spigariello Leaf Broccoli
• Rapini (Broccoli Raab)

Stay tuned for updated descriptions for this year’s descriptions for Tomato, Pepper, and Eggplant starts, on our website! 

ONIONS 

Our onion plants are en route and will be arriving later this week. We’ll have Copra, Redwing, and Walla Walla in bundles.

We are also growing Ailsa Craig, Cippolini Bianco di Maggio, and Red Long of Tropea in pots, and they will be ready very soon. 
 

ASPARAGUS CROWNS

Also arriving later this week are Asparagus Crowns.  This year we will have both Jersey Knight and Purple Passion Asparagus Crown selections.  
 

SEEDS 

We have early spring crop seeds including tatsoi, pak choi, mustards, mizuna, radish, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, pea, arugula, spinach, carrots, parsley, parsnip, onions, scallions, chervil, fava beans, and hardy annual flowers like California Poppies, California Bluebells, Sweet Alyssum, Bee’s Friend (Phacelia tanacetifolia), Larkspur, Shirley Poppies, Sweet Peas, perennial native Blue Flax, and more.

When the soil has warmed enough, peas can be planted. We recommend pre-sprouting them indoors, and carefully planting the sprouted seeds, sprinkled with legume inoculant (which we have), in soil has warmed up to at least 40 degrees F.  Peas can be planted through April.  We have seeds for Shelling Peas, Snow Peas, and Sugar Pod or Snap peas.  Here’s some great local advice on growing peas.
 

COVER CROP SEEDS – NEW! 

We’ve expanded our offerings of cover crops to better meet your gardening needs.  Late winter / early spring is a great time to sow cover crops! 

• Fall / Winter Cover Crop Mix
• Spring / Summer Cover Crop Mix
• Ephraim Crested Wheatgrass
• Blue Grama
• Hairy Vetch
• Red Clover
• Austrian Winter Peas
• Daikon Radish
• Dwarf Essex Rapeseed
• Annual Sunflower
• Quatro Sheep Fescue
• Morgan Spring Oats (organic)
• Spring Triticale
• Buckwheat (organic)
• Organic Spring Cover Crop Mix
• Harlequin’s Gardens Mountain Native Mix
• Harlequin’s Gardens Foothills native Mix
• Harlequin’s Gardens Xeric Mix

MARCH CLASS LIST

Call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

Our weekends are loaded with great classes you won’t want to miss! Our customers tell us that our classes have given them tremendous value, with practical and current information from local experts who have spent years honing their skills in Colorado and will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 (unless otherwise stated) for our classes to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up, or too few people register and we have to cancel. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. You can register at the nursery, by mail, or by calling 303-939-9403. We are unable to take class registration by email at this time.  Most of our classes run from one-and-a-half to two hours in length, and sometimes longer for hands-on classes, or if there are a large number of questions.  See the complete March Class listing below, or on our website.  

Sat, Mar 16 at 10 AM
Getting Started in Vegetable Gardening with Mimi Yanus  

If you are new to Colorado, new to vegetable gardening, or have been unhappy with the results of your earlier attempts, this class is for you. Learn from Mimi what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful and bountiful, even in Colorado conditions!  Class cost: $15.  (This class will be repeated on Saturday, April 6^th at 10 AM.) 
 

Sat, Mar 16 at 1 PM
Mason Beekeeping with Tom Theobald  

The importance of our native ‘solitary’ bee species to the pollination of our crops, flowers, and native plants is receiving increased attention. For over 30 years, Tom Theobald of Niwot Honey Farm has been propagating one of the most ‘useful’ species, Mason Bees (Blue Orchard Bees), and will teach how to attract and care for these gentle native pollinators. Mason Bees are not a replacement for honeybees, but they are excellent pollinators of the early fruits – cherries, apples, etc.  They stay close to home, don’t sting, don’t require the year-round commitment of a colony of honeybees and provide a great way to introduce children to the world of pollinators. Harlequin’s Gardens will have filled straws (containing male and female adult bees in hibernation) for sale for $12 a straw. 
IMPORTANT: You must RESERVE your Mason Bee straws IN ADVANCE by calling Harlequin’s Gardens at 303-939-9403. Pre-payment of mason bee straws is required. Class cost: $15.  (Note: this class is a repeat of Tom’s March 2 class.) 
 

Sun, Mar 17 at 1 PM
Dwarf Conifers for Gardens and Landscapes with Kirk Fieseler  

A renowned expert in conifers at Laporte Avenue Nursery in Fort Collins, Kirk Fieseler will discuss dwarf conifers for small landscapes and rock gardens. Learn the origins and propagation techniques for dwarf conifers as well as how to grow them in containers and in the garden. Kirk will talk about the most successful species for our climate and soils. Class cost: $15.  (Pictured right: Farmy, P. edulis. Photo by Kirk Fieseler.)
 

Wed, Mar 20 – First Day of Spring  

Sat, Mar 23 at 1 PM 
Get Equipped for Beekeeping with Kristina Williams  

For beginning and established beekeepers, alike!  Kristina will demonstrate how to build and crosswire frames. Learn the lingo of beekeeping supplies and take a tour of our Bee Barn. Harlequin’s Gardens is upgrading frames and foundation to be as strong as they can be and still use beeswax. Our resident entomologist and Bee Barn Babe, Kristina Williams, will share her vast knowledge with you!  Free Admission!   (Photo credit, right: Red Hot Pepper) 
 

Sun, Mar 24 at 1 PM
Building Topsoil & Fertility with Mikl Brawner  

Mikl will discuss how to support soil life, enrich poor soils, and improve plant health and nutrition from the bottom up: composts, fertilizers, mulching, worms, deficiencies, and tilth. Class cost: $15
 

Sun, Mar 31 at 1 PM
Cold Hardy Cacti and Succulents with Kelly Grummons  

We are proud to present acclaimed CO horticulturist Kelly Grummons, director of Prairie Storm Nursery, a business that includes ColdHardyCactus.com and DogTuffGrass.com!  An expert in selection and propagation of rare and unique plants for Colorado, Kelly will discuss a variety of exceptional new winter hardy cacti, agaves, yuccas, and outdoor succulents, and include choosing appropriate sites, soil prep, fertilizing, and ongoing care. Class cost: $20.   (Photo credit, left: ColdHardCactus.com) 
 

Referrals

Know anyone that would also enjoy receiving our blogs?  If so, forward this blog to them and they can click here to subscribe. 

Social Media

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the most up-to-date information and photos! We’re looking forward to seeing you this week!  In March we are open every Thursday-Sunday, 9-5. In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

WELCOME TO OUR 2019 SEASON!

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Welcome to our 27^th year! Our opening day is tomorrow, Friday, March 1, and throughout the month we’ll be open 4 days a week from 9 am to 5 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

We’re always surprised at how fast the winter goes by, and this year is no different!  Our team has been hard at work and we’re excited to greet you with a new Entrance Sign and plantings (they’ll be ready soon!) and several soil product structures.  Inside the store we have filled-out our offerings of tools, seeds, and soil products.  (Next week be sure to read all about our soil-life-enhancing product offerings!) 

Many renowned experts will be joining us this year for our weekend classes.  Below we feature our March classes and soon we’ll be sharing our full schedule of classes for the entire season.  Please share this blog with friends and neighbors that you think would like to attend our classes!

Our first two weekends of classes through Sunday, March 10 are especially exciting with Tom Theobald of Niwot Honey Farm sharing the importance of our native Mason Bees on Saturday, March 2 at 1:00 in “Mason Beekeeping”.  The next day, Sunday at 1:00, Mikl presents his ever-popular “Planting by the Moon & Stars” class utilizing the Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar, which will be available for sale. 

We kick-off the following weekend on Saturday, March 9 at 10 AM, with two of our favorite Permaculturists, Tara Rae Kent and Daniela Escudero sharing some important principles to create more resilient and regenerative systems in our own gardens in their “Intro to Permaculture” class.  Best of all, we’re offering this class with Free Admission! 

Stick around on March 9 because at 1:00 we have a one-time-only presentation on “Cover Crops: Why, How and Which” with Clark Harshbarger.  Clark who is employed with the USDA-NRCS as a soil scientist and recently as director of Regenerative Farming at MAD Agriculture, will soon be moving to eastern US.  For this special presentation we are renting a larger space next door at the Boulder Circus Center.  This special class is only $20. 

Finally on Sunday, March 10 at 1:00 pm, Mikl with share how to address “Fireblight” issues, which were a hardship for many gardeners last year.

An exciting kick-off to our 2019 classes! See below for more details and call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

MARCH CLASS LIST

Call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

Our weekends are loaded with great classes you won’t want to miss! Our customers tell us that our classes have given them tremendous value, with practical and current information from local experts who have spent years honing their skills in Colorado and will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 (unless otherwise stated) for our classes to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up, or too few people register and we have to cancel. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. You can register at the nursery, by mail, or by calling 303-939-9403. We are unable to take class registration by email at this time.  Most of our classes run from one-and-a-half to two hours in length, and sometimes longer for hands-on classes, or if there are a large number of questions.  See the complete March Class listing below, or on our website.  

Sat, Mar 2 at 1 PM
Mason Beekeeping with Tom Theobald  

The importance of our native ‘solitary’ bee species to the pollination of our crops, flowers, and native plants is receiving increased attention. For over 30 years, Tom Theobald of Niwot Honey Farm has been propagating one of the most ‘useful’ species, Mason Bees (Blue Orchard Bees), and will teach how to attract and care for these gentle native pollinators. Mason Bees are not a replacement for honeybees, but they are excellent pollinators of the early fruits – cherries, apples, etc.  They stay close to home, don’t sting, don’t require the year-round commitment of a colony of honeybees and provide a great way to introduce children to the world of pollinators. Harlequin’s Gardens will have filled straws (containing male and female adult bees in hibernation) for sale for $12 a straw. 
IMPORTANT: You must RESERVE your Mason Bee straws IN ADVANCE by calling Harlequin’s Gardens at 303-939-9403. Pre-payment of mason bee straws is required. Class cost: $15.  (This class will be repeated on Saturday, March 16th at 1 pm.)
 

Sun, Mar 3 at 1 PM
Planting by the Moon & Stars with Mikl Brawner  

The moon and planets influence life on Earth. Mikl has been planting by the Biodynamic Calendar for 20 years with great success. Be in-sync with the cosmic rhythms to maximize your garden’s effectiveness and yield. Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendars will be available for sale. Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Mar 9 at 10 AM
Introduction to Permaculture with Tara Rae Kent & Daniela Escudero  

Permaculture is a design science that is informed by cycles and patterns in nature. This helps us create more resilient and regenerative systems, whether those systems are gardens, farms, businesses, or events. We will explore the ethics that guide a permaculture design and the principles that help a design take form, as well as real life examples and projects that are a part of our lives. The class will include: 1) an introduction and exploration of the Permaculture Ethics and Principles, 2) real life, active and diverse examples of permaculture designs, and 3) a tour of Harlequin’s Garden’s Permaculture Design.  Free admission!  


 

Sat, Mar 9 at 1 PM
Cover Crops for Gardeners: Why, How & Which with Clark Harshbarger  

In the current soil revolution, we are learning how to nurture and care for our soils and the soil life that is the true source of soil fertility. Cover crops are becoming recognized as one of the keys to soil fertility and soil health. When our annual crops die in the fall, if we do not replace those crops with living plants, then the microbes that depend on the nutrients “leaked” into the soil from plant roots, will die or decrease. Besides that, cover crops are a method to use photosynthesis to grow organic matter and nutrients including nitrogen to add to the soil, so we have to buy fewer amendments. In addition, many cover crops support beneficial insects which help control pest insects, and they reduce erosion.
 
But which cover crops do well in Colorado and when do we plant them and when should we cut them, and how do we prevent them from becoming weeds or competitors? And how best to combine them?  Harlequin’s Gardens has been looking for someone to teach us these things, who really knows how to do it in our local conditions. And this year we found the right person. So this is a great opportunity that will not be available next year, because Clark Harshbarger will be moving to eastern US.  For the last two decades, Clark was employed with the USDA-NRCS as a soil scientist and recently as director of Regenerative Farming at MAD Agriculture.
 
We have rented a bigger space than our classroom, but people will have to register ahead of time to make sure they get a seat. Clark’s class will be held at the Boulder Circus Center, next door to Harlequin’s Gardens, south in the big metal building in the Trixie Room.  Register by phone at 303-939-9403. This will be a 2 hour class and we will be charging only $20. 
 

Sun, Mar 10 at 1 PM
Fireblight: Pruning, Nutrition & Culture with Mikl Brawner  

Last year was the worst year for this bad bacterial disease of apples and pears. Mikl has had over 40 years of experience with fireblight, and will teach and demonstrate proper pruning, and explain how to bring a tree back to health even if a lot of the tree is blighted. Class cost: $15

 

Sat, Mar 16 at 10 AM
Getting Started in Vegetable Gardening with Mimi Yanus  

If you are new to Colorado, new to vegetable gardening, or have been unhappy with the results of your earlier attempts, this class is for you. Learn from Mimi what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful and bountiful, even in Colorado conditions!  Class cost: $15.  (This class will be repeated on Saturday, April 6^th at 10 am.) 
 

Sat, Mar 16 at 1 PM
Mason Beekeeping with Tom Theobald  

The importance of our native ‘solitary’ bee species to the pollination of our crops, flowers, and native plants is receiving increased attention. For over 30 years, Tom Theobald of Niwot Honey Farm has been propagating one of the most ‘useful’ species, Mason Bees (Blue Orchard Bees), and will teach how to attract and care for these gentle native pollinators. Mason Bees are not a replacement for honeybees, but they are excellent pollinators of the early fruits – cherries, apples, etc.  They stay close to home, don’t sting, don’t require the year-round commitment of a colony of honeybees and provide a great way to introduce children to the world of pollinators. Harlequin’s Gardens will have filled straws (containing male and female adult bees in hibernation) for sale for $12 a straw. 
IMPORTANT: You must RESERVE your Mason Bee straws IN ADVANCE by calling Harlequin’s Gardens at 303-939-9403. Pre-payment of mason bee straws is required. Class cost: $15.  (Note: this class is a repeat of Tom’s March 2 class.) 
 

Sun, Mar 17 at 1 PM
Dwarf Conifers for Gardens and Landscapes with Kirk Fieseler  

A renowned expert in conifers at Laporte Avenue Nursery in Fort Collins, Kirk Fieseler will discuss dwarf conifers for small landscapes and rock gardens. Learn the origins and propagation techniques for dwarf conifers as well as how to grow them in containers and in the garden. Kirk will talk about the most successful species for our climate and soils. Class cost: $15.  (Pictured right: Farmy, P. edulis. Photo by Kirk Fieseler.)
 

Wed, Mar 20 – First Day of Spring  

Sat, Mar 23 at 1 PM 
Get Equipped for Beekeeping with Kristina Williams  

For beginning and established beekeepers, alike!  Kristina will demonstrate how to build and crosswire frames. Learn the lingo of beekeeping supplies and take a tour of our Bee Barn. Harlequin’s Gardens is upgrading frames and foundation to be as strong as they can be and still use beeswax. Our resident entomologist and Bee Barn Babe, Kristina Williams, will share her vast knowledge with you!  Free Admission!   (Photo credit, right: Red Hot Pepper) 
 

Sun, Mar 24 at 1 PM
Building Topsoil & Fertility with Mikl Brawner  

Mikl will discuss how to support soil life, enrich poor soils, and improve plant health and nutrition from the bottom up: composts, fertilizers, mulching, worms, deficiencies, and tilth. Class cost: $15
 

Sun, Mar 31 at 1 PM
Cold Hardy Cacti and Succulents with Kelly Grummons  

We are proud to present acclaimed CO horticulturist Kelly Grummons, director of Prairie Storm Nursery, a business that includes ColdHardyCactus.com and DogTuffGrass.com!  An expert in selection and propagation of rare and unique plants for Colorado, Kelly will discuss a variety of exceptional new winter hardy cacti, agaves, yuccas, and outdoor succulents, and include choosing appropriate sites, soil prep, fertilizing, and ongoing care. Class cost: $20.   (Photo credit, left: ColdHardCactus.com) 
 

Referrals

Know anyone that would also enjoy receiving our blogs?  If so, forward this blog to them and they can click here to subscribe. 

Social Media

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the most up-to-date information and photos! We’re looking forward to seeing you when we open tomorrow, Friday, March 1!  In March we are open every Thursday-Sunday, 9-5. In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

MARCH IN FOR OUR MARCH CLASSES!

We have a great line-up for you!

Hello! Harlequin’s Gardens will soon be opening our doors for another exciting season of gardening!  Our opening day will be Friday, March 1, and throughout the month, we’ll be open 4 days a week: from 9 am to 5 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

In March, we will be well-stocked with seeds, and asparagus roots, onion starts and potato seed will be arriving. We continue to offer the best products for improving the health of your plants and soil, filling your containers and vegetable beds. As the month progresses, we’ll start bringing in our Organic Vegetable starts for cool-season crops, as well as our ‘grown tough’ cold-hardy perennials, shrubs, trees, and vines.

Our weekends are loaded with great classes you won’t want to miss! Our customers tell us that our classes have given them tremendous value, with practical and current information from local experts who have spent years honing their skills in Colorado and will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 (unless otherwise stated) for our classes to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up, or too few people register and we have to cancel. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. You can register at the nursery, by mail, or by calling 303-939-9403. We are unable to take class registration by email at this time.

Most of our classes run from one and a half to two hours in length, and sometimes longer for hands-on classes, or if there are a large number of questions.  See the complete March Class listing below, or on our website. 

MARCH CLASS LIST

Call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

Sat, Mar 2 at 1 PM
Mason Beekeeping with Tom Theobald  

The importance of our native ‘solitary’ bee species to the pollination of our crops, flowers, and native plants is receiving increased attention. For over 30 years, Tom Theobald of Niwot Honey Farm has been propagating one of the most ‘useful’ species, Mason Bees (Blue Orchard Bees), and will teach how to attract and care for these gentle native pollinators. Mason Bees are not a replacement for honeybees, but they are excellent pollinators of the early fruits – cherries, apples, etc.  They stay close to home, don’t sting, don’t require the year-round commitment of a colony of honeybees and provide a great way to introduce children to the world of pollinators. Harlequin’s Gardens will have filled straws (containing male and female adult bees in hibernation) for sale for $12 a straw. 
IMPORTANT: You must RESERVE your Mason Bee straws IN ADVANCE by calling Harlequin’s Gardens at 303-939-9403. Pre-payment of mason bee straws is required. Class cost: $15.  (This class will be repeated on Saturday, March 16th at 1 pm.)
 

Sun, Mar 3 at 1 PM
Planting by the Moon & Stars with Mikl Brawner  

The moon and planets influence life on Earth. Mikl has been planting by the Biodynamic Calendar for 20 years with great success. Be in-sync with the cosmic rhythms to maximize your garden’s effectiveness and yield. Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendars will be available for sale. Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Mar 9 at 10 AM
Introduction to Permaculture with Tara Rae Kent & Daniela Escudero  

Permaculture is a design science that is informed by cycles and patterns in nature. This helps us create more resilient and regenerative systems, whether those systems are gardens, farms, businesses, or events. We will explore the ethics that guide a permaculture design and the principles that help a design take form, as well as real life examples and projects that are a part of our lives. The class will include: 1) an introduction and exploration of the Permaculture Ethics and Principles, 2) real life, active and diverse examples of permaculture designs, and 3) a tour of Harlequin’s Garden’s Permaculture Design.  Free admission!  



 

Sat, Mar 9 at 1 PM
Cover Crops for Gardeners: Why, How & Which with Clark Harshbarger  

In the current soil revolution, we are learning how to nurture and care for our soils and the soil life that is the true source of soil fertility. Cover crops are becoming recognized as one of the keys to soil fertility and soil health. When our annual crops die in the fall, if we do not replace those crops with living plants, then the microbes that depend on the nutrients “leaked” into the soil from plant roots, will die or decrease. Besides that, cover crops are a method to use photosynthesis to grow organic matter and nutrients including nitrogen to add to the soil, so we have to buy fewer amendments. In addition, many cover crops support beneficial insects which help control pest insects, and they reduce erosion.
 
But which cover crops do well in Colorado and when do we plant them and when should we cut them, and how do we prevent them from becoming weeds or competitors? And how best to combine them?  Harlequin’s Gardens has been looking for someone to teach us these things, who really knows how to do it in our local conditions. And this year we found the right person. So this is a great opportunity that will not be available next year, because Clark Harshbarger will be moving to eastern US.  For the last two decades, Clark was employed with the USDA-NRCS as a soil scientist and recently as director of Regenerative Farming at MAD Agriculture.
 
We have rented a bigger space than our classroom, but people will have to register ahead of time to make sure they get a seat. Clark’s class will be held at the Boulder Circus Center, next door to Harlequin’s Gardens, south in the big metal building in the Trixie Room.  Register by phone at 303-939-9403. This will be a 2 hour class and we will be charging only $20. 
 

Sun, Mar 10 at 1 PM
Fireblight: Pruning, Nutrition & Culture with Mikl Brawner  

Last year was the worst year for this bad bacterial disease of apples and pears. Mikl has had over 40 years of experience with fireblight, and will teach and demonstrate proper pruning, and explain how to bring a tree back to health even if a lot of the tree is blighted. Class cost: $15


 

Sat, Mar 16 at 10 AM
Getting Started in Vegetable Gardening with Mimi Yanus  

If you are new to Colorado, new to vegetable gardening, or have been unhappy with the results of your earlier attempts, this class is for you. Learn from Mimi what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful and bountiful, even in Colorado conditions!  Class cost: $15.  (This class will be repeated on Saturday, April 6^th at 10 am.) 
 

Sat, Mar 16 at 1 PM
Mason Beekeeping with Tom Theobald  

The importance of our native ‘solitary’ bee species to the pollination of our crops, flowers, and native plants is receiving increased attention. For over 30 years, Tom Theobald of Niwot Honey Farm has been propagating one of the most ‘useful’ species, Mason Bees (Blue Orchard Bees), and will teach how to attract and care for these gentle native pollinators. Mason Bees are not a replacement for honeybees, but they are excellent pollinators of the early fruits – cherries, apples, etc.  They stay close to home, don’t sting, don’t require the year-round commitment of a colony of honeybees and provide a great way to introduce children to the world of pollinators. Harlequin’s Gardens will have filled straws (containing male and female adult bees in hibernation) for sale for $12 a straw. 
IMPORTANT: You must RESERVE your Mason Bee straws IN ADVANCE by calling Harlequin’s Gardens at 303-939-9403. Pre-payment of mason bee straws is required. Class cost: $15.  (Note: this class is a repeat of Tom’s March 2 class.) 
 

