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Harlequins Gardens

Harlequins Gardens

Boulder's specialist in well-adapted plants

Harlequin’s Gardens reopens March 4, 2021

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Home | OLD-Blog

OLD-Blog

Five Little-Used Xeriscape Shrubs-OLD

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.

Dry-Bloom

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 and Mother’s Day Special

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 30th(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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Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens


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May Day Sale & Celebration just a few days away!

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 30th 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

TOMATOES ARE ROLLING IN!

With a Solar Cap, it’s not too early to plant them
It’s veggie planting season and we’re stocked for you!  We have an abundant selection of cool season veggies (think, kale, chard, brassicas, etc.)  that are very keen to get into the soil!  We have four types of potato starts (see below), two types of asparagus (Jersey Knight and Purple Passion), and two remaining selections of onion starts (Copra and Walla Walla).  In addition, our Botanical Interests, Seed Savers, and Beauty Beyond Belief seeds have been restocked, including warm season seeds.   And, if that weren’t enough, our tomato starts have rolled in!  We’re excited about our selections this year and hope that you’ll stop by to get yours soon!  See below for information on early tomato planting.  

We also continue to receive abundant deliveries of fabulous pesticide-free, interesting and unique perennials!   As you clean-up your garden this spring, don’t let rose pruning intimidate you!  This Saturday at 1:00, Eve will demonstrate and discuss why and how to prune roses in a fearless and confident manner. It’s a very popular and valuable class!  See below for more details and call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!  

Another helpful spring tool is our new horticultural vinegar.  Green Gobbler is 20% acidity (versus the 2-3% acidity of white kitchen vinegar) and is an effective treatment for emerging and established weeds. Tough dandelions may need repeat application for best results.  Best of all, by using horticultural grade vinegar, you avoid the negative environmental impacts of products containing glyphosate. 

As of April 1 we’re now OPEN DAILY from 9 AM to 5 PM, and until 6 PM on Thursdays. 


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

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

Anasazi
Aunt Gertie’s Gold
Azoychka
Black Cherry
Black from Tula (pictured right, top)
Black Prince
Black Sea Man
Burbank Slicing
Carbon
Cream Sausage
Everett’s Rusty Oxheart
Gardener’s Delight
Gold Medal
Gold Nugget
Honey Drop
Juliet
Kellogg’s Breakfast
Malachite Box
Paul Robeson
Pink Brandywine
San Marzano Redorta
Striped German
Stupice
Sungold hyb.
Super Sioux / Super Lakota
Super-Sweet 100 (pictured right, bottom) 
Thessaloniki
Weaver’s Black Brandywine
 
EARLY TOMATO PLANTING  If you want to get an early start on your tomatoes and other warm-season vegetables, it’s important to provide a warm and protected environment for them.  Here’s how you can get the best results. 
SOIL THERMOMETER  For just a few dollars, a soil thermometer can be one of your most valuable garden guides.  Soil temperatures directly affect plant growth, and different plants need different soil temperatures in which to thrive.  Tomatoes need a minimum soil temperature of 55+ Fahrenheit. Planting in cold soil can cause plants to be stunted and weak.
  SOLAR CAPS  Solar Caps are a vast improvement over the well-known Wall-o-Water, which are prone to collapsing and crushing your plants! Solar Caps have 8 wire legs that keep it firmly secured in place. Solar Caps don’t have all those seams to leak, and the only part that requires annual replacement is the very inexpensive customized plastic bag. We like to keep the Solar Caps on our vining tomatoes throughout the season to moderate soil temperatures. They can be used to get a head-start on Peppers, Eggplants, Squashes, Cucumbers and Melons, but should be removed from those shorter plants when temperatures allow.  Solar Caps also provide a sure way to protect your plants from cold temps and snow! 

Solar Caps consist of a sturdy, re-usable, welded galvanized steel wire frame over which you drape the water-filled plastic bag that comes with the kit.  By positioning the Solar Cap where your tomato (or other warm-season veggies) will be planted, in 5-7 days your soil will be warm enough for planting (55+ Fahrenheit).  Following planting, Solar Caps form a personal greenhouse for your veggies, which improves growth throughout the season.  We’ve had great success using them for many years and we usually start planting tomatoes around April 15.  Solar Caps should be used when planting tomatoes between Mid-April and Mid-May. 
  For mountain gardeners: After the tomato plant reaches the top of the solar cap, you can leave the solar cap in place and insert your tomato cage directly into the solar cap (even when using a container or Earth Box!), or place it around the Solar Cap.  This will allow your tomato to remain warmer during cool summer nights. 
 
POTATO STARTS  We still have a good selection of potoato starts including Kennebec, Mountain Rose, and Purple Majesty selections, all