Sun, Mar 17 at 1 PM
Dwarf Conifers for Gardens and Landscapes with Kirk Fieseler  

A renowned expert in conifers at Laporte Avenue Nursery in Fort Collins, Kirk Fieseler will discuss dwarf conifers for small landscapes and rock gardens. Learn the origins and propagation techniques for dwarf conifers as well as how to grow them in containers and in the garden. Kirk will talk about the most successful species for our climate and soils. Class cost: $15.  (Photo credit: HGTV.com)

 

Wed, Mar 20 – First Day of Spring  

Sat, Mar 23 at 1 PM 
Get Equipped for Beekeeping with Kristina Williams  

For beginning and established beekeepers, alike!  Kristina will demonstrate how to build and crosswire frames. Learn the lingo of beekeeping supplies and take a tour of our Bee Barn. Harlequin’s Gardens is upgrading frames and foundation to be as strong as they can be and still use beeswax. Our resident entomologist and Bee Barn Babe, Kristina Williams, will share her vast knowledge with you!  Free Admission!   (Photo credit, right: Red Hot Pepper) 

 

Sun, Mar 24 at 1 PM
Building Topsoil & Fertility with Mikl Brawner  

Mikl will discuss how to support soil life, enrich poor soils, and improve plant health and nutrition from the bottom up: composts, fertilizers, mulching, worms, deficiencies, and tilth. Class cost: $15
 

Sun, Mar 31 at 1 PM
Cold Hardy Cacti and Succulents with Kelly Grummons  

We are proud to present acclaimed CO horticulturist Kelly Grummons, director of Prairie Storm Nursery, a business that includes ColdHardyCactus.com and DogTuffGrass.com!  An expert in selection and propagation of rare and unique plants for Colorado, Kelly will discuss a variety of exceptional new winter hardy cacti, agaves, yuccas, and outdoor succulents, and include choosing appropriate sites, soil prep, fertilizing, and ongoing care. Class cost: $20.   (Photo credit, left: ColdHardCactus.com) 
 

AVAILABLE POSITIONS  

We Would Love for You to Join Our Team!

Our nursery provides a busy, fun and stimulating work environment. We’re looking for positive, energetic and dedicated folks who love plants, love people, learn fast, and are dedicated to an organic approach; earth-minded folks who would like to be part of a successful eco-nursery with a great reputation, contributing to our continued success and to the education and sustainable success of our gardening community. Significant experience in nursery or other plant-related work and/or studies is greatly preferred.  Positions involve energetic outside work and are great opportunities to learn in a friendly, healthy atmosphere.  We carry many unusual plants and products, and we will provide training and many learning opportunities. Among our specialties are Natives, Xeriscape plants, Pollinator-supporting plants, Hardy Roses, superior soil amendments, and an astonishing selection of organic vegetable and herb starts.

Please take a look at the positions we are offering, and if any of them sounds like a good fit for you, please respond as soon as possible by sending your resume to Staff@nullHarlequinsGardens.com or call 303-939-9403. If you know someone who may be interested but is not on our email list, go ahead and forward this message to them. To become more familiar with our nursery and specialties, view our website. 

FULL-TIME ASSISTANT TO MIKL

This key position will be to help to Mikl, our co-owner, be more effective.  This position involves organic plant and pest management, as well as some construction and deliveries. This position involves energetic outside work and is a great opportunity to learn in a friendly, healthy atmosphere.

FULL-TIME PROPAGATION & PRODUCTION ASSISTANT 

Get your hands dirty!  As an aid to our propagator, Gary Meis, this position will involve the propagation and production of organic perennials and shrubs. This position involves energetic outside work and is a great opportunity to learn in a friendly, healthy atmosphere.

FULL or PART-TIME GARDEN MAINTENANCE position for person with some Horticulture/ Nursery/ Gardening experience

Outdoor work; duties include maintenance of display gardens and non-toxic pest management of container plant stock (weeding, cleaning, fertilizing, pest-control applications, some watering, planting, soil prep). Requires reliability, efficiency, good communication & record-keeping skills, attention to detail, desire to learn, physical exertion.

Referrals

Know anyone that would also enjoy receiving our blogs?  If so, forward this blog to them and they can click here to subscribe. 

Social Media

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the most up-to-date information and photos! We’re looking forward to seeing you when we open on Friday, March 1!  In March we are open every Thursday-Sunday, 9-5.
In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday through Sun., Dec. 23

10 am to 5 pm

WINTER WATERING ALERT!

Oh my! The weather’s lovely, but DRY!  We recommend that you get out there and water your landscape while you can this week. All this sun and wind, and no rain or snow, is stressful to most of our trees, shrubs and perennials, unless they are xeric natives.  If the ground is not frozen, be sure to give your garden a thorough watering if there’s been less than 2″ of natural precipitation in the previous 4 weeks.

Through the winter, pay attention to the amount of precipitation your garden receives.  In our often dry and windy winters, new plantings, evergreens, and roses and most any plant that was planted in September or October, are especially vulnerable, and are more likely to suffer or die from dehydration than from cold.  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.

ONE MORE WEEK!

There’s one more week of our Holiday Market, this Thursday through Sunday, and we still have wonderful gift selections for you – in fact, we have re-stocked many favorites and even ADDED a few new items!

This is also a great time to look ahead for birthday, anniversary, graduation, host and hostess gifts for 2019!  Take advantage of this unique opportunity to have access to some of the finest locally crafted artisan creations; products that won’t be here after this week!

We also want to remind our Members that current 2018 members can still take advantage of their 25% discount off books! No shipping, easy parking, and low sales tax! Move over, Amazon!  You can also view our full Holiday Market Catalog on our website.

Bear’s Ears Designs

We are introducing a new artisan this week, Bear’s Ears Designs, aka our friend Berit Naeseth.  Berit has a MFA with concentrations in Sculpture and Furniture Design, and has taught extensively. But we think her best credentials are her imagination and her passion for making things. She creates playful pieces, large and small, with all kinds of (mostly natural) materials. Berit has just brought us some of her ceramic and recycled wood pieces, including some ingeniously simple and practical trivets, shown right.

Cultura Chocolate 

We have also restocked several varieties of delicious Cultura Chocolate minibars including Whiskey Nips, Expresso Sea salt, and Mexican Spice.  A Denver-based, micro-batch, bean-to-bar artisan chocolate, Cultura is produced in one of Denver’s ‘maker spaces’ called the Art Gym. They use only beans from ethically-sourced and organic cacao farms in Latin America, which they hand sort, crack, roast, winnow, grind, conche, temper and mold to bring out the richest aromas and flavors and the smoothest textures.  We also have their irresitible Mexican Drinking Chocolate!

Retuned Jewelry 

Retuned Jewelry makes striking, stylish and affordable bracelets, earrings and necklaces for gals and guys from repurposed, used guitar strings. Did you know that because of the various alloys used to make guitar strings, they are extremely difficult to recycle? At least 700 tons of strings end up in the dump every year.  Retuned works with local musicians and music shops to collect used strings that would have otherwise been thrown away. Their jewelry, made by Christina and her husband in Frederick CO, gives these hard-working strings new life and allows their stories to live on. We think they are a perfect fit for our Holiday Gift Market, don’t you?

Additional restocked items include, and are pictured below: 

Traditional Majolica Ceramics

Such gorgeous cups and desert bowls!

Leo’s Dry Goods

Beautiful and practical tea towels.

20# Tabby

Cheryl Netter’s  felted bird ornaments have flown off the shelf!  This is our fourth and final restock.

Seed Ranch Hot Sauces

David Delcourt’s delicious ‘farm to bottle’ ‘hot’ sauces (one is very mild) that are made right here in Boulder!

Handmade Smudge Sticks

from our friend Furry Foote, the elder who lives in the foothills.

A FEW MORE SPECIAL PRODUCTS

Spiders in Your Neighborhood book – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Better late than never: We were finally able to obtain more of this fascinating and delightful little book, just in time for stocking stuffers and last-minute gifts!

Scary? Maybe. Cool? Definitely.  Author Pat Stadille used to be terribly afraid of these eight-legged daddies, until he started learning more about them. Now spiders are his best friends! As a nature enthusiast, we have a feeling you’re going to feel the same way, once you hear about their silky skills, hunting habits, and generally shy and gentle nature. Learn about jumpers, wolf spiders, tarantulas, and, of course, the black widow!

Spiders in Your Neighborhood features detailed drawings and photos of the critters you’ll find, and sections on types of webs, how and where to discover spiders, spider anatomy, common relatives… even a spidey quiz to test your creepy crawly knowledge. So, grab a flashlight and your sleuthing kit and join Pat ”Spiderman” Stadille on a journey around your backyard that will leave you spinning with excitement.  This small book is suitable for any age.

‘Rough Beauty’ by Karen Auvinen

We are proud to feature ‘Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living’ by friend and local author Karen Auvinen, an award-winning poet, mountain woman, and teacher. Her memoir, in the evocative, contemplative spirit of such writers as Annie Dillard and Terry Tempest Williams is an “outstanding…beautiful story of resilience” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), a luminous, lyric exploration, “a narrative that reads like a captivating novel…a voice not found often enough in literature—a woman who eschews the prescribed role outlined for her by her family and discovers her own path” (Christian Science Monitor) to embrace the unpredictability and grace of living intimately with the forces of nature.

Robin Chocolate

Longmont chocolatier and pastry chef Robin Autorino refers to her award-winning artisan chocolate creations as edible art – art for your eyes and your mouth.She combines her exceptional artistry and fine ingredients to create little masterpieces that taste as good as they look. We love them, and are offering assortments of her truffles in handsome boxes of 4, 6, 8 or 12.  “I want my ganache to be bold,” Robin says. “I want the Key lime pie truffle to give you some pucker. I want the espresso to bring you the same comfort as your morning cup.”

Third Wolf Designs

We’re very happy to introduce Third Wolf Designs’ tee shirts for men and women into our Holiday Market this year. Alexa Varano paints her original designs on each individual piece of sustainably and ethically produced clothing with a paintbrush in her Denver studio – no screen-printing here! We’ve chosen three of our favorite designs in two different tee shirt styles. The flattering scoop-necked women’s shirts are made of silky soft, breathable, moisture-wicking, fast-drying bamboo (70%) and organic cotton (30%), guaranteed not to shrink. The unisex classic crew-neck tee-shirts in men’s sizes are made of 100% hemp, another great natural fiber, durable and soft!  And both styles are guaranteed not to shrink!  Alexa is a young woman on a joyful adventure in sustainable business that combines her passion for sharing uplifting and healing symbology with her passions for making art and making personal connections through her art and business.

STOCKING STUFFERS GALORE – ALL of THESE and MORE!!

TAKE ADVANTAGE of PERFECT WEATHER for PLANTING BULBS at HALF PRICE!

Our outdoor bulbs have been further discounted and are now 50% off!

Allium

christophii, moly, ‘Rosenbachianum’, ‘Graceful Beauty’
Beautiful, easy, and nectar-rich blossoms for you and the bees!

Crocus

‘E.P. Bowles’, ‘Gipsy Girl’
Tough, early, beautiful, easy, naturalizing, golden flowers!

Indoor bulbs are also 50% off!

Paperwhite Narcissus makes a wonderful holiday gift!

DOOR PRIZES!

Each day of our Holiday Gift Market, anyone who comes to Harlequin’s and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY DRAWING for a $15 GIFT CERTIFICATE!   In addition, we will conduct a drawing at the close of the Holiday Market for two $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES, winner to be drawn at 5:00 on Sunday, December 23!  To enter, simply show up, make a purchase and fill out an entry form.  (One entry per person; entrants need not be present to win.)

Wishing you all a heart-warming and meaningful holiday season.  We hope to see you soon!  

Eve & Mikl

and the Most Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Get all the latest news from your friends at Harlequin’s Gardens www.harlequinsgardens.com.

HOLIDAY MARKET FOURTH WEEK NEWS!

Open Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday through Sun., Dec. 23

10 am to 5 pm

With all the choices of holiday markets in our area, we are very appreciative of your enthusiastic support of our market! We work hard at providing you the very best products and the best experience for your holiday shopping, and you have let us know that you are very happy with the results! If you have a few minutes, we’d love for you to LOVE us on social media and online reviews!

We also want to remind our Members that current 2018 members can still take advantage of their 25% discount off books! No shipping, easy parking, and low sales tax! Move over, Amazon!

We have restocked a number of your favorite products this week, including Amy Mundiger’s felted flower brooches, Khala Cloths’ pretty and practical beeswax wraps, embroidered tea towels from Leo’s Dry Goods, Kristina’s handmade native bee houses, molded beeswax candles by Amberlights, and hand-dipped, tapered beeswax candles by Niwot Honey. We also got in more Trementina traditional pinyon salves, more adorable pottery and embossed paper cards by Lois Edgar, delectables from Robin Chocolates and Smart Cookie Barkery, along with a number of toys and books for children! 

You can also view our full Holiday Market Catalog on our website.

SPECIAL GIFTS for SPECIAL INTERESTS

Finding the right gift for people with special interests without going to 20 different stores can be challenging.  Let us help you fill that niche with our thoughtful, useful, and beautiful gifts!

KNITTING & CROCHETING

Jayne Bramley – Rose & the Wren Project Bags 

Jayne Bramley makes these beautiful and practical bags, both draw-string and zippered, that are essential for crafters working with balls of yarn. They keep your yarn feeding freely without rolling around on the floor, and keep crochet hooks, shorter knitting needles, scissors, measuring tape, and other essentials close at hand. Eve loves using hers when warping her rigid-heddle loom and winding yarn onto shuttles. Each bag is handmade in Longmont, in a variety of fun fabrics.

Jayne grew up in England but uses the ever-changing Colorado landscapes as inspiration for her colorful designs. She combines different fabric textures and colors to create unique bags. Her project bags will inspire you to start crafting!  Jayne named her business after her paternal Grandfather, who was an avid rosarian, and Jayne’s mother, who instilled in her a love for textiles and whose nickname is Jenny Wren. 

EXPLORING the NATURAL WORLD

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, insects and details of all kinds.

Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountain Region book (hot off the press!) by Denver Botanic Gardens  

Authored by 11 staff experts, Denver Botanic Gardens’ new publication – “Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountain Region” – is now available! This Timber Press field guide is designed to be an easy-to-use portable photographic reference in the field. It also includes range maps for each individual plant entry for easy identification.

This book provides plant identification details for 1,200 species of wildflowers (including some shrubs) throughout the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and Canada. Through a simple key system based on flower color, petal arrangement and leaf type, users will be able to identify both common and rare species in the landscape. The guide is broken down into three subregions – the Northern Rockies, the Central or Middle Rockies and the Southern Rockies – and divides plant communities by elevational zones: steppe, foothills, montane, subalpine and alpine.

Plants chosen for inclusion represent the full spectrum of the region’s natural communities, both those that are common and those that are unusual or rare. While the focus of this book is the identification of plants native to the region, some naturalized non-native flora found in natural habitats are also covered.

Meet the Natives book by Dan Johnson

To the millions of people who visit the Rocky Mountain region each and every year, Meet the Natives has long aided in the identification of the diverse and appealing plant life found in its many ecosystems. In order to meet the great demand for an up to-date and comprehensive book, this classic guide has been revised and updated. This edition is the first to feature full color photography. Over 400 plants are identified.

Fred Hall Petrified Wood – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

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.

CRAFTING

Helen Hiebert 12 Months of Paper Calendar

Helen Hiebert’s 12 Months of Paper calendar will inspire anyone, young or old, to work with paper in new, exciting and fun ways. Helen now makes her home near Vail, CO, and is an internationally renowned artist who has been exploring paper for decades, stretching and redefining its possibilities and character. She has produced a number of books and films on paper craft, and knows how to make it accessible and exciting. The calendar offers illustrated instructions for making a new paper project every month, and comes with a template for cutting the pieces.   

For the CULINARY AFICIONADO

Ambrosia Glassworks

Angelo Ambrosia (yes, that’s his wonderful real name!), opened Ambrosia Glass Art Studio in Longmont in 2004, and he’s been creating one-of-a-kind hand-blown glass sculptures and vessels ever since. One-of-a-kind locally hand-blown glass Beer Steins will add some class to the enjoyment of a beer-lover’s home-brew or favorite local micro-brew.  He also teaches glassblowing there, and guides his pupils with gentle and patient expertise. Angelo is renowned for his colorfully patterned vessels and light fixtures, ranging from playful to sophisticated. We are delighted to offer some of his small pieces for the gift-giving season.

Atelier Foucault

Marie Foucalt has brought us some stunning pairs (and singles) of glasses and goblets to enhance the experience of sipping a fine wine, martini or brandy. She finds most of her pieces in thrift stores and transforms them into elegant works of art that are very affordable!

CAMPING / HIKING / SKIING / RELAXING

Trek Light Gear

These colorful nylon hammocks and packs are Boulder-designed, fair-trade produced and thoughtfully designed to be incredibly comfortable and durable, holding up to 400 lbs. They come in sizes to serve as everything from a hanging chair or gear-holder to a perfect bed for two. They’re also easy to clean, last for many years, and scrunch down into a little-bitty stuff-sack for easy, lightweight travel. The Bindle Pack emerges from its really tiny stuff-sack to serve as the perfect day-pack once you’ve set up your base camp. Or around town! Trek Light hammocks are not just for lounging and snuggling. Many customers have found that TL hammocks gave them their first sound sleep without back pain in years. They then ditched their mattresses (of all kinds) and have slept in heavenly peace ever since!

The Natural First Aid Handbook by Brigitte Mars 

Cayenne pepper can stop bleeding. Garlic helps alleviate a toothache. Honey soothes a burn. When an emergency situation arises, simple home remedies can play a vital role in easing symptoms and providing immediate help. Become an effective first responder with a combination of best first-aid practices, herbs, and standard homeopathic applications. This quick-reference handbook spells out hundreds of life-saving techniques, commonsense tips, and time-tested herbal remedies that everyone should know. From how to perform basic CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver to the best immediate response to natural disasters, you’ll find the most practical, effective actions to take to ensure survival.  Compact and easy to bring along in your backpack or camper! 

Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Southern Rockies

Don’t be fooled by the title; a lot of the area covered is in Colorado, including Denver, Boulder and Ft. Collins. This is a very good plant ID book from by Mary O’Brien & Karen Vail with interesting descriptions. In addition, it’s an excellent herbal, giving both medicinal and edible uses. Highlighted in yellow are important “cautions”. It is presented in a respectful way, honoring nature as did the Ute Indians who pioneered the use of these plants. For example, did you know that Gambel Oak “…is a good back country first aid plant to know, using the leaves as a poultice or wash for insect bites and wounds, or chewing a piece of the bark for toothaches….” Good photos. These local gals really know their stuff. Highly recommended.

HOMEGROWN HERBS

In the best-selling Homegrown Herbs, renowned herbalist Tammi Hartung gives you all the information you need to grow a long list of useful hardy herbs in Colorado. At their Canyon City, CO nursery, she and her husband Chris have been growing both popular and unusual organic herb plants for decades.  You can enjoy a thriving, fragrant herb garden and use your harvest to bring beauty, flavor, and health to your everyday life. Hartung provides in-depth profiles of 101 popular herbs, including information on seed selection, planting, maintenance, harvesting, and drying. Hartung also shows you how to use your herbs in a variety of foods, home remedies, body care products, and crafts. Whether you’re a seasoned herbalist or planting your first garden, Homegrown Herbs will inspire you to get the most out of your herbs.

Engrid’s Leg Warmers, Boot Cuffs and Luxury Socks – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Our own Engrid Winslow hand knits these soft, warm, beautiful and practical wool leg warmers and boot cuffs that will keep you fashionably warm during and after winter sport activities.  We also have her beautiful wool socks crafted in washable wool/poly blend and Pashmina yarns, in lovely color blends with reinforced heels and toes, in sizes for women and men. Quantities are limited.

Kisu – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Created by Pamela Clum’s 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 womens’ 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.

EXPLORATION

Zometool

It’s a toy for kids of all ages. It’s a tool for scientists and educators. It’s a medium for artists. It’s the winner of 22 awards and counting. And it’s a unique LOCAL product, the brainchild of our innovative friend and neighbor Paul Hildebrandt, also a founder of Eco-Cycle. Inspired by the ground-breaking, visionary work of Steve Baer and Clark Richert, who developed the underlying geometry, Paul began producing Zometool kits in 1992.

Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range

Get close to swallowtails, fritillaries, monarchs, blues, and other Colorado butterflies while learning about their miraculous transformations and unique adaptations. Striking photos and clear descriptions make it easy to identify common species. A month-by-month occurrence chart reveals when and where to look for your favorite butterflies.  Written by our local naturalists Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones.

COOKING & HEALING WITH PLANTS

Foraging & Feasting Book – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

We are very excited to offer this ground-breaking book again! Foraging & Feasting celebrates and reclaims the lost art of turning locally gathered wild plants into highly nutritious, delicious meals, a traditional foodway long practiced by our ancestors but neglected in modern times. The stunning, instructive botanical illustrations and delicious, enlightening recipes offer an adventurous and satisfying way to eat locally and seasonally, and present creative ways to bring wild edibles into our lives.  We share this project with you out of our long commitment to connecting with nature through food and art. The effort weaves together acclaimed herbalist Dina Falconi’s 30 years of passionate investigations into wild-plant identification, foraging, and cooking with Wendy Hollender’s masterful botanical illustrations. In Part Three you’ll find more than 100 master recipes and countless variations formulated to help you easily turn wild plants into delectable salads, soups, beverages, meat dishes, desserts, and a host of other culinary delights.

Kitchen Botany

Would you like to learn botany while you cook? Our own Garima Fairfax’s unique cookbook joins botany and the pleasure of creative cooking. She combines foods which are closely related to each other in order to help learn who is related to whom. Garima continues to receive great reviews from people who have purchased and used her book.  Eating is a very effective (and fun) way to help retain what you learn!

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds

Katrina Blair is the author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds, the only book on foraging and edible weeds to focus on the thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents a complete food source and extensive medical pharmacy and first-aid kit. The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is about healing ourselves both in body and in spirit, in an age where technology, commodity agriculture, and processed foods dictate the terms of our intelligence. But if we can become familiar with these thirteen edible survival weeds found all over the world, we will never go hungry, and we will become closer to our own wild human instincts—all the while enjoying the freshest, wildest, and most nutritious food there is.

BEEKEEPING

Harlequin’s Gardens has loved and supported bees for a long, long time. We also know that many of our customers already keep  honey bees, would like to learn how, or would just like to learn more about how to support bees and other pollinators.  So, several years ago we transformed the back portion of our building into The Bee Barn (painted the color of honey, of course!).  It’s continued to grow and change with the needs of bees and our customers. (Photo Credit, left: Red Hot Pepper Studio.)

Our Bee Barn is full of a good selection, featuring locally sourced products where possible.  We feature 8 and 10 frame Langstroth hive equipment (both assembled and unassembled) and real beeswax foundation.  We have a locally constructed top bar hive made with rough cut beetle-kill pine, a window and a screened bottom. Come and check out our great selection of tools and accessories, protective gear, feeding and bee health supplies, and great books.

Whether you’re a new or continuing beekeeper, our staff beekeepers can  answer questions and give advice. You’ll find our prices are quite reasonable.  We have Beekeepers Shopping Lists for Beginners, Seasonal, and Holiday Gift Giving to help guide your selections.  Kristina Williams, our own local bee expert will be on hand on Dec. 20 and 23 to help tailor your bee-gifting.

Return of Native Bees!
The Front Range is home to over 500 species of native bees.  These mostly solitary bees did ALL of the bee pollinating before the introduction of honey bees from Europe in the 1600s.  They love our weather, soils and native plants.  And we love them!  We’ve partnered with Crown Bees to bring you a selection of products to help you culture these gentle hole nesting bees such as woolcarder, mason, and leafcutter bees using responsible, sustainable, clean culture methods.  In spring we’ll be partnering again with Tom Theobald, a local mason bee cultivator, to sell tubes of mason bee larvae that are absolutely locally adapted and won’t introduce diseases from other parts of the country.  WE EXPECT THIS TO TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2019 – be sure to stay tuned to find out the final date and time!  Here are some great gift options in order of the pictures.

1. Native Bee Chalet: for placing nesting tubes for the current season and an attic for placing the previous seasons bees to emerge this season.
2. Pollinator Pack: Tubes in an assortment of sizes and materials provide nesting holes for a variety of our native bees.
3. InviteaBee Plus Pheromone (scent):  an extra enticement for mason bees to use your nesting site.
4. Native Bee Guide Booklet: a brief introduction to just some of the bee species that may nest in your native bee house.
5. The Mason Bee Revolution book: for those who are seriously into mason bees.
6. Reusable cardboard mason bee tubes with disposable paper liners: the system Tom Theobald uses for those interested in spring mason bees in particular.

GARDENING

Harlequin’s Gardens Gift Certificate

Not sure what to give?  Consider giving a Gift Certificate to Harlequin’s Gardens!  Our Gift Certificates are available in any denomination and are valid for up to one calendar year. With a gift certificate, your recipients can select from our wide array of neonic-free plants, soil products, gardening and bee-keeping tools and supplies, and more!  Visit our store to purchase, mail-in your order with a check payment, or call 303-939-9403 and have your credit card handy!

Japanese Knife-Weeder (Hori Hori)

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 it for planting bulbs as I can make a deep, small hole.  If I could only have one tool forever, I would choose this one.”

Stella Natura Astrological Planting Calendar 2019

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 over 25 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.  

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, insects and details of all kinds.

West County Gardening Gloves

We love West County 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 and patterns!  We carry their Work 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.

FOR OUR FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS

Canine Cardigans

Don’t leave your chilly dog out in the cold! If your best friend shivers on those winter walks, Canine Cardigans has the perfect solution: fine handcrafted, well-fitting dog sweaters from up-cycled cashmere, wool & other natural fabrics. Connie re-purposes unwanted vintage and second hand “people” sweaters into unique and fun dog sweaters in her Englewood CO workshop. She sources these sweaters from estate sales, yard sales, and thrift shops. She tells us “Once I find sweaters to use, I bring them home, wash and dry on hot and the ones that survive that make the cut to become dog coats. I also use most of the scrap in creating patchwork coats and sweaters so very little goes to waste and ends up in the landfill. I do all the creating, cutting and sewing in my lovely workroom at home”. Connie loves taking the unique features of each sweater into account as she transforms them into well-fitting dog coats. We are offering an assortment of her delightful sweaters for smaller breeds. While she’s at it, Connie ends up with all those cashmere sleeves, and rather than let them go to waste, she sews them into lovely, super-cozy fingerless arm/hand-warmers for those of us at the other end of the leash.  

Carbon Pawprint

Colorado-based Carbon Pawprint offers pets bowl mats made from reclaimed yoga mats, which are collected from local studios and practitioners. These dishwasher-safe mats help keep food bowls in place and protect your home’s floor from water (and drool) damage. Your furry friends will surely bark their approval knowing that you bought a unique, one-of-a-kind pet accessory while helping to reduce environmental waste and that a percentage of Carbon Pawprint’s profits are shared with local animal rescue organizations and charities!  

Smart Cookie Barkery

Doesn’t your dog deserve a gift? What does your dog love the best, besides you, and fetching? Good food, of course! Smart Cookie is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, where Scott and Bri Bradley make all-natural dehydrated treats and jerky for dogs. Their endeavor is founded on the principle that your dog’s treats should be custom tailored to what your dog(s) need to maintain their best possible health, and be yummy as well. Smart Cookie products are made from scratch in small batches, using fresh, wholesome, human-grade ingredients – real meats that they grind in-house, vegetables and fruits – then dehydrated to retain maximum nutritional value. Their treats are grain-free and soy-free, and have no artificial ingredients.   

BULBS, JUST AS MANY FOR HALF THE PRICE!

Our outdoor bulbs have been further discounted and are now 50% off!

Narcissus

‘Hawera’, ‘Pipit’

Allium

christophii, moly, ‘Rosenbachianum’, ‘Graceful Beauty’

Crocus

‘E.P. Bowles’, ‘Gipsy Girl’

Iris

‘Danfordiae’

Tulipa

linifolia, ‘Tinka’

And

Galanthus elwesii (Snowdrops)

Indoor bulbs are also 50% off!

Five gorgeous varieties of Amaryllis ‘Minerva’, plus Paperwhite Narcissus!

Door Prizes!

Each day of our Holiday Gift Market, anyone who comes to Harlequin’s and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY DRAWING for a $15 GIFT CERTIFICATE!   In addition, we will conduct a drawing at the close of the Holiday Market for two $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES, winner to be drawn at 5:00 on Sunday, December 23!  To enter, simply show up, make a purchase and fill out an entry form.  (One entry per person; entrants need not be present to win.)

Wishing you all a heart-warming and meaningful holiday season.  We hope to see you soon!  

Eve & Mikl

and the Most Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Open Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday through Sun., Dec. 23

10 am to 5 pm

Greetings! We have been enjoying our local & sustainable holiday gift market enormously; among other things, it gives us the chance to see, help, and chat with many of our favorite people. And it appears that you all are enjoying it, too, which makes us very happy!

Amidst the celebrations of the season, a very important report on Global Climate Change from scientists in thirteen government agencies was quietly released on the day after Thanksgiving.  Although the current occupant of the Oval Office dismisses it, saying he “doesn’t believe it”, we do believe it. And we believe it is of the utmost importance for all of us to pay attention. We recommend you go to Global Change and look for Summary Findings for the overview.

In light of these findings and the urgent need for major changes to our policies and priorities, we hope you will take the opportunity to join us in signing and sharing a petition to local, national and international leaders from AVAAZ, one of the most effective world-wide responsible action groups we know, by going to the AVAAZ Petition Page.

RE-STOCKING

It’s our Third Week, and we are expecting to receive lots of popular items to restock. Of course many of our offerings are one-of-a-kind, but if you hesitated on an earlier visit and then found the tempting item sold out, you just might find it, or something very much like it, this Thursday through Sunday.

SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND!

Saturday, December 8, 2:00-3:00 pm
Temari Demonstration

DIANE PATTERSON

This Saturday, December 8, starting at 2:00 pm join our customer and friend Diane Patterson as she shows us how she makes these wonderful ornaments, called Temari, which date back to ancient Japan, where Temari was originally a handcraft of upper class women. Intricate designs were embroidered on handmade balls using silk threads from kimonos. The balls were used as toys. Temari are unique, beautiful, colorful gifts. Attractive hanging as a single ornament, grouped in a bowl, used in a centerpiece, given as a housewarming gift, or simply to hold and admire, they will be treasured for many years. 

Sunday, December 9, from 2:00 pm
Scarf Weaving Demonstration

EVE RESHETNIK BRAWNER

On Sunday, December 9 from 2 P.M. on, our very own Eve will bring her rigid heddle loom and be available to show you how she weaves her scarves on this small, simple loom!  Eve wondered why, in all these years, she had never become a fiber artist. So she took a class, bought a small, simple table-top loom and a bunch of beautiful, soft, natural-fiber yarns, and got to work. The rest is not yet history. In 2017 she introduced her first efforts. She has now developed a compelling passion for weaving and a formidable collection of yarns, with an emphasis on locally hand-spun and hand-dyed natural fiber yarns, often spun from the wool of local sheep, alpaca, and even apartment-dwelling Angora rabbits! She designs her scarves with the aim of showcasing the wonderful textures and colors of these yarns in beautiful, practical and affordable accessories.

GREETING CARDS 

We’d like to call your attention to the wonderful array of Greeting Cards we are offering, some with seasonal themes, many more with beautiful imagery for any and all occasions. What a special treat it is these days to receive a card from a friend or relative in your snail-mail box! Our cards are small works of art that may end up in frames on somebody’s wall.  Buy them singly or in sets (available from some of the artists). Some of these artists also offer their artworks in other forms at our holiday gift market – look for them in our store!

Remember, we cannot offer greeting cards during the gardening season, partly because we don’t have room, and partly because we just wouldn’t be able to keep them free of dust and dirt. So now is your chance!

Kelly Manley’s Atmospheric Delights Cloud Cards – NEW & EXCLUSIVE!  Each card shows a photograph Kelly has taken in Boulder County, which is rich in cloud formations, since we sit where the mountains meet the plains, and all sorts of atmospheric dynamics play out here. The clouds affect the whole mood of the landscape, and with the sun they create dramatic lighting effects. Kelly says “For me it’s like Sky Theater, the continuous show!” These photos are from her adventures in cloudspotting during the past year. Each card has a description of the cloud types tucked into the envelope.
Amanda Maldonado’s – NEW!  Amanda’s irresistible pen & ink drawings of our local wildlife are printed as postcards, and paired with her lovely handmade envelopes. Each postcard has a short, informative passage about the illustrated species on the other side. Available individually and in sets.

Charlotte Zink’s Jubilant Notecards – NEW!  Charlotte is best known for her exuberant and inventive sheet-metal garden sculptures, some of which you have likely seen installed in local communities as art in public places. In her cards she applies the same lively, energetic forms and fluid line work to silhouette images on bright backgrounds.
Amy Mundinger’s original handmade Cloth applique cards – NEW!  Amy works with cloth and felt in many original ways. Her cards are little works of art, each one a masterpiece of graphic design and fabric applique.
Cards of Kathleen Lanzoni’s Watercolor Paintings.  A large assortment of Kathleen’s award-winning watercolor paintings appear on beautiful cards featuring local landscapes and landmarks, intimate interiors and rich florals and still lifes.  Her local winter scenes are perfect for winter holiday greetings.

Lois Edgar’s elegant Hand-Embossed Cards.  Lois is a potter and longtime member of the Boulder Potter’s Guild. Her many years of working in clay led her to carving minutely detailed designs in blocks of clay to create embossing templates. She then makes rubber molds from these, and finally epoxy castings to withstand the pressure of the etching press. Each card , made with moistened high-grade archival white etching paper is pressed individually, dried, and folded. We offer Lois’s exquisite boxed sets in a number of themes.
Annette Kennedy’s Notecards.  For her cards, Annette uses images from her remarkable original art quilts, which are pieced from fabric she has dyed by hand. Her beautiful, award-winning works depict subjects ranging from landscapes to botanicals. 
Green Meadow (Erin Huybrecht-Davis)’s magical nature Notecards.  We were struck by Erin’s flowing, highly imaginative, stylized and poetic depictions of the natural world. She is inspired by patterns and imagery from Asia, where she has traveled, and this influence is evident in her work as well. Many of her paintings feature wild animals in charming anthropomorphized scenes.

Karen Beeman’s Nature Photo Notecards. Karen Beeman, owner of Wee Bee Farms garlic growers is also a great photographer! Karen loves to share the beauty she sees at her farm and around Boulder County. She carries her camera everywhere and focuses on pollinators and their favorite colorful flowers.
Sondra Finch’s Pressed Flower and watercolor cards. Sondra’s pressed flower cards are excellent reproductions of her original compositions using our local native wildflowers, grown and harvested from her own garden.
Theresa Haberkorn’s hand block-printed cards.  Theresa Haberkorn , woodcut printmaker, has made Boulder her home for more than two decades.  Her masterful prints are found in exhibits and collections nation-wide, and she teaches her artform as well. Theresa brings her art to these individually hand-printed greeting cards, as well various household products.

 SPECIAL GIFTS for SPECIAL PEOPLE 

Are there one or several very special people on whom you would like to bestow a very special gift? Of course we count just about everything in our Holiday Gift Market as special, but here are a few ideas that come to mind. Perhaps you’d like to consider something especially luxurious and unique, like an elegant pair of Marie Foucalt’s glass wine goblets, uniquely hand-painted with silver oxide and truly one-of-a-kind, and priced far below what you might expect. Or a gorgeous, individually unique nature-printed silk scarf from Annette Kennedy. Or you might consider a wonderful original painting by acclaimed artist Kathleen Lanzoni.  Or a hand-woven scarf from Eve Weaves, most of them made with locally produced, hand-dyed and handspun yarns from luxury fibers like alpaca, silk, merino wool and angora.

We offer beautiful pieces from Pebble Art Jewelry featuring ancient Roman Glass pieces with the unique coloration and patina endowed by more than 2,000 years of weathering.  For the science or math-minded youngster, a big set of locally-produced Zome Tool modelling parts will spark the imagination and enable limitless hours of creative three-dimensional exploration and invention. Maybe there’s an expectant mother on your list who would be thrilled to receive one of quilt artist Lynn Mattingly’s amazing, colorful baby quilts. 

Hannukah

Hannukah has begun and continues through Monday, Dec.10th.  We have local hand-dipped beeswax candles for your Menorah!

We also have a great selection of outstanding Amber Lights beeswax candles, including dragons and faeries for you Pagans out there, Santas, reindeer, angels, pine cones big and small, fir trees, and classic Christmas village candles, roses, gnomes, botanicals, many bee-themed designs, tea-lights, votives, birthday candles and simple pillars.

In addition, our elegant taper candles from Niwot Honey Farm are perfect for just about any person and any occasion!

BULBS, JUST AS MANY FOR HALF THE PRICE!

Our outdoor bulbs have been further discounted and are now 50% off!

Narcissus

‘Hawera’, ‘Pipit’

Allium

christophii, moly, ‘Rosenbachianum’, ‘Graceful Beauty’

Crocus

‘E.P. Bowles’, ‘Gipsy Girl’

Iris

‘Danfordiae’, ‘Harmony’

Tulipa

linifolia, ‘Tinka’

And

Galanthus elwesii (Snowdrops)

Indoor bulbs are also 50% off!

Five gorgeous varieties of Amaryllis ‘Minerva’ and ‘Balentino’, plus Paperwhite Narcissus and pre-chilled Delft Blue Hyacinths with growing glass!

Door Prizes!

Each day of our Holiday Gift Market, anyone who comes to Harlequin’s and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY DRAWING for a $15 GIFT CERTIFICATE!   In addition, we will conduct a drawing at the close of the Holiday Market for two $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES, winner to be drawn at 5:00 on Sunday, December 23!  To enter, simply show up, make a purchase and fill out an entry form.  (One entry per person; entrants need not be present to win.)

Wishing you all a heart-warming and meaningful holiday season.  We hope to see you soon!  

Eve & Mikl

and the Most Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Open Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday through Sun., Dec. 23

10 am to 5 pm

We’re so appreciative of the support that you, our fellow community members, brought to our Holiday Open House this past weekend!  We also extend a big thank you to our musicians and artisans who shared their talents.  And of course, gratitude to our hard working staff who worked long and hard to pull everything together!

Hannukah

Hannukah begins at sundown on Sunday Dec. 2nd and ends Monday Dec.10th.  We have local hand-dipped beeswax candles for your Menorah!

We also have a great selection of outstanding Amber Lights beeswax candles, including dragons and faeries for you Pagans out there, Santas, reindeer, angels, pine cones big and small, fir trees, and classic Christmas village candles, roses, gnomes, botanicals, many bee-themed designs, tea-lights, votives, birthday candles and simple pillars.

In addition, our elegant taper candles from Niwot Honey Farm are perfect for just about any person and any occasion!

Two Special Events on Saturday!

Saturday, December 1st, starting at 10:30 am
Hands-on papercraft demo with

HELEN HIEBERT

This Saturday, December 1st, starting at 10:30 am join acclaimed Colorado papercraft artist and teacher Helen Hiebert, who will walk participants through making one of her beautiful and original folded and cut paper projects! This is a chance to enjoy a unique hands-on experience that will surely inspire you to make more of the projects presented in her ‘Twelve Months of Paper’
.
Helen Hiebert’s 12 Months of Paper calendar will inspire anyone, young or old, to work with paper in new, exciting and fun ways. Helen now makes her home near Vail, CO, and is an internationally renowned artist who has been exploring paper for decades, stretching and redefining its possibilities and character. She has produced a number of books and films on paper craft and knows how to make it accessible and exciting. The calendar offers illustrated instructions for making a new paper project every month and comes with a template for cutting the pieces.

Get further inspiration from Helen’s best-selling handbook ‘Papermaking with Garden Plants & Common Weeds’.

Saturday, December 1st, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Book reading and signing with

KAREN AUVINEN

Join us this Saturday, December 1st, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm for a reading & book signing of ‘Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living’ by local author Karen Auvinen.  Karen will be available to sign copies of her book, and at 1:30 pm she will read passages from this beautiful memoir of a longtime Jamestown resident.

Karen is an award-winning poet, mountain woman, and teacher. Her memoir, in the evocative, contemplative spirit of such writers as Annie Dillard and Terry Tempest Williams is an “outstanding…beautiful story of resilience” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), a luminous, lyric exploration, “a narrative that reads like a captivating novel…a voice not found often enough in literature—a woman who eschews the prescribed role outlined for her by her family and discovers her own path” (CSM) to embrace the unpredictability and grace of living intimately with the forces of nature.

Support our Local Authors!

Colorado is blessed with many of the foremost experts in horticulture, gardening, herbs, native plants and wildlife, as well as insightful and beautifully written books on interesting subjects.  In addition to Karen Auvinen’s ‘Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living’, we have a great array of books by local authors.  Come see our entire collection including:

• Foraging & Feasting by Dina Falconi and Wendy Hollender
• Kitchen Botany by our own Garima Fairfax
• Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree by Mark Andreas
• Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Southern Rockies by Mary O’Brien & Karen Vail 
• The Wild Wisdom of Weeds by Katrina Blair 
• Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for All Climates
  by Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden
• Meet the Natives by Dan Johnson
• Organic Gardener’s Companion: Growing Vegetables in the West by Jane Shellenberger 
• Pretty Tough Plants by Plant Select 
• The Natural First Aid Handbook by Brigitte Mars 
• The Herbal Medicine Cabinet by Debra St. Claire
• Homegrown Herbs by Tammi Hartung
• A Bushel’s Worth by Kayann Short
• Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region by Vera Stucky Evenson and the Denver Botanic Gardens
• Cacti and Succulents for Cold Climates by Leo J. Chance
• Xeriscape Plant Guide by Denver Water
• Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range by Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones
• Cattail Moonshine and Milkweed Medicine by Tammi Hartung 
• Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountain Region (hot off the press!) by Denver Botanic Gardens
• Steppes by Michael Bone, Dan Johnson, Panayoti Kelaidis, Mike Kintgen, and Larry G. Vickerman

Holiday Party Treats & ‘Hostess’ Gifts

New Beat Quinoa Crackers in 3 flavors
Zing Nuts in 5 flavors
Seed Ranch Hot Sauces Mixed Pack: Umami, Thai Green, and Smoked Jalapeno
Eve’s Pecan Shortbread cookies – Grain-free and irresistible!
Haystack Gardens amazing Fruit Preserves
Cultura Chocolate bars and Mexican Drinking Chocolate
Robin Chocolate’s fabulous chocolate truffles
Askinosie Chocolate – Peppermint Bark, Vegan Milk Chocolate, Gingerbread Spice bar
Indigo Shibori Napkin Sets and more by Tehya Macintosh
Leo’s Dry Goods unique Napkins, Tea Towels, Aprons and more
Hand-printed Napkins, Teatowels, Sachets and more from 10 Digit Press
Theresa Haberkorn’s woodblock-printed towels, calendars & cards
Colorful Quilted Potholders, Peace Garlands and more by Lynn Mattingly
Small Cutting Boards and more by Hidden Gnome Woodworking
Goatmilk Soaps, Lotions and more from Lamborn Mt. Farmstead
Dryland Wilds’ Uniquely scented and beautiful soaps, and more
Holiday ornaments from many artisans, in many materials

Too many more to list!

Bulbs, Just as many for Half the Price!

Our outdoor bulbs have been further discounted and are now 50% off!

Narcissus

‘Ice Follies’, ‘Hawera’, ‘Geranium’, ‘Pipit’

Allium

christophii, moly, caeruleum, ‘Rosenbachianum’, ‘Graceful Beauty’

Crocus

‘E.P. Bowles’, ‘Gipsy Girl’, ‘Fuscotinctus’, ‘Blue Pearl’

Iris

‘Danfordiae’, ‘J.S. Dyt’, ‘Harmony’

Tulipa

linifolia, ‘Tinka’

And

Galanthus elwesii (Snowdrops), Anemone blanda ‘Blue Shades’

Indoor bulbs are also 50% off!

Five gorgeous varieties of Amaryllis (Minerva, Mont Blanc, Vera, Red Lion), plus Paperwhite Narcissus and pre-chilled Delft Blue Hyacinths with growing glass!

Door Prizes!

Each day of our Holiday Gift Market, anyone who comes to Harlequin’s and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY DRAWING for a $15 GIFT CERTIFICATE!   In addition, we will conduct a drawing at the close of the Holiday Market for two $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES, winner to be drawn at 5:00 on Sunday, December 23!  To enter, simply show up, make a purchase and fill out an entry form.  (One entry per person; entrants need not be present to win.)

Wishing you all a heart-warming and meaningful holiday season.  We hope to see you soon!  

Eve & Mikl

and the Most Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Opens Friday!

Fri., Nov. 23 (Green Friday) through Sun., Dec. 23

Open Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday

10 am to 5 pm

Green Friday is almost here! We’re just putting the finishing touches on the big transformation, turning our down-home garden store into a magical marketplace for the best holiday shopping experience ever!  We call it Green Friday because we feature the most sustainable products from artisans who not only create beauty, but also care deeply about treading lightly and making a positive impact on this precious planet of ours. They reuse and recycle, offer great natural alternatives to plastic and other synthetic materials, promote reverence for the wonders of nature, the processes and players that make it all happen, and open our eyes to viewpoints and details we not have noticed or encountered before. And this is the time of year when most artisans make the bulk of their annual income. As always, we offer goods that are Local, Sustainable, Pure, Non-toxic, High-quality, Beautiful, Unusual, Innovative, Practical, Delightful and Durable.  And importantly, your purchases help keep the wealth in our local economy.   

This year we’re featuring the wonderful craftsmanship of nearly 100 artisans, local and regional – even adding new artists this week!  Our artisans and their products are profiled in our Holiday Market Catalog, which we emailed last weekend, or click here for our website listing. We appreciate your sharing our catalog with all of your friends and family!   We would love to see you this weekend, Green Friday through Sunday at our very special OPEN HOUSE!  See details below.

Harlequin‘s Gardens is wishing you a calm, peaceful, and bountiful Thanksgiving shared with people you love!  We have much to be thankful for this year, foremost being your steadfast patronage, the increase in our community’s commitment to sustainable gardening, and the boundless energy of our owners and staff to bring our nursery to fruition.  Thank you so very much!

Holiday Open House Schedule

~ ~  November 23, 24 & 25  ~ ~

Featuring Live Music & Home-made Treats!

MUSIC SCHEDULE 

FRI, NOV. 23, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm: RICHARD BACKES & PAYGE EMERSON, Celtic & Appalachian duo on fiddle, guitar, mandolin, flute, button accordion and vocals.
FRI, NOV. 23, 1:00 to 2:30 pm, MARGOT KRIMMEL, Celtic and original harp.

SAT, NOV. 24, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, PAUL VISVADER, Hawaiian & original guitar.
SAT, NOV. 24, 1:00 to 2:00 pm, JON SOUSA, Colorado’s finest Celtic guitar and banjo.

SUN, NOV. 25, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, RON SOMMERS & JEFF HAEMER, Old-Timey and Swing music on guitar, mandolin and vocals.

~ ~ CDs by some of these and other fine local artists will be for sale! ~ ~

DOOR PRIZES!

Each day of our Holiday Gift Market, anyone who comes to Harlequin’s and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY DRAWING for a $15 GIFT CERTIFICATE!   In addition, we will conduct a drawing at the close of the Holiday Market for two $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES, winner to be drawn at 5:00 on Sunday, December 23!  To enter, simply show up, make a purchase and fill out an entry form.  (One entry per person; entrants need not be present to win.)

FIRST ROW:  Tehya Macintosh’s Indigo Shibori-dyed zipper bags.  Renee McDougall’s Green Man.  Rose and the Wren Knitting project bags.
SECOND ROW:  Amy Mundinger’s felt & fiber flower pins.  Angelo Ambrosia Art Glass.
THIRD ROW:  Lois Edgar’s clay critters.  MaryLynn Schumacher goat & turtle bowls.  Amanda Maldonado’s drawings.
FOURTH ROW:  Children’s View Scope.  Engrid’s Jams.
FIFTH ROW:  Waterwise Plants book by Lauren Springer & Scott Ogden.  Annette Kennedy nature printed scarves.  Mushrooms of the Rocky Mt. Region book by Vera Evenson and Denver Botanic Gardens.

We hope to see you at our opening weekend!  

Eve & Mikl
and the Most Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Welcome to our 7th Annual Local Holiday Market!

Fri., Nov. 23 (Green Friday) through Sun., Dec. 23

Open Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday

10 am to 5 pm

By now most of you already know that our Holiday Gift Market is the most rewarding place to shop for your holiday gifts and entertaining. We keep adding new artisans and products, and we always offer an amazing array of outstanding locally-crafted items in many categories so you can shop for everyone on your list  in one place, relaxed and far from the madding crowd! And this year, because of the way the calendar happens to fall, we will be open for a whole extra week, giving you 5 ‘long weekends’ of opportunity!

Just as in our plants and nursery products, our standards are high. We prefer to offer goods that are Local, Sustainable, Pure, Non-toxic, High-quality, Beautiful, Unusual, Innovative, Practical, Delightful and Durable.

Here are the TOP REASONS we hold our holiday gift market:

• To bring you the same level of sustainability, quality, selection, value, service and enjoyment in your holiday shopping that you have come to rely on from our nursery
• To give exceptionally talented, sustainable artisans and producers in our area (and a few beyond) an opportunity to increase their customer base and introduce them to the kind of folks that will appreciate their work
• To keep the money flowing in our local economy
• To give some of our amazing staff the opportunity to extend their work season and add a little more to their livelihoods

DOOR PRIZES!
Each day of our Holiday Gift Market, anyone who comes to Harlequin’s and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY DRAWING for a $15 GIFT CERTIFICATE!   In addition, we will conduct a drawing at the close of the Holiday Market for two $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES, winner to be drawn at 5:00 on Sunday, December 23!  To enter, simply show up, make a purchase and fill out an entry form.  (One entry per person; entrants need not be present to win.)  Share this announcement blog with friends who may not know about it!  

Please join us for our HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Thanksgiving Weekend!  See details below.

Holiday Open House Schedule

~ ~  November 23, 24 & 25  ~ ~

Featuring Live Music & Home-made Treats!

MUSIC SCHEDULE
FRI, NOV. 23, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm: RICHARD BACKES & PAYGE EMERSON, Celtic & Appalachian duo on fiddle, guitar, mandolin, flute, button accordion and vocals.
FRI, NOV. 23, 1:00 to 2:30 pm, MARGOT KRIMMEL, Celtic and original harp.

SAT, NOV. 24, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, REBECCA WATERHOUSE & GUILLAUME GAULLIER, spirited Irish and Breton traditional tunes on fiddle and Irish flute.
SAT, NOV. 24, 1:00 to 2:00 pm, JON SOUSA, Colorado’s finest Celtic guitar and banjo.

SUN, NOV. 25, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, RON SOMMERS & JEFF HAEMER, Old-Timey and Swing music on guitar, mandolin and vocals.

~ ~ CDs by some of these and other fine local artists will be for sale! ~ ~    

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Delectable Treats
Personal Adornment
Body Care
Art & Home Accessories
Brain Food & Young People
Gardening & Beekeeping

Delectable Treats

Askinosie Chocolates

Haleluja! A new award-winning and truly exceptional “Milk” Chocolate bar … made with coconut milk instead of dairy! This rich and creamy vegan 52% milk chocolate is handcrafted with cocoa beans sourced directly from farmers in Del Tambo, Ecuador, plus organic coconut. It is Certified Kosher D.E., vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. We are also delighted to bring back Askinosie’s fabulous Peppermint Bark, packaged in tins that make great stocking stuffers, and their Gingerbread Chocolate bar, which infuses their rich milk chocolate with an aromatic blend of classic gingerbread spices for an unforgettable flavor treat!

Cultura Chocolate

A Denver-based, micro-batch, bean-to-bar artisan chocolate, Cultura is produced in one of Denver’s ‘maker spaces’ called the Art Gym. They use only beans from ethically-sourced and organic cacao farms in Latin America, which they hand sort, crack, roast, winnow, grind, conche, temper and mold to bring out the richest aromas and flavors and the smoothest textures.  We are offering their superlative chocolate bars in multiple flavors and sizes, as well as their delicious Mexican style Sipping Chocolate!

Eve’s Pecan Shortbread Cookies – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Back by popular demand: Scrumptious, rich, melt-in-your-mouth nut shortbread cookies, based on almond flour, pecans and butter, subtly sweetened with a little maple syrup. Gluten-free, grain-free, mostly organic, no refined sugars. You don’t have to be gluten-sensitive to love these rich and satisfying cookies!   

Haystack Gardens Fruit Preserves – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Many of you already know that our own Engrid Winslow makes jams and jellies that make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure. She uses fresh fruit, (local and organic whenever possible) and very little sugar, so the fruit flavors shine. She makes the classics as well as many delicious originals, like Pear with Vanilla Bean, and Blueberry Lemonade, to name just a couple. Engrid is always coming up with new combinations and this year is no exception as she introduces us to new Limited-Edition savory flavors: Ginger Peach Marmalade, Spiced Black Mission Fig, and Apricot Rosemary. You’ll find delicious uses for Engrid’s preserves, in breakfasts, hors d’oeuvres, salad dressings, glazes, and desserts.

Kristina’s Bees Natural Honey – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Kristina is our beloved beekeeping specialist, an entymologist with more than 35 years of beekeeping  experience, and an amazing wealth of knowledge. She tends hives in diverse gardens at several locations around Boulder County, where the bees collect from alfalfa, Russian olive, sunflower, apple and many others surrounding the small farm where she lives just off the Diagonal in Longmont.  This year she’s bottling up some of her liquid gold to sell exclusively at our Holiday Gift Market!  It tastes divine! 

Lamborn Mountain Farmstead Tea

Lamborn Mountain’s organic lavender and goat milk body-care products, made on a small farm in Paonia, CO, by our friends Carol and Jim Schott, are a great favorite at Harlequin’s. Now we are also offering their lovely tins of their delicious and aromatic organic Earl Grey tea with lavender buds, and their new home-grown, hand-harvested Chamomile Lavender tea, a relaxing treat! Both make wonderful, unique stocking-stuffers!

New Beat Quinoa Crackers

Trish Kurnik is a Longmont neighbor and friend of ours, who in 2005, while still in grad school, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. She had to learn how to cook, bake and live without gluten. But she was up to the challenge, and not only felt 500% better after 2 gluten-free weeks, but laid the foundation for later launching into her handmade, artisan cracker business – Beat Foods. These crackers are fabulous! Based on quinoa flour (complete protein, packed with fiber and gluten-free), New Beat crackers are thin and crispy, local, organic, nutritious, gluten-free, versatile and absolutely delicious! We are offering their Sesame Swing, Trio, and Play it Straight flavors.  

Robin Chocolate

Longmont chocolatier and pastry chef Robin Autorino refers to her award-winning artisan chocolate creations as edible art – art for your eyes and your mouth. She combines her exceptional artistry and fine ingredients to create little masterpieces that taste as good as they look. We love them, and are offering assortments of her truffles in handsome boxes of 4, 6, 8 or 12.  “I want my ganache to be bold,” Robin says. “I want the Key lime pie truffle to give you some pucker. I want the espresso to bring you the same comfort as your morning cup.”  Also, this year: Robin’s delicious Dark Chocolate Drizzled Crystallized Ginger, packaged in bags.

Seed Ranch Hot Sauces

Seed Ranch Flavors is a small ‘farm to bottle’ small-batch maker of ‘hot’ sauces (one is very mild) in Boulder, the passion of David Delcourt. David uses only non-gmo, gluten-free, organic, natural plant-based ingredients, and his sauces are paleo and vegan-friendly. What really caught our attention was the delicious originality and complexity of the blended flavors, and their versatility – not just for tortilla chips! These make great hostess gifts, or components of an all-local specialty food basket!  

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

Yea!  Totally organic!  Made in Boulder by herbalist Debra St. Claire!  No corn syrup!  Delicious!  Effective!  Packaged in pretty, reusable tins!  Incredibly inexpensive!

Zing Nuts

Inspired by his father’s holiday candy making, Rand Lechner of Zing Nuts makes quality almond brittle right here in Boulder. Although his main recipe is simple, he breaks from tradition by adding exciting spices, and flavor combinations. We have decided to offer the Original, Pumpkin Spice, and Colorado Beer Salt versions. All of his nut brittles are naturally gluten-free except, of course, the Colorado Beer Salt.

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Personal Adornment

Aay Bravin

Aay Bravin grew up in a village in northern Thailand, a 1-hour walk from the border with Burma. Her grandmother taught her how to weave and crochet when she was young. Her family grew cotton and raised silkworms. They made all their own clothing and grew all their food. They had neither electricity nor phone service and without contact with the outside world, they had to be totally self-sufficient. But now she is here in Boulder, where she enthusiastically continues to knit, crochet and weave and share the beauty of her creations. Her warm, snug-fitting fingerless gloves are both beautiful and practical, covering more of the fingers than other fingerless gloves, but enabling easy phone use, writing and handwork. She also makes cozy slippers and hats!

Casa Brujaja

In their Albuquerque New Mexico studio, Kia and Sienna of Casa Brujaja make stunning, original handcrafted glass and silver talismans and jewelry inspired by life in the desert. Their adornments are meticulously crafted from recycled glass, silver and found objects from the natural world. “We are constantly inspired by life here in the desert where we live, and our pieces are a reflection of that. Instead of precious stones and minerals, the focal pieces of our jewelry tend to be softer items gathered from natural places- wings, feathers, snakeskin, leaves, flowers and bones. When encased in glass these items take on a jewel-like appearance but with textures and colors seldom seen in jewelry. The edges of each piece of glass are encased in a silver and tin alloy, which has a much lower melting temperature than sterling, allowing us to preserve the natural elements inside the glass from being discolored by the heat of a jeweler’s torch. We’ve made it our mission to create beautiful, durable adornments from items that are usually too precious and too fragile to carry with you. These works function as talismans as much as traditional jewelry. They are keepsakes from places beautiful and wild and carry the magic of those places with them. Our work is inspired by our love of nature, our superstitions, our Latinidad and the ways those things intersect.”

Engrid’s Luxury Socks, Leg Warmers & Boot Cuffs – Harlequin’s Exclusive!
Our own Engrid Winslow hand knits these soft, warm and beautiful wool socks, in washable wool/poly blend and Pashmina yarns, in lovely color blends with reinforced heels and toes, in sizes for women and men. Quantities are limited – the early bird gets the socks!

Eve’s Handwoven Scarves – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Eve wondered why, in all these years, she had never become a fiber artist. So she took a class, bought a small, simple table-top loom and a bunch of beautiful, soft, natural-fiber yarns, and got to work. The rest is not yet history. In 2017 she introduced her first efforts. She has now developed a compelling passion for weaving and a formidable collection of yarns, with an emphasis on locally hand-spun and hand-dyed natural fiber yarns, often spun from the wool of local sheep, alpaca, and even apartment-dwelling Angora rabbits! She designs her scarves with the aim of showcasing the wonderful textures and colors of these yarns in beautiful, practical and affordable accessories. If time permits, Eve hopes to design and weave some natural fiber (think hemp, linen, cotton, raw silk) placemats and table runners as well.

Fiber Earthspaces Scarves

Nationally acclaimed local fiber artist Annette Kennedy, widely known for her award-winning art quilts, turned her talents and her love of nature to making marvelous nature-printed silk scarves. She uses leaves, flowers, buds, etc. from plants that she grows herself and forages, along with natural dye plant extracts, to create elegantly subtle, earthy, one-of-a-kind scarves that feel as luxurious as they look.

Karen Edge

Boulder artist Karen Edgerly is an accomplished silversmith working in silver combined with copper and brass that she etches, casts or form-folds and sets with precious or semi-precious faceted stones to make sparkly everyday-wearable necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings. Karen also teaches her craft at pARTiculars in Lafayette.

Pebble Art Jewelry

Eve discovered Pebble Art Jewelry when she was lured into their little shop by an arresting display of jewelry made from ancient Roman glass. This year Kate Head and Jill Hadley, two of the three artists at the shop, bring us wonderful pieces featuring fragments of 1200 year old Roman era glass from the Mediterranean region in gorgeous shades of blues, greens and iridescent pearl combined with modern styling, and at very reasonable prices. They’ll also bring a variety of lovely pieces with semi-precious and other natural stones. Pebble is located at 7980 Niwot Road next door to the Niwot Market.

Renee’s Dichroic Glass Jewelry

Dichroic glass is glass which displays two different colors by undergoing a color change in certain lighting conditions. This occurs as a result of stacking layers of glass and micro-layers of metals or oxides which give the glass shifting colors depending on the angle of view, an example of thin-film optics. It’s also quite vivid and sparkly!  Her brilliant earrings and ornamented bobby pins are big favorites at our Holiday Markets.

Retuned Jewelry

Retuned Jewelry makes striking, stylish bracelets, earrings and necklaces for gals and guys from repurposed, used guitar strings. Did you know that because of the various alloys used to make guitar strings, they are extremely difficult to recycle? At least 700 tons of strings end up in the dump every year.  Retuned works with local musicians and music shops to collect used strings that would have otherwise been thrown away. Their jewelry, made by Christina and her husband in Frederick CO, gives these hard-working strings new life and allows their stories to live on. We think they are a perfect fit for our Holiday Gift Market, don’t you?  Christina says “Music has always been a big part of our lives. When we started Retuned, one of our goals was to be able to give back to the community that has meant so much to us. The Blue Star Connection mission is to provide access and ownership of musical instruments for children and young adults with cancer and other serious life challenges. We’re happy to say, with your help, we are able to help support Blue Star Connection.”  

Sarah DeAngelo Jewelry

In her Denver studio, Sarah makes delicate and feminine jewelry featuring semi-precious stones, pearls and fine metals.  Her expert wire-wrapping and metalworking create elegant settings for the stones, making her pieces luxurious-looking yet affordable. We are very excited about Sarah’s latest work, which features her original silver and copper metalworking.

Sondra Finch Knitwear

Sondra joined us late in our 2015 holiday market and her fun, original hand-knitted hats and headbands immediately set off a buying frenzy. I get compliments wherever I go in the fabulous feathery headband I bought, even from strangers on the street. We’ve stocked up on her pieces this year, and added her soft, snuggly ‘mobius’ scarves, as well as her beautiful pressed-flower botanical cards.

Tehya McIntosh

I met Tehya in the context of our mutual membership in the Handweaver’s Guild of Boulder, where I discovered that she has, for many years, had a very productive passion for the Indigo Shibori dye process, and other fascinating natural dye and patterning techniques. She’s been hand-crafting beautiful, one-of-a-kind napkins, towels, and clutch handbags to give as gifts to her family and friends, and now for the first time, will be offering them for sale at our Holiday Gift Market! Tehya McIntosh has made Boulder her home since 2000. She’s a creative whirlwind, a long-time participant in the Waldorf education movement started by Rudolf Steiner, and President of the consumer products company called Now & Zen, Inc., creators of The Zen Alarm Clock.

Third Wolf Designs

We’re very happy to introduce Third Wolf Designs’ tee shirts for men and women into our Holiday Market this year. Alexa Varano paints her original designs on each individual piece of sustainably and ethically produced clothing with a paintbrush in her Denver studio – no screen-printing here! We’ve chosen three of our favorite designs in two different tee shirt styles. The flattering scoop-necked women’s shirts are made of silky soft, breathable, moisture-wicking, fast-drying bamboo (70%) and organic cotton (30%), guaranteed not to shrink. The unisex classic crew-neck tee-shirts in men’s sizes are made of 100% hemp, another great natural fiber, durable and soft! Alexa is a young woman on a joyful adventure in sustainable business that combines her passion for sharing uplifting and healing symbology with her passions for making art and making personal connections through her art and business.

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Body Care

As we approach the holiday giving season, please be sure to look beyond the stylish labels and pay close attention to potential toxins that may lurk inside the containers of beauty and personal care products.  Fragrance. That one word allows companies like L’Oréal, Proctor & Gamble, and thousands of others to put any of 3,000 chemicals into your shampoos, make-up and other personal care products. Without telling you! That’s ridiculous!  This is just one of the possible dangers you should be aware of and avoid when shopping for products you put on your skin, lips, hair and nails. At our 7th Annual Holiday Gift Market you will find an excellent selection of body care products that are completely non-toxic. We offer our favorite small-batch, local artisan-crafted products including soaps, lotions, salves, facial oils, lip balms, and our exclusive, famous Dr.Brawner’s Aftershave! 

Gardener’s Dirt Soap

An all-natural handcrafted soap by Botanicals Beyond Belief. This unique blend of coffee grounds & pumice has a great earthy scent! Don’t worry, this hand soap has what it takes to scrub off your dirt & grime after a hard day’s work. Ingredients: Olive & coconut palm oils, spring water, lye, fragrance oils, coffee grounds & pumice.

Blair’s Herbals

Give a friend (or yourself) the gift of healing relaxation! We are very pleased to offer our dear friend Blair Chandler’s handmade, reiki-infused Bath Salts that bring forth the healing properties of the mineral-rich Himalayan salts and the biodynamically-grown plants she raises in her organic Boulder garden. You can trust that Blair’s Herbals products are made with the highest quality ingredients and intention. Blair is also a gifted practitioner of Reiki and Healing Touch therapy techniques, working with subtle energy.

Dr. Brawner’s Healing Aftershave – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

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! (and it’s not just for men).

Dryland Wilds – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Dryland Wilds is a duo of young women of the northern New Mexico desert, hand-crafting quality cosmetics and skin-care products that are sustainable, low-waste and local. Their products are made from dryland plants, capturing the New Mexico desert’s real ‘scents of place’. They handcraft botanical soaps, balms, Pinyon incense, plant waters and oils in small batches with organic oils and handmade desert perfumes, with no artificial ingredients. Eve says “their Prickly Pear Lip Tint immediately became a staple in my facial care. I love the warm, natural color, the creamy texture, the fact that it lasts for hours, and that the oils used are all organic and skin-healing: olive, coconut, avocado and jojoba oils, beeswax, and wild-collected prickly pear seed oil”. It also happens to be fragrance-free. We’re also offering their irresistibly scented Chocolate Flower and Evening Primrose lip tints! WE LOVE the aromas of the desert southwest, and love using Dryland Wilds’ beautiful, handcrafted Sagebrush & Snakeweed soap. They describe it well: “The spicy clean herbal scent brings you to the top of New Mexico’s desert mesas where the wind smells of sagebrush, parched earth and sunshine. Sagebrush and comfrey leaves gently exfoliate, while kaolin and bentonite clay absorbs impurities and snakeweed soothes the skin.” This year we are adding their equally transporting Pinyon Woodsmoke soap. Also new this year, we’ll have a limited number of Beauty Oils in Evening Primrose scent and Sagebrush/Snakeweed scent, as well as their Sagebrush Plant Water, a spray that can be used to subtly scent a room, you clothing, hair or body with the uniquely exhilarating and archetypal aroma of the western drylands!

Jen’s Body Butter – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Jen creates her Body Butter from all organics including shea and cocoa butters, coconut oil, lavender and orange essential oils. She purchases the ingredients locally from responsible world-wide sources. After showering, scoop some of Jen’s Body Butter and rub together between your hands and apply. Ideal for moisturizing the whole body.

Kisu / Trementina – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Created by Pamela Clum’s 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 womens’ 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.

Lamborn Mountain Farmstead

Our friends Carol and Jim Schott, who you may remember as founder of Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy of Niwot, have resettled over on the Western Slope and created Lamborn Mt. Farmstead on a mesa overlooking Paonia, CO in the North Fork Valley, an area known for its organic orchards, vegetable 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 soaps in other scents, like Cedar Rose and Rosemary Lemon Mint, and calming & uplifting Lavender Hydrosol, and their lavender-infused teas. All their products are hand-made in small batches.

Stinging Nettle Apothecary

Surely your holiday gift list includes at least one person who knits, crochets, spins or weaves! Yarn Balm is a ‘must-have’ stocking stuffer for just about any fiber artist! Jane Anderson is an experienced herbalist and an avid and expert knitter who knows what housework and gardening, and working with fiber can do to your hands, and how that rough skin makes it impossible to work with yarn. Yarn Balm is wonderfully moisturizing yet truly non-greasy, using organic, wildcrafted Argan Oil from Morocco. She uses only pure, natural ingredients, originating from plants, seeds, nuts or flowers, to hand-craft her products. Her paperboard tube packaging is both recycled and recyclable or compostable. PS: Yarn Balm is also great for cracked heels!

Wild Sage Skin Care

We’re excited to share our very own Garima’s skin care products with you!  They are hand-made in small batches from ingredients which are natural, recognizable, and ethically grown. She grows essentially all the herbs for her products in her own organic garden, and uses organic jojoba oil from Arizona, organic unrefined shea butter from Uganda, local organic honey and beeswax, and organic sunflower oil from California. Garima continues to hear from her customers and friends almost daily that using her products, their skin has never looked better, and has never felt so glowing and healthy. Formulated to benefit all skin types, Wild Sage products are gentle enough for those with allergy-prone or sensitive skin. Products include Rose Hazel Toner, Rose Geranium Face Lotion, Wild Cherry Rejuvenating Serum, Amazing Red Clay Mud, Healing Hand Cream, Echinacea Balm, Honey Papaya Mask, and Creamy Rose Cleanser.

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Art & Home Accessories

10 Digit Press

Kim Hindman is the everything at 10 Digit Press. She has lived all things print for the last two decades, receiving both a BFA and MFA in Printmaking, and then going on to teaching Printmaking, Drawing, and Book Arts at the university level. When I saw Kim’s exquisitely drawn bee, insect and botanical images hand-printed on hand-dyed cotton tea towels, napkin sets, eye pillows, trivets, handbags, etc., I knew we had to share them with our Harlequin’s Holiday Gift Market customers! They are elegant, simple, perfectly crafted, practical and stylish, and we are so excited to bring them to you!  Kim now lives in Longmont, making prints in her home studio, raising little ones and gardening.

20# Tabby – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

We’ve known Cheryl Netter 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). She is also a multi-talented craftswoman. We’re carrying her dainty and very affordable Czech glass flower earrings and felted acorn earrings, intricate fairy ornaments, and whimsical needle-felted ornaments, all original designs, meticulously crafted. Because of the nature of the felting process, no two ornaments are ever exactly alike, which makes them all the more precious.

A Ruby Moon

Jen Grant creates these cheerful and artful flags with her original designs – display your affection for wildflowers, bees, birds, etc. by garlanding a doorway, deck, porch, window or wall. Hand-made in Lafayette, CO.

Amanda Maldonado

Inspired by Colorado’s wildlife and the outdoors, Amanda Maldonado makes delightful drawings of local animals in pen and ink. This year, we’re selling postcard prints of these fun, hand-illustrated critters. She is also providing her own hand-made envelopes to go with the postcards. Amanda was raised in N. Carolina, but has fallen in love with her adopted home here in the hills of Boulder. She is passionate about the Boulder Public Library, writing snail mail, and her cat, Fiasco. Follow her on Instagram (@Coy.Ink) to keep up to date with her most recent drawings.

Amber Lights Candles

Our friend Clark and his family have turned what used to be a hobby into a full-time business. In their Longmont studio, they make delightful cast beeswax candles that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including several designs that are based on traditional European holiday season candle molds. These candles are highly decorative, wonderfully detailed, naturally endowed with a heavenly honey scent, and burn clean and smokeless.  

Ambrosia Glassworks

Angelo Ambrosia (yes, that’s his wonderful real name!), opened Ambrosia Glass Art Studio in Longmont in 2004, and he’s been creating one-of-a-kind hand-blown glass sculptures and vessels ever since. He also teaches glassblowing there, and guides his pupils with gentle and patient expertise. Angelo is renowned for his colorfully patterned vessels and light fixtures, ranging from playful to sophisticated. We are delighted to offer some of his small pieces for the gift-giving season.

Amy Mundinger Designs

Amy Mundinger of Pine Tree Studios is truly a gifted craftswoman, with a keen eye for color and design, and well-honed skills in fiber arts from crochet to embroidery on upcycled felt, and free-motion quilting with hand-dyed 100% cotton fabrics. And now that her children are grown she is able to share some of her wonderful work with us! Each of her original fabric applique art cards is an individually handmade small work of art.  Hand-dyed cotton fabrics often mixed with modern prints and batiks, give these cards a vibrant punch. Her lively ornaments, made with upcycled felt over antique spindles, feature charming foxes and owls.

Arabella’s Metal

Sculptor Arabella Tattershall works from her studio in Erie Colorado. Formerly a designer and maker of garments, she now pursues her passion and expression in the art of welding. Inspired by the human form and forms in Nature, her lyrical sculptures are created from cut, hammered & shaped steel leaves and various mixed metals. Arabella is fascinated with the idea of bending, shaping, weaving, riveting, sewing and welding mixed metals, and continues to explore these combinations of construction with hopes of telling the viewer a story…of line, shape, balance and possibility. We are thrilled to offer some of her smaller pieces for garden and home!

Atelier Foucault

We are very excited to introduce Marie Foucault-Phipps’ stunning, intriguing, and elegant glass tableware! I came upon her work last winter and found it entirely unlike anything I had seen before. Using a technique that dates as far back as the 9th century (Turkey), Marie paints her original designs with ‘Silver Stain’ (silver oxide) on clear glass pieces. They are then fired in a kiln and emerge with a rich and exciting color palette ranging from yellows and golds to deep coppery oranges, and molten reds! She describes it as “a wild medium, not reliable, and always surprising” and says she enjoys “exploiting its freedom”. You will love her tableware and garden lanterns! Marie studied Stained Glass Conservation in Paris and became an accomplished conservator of historical stained-glass art across France and the U.S. In 1884 she relocated to the U.S. (New York, then Colorado). An accomplished glass painter, Marie freelanced for other studios while working on her own exhibition glass. She has exhibited around the world with the Women’s International Glass Workshop to places such as Japan, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Wales, France, and Golden, Colorado!

Diane’s Temari – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Our customer and friend Diane Patterson makes these wonderful ornaments, called Temari, which date back to ancient Japan, where Temari was originally a handcraft of upper class women. Intricate designs were embroidered on handmade balls using silk threads from kimonos. The balls were used as toys. Temari are unique, beautiful, colorful gifts. Attractive hanging as a single ornament, grouped in a bowl, used in a centerpiece, given as a housewarming gift, or simply to hold and admire, they will be treasured for many years.

Fiber Earthspaces – Home Accessories

Nationally known fiber artist, Annette Kennedy from Longmont, has been creating her award-winning quilt art since 2003, with her award-winning pieces in the National Quilt Museum and in private collections around the country. These artful magnets and coasters are images of her art quilts that will bring the spark of inspiration wherever they are placed. They are durable and easy to wipe clean when needed. Nature is Annette’s focus, with flowers, plants and landscapes being the central theme in her work.

Fred Hall Petrified Wood – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

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.

Glass Green Man

Artisan Renée McDougall of Longmont became interested in crafting with glass while working at the Stained Glass Supply Company. She works mostly in fused glass, a process that can take up to 11 hours from start to finish. Renée uses her home studio for crafting many different glass pieces, from jewelry to bowls and hanging art. We think her cast glass hanging Green Man faces will make a lovely addition to any gardener’s window or porch.  

Green Meadow

Erin Huybrechts Davis says she has been a painter for as long as she can remember. She grew up on the east coast, has her degree in painting and printmaking, and a masters degree in education. She now lives here in Longmont, CO, where she is a freelance illustrator and teaches art to young people. We were struck by her flowing, stylized and poetic depictions of the natural world. She is inspired by patterns and imagery from Asia, where she has traveled, and this influence is evident in her work as well. We are delighted to offer Erin’s cards, prints, and original paintings again this year!

Helen Hiebert 12 Months of Paper Calendar

Helen Hiebert’s 12 Months of Paper calendar will inspire anyone, young or old, to work with paper in new, exciting and fun ways. Helen now makes her home near Vail, CO, and is an internationally renowned artist who has been exploring paper for decades, stretching and redefining its possibilities and character. She has produced a number of books and films on paper craft, and knows how to make it accessible and exciting. The calendar offers illustrated instructions for making a new paper project every month, and comes with a template for cutting the pieces.

Come learn more about crafting with paper on Saturday, December 1st starting at 10:30 am, when Helen will walk participants through a paper craft project.   

Hidden Gnome Woodworking

We met the good-hearted and community-minded Hidden Gnome folks several years ago and really liked them and their products. Not only do they make simple but handsome, practical, well-crafted hardwood products (we have their cutting boards, coasters and their best-selling wall-mounted bottle opener with hidden magnets), but they also devote a great deal of their time to a soup kitchen in Denver. They make their products in small batches, using locally-sourced material as much as possible. “The Gnome reminds us to slow down and enjoy the little things in life.”  

Kathleen Lanzoni

Back by popular demand! Notecards of vibrant paintings by renowned Boulder watercolor artist and muralist Kathleen Lanzoni feature local landscapes and floral subjects. This year Kathleen will also offer some of her giclee prints and several original paintings. Kathleen has been the recipient of numerous awards, especially for her plein air paintings (painted from life on-site, not in the studio). She is also a wonderful painting teacher and mentor.

Kelly Manley – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Kelly is a font of creativity: writer, singer, painter, and more. This year, Kelly has been able to devote a lot of time to honing her skills in a life-long passion, pastel painting, and we reap the benefits! We offer some of her smaller pieces, mostly local Boulder County landscapes.  

Khala Cloths

We love using Khala cloths, the original Beeswax Wraps in the US. They are the creation of Asa and Tamar McKee, who now reside in Boulder, where they produce their environmentally responsible alternatives to plastic wrap and plastic bags. Khala Cloths can be used to cover and seal a bowl of left-overs, and make the best wrapping for keeping cheeses, breads and vegetables fresh longer. Every Khala Cloth comes in zero waste packaging. For example, the toppers are made from post-consumer recycled paper. Everything else – from the wax paper bag to the staple – are either biodegradable or recyclable. The fabric used to construct a Khala Cloth is organic cotton and hemp grown in North America, and is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standards. No bleaching, no chemicals. They are a Zero Waste Company, which means their goal is to produce Zero Garbage. In the last three years of production all of their waste fit into a 5 gallon bucket. Khala Cloths will have a long life (several years) when properly cared for.

Leo’s Dry Goods

Shari Moraga is practically our neighbor in Boulder. She calls her work ‘illustrations in thread’. She uses her sewing machine to ‘draw’ and ‘paint’ her light-hearted illustrations of vegetables, honeybees and hives, bicycles and more, on sturdy cotton tea towels, aprons for gardeners and cooks, napkin sets and zipper bags.

Lois Edgar

Lois is a longtime member of the Boulder Potters Guild. She has been exploring techniques with clay for many years and has developed a style that is both earthy and charming. This year we feature her new porcelain wares as well as Lois’s elegant hand-made embossed greeting cards and holiday tree ornaments.  

Lynn Mattingly Quilts – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

We are pleased to offer Lynn Mattingly’s brilliant quilted pot holders, table runners, baby quilts, peace garlands, and eyeglass cases. Sturdy and machine-washable, they are not only gorgeous but also practical. Lynn lives and quilts in beautiful Paonia,CO.

MaryLynn Schumacher

Boulder clay artist Mary Lynn Schumacher makes almost mythical forms and figures that evoke stories, animated with delight and imagination. She is an acclaimed artist who has been making functional and sculptural objects in clay for over 30 years, and is a long-time member of the Boulder Potter’s Guild. This year we are offering Mary Lynn’s wall-mounted pieces for home or garden, relief tiles and other small pieces.

Mimi’s Cloth Creations

Our own Mimi Yanus is not only an expert gardener, she also sews whimsical bags from old blue jeans.  Come see the variety of casual bags that Mimi has created! 

Niwot Honey Farm Beeswax Tapers 

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 go perfectly with our Traditional Majolica candle holders. Available in pairs, either clear-wrapped or gift boxed.
 

Smudge Sticks – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

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.  Very limited quantities available.

Theresa Haberkorn

We are 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, handmade journals, a charming wall calendar and an assortment of cards. To find out more about the process of woodcut printing, visit Theresa Haberkorn.

Todd Redmond

A Denver native now residing in Westminster, Todd is a longtime member of the Boulder Potters Guild and one of their most innovative artists. His work is always fun, quirky, original and superbly crafted. Todd says “I try to get through life with a sense of humor intact, and I think my pieces convey some of that irreverence.” We agree! In college, he declared his art major after getting this fortune cookie: “art is your fate; don’t debate!”. “Form and grace are of foremost interest in my work. I create objects with an artistic appeal that venerate the long history of ceramics while still being firmly rooted in the contemporary art world. I work with clay because of its many personalities. From the flowing malleable state to the solidly enduring fired state, it has the characteristics of many materials within one medium. This can be both magical and maddening, but the challenge is what keeps me intrigued with clay.”

Traditional Majolica Ceramics

Our friends Thea Tenenbaum and Raffaele Malferrari are well known around Boulder and beyond for their charming tradition-based Italian majolica pottery. Majolica is a process requiring multiple firings and great skill with the paintbrush. Their exquisitely detailed mugs depicting local animals, birds and insects will delight anyone lucky enough to receive them, as will their pairs of bee-motif candleholders (made to fit the hand-dipped Niwot Honey Farm beeswax tapers), and Thea’s dessert bowls!

Trek Light Gear

These colorful nylon hammocks and packs are Boulder-designed, fair-trade produced and thoughtfully designed to be incredibly comfortable and durable, holding up to 400 lbs. They come in sizes to serve as everything from a hanging chair or gear-holder to a perfect bed for two. They’re also easy to clean, last for many years, and scrunch down into a little-bitty stuff-sack for easy, lightweight travel. The Bindle Pack emerges from its really tiny stuff-sack to serve as the perfect day-pack once you’ve set up your base camp. Or around town! Trek Light hammocks are not just for lounging and snuggling. Many customers have found that TL hammocks gave them their first sound sleep without back pain in years. They then ditched their mattresses (of all kinds) and have slept in heavenly peace ever since!

Wee Bee Farms

Some of you might know WeeBee Farms for the beautiful, organically grown garlic they produce right here in Boulder. The owner, Karen Beeman, is also a great photographer! Karen loves to share the beauty she sees at her farm and around Boulder County. She carries her camera everywhere and focuses on pollinators and their favorite colorful flowers. We are carrying her stunning photo cards and notebooks.

Willi Eggerman Ceramics

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.” A long-time member of the Boulder Potter’s Guild, Willi’s work is admired and acclaimed throughout the region. We are offering a limited number of Willi’s Ikebana ‘pods’, perfect for small, informal floral specimens or mini-bouquets, and her wonderful salt-fired textural ‘Cactus’ mugs.

Wreaths

These beautiful dark green wreaths with silver color on the underside are made at Nick’s Garden Center in Aurora. We bring them back and decorate them ourselves, using decorative plants, pinecones and compostable ribbon. You can also get a plain one and decorate it yourself!  We are offering them in 14” and 16” sizes. 

FOR OUR FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS:

Canine Cardigans

Don’t leave your chilly dog out in the cold! If your best friend shivers on those winter walks, Canine Cardigans has the perfect solution: fine handcrafted, well-fitting dog sweaters from up-cycled cashmere, wool & other natural fabrics. Connie re-purposes unwanted vintage and second hand “people” sweaters into unique and fun dog sweaters in her Englewood CO workshop. She sources these sweaters from estate sales, yard sales, and thrift shops. She tells us “Once I find sweaters to use, I bring them home, wash and dry on hot and the ones that survive that make the cut to become dog coats. I also use most of the scrap in creating patchwork coats and sweaters so very little goes to waste and ends up in the landfill. I do all the creating, cutting and sewing in my lovely workroom at home”. Connie loves taking the unique features of each sweater into account as she transforms them into well-fitting dog coats. We are offering an assortment of her delightful sweaters for smaller breeds. While she’s at it, Connie ends up with all those cashmere sleeves, and rather than let them go to waste, she sews them into lovely, super-cozy fingerless arm/hand-warmers for those of us at the other end of the leash.  

Carbon Pawprint

Colorado-based Carbon Pawprint offers pets bowl mats made from reclaimed yoga mats, which are collected from local studios and practitioners. These dishwasher-safe mats help keep food bowls in place and protect your home’s floor from water (and drool) damage. Your furry friends will surely bark their approval knowing that you bought a unique, one-of-a-kind pet accessory while helping to reduce environmental waste and that a percentage of Carbon Pawprint’s profits are shared with local animal rescue organizations and charities!  

Smart Cookie Barkery

Doesn’t your dog deserve a gift? What does your dog love the best, besides you, and fetching? Good food, of course! Smart Cookie is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, where Scott and Bri Bradley make all-natural dehydrated treats and jerky for dogs. Their endeavor is founded on the principle that your dog’s treats should be custom tailored to what your dog(s) need to maintain their best possible health, and be yummy as well. Smart Cookie products are made from scratch in small batches, using fresh, wholesome, human-grade ingredients – real meats that they grind in-house, vegetables and fruits – then dehydrated to retain maximum nutritional value. Their treats are grain-free and soy-free, and have no artificial ingredients.   

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Brain Food & Young People

EXPLORATION

Zometool

It’s a toy for kids of all ages. It’s a tool for scientists and educators. It’s a medium for artists. It’s the winner of 22 awards and counting. And it’s a unique LOCAL product, the brainchild of our innovative friend and neighbor Paul Hildebrandt, also a founder of Eco-Cycle. Inspired by the ground-breaking, visionary work of Steve Baer and Clark Richert, who developed the underlying geometry, Paul began producing Zometool kits in 1992.

BOOKS

‘Rough Beauty’ by Karen Auvinen

We are proud to feature ‘Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living’ by friend and local author Karen Auvinen, an award-winning poet, mountain woman, and teacher. Her memoir, in the evocative, contemplative spirit of such writers as Annie Dillard and Terry Tempest Williams is an “outstanding…beautiful story of resilience” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), a luminous, lyric exploration, “a narrative that reads like a captivating novel…a voice not found often enough in literature—a woman who eschews the prescribed role outlined for her by her family and discovers her own path” (Christian Science Monitor) to embrace the unpredictability and grace of living intimately with the forces of nature.  Join Karen Saturday afternoon, December 1 for a book signing!  Exact time to be announced.

Foraging & Feasting Book – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

We are very excited to offer this ground-breaking book again! Foraging & Feasting celebrates and reclaims the lost art of turning locally gathered wild plants into highly nutritious, delicious meals, a traditional foodway long practiced by our ancestors but neglected in modern times. The stunning, instructive botanical illustrations and delicious, enlightening recipes offer an adventurous and satisfying way to eat locally and seasonally, and present creative ways to bring wild edibles into our lives.  We share this project with you out of our long commitment to connecting with nature through food and art. The effort weaves together acclaimed herbalist Dina Falconi’s 30 years of passionate investigations into wild-plant identification, foraging, and cooking with Wendy Hollender’s masterful botanical illustrations. In Part Three you’ll find more than 100 master recipes and countless variations formulated to help you easily turn wild plants into delectable salads, soups, beverages, meat dishes, desserts, and a host of other culinary delights.

Kitchen Botany

Would you like to learn botany while you cook? Our own Garima Fairfax’s unique cookbook joins botany and the pleasure of creative cooking. She combines foods which are closely related to each other in order to help learn who is related to whom. Garima continues to receive great reviews from people who have purchased and used her book.  Eating is a very effective (and fun) way to help retain what you learn!

Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree

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. This excellent read was a big hit at our holiday gift market last year. 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.

Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Southern Rockies

Don’t be fooled by the title; a lot of the area covered is in Colorado, including Denver, Boulder and Ft. Collins. This is a very good plant ID book from by Mary O’Brien & Karen Vail with interesting descriptions. In addition, it’s an excellent herbal, giving both medicinal and edible uses. Highlighted in yellow are important “cautions”. It is presented in a respectful way, honoring nature as did the Ute Indians who pioneered the use of these plants. For example, did you know that Gambel Oak “…is a good back country first aid plant to know, using the leaves as a poultice or wash for insect bites and wounds, or chewing a piece of the bark for toothaches….” Good photos. These local gals really know their stuff. Highly recommended.

Spiders in Your Neighborhood book – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Scary? Maybe. Cool? Definitely.  Author Pat Stadille used to be terribly afraid of these eight-legged daddies, until he started learning more about them. Now spiders are his best friends! As a nature enthusiast, we have a feeling you’re going to feel the same way, once you hear about their silky skills, hunting habits, and generally shy and gentle nature. Learn about jumpers, wolf spiders, tarantulas, and, of course, the black widow!

Spiders in Your Neighborhood features detailed drawings and photos of the critters you’ll find, and sections on types of webs, how and where to discover spiders, spider anatomy, common relatives… even a spidey quiz to test your creepy crawly knowledge. So, grab a flashlight and your sleuthing kit and join Pat ”Spiderman” Stadille on a journey around your backyard that will leave you spinning with excitement.  This small book is suitable for any age.

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds

Katrina Blair is the author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds, the only book on foraging and edible weeds to focus on the thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents a complete food source and extensive medical pharmacy and first-aid kit. The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is about healing ourselves both in body and in spirit, in an age where technology, commodity agriculture, and processed foods dictate the terms of our intelligence. But if we can become familiar with these thirteen edible survival weeds found all over the world, we will never go hungry, and we will become closer to our own wild human instincts—all the while enjoying the freshest, wildest, and most nutritious food there is.

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. We offer children’s books that are fascinating even for adults, full of in-depth science, but graphic and fun—many with projects and activities that make facts real. Also great story books, beautifully and cleverly told and illustrated. In addition, we have youth orientated interactive items that put kids in touch with nature and teach about nature and natural history. Come in to see our selection!

MUSIC

The Boulder Irish Session ~ Next Sunday at Conor’s

At 30 years old, The Boulder Irish Session is a Boulder ‘institution’ and is still going strong. They are an informal, dynamic gathering of top-notch Front Range musicians who have come together for more than 30 years on Sunday evenings in downtown Boulder to share tunes and songs of the Celtic tradition. After the closure of Conor O’Niell’s Pub, where they played for 18 years, they are happy to have found a great new home one block away at License #1, downstairs in the Hotel Boulderado (every Sunday night from 7pm).

Jon Sousa, Take Down the Door 

Our most exciting local Celtic music band, featuring Jesse Burns, Jon Sousa, Eric Turin, Adam Agee and Beth Gadbaw, recorded live in concert in Lyons.  Jon’s albums include Ceol na gCarad (his latest duo CD with Adam Agee), Suantrai (duo CD with Adam Agee and Jon Sousa), Twilight (Jon Sousa solo), Take Down the Door (pictured), and Canyon Sunrise (Andy Reiner & Jon Sousa).

Margot Krimmel

Margot is one of the region’s finest and most versatile harpists. Her fresh, innovative approach, passion and virtuosity have won her numerous awards. Her most recent CD, Black Rose, features Margot on the harp and vocals, along with Beth Gadbaw’s exquisite vocals, Beth Harmon on the fiddle and Eric Olson on the uilean pipes and whistle. This CD was recorded LIVE at the Black Rose Acoustic Society in Black Forest, Colorado.

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Gardening & Beekeeping

Beauty Beyond Belief Seeds

BBB is a great local seed company, offering wildflower mixes (Rocky Mtn. natives), and flower seed mixes for supporting honey bees and wild bees and other wild flower seed mixes perfect for gifts or holiday party favors.

Beekeeping Supplies

Harlequin’s Gardens has loved and supported bees for a long, long time. We also know that many of our customers already keep  honey bees, would like to learn how, or would just like to learn more about how to support bees and other pollinators.  So, several years ago we transformed the back portion of our building into The Bee Barn (painted the color of honey, of course!).  It’s continued to grow and change with the needs of bees and our customers. (Photo Credit, left: Red Hot Pepper Studio.)

Our Bee Barn is full of a good selection, featuring locally sourced products where possible.  We feature 8 and 10 frame Langstroth hive equipment (both assembled and unassembled) and real beeswax foundation.  We have a locally constructed top bar hive made with rough cut beetle-kill pine, a window and a screened bottom. Come and check out our great selection of tools and accessories, protective gear, feeding and bee health supplies, and great books.

Whether you’re a new or continuing beekeeper, our staff beekeepers can  answer questions and give advice. You’ll find our prices are quite reasonable.  We have Beekeepers Shopping Lists for Beginners, Seasonal, and Holiday Gift Giving to help guide your selections.  Kristina Williams, our own local bee expert will be on hand on Dec 16, 23, and 24 to help tailor your bee-gifting.

Return of Native Bees!
The Front Range is home to over 500 species of native bees.  These mostly solitary bees did ALL of the bee pollinating before the introduction of honey bees from Europe in the 1600s.  They love our weather, soils and native plants.  And we love them!  We’ve partnered with Crown Bees to bring you a selection of products to help you culture these gentle hole nesting bees such as woolcarder, mason, and leafcutter bees using responsible, sustainable, clean culture methods.  In spring we’ll be partnering again with Tom Theobald, a local mason bee cultivator,  with bees that are absolutely locally adapted and won’t introduce diseases from other parts of the country.  Here are some great gift options in order of the pictures.

1. Native Bee Chalet: for placing nesting tubes for the current season and an attic for placing the previous seasons bees to emerge this season.
2. Pollinator Pack: Tubes in an assortment of sizes and materials provide nesting holes for a variety of our native bees.
3. InviteaBee Plus Pheromone (scent):  an extra enticement for mason bees to use your nesting site.
4. Native Bee Guide Booklet: a brief introduction to just some of the bee species that may nest in your native bee house.
5. The Mason Bee Revolution book: for those who are seriously into mason bees.
6. Reusable cardboard mason bee tubes with disposable paper liners: the system Tom Theobald uses for those interested in spring mason bees in particular.

Bulbs, Outdoor – 40% off!

We still have species tulips, Narcissus, Crocus, Alliums, Galanthus elwesii (snowdrops), Chionodoxa forbesii, dwarf iris, and Anemone , plus drought-tolerant flowering onions!  Yes, you can still plant them, as long as your soil is not yet frozen. Or you can force them in pots – they will cheer you up in late winter! Some of them are fragrant, too.   These great bulbs are a whopping 40% off their original price!

Bulbs, Indoor – 30% off!

We have wonderful Amaryllis kits for ‘Minerva’, ‘Vera’, ‘Red Lion’, and ‘Mont Blanc’ varieties.  We also have Amaryllis sonatini ‘Pink Rascal’ and ‘Balentino’ (not in kit) and Paperwhites (in box kit with pot). These beauties will brighten your holiday decor and make for a lovely hostess gift!  All are 30% off their original price!

Harlequin’s Gardens Gift Certificate

Not sure what to give?  Consider giving a Gift Certificate to Harlequin’s Gardens!  Our Gift Certificates are available in any denomination and are valid for up to one calendar year. With a gift certificate, your recipients can select from our wide array of neonic-free plants, soil products, gardening and bee-keeping tools and supplies, and more!  Visit our store to purchase, mail-in your order with a check payment, or call 303-939-9403 and have your credit card handy!

Japanese Knife-Weeder (Hori Hori)

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 it for planting bulbs as I can make a deep, small hole.  If I could only have one tool forever, I would choose this one.”   

Stella Natura Astrological Planting Calendar 2019

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 over 25 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.  

Succulents & Indoor Plants

This year we offer tropical succulent plants for easy indoor growing. Succulents are very sculptural plants, often with unusual coloring, structure and texture, and they thrive indoors with very little attention. And some of our succulents have valuable medicinal properties you can use in your home. We can give you details when you come in.

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.

West County Gardening Gloves

We love West County 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 and patterns!  We carry their Work 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. 

Back to Top

Wishing you all a heart-warming and meaningful holiday season.  We hope to see you soon!  
Eve & Mikl
and the Most Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Today, Tuesday, Oct. 30, is the last day of our Plant Sales Season

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Today is the very last day of our 2018 nursery season. Each year when this day comes, we feel a bit melancholy; we have enjoyed your company so much through the past 8 months, and will miss you! Of course, we hope to see you here in November and December at our Holiday Gift Market (see below).

As our nursery season is closing, we would like to thank you very sincerely for your business and support that makes it possible for us to continue presenting and growing Harlequin’s Gardens year after year.

And we would especially like to express our gratitude for who you are: people who Care and Act in support of our Earth and our future generations. You care about conserving our precious water. You care about conserving our limited energy and getting that energy from renewable sources. You care about reducing our carbon emissions and reversing global climate change. You care about reducing or eliminating the poisons that are used in gardening and agriculture. You care about healthy, organic food and many of you grow fresh food for yourselves and to share with our community.  You care about Nature and growing our local natives in your home gardens. You care about the birds, pollinators and the earthworms, and even about the health of beneficial fungi and bacteria.

And these are some of the reasons you shop at Harlequin’s Gardens and why we work so intensely to manifest the above values as much as we are able. Together we are actually making a difference on our planet and in our local ecology.  We couldn’t do it without you!

“Every time you spend money, you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want.”   

Anna Lappe

HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET!

We will re-open for our fabulous 7th Annual Holiday Gift Market on Green Friday, Nov. 23 – Dec. 24, every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Stay tuned for more details!

Pictured left, Marie Foucault-Phipps’ stunning, intriguing, and elegant glass tableware! Using a technique that dates as far back as the 9th century (Turkey), Marie paints her original designs with ‘Silver Stain’ (silver oxide) on clear glass pieces. They are then fired in a kiln and emerge with a rich and exciting color palette ranging from yellows and golds to deep coppery oranges, and molten reds! She describes it as “a wild medium, not reliable, and always surprising” and says she enjoys “exploiting its freedom”.

The Last Nursery Day of the season is Tuesday Oct. 30!   

Fortunately, we are experiencing another ‘Indian Summer’ which gives us an excellent opportunity to plant perennial flowers, vines, grasses, shrubs and deciduous trees, as well as

SPRING-BLOOMING BULBS! 

We still have a good selection of our favorite deer-proof Daffodils (Narcissus) and early-blooming miniature Narcissus. 

Also in the deer-proof or deer-resistant category we have the delightful miniature ‘botanical’ Iris selections, classic early Snowdrops, Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii), beautiful golden Allium moly, very xeric A. christophii, tall purple A. ‘Rosenbachii’, and white/pink native A.’Graceful’, true-blue A. caeruleum and Anemone blanda. We also have the very special, very hardy steppe-native Blue Siberian Lily (Ixiolirion pallasii)! All of these will naturalize and are long-lived and easy to grow.

For those who garden where the deer and the antelope do not play, we also have some of the best and most beautiful naturalizing Crocus and early wildflower Tulips! 

And we are still offering wonderfully fragrant, highly giftable Paperwhite Narcissus bulbs and Blue Hyacinth bulbs! Our fragrant Hyacinths have already been ‘pre-treated’ (given a cold period) for winter indoor bloom, and come with a special traditional Hyacinth Glass in which to grow them.

We offer additional hyacinth glasses you can use for growing the Paperwhites, too; Paperwhite bulbs come in packages of 5 bulbs, so with just one package and 5 glasses, you’ve got the makings of 5 lovely gifts!

You might be wise to pick up some Row Cover Fabric from us NOW, so you’ll be prepared to extend the season of your fall vegetable crops, and be ready to get a jump on spring veggies! Most of the Brassica (Cabbage-family) vegetables, especially Asian greens, do best when planted as early as possible. Row Cover Fabric will help you get that Pak Choi, Tastsoi, broccoli, raab, etc. in early enough to prevent premature bolting in our warm (or even hot) spring weather, and make spring plantings of carrots, radishes, turnips and beets more successful!

AMARYLLIS BULB KIT

Nothing like an easy bulb kit to help you kick-start your holiday bulb planting!  Our packaged kit includes your choice of bulb (pictured and listed below), attractive pot, and potting soil, packaged in a gift-worthy gold box.     

Top Row: Amaryllis ‘Minerva’, Amaryllis ‘Mont Blanc’, Amaryllis Sonatini ‘Balentino’
Second Row: Amaryllis Sonatini ‘Pink Rascal’, Amaryllis ‘Red Lion’

BEEKEEPERS ALERT!

This winter is predicted to be quite cold, so be prepared to protect your hive(s) with our BEE COZIES.

And for those of you cultivating MASON BEES, come in to get replacement nesting straw LINERS so you will have them ready to set out in early spring. Re-using old liners is NOT RECOMMENDED!

FALL SALE

We’ll have a new batch of Western Grow compost tomorrow (Tuesday).   And at 50% off, this is a great time to stock up!

HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET!

We’re open seven days a week, 9 AM to 5 PM through Tuesday, October 30.  We will then re-open for our fabulous 7th Annual Holiday Gift Market on Green Friday, Nov. 23 – Dec. 24, every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Stay tuned for more details!

Pictured left is Theresa Haberkorn’s wonderful 2019 wall calendar, which will be available at our Gift Market.

OUR FALL SALE and BULB BONANZA IS ON!

We too were surprised at the dramatic weather change on Saturday!  These surprising changes definitely keep Colorado gardening interesting.  Thankfully the upcoming temperatures are looking moderate and we have many healthy plants at the lowest prices of the season that are looking for a home.  Come see our selection, and in particular, our BULBS: mid to late October is the perfect time to plant bulbs, especially now that the soil is moist and pliable. (More info below.)

We’re open seven days a week, 9 AM to 5 PM through the end of October.  We will then re-open for our fabulous 7th Annual Holiday Gift Market on Green Friday, Nov. 23 – Dec. 24, every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Stay tuned for more details!
Pictured left are Aay Bravin’s Fingerless Gloves & Hat and our Native Bee Chalet.  Aay’s grandmother taught her how to weave and crochet in their small village in northern Thailand,  Her self-sufficient family grew cotton and raised silkworms, making all their own clothing and food, all without electricity or phone service.  Now in Boulder, Aay enthusiastically continues to knit, crochet and weave and share the beauty of her creations. Her warm, snug-fitting fingerless gloves are both beautiful and practical, enabling easy phone use, writing and handwork.

An easy way to share your care and appreciation is to give a Harlequin’s Gardens Gift Certificate.  They are available in any denomination, valid for one year, and can be purchased over the phone with a credit card!  The recipient can use their gift certificate to purchase plants, store products, and items from our Bee Barn.  Call 303-939-9403 to order yours!

READY, SET, PLANT BULBS NOW!

Spring blooming bulbs are here, and selling fast!  We recommend that bulbs be planted in October and November for best results, and to use Root Rally to enhance rooting.  Root Rally is a blend of bone meal and Endo/Ecto mycorrhizae spores and plant nutrients, providing mycorrhizae life support for all plants.  When the bulb begins to root, this premium mycorrhizae blend will reduce transplant shock encourage root growth and increase water/nutrient uptake.

Some of our favorite bulbs are pictured below.  Only two more weeks to buy our wonderful bulbs!  We’re open 9-5, seven days a week!

Ixiolirion pallassii, Blue Mountain Lily

Native to rocky hillsides from SW and Central Asia, this lovely wildflower bears umbels of starry violet-blue flowers above grass-like foliage for 3 to 4 weeks in late May and early June. Perfect for the well-drained xeriscape garden, this bulb will thrive in a dry, sunny spot where it receives some spring moisture, followed by hot, dry conditions in summer, and will self-sow and naturalize where it’s happy. Resistant to browsing by deer and rabbits and a great cut flower. Zone 5. 10” – 16” tall. Plant 5” deep, 4” apart.

Galanthus elwesii, Giant Snowdrop

This large-flowering Greek native has broad, ivory flowers tipped green with gray-green foliage. Blooms in March/April.  Giant Snowdrops have a single green “V” marking on the inner segment of the blossom.  The linear foliage is like wide blades of grass, and the bloom is like three droplets of milk hanging from a stiff 4 to 8″ stem.  Preferring moist, humus-rich loamy or clay soils and semi-shade, they are excellent plants for light woodlands or under deciduous shrubs and trees, in rockeries, in lawns meadows or paths.  Snow drops are long-lived and spread gently by seed and by bulb offsets. They are easily lifted and divided to share or create new patches.  Pollinated by honeybees.  Deer and rodent resistant.  Plant 4″ deep and 2″-4″ apart. 5″ to 8″ tall. Zone 3.

Allium christophii

A most surprising, outrageous flower for xeriscapes!  The giant globes, to 10″ diameter or more, are held on fairly short stems, 8″-18″tall, blooming in mid-spring.  The hundreds of starry, silver-lavender florets each have a green ‘eye’ are arranged so that their petal-tips touch to form a perfect sphere.  This easy naturalizer has been highly successful in our xeriscape display gardens, eliciting lots of interest.  Also spectacular in large flower arrangements, fresh or dried.  Deer and rabbit resistant, and very drought-tolerant.  If you don’t want it to naturalize, dead-head before the seeds mature.  Hardy to Zone 4, 14″-24″ tall, Plant 6″-8″ deep and 8″-10″ apart.

Narcissus ‘Hawera’, (miniature daffodil)

This 1938 heirloom triandrus-type miniature daffodil provides a long-lasting display of many little elfin, light lemon – yellow nodding bells with short demitasse cups and swept back petals.  Each 5-6″ slender stem bears one or two of these dainty blooms with wonderful, fruity fragrance.  It is one of the most adaptable, and seems to thrive in partial shade or full sun, growing beautifully forced in pots, shining and thriving growing in scree or dryer areas as well as in the garden border.  Blooming in mid-late spring (May), it contrasts nicely with grape hyacinths and is exquisite with hellebores.  The very slender foliage is easy to hide while it matures.  Hardy to Zone 3-4.  Deer and rodent-proof.

Ipheion ‘Rolf Fiedler’, Spring Starflower

A spring gem for dry or moderately watered gardens in shade and part-shade. This long-blooming bulb sends up a mound of grassy foliage in autumn that persists over winter and begins blooming in early spring, producing a long succession of sweetly fragrant starry cobalt blue flowers through late spring. Succeeds in a wide range of soils but requires reasonably good drainage. Resistant to deer and rabbits!
Plant 3-5″ deep, 3-4″ apart. 3” – 5” tall. Zone 5.

Tulipa kaufmanniana Johann Strauss

A beautiful dwarf early Kaufmanniana tulip, to 6″ tall, with multicolored flowers that have an elegant teardrop shape when closed, showing bright golden yellow outer petals with cream edges and flushed brilliant red.  When fully open in the sun, the flowers resemble creamy-white waterlilies with bright yellow centers.  ‘Johann Strauss’ also has very attractive gray-green foliage with burgundy stripes.  Very cold-hardy and adaptable, it will multiply and naturalize, flowering year after year.  Plant in full sun, 6″ deep and 3-6″ apart.  Hardy to Zone 3a.

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GARLIC IS IN THE HOUSE!

Our garlic bulbs have been very popular and we only have one variety left – but it’s a good one!  Visit our website for Garlic Planting Instructions.

Italian Late (softneck)

Light colored wrappers covering cloves which are generally fat and round. The extra-tight skin makes it a better keeper. This variety matures later than Early Italian Purple and tends to be somewhat smaller then Early Italian Purple as well. Good braiding type.

GRASSHOPPER BAIT

Fight grasshoppers with non-toxic grasshopper spore, safe for everything except grasshoppers and crickets!  Our 1 pound containers of Semaspore Grasshopper Bait are now only $12 (regularly $25).

BEEKEEPERS ALERT:

foundation-less frames are now 50% off!

Try something new next spring! Make cut comb honey. Best to place between frames with foundation or drawn comb.

BIG BAG SOIL PRODUCTS

Many of our big bag soil products are sold out – but don’t worry, we’re committed to having a steady supply of good quality compost and fine wood chip mulch through the end of the season!  And at 50% off, this is a great time to stock up!

ECOPETT
Natural Pine Coop Bedding (or cat litter!)

EcoPett contains recycled beetle-kill pine and activated carbon, making it very absorbent, with powerful odor control.  It outperforms and outlasts hay and wood shavings.  Expands up to 5 times when wet.  Reduces cleaning by 50%.

Regularly $11 per bag, EcoPett is now only $5.50 per bag!!

ROSES

Special Roses Sale!

Mikl has added dozens of roses to our Deep Discount Area!  Previously $26 to $30, these roses are now only  $5 to $8 each!  While these seconds may be a little homely, they are own-root roses that will grow to be strong, healthy roses with a little TLC from you!  Befriend a rose or two – and even take a gamble on a mystery rose – they will brighten your garden next season!

Rose Fertilizer

We are stocked with a good supply of Mile-Hi Rose Feed and Mile-Hi Alfalfa Meal to support the establishment of your new roses, and to promote strength and vitality for your existing roses next season.  And don’t worry, it’s not too late in the season to use this locally made, organic, slow release fertilizer!

AMARYLLIS BULB KIT

Nothing like an easy bulb kit to help you kick-start your holiday bulb planting!  Our packaged kit includes your choice of bulb (pictured and listed below), attractive pot, and potting soil, packaged in a gift-worthy gold box.  We also have gift-packaged Hyacinth ‘Delft Blue’ kits that come with a traditional hyacinth glass!   

In addition, we have several varieties of individual amaryllis bulbs as well as beautiful and richly scented ‘Ziva’ Paperwhite Narcissus, which should be planted soon for holiday blooms.

Top Row: Amaryllis ‘Minerva’, Amaryllis ‘Mont Blanc’, Amaryllis Sonatini ‘Balentino’
Second Row: Amaryllis Sonatini ‘Pink Rascal’, Amaryllis ‘Red Lion’

EARTHBOX GARDEN KIT

Earthboxes are a wonderful invention for those of us in need of watering and fertilizing assistance!  Set-up your Earthbox at the beginning of the season with the included dolomite and fertilizer, plant with your favorite veggies and/or flowers, and fill the water reservoir.  Then, all you need to to is top the water reservoir every week or so, depending on climatic conditions.

Each Earthbox kit includes:

• 15″ x 15″ decorative planting container
• Dolomite, 1 pound
• Fertilizer, 1 pound
• Covers, 2
• Fill tube
• Aeration Screen

And best yet, this $64 regularly priced kit is now only $40!!

PLANT SUPPORTS AND ANCHORS

These tools can help you keep even the most unruly plants supported, which can be a challenge for all gardeners.

Plant Supports

(Pictured above, left.)  These sturdy stakes are essential for those heavy-flowered plants such as peony.  We’ve reduce their price so that  two stakes are now the price on one!

Plant Anchors

(Pictured above, right.)  Simply glue the round disc to your vertical surface, feed nursery tape, twine, fishing line, etc. through the loop and you’ve created a subtle, yet effective trellis for your vine!  And guess what?  They are Free!

PHARM PRODUCTS

Many of our ever-popular and very effective Pharm products are on sale – come in to find out more!!

We can’t believe that it’s already October and time to clear our shelves!  We have many bargains to share with you from soil products, fertilizers, pest products, planting containers to veggie starts, roses, perennials, shrubs and trees (the sooner you get these gems in the ground, the better!).  We look forward to seeing you this week!

We’re open seven days a week, 9 AM to 5 PM through the end of October. (We’re no longer open until 6 PM on Thursdays.)  We will then re-open for our fabulous 7th Annual HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET Green Friday, Nov. 23 – Dec. 24, every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Stay tuned for more details!

ROSES

Special Roses Sale!

Mikl has just added dozens of roses to our Deep Discount Area!  Previously $26 to $30, these roses are now only  $5 to $8 each!  While these seconds may be a little homely, they are own-root roses that will grow to be strong, healthy roses with a little TLC from you!  Befriend a rose or two – and even take a gamble on a mystery rose – they will brighten your garden next season!

Rose Fertilizer

We are stocked with a good supply of Mile-Hi Rose Feed and Mile-Hi Alflafa Meal to support the establishment of your new roses, and to promote strength and vitality for your existing roses next season.  And don’t worry, it’s not too late in the season to use this locally made, organic, slow release fertilizer!

GARLIC IS IN THE HOUSE!

Fall is here and for many that means it’s time to plant garlic and shallot bulbs – yay!  We have a wonderful selection and hope you come in soon for the best choices!  Visit our website for Garlic Planting Instructions.

Garlic

German Red (Hardneck)

This large bright purple bulb contains 8-12, extra easy-to-peel, round, light brown cloves with some purple at the base. Flavor is strong, hot, and spicy. Keeps moderately well when properly cured and stored. Can be grown in mild climates; However, develops better quality and size where winters are cold. Color will become brighter if it is stressed by too much water.

Spanish Roja (hardneck)

This vigorous, easy-to-grow heirloom variety arrived in the US over 100 years ago. It is famous for its classic rich, complex ‘true garlic’ flavor and is one of the most popular with restaurants/chefs. The large, purple streaked bulbs often reach three inches in diameter and typically have seven to twelve large tan cloves. Spanish Roja peels easily and keeps for up to 4-6 months when properly stored (the outer bulb wrappers are thin and flake off easily so be careful to keep them intact to prolong storage). Like all hard-neck garlic, Spanish Roja will produce curly ‘scapes’ (flowering stems), which can be snipped off and used for another culinary treat in late spring.  This variety grows well in cold winter areas, and is cold-hardy to Zone 3

Inchelium Red (organic, softneck)

Large 3″ + bulbs produce 8-20 cloves of good size. Mild, but lasting flavor, with a hint of hot! Dense cloves store well. Flavor can get stronger in storage. This vigorous soft-necked variety won a Rodale taste test of 20 garlic strains – named “Very Best of the Soft-Necks”.

Italian Late (softneck)

Light colored wrappers covering cloves which are generally fat and round. The extra-tight skin makes it a better keeper. This variety matures later than Early Italian Purple and tends to be somewhat smaller then Early Italian Purple as well. Good braiding type.

Shallots

Holland Red

Shallots are aromatic and flavorful, yet smoother and sweeter than Onions or Garlic, and act as a catalyst in recipes, subtly enhancing other flavors. They are mild and delicate when cooked. If onions are at all upsetting to your stomach, you’ll find Shallots much easier to digest and less sharp smelling, both raw and cooked. Shallots are easy to grow, and each set produces a whole cluster of bulbs. ‘Holland Red’ delivers mellow, quintessential Shallot flavor in a plump, round bulb with coppery-red skins that peel easily, and purple-tinged white flesh with reddish-purple inner rings. A super-productive variety and an excellent keeper that can be braided and hung in your kitchen or pantry.  They keep this way for up to 1 year! ‘Holland Yellow’ provides most of the same qualities, but has white flesh and tan-yellow skins. Grow in full sun, spaced 4-6” apart in rich loamy soil. Cold-hardy to Zone 3.

BIG BAG SOIL PRODUCTS

Many of our big bag soil products are sold out – but don’t worry, we’re committed to having a steady supply of good quality compost and fine wood chip mulch through the end of the season!  And at 50% off, this is a great time to stock up!

AMARYLLIS BULB KIT

Nothing like an easy bulb kit to help you kick-start your holiday bulb planting!  Our kit includes your choice of bulb (pictured and listed below), pot, and potting compost.

Pictured: Amaryllis ‘Minerva’, Amaryllis ‘Red Lion’, Amaryllis ‘Mont Blanc’

EARTHBOX GARDEN KIT

Earthboxes are a wonderful invention for those of us in need of watering and fertilizing assistance!  Set-up your Earthbox at the beginning of the season with the included dolomite and fertilizer, plant with your favorite veggies and/or flowers, and fill the water reservoir.  Then, all you need to to is top the water reservoir every week or so, depending on climatic conditions.

Each Earthbox kit includes:

• 15″ x 15″ decorative planting container
• Dolomite, 1 pound
• Fertilizer, 1 pound
• Covers, 2
• Fill tube
• Aeration Screen

And best yet, this $64 regularly priced kit is now only $40!!

PLANT SUPPORTS AND ANCHORS

These tools can help you keep even the most unruly plants supported, which can be a challenge for all gardeners.

Plant Supports

(Pictured above, left.)  These sturdy stakes are essential for those heavy-flowered plants such as peony.  We’ve reduce their price so that  two stakes are now the price on one!

Plant Anchors

(Pictured above, right.)  Simply glue the round disc to your vertical surface, feed nursery tape, twine, fishing line, etc. through the loop and you’ve created a subtle, yet effective trellis for your vine!  And guess what?  They are Free!

PHARM PRODUCTS

Many of our ever-popular and very effective Pharm products are on sale – come in to find out more!!

GRASSHOPPER BAIT

Fight grasshoppers with non-toxic grasshopper spore, safe for everything except grasshoppers and crickets!  Our 1 pound containers of Semaspore Grasshopper Bait are now only $12 (regularly $25).

BEEKEEPERS ALERT:

foundation-less frames are now 50% off!

Try something new next spring! Make cut comb honey. Best to place between frames with foundation or drawn comb.

BULB BONANZA! (also going fast!)

Spring and fall blooming bulbs are here, and selling fast! A few more varieties will arrive in early October! While we recommend that bulbs be planted in October and November for best results, there are Autumn-blooming Crocus that should be planted as soon as possible to get blooms this fall.

Newly planted Colchium speciosum ‘The Giant’ (pictured left with Plumbago in Eve’s garden) will bloom in a few weeks if planted NOW.   Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus) will bloom in October or November if planted NOWRichly scented Narcissus ‘Paperwhite Ziva’ should be forced soon for holiday blooms to bloom in time for the Holiday Season.  Paperwhites are beautiful and richly fragrant.

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Referrals

We still have a good selection of natives, ground covers, cacti, herbs, perennials, and vines (including Clematis!!) at 30% off the regular price and a great selection of Roses and Fruit trees at 20% off the regular price. (Pictured at left is the rose Golden Wings)

Working on a bee-friendly garden? We have Asters, Goldenrod, Butterfly bushes, Russian Sage, Catmint, and a great selection of spring bulbs! Ask for for the Harlequin’s Gardens list of pollinator-friendly plants at the front desk.

We also have LOTS of fall vegetable starts, now 50% off!

Another fall activity that will bring spring-time joy is to plant bulbs.  We have an extensive collection of daffodils, tulips, and many other interesting varieties for your garden.

Bargain Pest Control

Fight grasshoppers with non-toxic grasshopper spore, safe for everything except grasshoppers and crickets! Our 1lb containers of Semaspore Grasshopper Bait are now only $12 (regularly $25).

Beekeepers Alert: foundation-less frames are now 50% off!

Try something new next spring! Make cut comb honey. Best to place between frames with foundation or drawn comb.

FERTILIZING

Our days are shorter, the weather is hopefully cooling down and we look forward to getting more rain. Together, this means fall is a good planting season and the best time to fertilize.

Right up until plants go dormant, fall is when perennials, shrubs and trees make 60% or more of their feeder root growth. In fact, roots will continue to grow for 2 weeks after leaves fall. Still, the longer the plants have to establish a strong root system, the better they can absorb water and survive winter and Colorado’s often shocking spring weather.

Fall is THE best time to fertilize turf, perennials, trees, shrubs and even roses, IF you use organic fertilizers. Fall is when plants store food in their roots for spring energy, and fall is when fruit trees, berry bushes and flowering shrubs form their flower and fruit buds. If this year’s crop was very productive or if the plants suffered from fireblight or other stresses, fall fertilization is doubly important for next year’s health and performance.

Fall fertilization is also the best time for your wallet:

Fertilizers that are 50% off and GOING FAST!

September is the best time of year to aerate your lawn. Aeration should be followed with fertilizer and ideally with a quarter inch of compost topdressing. This will help to thicken up sparse lawns and help to prevent fungal diseases.

Richlawn 8-2-1 Lawn Fertilizer – also good for gardens!

Is a 100% organic product comprised of dehydrated made from chicken manure, blood meal, and feather meal.  It is certified by OMRI for organic use.  It is ideal for lawns, veggies, and roses. One bag covers 2,000 square feet.  The CU Cooperative Extension Service recommends using Richlawn for all fruiting plants, including grapes, currants, and raspberries.

Coop Poop, 2-4-3

Coop Poop is a well-composted and economical chicken manure from an egg farm.  It is a low odor, high performance product that supports flowering and fruiting and soil life.  It’s 8% calcium helps make strong cell walls and roots which leads to disease resistance and supports photosynthesis. It is great for lawns and shrubs.

ROSE fertilizers (not on sale)

Last week the Boulder Valley Rose Society fed the lovely roses at the Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder.  This is the ideal time for you to fertilize your roses as well!  We recommend a 50:50 blend of Mile Hi Rose Feed and Alfalfa Meal for best results.

Mile-Hi Rose Feed, 7-8-4

Is a mixture blended specifically for Colorado conditions. It contains plant nutrient compounds and organic mixture of alfalfa and kelp, encouraging root growth while boosting overall plant health, promoting repeat flowering & strength.  As an organic fertilizer, it is ideal for September use.

Alfalfa Meal

Alfalfa meal breaks down when in contact with soil organisms and triggers the release of soil nutrients.  When used with Mile-Hi Rose Feed, alfalfa meal helps produce healthier foliage, better stems, more basal breaks (new canes coming up from the roots) and greater plant vigor.

As our growing season is growing towards a close the plants are working hard underground to store energy and build reserves for next season.  One easy way we can give our plants a boost for a successful 2019 is to fertilize them now.  Read more below about what you can do for now your lawn, roses, and perennials.

Another fall activity that will bring spring-time joy is to plant bulbs.  We have an extensive collection of daffodils, tulips, and many other interesting varieties for your garden.

In the meantime you can still receive more immediate gratification by planting fall veggies and some of the many perennials, shrubs and trees that we have on sale! 

FERTILIZATING

Our days are shorter, the weather is hopefully cooling down and we look forward to getting more rain. Together, this means fall is a good planting season and the best time to fertilize.

Right up until plants go dormant, fall is when perennials, shrubs and trees make 60% or more of their feeder root growth. In fact, roots will continue to grow for 2 weeks after leaves fall. Still, the longer the plants have to establish a strong root system, the better they can absorb water and survive winter and Colorado’s often shocking spring weather.

Fall is THE best time to fertilize turf, perennials, trees, shrubs and even roses, IF you use organic fertilizers. Fall is when plants store food in their roots for spring energy, and fall is when fruit trees, berry bushes and flowering shrubs form their flower and fruit buds. If this year’s crop was very productive or if the plants suffered from fireblight or other stresses, fall fertilization is doubly important for next year’s health and performance.

Fall fertilization is also the best time for your wallet:

Our large bag fertilizers are 40% off – the lowest that they will be all year!! 

LAWNS 

September is the best time of year to aerate your lawn. Aeration should be followed with fertilizer and ideally with a quarter inch of compost topdressing. This will help to thicken up sparse lawns and help to prevent fungal diseases. Fall is also an excellent time to apply Corn Gluten, the organic weed and feed. Its 9% nitrogen replaces fall fertilization and it prevents weeds.

Richlawn 8-2-1 Lawn Fertilizer

Is a 100% organic product comprised of dehydrated made from chicken manure, blood meal, and feather meal.  It is certified by OMRI for organic use.  It is ideal for lawns, veggies, and roses. One bag covers 2,000 square feet.  The CU Cooperative Extension Service recommends using Richlawn for all fruiting plants, including grapes, currants, and raspberries.

Coop Poop, 2-4-3

Coop Poop is a well-composted and economical chicken manure from an egg farm.  It is a low odor, high performance product that supports flowering and fruiting and soil life.  It’s 8% calcium helps make strong cell walls and roots which leads to disease resistance and supports photosynthesis. It is great for lawns and shrubs.

EKO Lawn Topdressing

A very fine compost that disappears into turf, especially after aeration.  It spreads easily around perennials, provides nutrition, holds water, feeds the worms & soil life.  For best results use with an organic fertilizer.

Alpha One Fertilizer, 7-2-2

Is one of long-time favorite all-around fertilizers. Formulated in Loveland for Colorado soils, it is a non-toxic, non-burning slow-release fertilizer that won’t harm beneficial fungi, bacteria or earthworms.  It’s ingredients include alfalfa, cottonseed meal, blood meal, and sunflower.

Corn Gluten

Now is the time to apply Corn Gluten (and again in again in late February/March) to prevent the majority of existing weed seeds from germinating.  By doing this every year, you can virtually eliminate your weed problem.  Kelly Grummons – Timerline Gardens, July  2010.

Corn Gluten is a non-toxic, weed-and-feed with 9% nitrogen. It works by inhibiting seed germination, but is harmless to plants with root systems, people, worms, and microorganisms.  (Since it inhibits seed germination, postpone sowing your grass seed for another month or so.)  The effect of the corn gluten can last up to 6 months and is especially useful in lawns.

ROSES

This week the Mile High Rose Society is fertilizing the lovely roses at the Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder.  This is the ideal time for you to fertilize your roses as well!  We recommend a 50:50 blend of Mile Hi Rose Feed and Alfalfa Meal for best results.

Mile-Hi Rose Feed, 7-8-4

Is a mixture blended specifically for Colorado conditions. It contains plant nutrient compounds and organic mixture of alfalfa and kelp, encouraging root growth while boosting overall plant health, promoting repeat flowering & strength.  As an organic fertilizer, it is ideal for September use.

Alfalfa Meal

Alfalfa meal breaks down when in contact with soil organisms and triggers the release of soil nutrients.  When used with Mile-Hi Rose Feed, alfalfa meal helps produce healthier foliage, better stems, more basal breaks and greater plant vigor.

Get Your Fall Veggies Now!

With cooler weather and some moisture on its way, now is the perfect time for planting fall vegetable starts!
We have many varieties available, including arugula, spinach, lettuce, bok choy, chard, kohlrabi, senposai, kale, and broccoli raab.

Our experienced staff member and teacher, Mimi Yanus, says, “You can be picking and eating wonderful greens and brassicas until a really hard frost if you plant now! I have picked spinach on Thanksgiving day.” One of our customers says she is now having a boom harvest after taking Mimi’s class on Getting Started with Vegetable Gardening.

Most of our Bulbs arrived today! Check out our full selection here.
(Photo: Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’)

Garlic and Shallots are on their way (expected to arrive the week of September 24th)

This Sunday, September 9th at 1PM, Learn How To Mulch with Mikl Brawner. Weedbarrier, wood chips, straw, fine gravel, bark? Which mulches should be used and where? Why is mulching so important? What’s wrong with redwood and cedar? Mikl will discuss these questions and suggest solutions.   $15  (Photo Credit: The Rock Place)

Reserve your spot in class with a quick call to 303-939-9403. 

Our Fall Sale for Everyone opened on Monday, with 20% off most plants (except for vegetable starts). We also opened up our Deep Discount Area, where you can find all kinds of inexpensive treasures.

Check out the results of last Saturday’s 8th Annual Taste of Tomato below.

Sign up for the last three classes of the season! Learn How To Mulch on September 9th, learn about Foraging for Rocky Mountain Mushrooms on September 15th, and freshen up your pruning skills at Pruning For Strength, Health, And Beauty on September 16th.  Reserve your spot in class with a quick call to 303-939-9403. 

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2018 Taste of Tomato voting results

Last Saturday’s Taste of Tomato was a blast! We love the new location at Growing Gardens’ Barn, with its’ beautiful view of the Flatirons, easy access, and wonderful staff. The tasting featured 44 different varieties of tomatoes, with Aunt Ruby’s German Green winning the greatest number of votes. Participants brought in some wonderful new varieties this year, including Brad’s Atomic Grape, Thornburn’s Terracotta, and Indigo Cherry. Look for the most popular varieties from this year and previous years when you come to buy your organic tomato starts next spring at Harlequin’s Gardens. Every year we grow 80+ great varieties for all kinds of uses and growing conditions!
A huge thank-you to Growing Gardens for providing our new location, helping us publicize the event, and for bringing us some fabulous volunteers. Thank you also to the volunteers of Slow Food Boulder County and the CSU Extension Service. We couldn’t have done it without you!

	CHERRY			BEEFSTEAK
Votes	Tomato Variety		Votes	Tomato Variety
35	Sungold hybrid		38	Aunt Ruby’s German Green
25	Matt’s Wild Cerry		23	Berkeley Tie Dye
22	BHN 624		20	Malachite Box
20	Brad’s Atomic Grape		18	Black from Tula
14	Chocolate Cherry		18	Paul Robeson
10	Sweet 100		17	Cherokee Purple
10	Indigo Cherry		10	Black Krim
11	Yellow Pear		7	German Johnson
9	Chocolate Sprinkles		6	Super Fantastic hybrid
6	Fourth of July		5	Lucid Gem
5	Negro Azteca		3	Big Rainbow
4	Indigo Rose		3	White Beauty
3	Juliet
3	Sweet Chelsea
3	Grape
1	Early Doll
1	Principe Borghese
	SALAD/SLICER			PASTE
Votes	Tomato Variety		Votes	Tomato Variety
21	Japanese Black Trifele/Black Truffle		7	Airyleaf
14	Thornburn’s Terracotta		6	Costoluto Genovese
13	Siberian Pink Honey
11	Celebrity
9	Green Zebra
8	Glacier
5	Early Girl
5	Black Prince
4	Jaune Flamme
4	Stupice
3	Boxcar Willy
3	Lemon Yellow Plum
1	Black Icicle

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Bee Barn Buzz

Bee season is beginning to wind down. Many areas are experiencing what beekeepers call dearth, which is a shortage of nectar and pollen.  Sometimes we get a fall flow and sometimes we don’t.  Bees are aware that winter is approaching and they’re getting anxious.  You may have noticed that your previously sweet, gentle ladies are now quite testy.  Watch for robbing when you work your bees and especially when pulling honey supers.  Harlequin’s has bee escapes to help clear the bees from supers without exposing honey.  We also have capping scratchers, buckets with honey gates, filters, and containers for your honey.

     As beekeepers, the most important winter prep starts in early August, not September or October.  This means varroa management.  You need to have healthy bees to take care of the bees that go into winter.  Those eggs are being laid now.   Don’t be fooled by low mite counts in early July.  This is when mite populations skyrocket and colonies start crashing.   We are well stocked with Apiguard, the safest hot weather varroa treatment, as well as oxalic acid and the new oxalic acid dribble kits, which come with eye and hand protection and a big syringe applicator.  We also have Formic Pro, which is a fast, effective treatment that doesn’t contaminate honey, but requires two cooler days to start off. Buzz on by!

We Have What You Need!

As fall approaches, the nights get cooler and pests like Powdery Mildew begin showing up on your favorite squash plants. Or maybe the flea beetles have made a comeback in your garden. Whatever the problem, we likely have a safe, non-toxic solution! See our pest management solutions below.

There are no classes this weekend, but come in an check out our new selection of cool-season veggie seeds from Botanical Interests. Now is the time to start planting these fall crops by seed! We still have some 2018 seeds on sale that are now 50% off! Look for the green dot on the package.

If seeds aren’t for you, our cool-season veggie starts will begin arriving in about a week. In the meantime, we still have a full nursery of beautiful perennials, groundcovers, grasses, shrubs, trees, and roses.

‘TASTE of TOMATO’ –
our most DELICIOUS EVENT!

Have you participated in one of our annual tomato tasting events yet? If not, you owe it to your palate to come on down to the 8th annual Taste of Tomato, on Sat. August 25th!  We have engaged in a new collaboration with Growing Gardens, and moved the tomato tasting to their beautiful new ‘Barn’ at Hawthorn and 16th in Boulder. There’s plenty of room, rain or shine, for tomatoes, tasters, and experts to answer your gardening questions. Find out more below!

This Sunday at 1 PM Mikl will hold his ever-popular Pruning for Strength, Health and Beauty class.  Here he’ll de-mystify how to approach pruning.  Note, this class is repeated on September 16 at 1 PM.  Give us a quick call at 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat for either date!

​Ornamental Grasses are great companion plants in any garden, including alongside Hibiscus m. ‘Pink Clouds’ (pictured above with lovely Rebecca). Eve has explained, below, the distinguishing features of Cool Season, Warm Season, and Evergreen grasses, and given great descriptions of the most well-known of these grasses.  Come on by to take a look at our selection of ornamental grasses and those established in our display gardens!

If you’ve never tried currants or gooseberries, come sample from our shrubs!  We have a wide array of varieties and this is a great time to decide which flavor is best for your palette.

We are continuing to give away FREE VEGGIE STARTS and ANNUALS!  What?!!  Find out more, below.  (Left: Zeppelin Delicata Squash)

Looking ahead at our classes, Mikl will conduct his ever-popular Pruning for Strength, Health and Beauty class on Sunday, August 5 at 1 PM (and repeated on September 16 at 1 PM).  Give us a quick call at 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

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SUMMER SALES ABOUND!

40% off 2018 seeds!

Free Veggie and Annual Starts with Purchase!

(Limit of 5 per person.)  Our offerings include:
Veggies

Tomatoes
Peppers
Winter Squash
Melons
Basil
Celeriac

Annuals

Nicotiana sylvestris
Petunia exserta
Craspedia
Brachyycome
Datura
Snapdragon Black Prince
Coleus
Lantana
Dreadlocks
Cant Bell
California Poppy
Salvia Fairy Queen
Salvia Blue Bedder
Salvia Blue
Cleome

Get 1 gallon of compost tea for free when you spend over $25!

(Offer good through the end of July.)

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TYPES OF ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

There are lots of great reasons to use grasses in your garden or landscape: They are dynamic, moving in the wind and playing with light; they can take the place of a shrub, especially in a narrow planting bed and along pathways. Taller grasses are good for screening in narrow spaces. Grasses enhance any wildlife-oriented, native or naturalistic landscape. Some are suitable in more formal plantings as well. Grasses are great for disguising utility boxes. Deer generally don’t eat them.

Harlequin’s Gardens sells “CLUMP GRASSES” (not spreading or sod-forming) in three categories:

COOL SEASON

Already up and green by March and make active growth in cool weather until it gets hot. They can be kept green through summer by watering, but otherwise they go dormant until the fall, when some of them may begin growing again. Most bloom in June, but a few wait until late summer. Because they begin growing so early in the year, they are subject to being demolished by rabbits. People with resident rabbit populations should choose Warm Season grasses instead. Cut grasses back to 2-3” inches tall before they start their active growth, so light can penetrate the entire clump. Eve does this in February.

WARM SEASON

Most people grow warm season grasses in this area. Many of our native grasses, and many of the most popular grasses for our area are Warm Season grasses. Wait until early April to cut back warm season grasses. Cut as low as you can, ideally 2-3”, so light can penetrate into the entire clump.

EVERGREEN

Remain mostly green through the year. Do not cut back. To clean them up in spring, gently ‘comb’ out old dry blades with a hand rake.

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COOL SEASON GRASSES

Karl Foerster’s Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’)

The most popular and over-used ornamental grass, for good reason. Medium sized (to 4’ tall), very erect form, easy to grow and highly adaptable to everything but shade, very durable flower/seed heads remain attractive all summer, fall and winter. No fall foliage color. Cut down in early February. Try to avoid plantings that look like rows of soldiers standing at attention! Hardy to Zone 4.  In stock now! 

Korean Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha)

To 3’ or 4’ tall, with a graceful fountain-like or mounded shape, and waits until the end of the summer to flower. Can take some shade. Very pretty, with pinkish plumes that dry tan. No fall color. Plant Select. Should be used more. Hardy to Zone 4. (Photo credit: Plant Select.)  In stock soon! 

Indian Rice Grass

Up to 2’ tall. Native to Boulder County and much of the interior West. Grows in very dry areas, in full sun. Graceful, open clumps of very narrow blades, and delicately branched flowering stalks in June. Small pearl-like white seeds are held individually on the much-branched stalks and were collected by Native Americans for use as a grain. Also an important food source for wildlife. Old seed germinates better than new seed. Needs supplemental summer watering to keep from going dormant. Excellent meadow grass, perfect in native xeriscapes. Hardy to Zone 3.  In stock now! 

Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca, F. ovina, F. idahoensis)

Evergreen. This year we carry F. glauca ‘Boulder Blue’, a 10”-tall selection with very blue foliage, good form, hardiness, longevity and drought-tolerance. We also have F. glauca “Sea Urchin”, smaller, finer texture, good for rock gardens or Asian-style gardens, and F. glauca. Hardy to Zone 4.  In stock soon! 

Blue Oat (Avena) Grass

Helictotrichon sempervirens. Has some shade tolerance. Hardy to Zone 4.  In stock soon! 

Koeleria macrantha (June Grass)

Has compact seed heads. As its name suggests, June is when it is most beautiful. Good for prairie gardens. Hardy to Zone 3 to 4.  In stock now!

Nasella (Stipa) tenuissima

Mexican Feather Grass. Has very fine-textured blades. Can sometimes be evergreen. This grass is not very long-lived. Most cool season grasses don’t self-sow much, but Nasella does, a lot. Hardy to Zone 5.  In stock now!

We also carry two types of grass-like sedge that are also cool-season:

Carex caryophllea ‘Beatlemania’ (‘Beatlemania’ Variegated Vernal Sedge)

This petite sedge is rhizomatous and spreads. Its long glossy blades are slightly variegated yellow and green, and curve to the ground, giving it a mop-headed look. Makes an excellent groundcover or small ‘lawn’ (just to look at, not to step on) in shady gardens, especially Asian-styled gardens. Almost evergreen. Hardy to Zone 5.   In stock now!

Carex appalachica (Appalachian Sedge)

A small fountain-like clumping sedge, 10”- 2’ tall, very fine-textured, bright light green and very attractive. Native to woods in Eastern N. America, it grows well in dry shade or part shade. It mixes well with perennials and serves as a neat groundcover or edger. Its tenacious roots will prevent erosion on shady slopes, and it can grow amongst tree roots. Blooms in spring, supporting beneficial insects. Hardy to Zone 4.

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WARM SEASON GRASSES

Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama) and Bouteloua curtipendula (Side-Oats Grama)

are both native and very drought tolerant. There’s a selection of Blue Grama called ‘Blonde Ambition’ (Pictured left. Photo credit: Plant Select) that is taller and has pale tan ‘eyelashes’ rather than the common gray-brown. One can make a drought-tolerant lawn of Blue Grama with some effort (weeding for the first several years) which will be green in summer, brown in winter. Hardy to Zone 3. Blue Grama is our State grass! Side-Oats Grama is a smaller meadow grass. Seed heads and foliage turn a beautiful dark purple-red in fall. Hardy to Zone 3.  In stock now!

Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats, River Oats)

A US native, though not native here, this grass grows well in part shade. the wide, bright green blades emerge from the stems at many heights, giving it a slightly bamboo-like look. The pendulous seed clusters in late summer are composed of very attractive flat, plaited spikelets, starting out pale green, later turning tan. Foliage stays green until fall, when it turns yellow. It will self-sow but is not difficult to control. Hardy to Zone 3.

Muhlenbergia reverchonii ‘Undaunted’ (‘Undaunted’ Ruby Muhly Grass)

A Plant Select winner that is hardy here, but not at higher elevations. It is native to Oklahoma and Texas and is said to grow where there’s water (one common name is ‘Seep Muhly’), yet some horticulturists here recommend growing it pretty dry. When well-grown, it makes a beautiful and graceful 2’ x 3’ mound of fine mid-green blades covered in late summer by a shimmering haze of tiny pink/red flowers, then reddish seeds. Hardy to Zone 5. (Photo credit: Plant Select.)  In stock soon!

Eragrostis trichodes (Sand Love Grass)

This medium-sized grass, to 2-3’ x 2-3’, loves to grow in sandy soil as its name suggests, but adapts to many soils with low to moderate moisture. It self-sows, and is effective in masses. Reddish tones begin to show in late summer, and the haze of tiny purple-pink seeds in July/August are beautiful. Sand Love Grass tends to rot in the center as it gets older, and self-sows readily. Plant in full sun. Hardy to Zone 5.  In stock now!

Andropogon (Schizachyrium) scoparium (Little Bluestem)

Native! Little Bluestem is very erect to 24”-30” with fine foliage and blooms in late summer-early fall. Blooms turn white and catch the late afternoon sun beautifully when back-lit. The foliage turns copper and looks good for a long time. Very drought-tolerant. The Plant Select version is called “Standing Ovation” and has deep red and purple fall color. Selections ‘The Blues’ and ‘Prairie Blues’ have very blue foliage during the growing season. ‘Blaze’ is a colorful selection of the common native in this region. Hardy to Zone 3. (Photo credit: Plant Select.)  In stock now!

Sporobolis airoides (Alkali Sacaton)

is the ‘little brother’ of Giant Sacaton. The foliage mass is about 2’x2’, with the large, pinkish airy bloom/seed plumes rising to 40-48″ tall. For a ‘warm-season’ grass, Alkali Sacaton gets growing quite early in spring, so prune it back in February.  A robust native, Alkali Sacaton flowers for many months, beginning in June. Deep rooted, this grass grows well in all soil types including sand, loam and clay as well as alkaline and salty soils, and prefers moderate to low moisture.  On the prairie Sporobolus is used by animals for forage, cover and nesting. Its seeds are relished by birds. Hardy to Zone 4.  In stock now!

Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem)

Native!  Big Bluestem has a wider blade and is somewhat upright but also arching. It also has attractive reddish and purple fall colors. Big Bluestem is one of the dominant components of the Tallgrass Prairies across the Great Plains, where it can reach 8’ in height. Here it can range from 2 to 5’ tall, depending on water and nutrients available. We carry the wild species, and the selection called ‘Pawnee’, which has an upright habit and warm fall colors that persist into winter. This refined big bluestem has the bluish purple stems typical of the genus. In late summer, purplish red flowers appear in groups of three or six, which look like a turkey foot – hence the nickname: “Turkey Foot Grass”. The root system that can extend down more than 10 feet. Each year, a third of these roots die, opening up channels for water. This plant is drought tolerant once it’s established. Attracts birds and butterfly larvae. We also carry the Plant Select ‘Windwalker’ Big Bluestem (Pictured left. Photo credit: Plant Select), which has exceptionally blue foliage color, and is large and upright, with deep red and purple fall color. Plant in Full Sun. Hardy to Zone 4.  In stock now!

Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass)

Native!  Switchgrass was an important component of the Tallgrass Prairie. It tolerates a wide range of soils, including dry ones, but prefers moist soils that are not too rich in nitrogen, and grows best in full sun. Here it grows to about 3’ tall and wide, topped in midsummer by a finely-textured pinkish flower panicles that hover over the foliage like an airy cloud. Seed plumes turn beige and persist well into winter, providing an excellent seed source for birds. Fall foliage color is yellow. Salt-tolerant. “Heavy Metal” variety is more upright and has steely blue foliage. ‘Shenandoah’ is the most popular variety for red foliage accents, with red coloration appearing in summer and increasing in fall. Hardy to Zone 2.  In stock now!

Sorghastrum nutans (Indian Grass)

Native! A tall & narrow grass that is an important part of the tall grass prairie. Here it grows in an upright clump to 6’tall x 3’wide. Indian Grass. Flowering stalks are topped by dense golden flame-shaped inflorescences which mature to brown, bearing numerous nutritious seeds that were used by Native Americans to produce flour. It can grow in a wide range of soils and tolerates drought, cold, salinity and heavy clay, but prefers rich, silty-loams in full sun. Indian grass attracts wildlife; bees come to the blossoms, songbirds eat the seeds, and it provides excellent cover for pheasants, quail, mourning doves and prairie chickens. We sell “Indian Steel” or “Sioux Blue”, both with bluish foliage, and Plant Select’s “Thin Man” (Pictured right. Photo credit: Plant Select), which has distinctly blue foliage and especially narrow habit. Hardy to Zone 4.  In stock now!

Sporobolis heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)

Native! A lovely small grass found here in the foothills and eastward across the Western prairies. Growing to 1-2’ tall and wide, it makes an elegant, fine-textured, emerald green fountain, suitable in many garden styles. The fine-textured plumes that rise above the foliage clump are attractive in bloom and in seed, and are favored by songbirds. The inflorescences are pleasantly fragrant – some say they smell like burnt buttered popcorn. Plains Indian tribes ground the seeds to make a tasty flour. Prairie Dropseed is also drought tolerant and turns a nice russet brown in fall. Hardy to Zone 4.  In stock soon!

Sporobolis wrightii (Giant Sacaton, Wright’s Sacaton)

Comes up earlier in spring than most other warm season grasses. It also flowers earlier than most other warm-season grasses. This huge S.W. native grass grows to 6-10’ tall and 4-6’ wide, tolerates most soils and is very drought-tolerant. Huge airy flower/seed panicles are ornamental well into winter. Hardy to Zone 5. Cut back to 2-3” in late winter.  (Photo credit: Plant Select.)  In stock now!

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FULL LIST OF ORNAMENTAL GRASSES IN STOCK:

Bothriochloa scoparium (Silver Beard Grass)
Achnatherum calamagrostis (Silver Spike Grass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)
Eragrostis trichodes (Sand Love Grass)
Nassella tenuissima (Ponytail/Mexican Feather Grass)
Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ (Blonde Ambition Grass)
Bouteloua curtipendula (Sideoats Grama Grass)
Sporobolus airoides (Alkali Sacaton)
Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass)
Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)
Erianthus ravennae (Plume Grass)
Sorghastrum nutans ‘Thin Man’ (Thin Man Indian Grass)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian Grass)
Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ (Dwarf Fountain Grass)
Sporobolus wrighti (Giant Sacaton)
Andropogon gerardi (Big Bluestem Grass)
Achnatherum robustum (Robust Needlegrass)
Koeleria macrantha (Prairie Junegrass)

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES ARRIVING SOON

Calamagrostis brachytrica (Korean Feather Reed Grass)
Festuca glauca ‘Boulder Blue’ (Boulder Blue Fescue)
Helictotrichon sempervirens (Blue Avina or Blue Oat Grass)
Miscanthus sin. ‘Gracillimus’ (Maiden Grass)
Muhlenbergia rev. (‘Undaunted’ Ruby Muhly)
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ (Shenandoah Red Switchgrass)
Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Blaze’ (Blaze Little Bluestem)
Schizachyrium scop.’Prairie Blues’ (Prairie Blues Little Bluestem)
Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)

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PLANTING AND CARE FOR YOUR ORNAMENTAL GRASS

• Easy to grow, beautiful, versatile, and durable.
• Use for accents, massing, meadow, groundcover, to provide motion, grace, and great fall and winter interest.
• Many thrive on little water, many are natives.
• All are clump-forming, without invasive spreading roots.
• Plant throughout growing season with adequate water. 
• Most grasses live longer & sturdier if grown in leaner conditions.
• Use light applications of organic fertilizer and/or compost or aged manure.
• We recommend: Richlawn Organic, Yum Yum or Alpha-One fertilizer, Compost, and Dairy Cow Manure.

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Upcoming Classes List

We offer empowering classes with great teachers throughout the season.  Coming soon will be more of our class offerings.  Our teachers have spent years honing their skills in Colorado and will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up or too few people register, and we have to cancel. Pre-payment assures your place in the class.  Pre-registration is appreciated and highly recommended for all classes with a quick call to 303-939-9403.  (This list is also available on our website.)

Sun, Aug 5 at 1 PM – PRUNING FOR STRENGTH, HEALTH, AND BEAUTY with Mikl Brawner

Learn how to train young trees, restructure shrubs and trees damaged by storms, and to prune roses. Mikl has over 35 years of experience in pruning. (Repeated on Sep. 16.)   $15

Sat, Aug 25 from 10 AM to 1 PM – SEVENTH ANNUAL TASTE OF TOMATO

Don’t miss our 8th annual ‘Taste of Tomato’ festival & tasting event along with Boulder County CSU Cooperative Extension!  There are always exciting new varieties to taste and learn about. The location is not yet decided. Check our website for details and entry information.

Sat, Aug 25 at 1 PM – GARDENING WITH MUSHROOMS – THE MAGIC OF MYCELIUM w/ Zach Hedstrom

Join Zach for a class about the many ways you can incorporate mushrooms and fungi in your garden and lifestyle. You will learn the basic techniques for growing mushrooms, how to encourage fungal activity in your soil, and about the health-giving properties that you can experience from eating more mushrooms!   $15

Sun, Aug 26 at 1 PM – LOW TECH GREENHOUSE DESIGN & OPERATION with Mikl Brawner

Mikl has been researching, building, and using simple greenhouses for 20 years. This class will focus on five designs on site at the nursery.   $15

Sun, Sep 9 at 1 PM – HOW TO MULCH with Mikl Brawner

Weedbarrier, wood chips, straw, fine gravel, bark? Which mulches should be used and where? Why is mulching so important? What’s wrong with redwood and cedar? Mikl will discuss these questions and suggest solutions.   $15  (Photo Credit: The Rock Place)

S​at, Sep 15 at 1 PM – FORAGING ROCKY MOUNTAIN MUSHROOMS: REGIONAL MUSHROOM ID with Zach Hedstrom

In this class, you will learn the basics of mushroom identification and what you should know before going out on a hunt. We will also introduce a variety of local mushrooms and their identification features. A good class for beginners as well as those who have done some foraging before.   $15

Sun, Sep 16 at 1 PM – PRUNING FOR STRENGTH, HEALTH, AND BEAUTY with Mikl Brawner

Learn how to train young trees, restructure shrubs and trees damaged by storms, and to prune roses. Mikl has over 35 years of experience in pruning. (Repeat of Aug 5.)   $15

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We’re looking forward to seeing you this week!

In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

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Hummingbirds are abound everywhere!  They are such a delight to have in our gardens, and play an important part in pollinating out plants.  Harlequin’s Gardens carries many hummingbird-friendly plants that are ready to be planted in your garden.  With these plants you won’t need to replenish your hummingbird feeder again!  Read more, below, about specific plants.  (Above: Scrophularia macrantha.  Photo credit: Plant Select.)

If you’ve never tried currants or gooseberries, come sample from our shrubs!  We have a wide array of varieties and this is a great time to decide which flavor is best for your palette.

This week we are giving away FREE VEGGIE STARTS and ANNUALS!  What?!!  Find out more, below.  (Left: Zeppelin Delicata Squash)

Join Mikl on Sunday at 1 PM for his popular “Tips & Tricks of Xericape” class.  He’ll share the secrets that he has gained over the past 30 years on how to garden with less water.  You’ll learn so much!   Give us a quick call at 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat.

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SUMMER SALES ABOUND!

40% off 2018 seeds!

Free Veggie and Annual Starts with Purchase!

(Limit of 5 per person.)  Our offerings include:

Veggies

Tomatoes
Peppers
Winter Squash
Melons
Basil
Celeriac

Annuals

Nicotiana sylvestris
Petunia exserta
Craspedia
Brachyycome
Datura
Snapdragon Black Prince
Coleus
Lantana
Dreadlocks
Cant Bell
California Poppy
Salvia Fairy Queen
Salvia Blue Bedder
Salvia Blue
Cleome

Get 1 gallon of compost tea for free when you spend over $25!

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GREAT HUMMINGBIRD PLANTS for your garden

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

Here are some of the plants we sell that attract and support these flying jewels:

Agastache (Hummingbird Mint, Hyssop):
aurantiaca ‘Coronado’, aur. ‘Coronado Red, barberi ‘Tutti Frutti’, cana, cana ‘Sonoran Sunset’, foeniculum, foen. ‘Blue Fortune’, ‘Black Adder’, ‘Blue Boa’, ‘Blue Blazes’, rupestris, rup. ‘Joyful’
Buddleia davidii selections – Butterfly Bush
Campsis radicans – Trumpet Vine
Chilopsis linearis – Desert Willow
Cleome serrulata – Rocky Mt. Bee Plant
Fuchsia
Ipomopsis/Gilia rubra) – Scarlet Gilia
Ipomopsis aggregata – Standing Cypress
Maurandia/Asarina – Climbing Snapdragon
Mina lobata – Spanish Flag Vine
Monarda: many species and cultivars
Monardella macrantha ‘Marian Sampson’
Nepeta sibirica ‘Blue Beauty’ – Siberian Catmint
Penstemon barbatus coccineus – Scarlet Bugler
Penstemon rostriflorus – Bridge’s Beardtongue
Penstemon cardinalis – Cardinal Beardtongue
Penstemon superbus  – Superb Penstemon –
Penstemon pinifolius – Pineleaf Penstemon
Penstemon strictus – Rocky Mt. Penstemon
Penstemon pseudospectabilis – Desert Penstemon
Penstemon virgatus – Wand-bloom Penstemon
Petunia exserta – Brazilian Red Petunia
Salvia x microphylla ‘Windwalker’
Salvia coccinea – Annual Mexican Red Sage
Salvia darcyi – Mexican Red Salvia
Salvia greggii ‘Wild Thing’
Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’
Salvia pachyphylla – Mojave Sage
Scarlet Runner Bean (seeds)
Scutellaria suffrutescens – Cherry Skullcap
Scrophularia macrantha – Red Birds in a Tree
Zauschneria garrettii ‘Orange Carpet’ – Orange Hummingbird Trumpets
Zauschneria arizonica – Arizona Hummingbird Trumpet
Zauschneria latifolia ‘Etteri’  – Etter’s California Fuchsia

We may not have every one of these plants in stock right now, but we have plenty of them! And there’s still time to plant them!

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SUMMER BLOOMING SHRUBS & PERENNIALS

We have wonderful summer-blooming shrubs and perennials now ready for planting, like

Allium ‘Millenium’

Perennial plant of the year at Plant Select. Now in bloom!
This butterfly magnet will grace your garden in late summer with masses of rose purple blooms atop neat, shiny, green foliage that remains attractive all season long. The blooms will last up to four weeks on this drought tolerant perennial. Reseeding seems to be much less a problem with ‘Millenium’ than other alliums. Rabbit and deer-resistant. Attracts pollinators. 10-15″ tall. Plant in full sun with low water. Hardy to zone 4.  Available sizes: 2.5″ pots at $4.95, and Quarts at $6.95.

Hibiscus (Rose of Sharron) ‘Hollandia’ and ‘Lucy’

A beautiful, large, upright flowering shrub with dark green leaves and late-blooming flowers in multitude of colors ranging from white to pink to red to lavender. The two varieties we carry both have pink blossoms, and ‘Lucy”s flowers are double. Blooms are two to four inches across followed by a brown capsule fruit 3/4″ long that persists through winter. Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Full sun to part shade. Grows 6-10′ tall by 4-8’ wide. Hardy to zone 5.  Available sizes: 5 Gallon at $57.

Buddleia davidii (Butterfly Bush) ‘Nanho Purple’, ‘Petite Purple’, and ‘Black Knight’

These butterfly bushes feature stunning spikes of various shades of purple fragrant flowers from mid to late summer. Willow-like, leaves on arching stems create an irregular, rounded shrub.  Full sun to filtered shade. Moderate water. Zone 5. Rabbit and deer-resistant.  Available sizes: 1 Gallon at $16, and 2 Gallon at $26.

Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Dark Knight’ (Blue Mist Spiraea)

Similar to Blue Mist Spiraea, but with darker gray-green foliage and darker blue flowers. Tidy, upright growth habit with soft, fragrant silvery-green foliage and a profusion of deep blue-violet flowers in mid to late summer. A favorite of both butterflies & bees! Superb bee plant that blooms when other plants have finished. Tough, reliable plant. Full sun, very drought tolerant, rabbit and deer-resistant. Zone 4.  Available sizes: 1 Gallon at $16.

Chilopsis linearis (Desert Willow)

A small tree/large shrub native to the southwestern US with willowy foliage joined by large pink/lavender flowers from early summer to first frost which attract hummingbirds. This tough plant performs well in xeriscapes and other dry, unforgiving locations. Tolerates alkaline soils. Deer-resistant. 10-12′ tall by 8-10′ wide. Zone 5.  Available sizes: 2 Gallon at $35.

Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

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″ in spring when new growth begins to appear at the base of the plant.  Tolerant of alkaline soils. The smoky violet-blue flowers are a favorite of bees. Deer and rabbit-resistant. Zone 5.  Available sizes: 1 Gallon at $16.

Seseli gummifera (Moon Carrot)

A spectacular water-wise plant that attracts huge numbers of beneficial insects! The mound of blue-gray, lacy foliage erupts into branched flower stems with a long succession of dense, flat clusters of tiny white flowers emerging from pink buds, mid summer to fall. Usually blooms in its 2nd or 3rd year. Foliage turns pink/purple in fall + winter.  10-15″ tall x 24-36″ wide.  Available sizes: Quarts at $6.95.

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WE HAVE RE-STOCKED ON FLAGS AND BBB SEEDS!

Our BBB Seeds rack is full of all your favorite wildflower mixes. Arubymoon’s prayer flags just arrived.

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Upcoming Classes List

We offer empowering classes with great teachers throughout the season.  Coming soon will be more of our class offerings.  Our teachers have spent years honing their skills in Colorado and will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up or too few people register, and we have to cancel. Pre-payment assures your place in the class.  Pre-registration is appreciated and highly recommended for all classes with a quick call to 303-939-9403.  (This list is also available on our website.)

Sun, Jul 15 at 1 PM – TIPS & 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 will pass on his 30 years of xeriscape experience.   $15

Sun, Aug 5 at 1 PM – PRUNING FOR STRENGTH, HEALTH, AND BEAUTY with Mikl Brawner

Learn how to train young trees, restructure shrubs and trees damaged by storms, and to prune roses. Mikl has over 35 years of experience in pruning. (Repeated on Sep. 16.)   $15

Sat, Aug 25 from 10 AM to 1 PM – SEVENTH ANNUAL TASTE OF TOMATO

Don’t miss our 8th annual ‘Taste of Tomato’ festival & tasting event along with Boulder County CSU Cooperative Extension!  There are always exciting new varieties to taste and learn about. The location is not yet decided. Check our website for details and entry information.

Sat, Aug 25 at 1 PM – GARDENING WITH MUSHROOMS – THE MAGIC OF MYCELIUM w/ Zach Hedstrom

Join Zach for a class about the many ways you can incorporate mushrooms and fungi in your garden and lifestyle. You will learn the basic techniques for growing mushrooms, how to encourage fungal activity in your soil, and about the health-giving properties that you can experience from eating more mushrooms!   $15

Sun, Aug 26 at 1 PM – LOW TECH GREENHOUSE DESIGN & OPERATION with Mikl Brawner

Mikl has been researching, building, and using simple greenhouses for 20 years. This class will focus on five designs on site at the nursery.   $15

Sun, Sep 9 at 1 PM – HOW TO MULCH with Mikl Brawner

Weedbarrier, wood chips, straw, fine gravel, bark? Which mulches should be used and where? Why is mulching so important? What’s wrong with redwood and cedar? Mikl will discuss these questions and suggest solutions.   $15  (Photo Credit: The Rock Place)

S​at, Sep 15 at 1 PM – FORAGING ROCKY MOUNTAIN MUSHROOMS: REGIONAL MUSHROOM ID with Zach Hedstrom

In this class, you will learn the basics of mushroom identification and what you should know before going out on a hunt. We will also introduce a variety of local mushrooms and their identification features. A good class for beginners as well as those who have done some foraging before.   $15

Sun, Sep 16 at 1 PM – PRUNING FOR STRENGTH, HEALTH, AND BEAUTY with Mikl Brawner

Learn how to train young trees, restructure shrubs and trees damaged by storms, and to prune roses. Mikl has over 35 years of experience in pruning. (Repeat of Aug 5.)   $15

CELEBRATE YOUR INDEPENDENCE  
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WITH BEAUTIFUL COLOR!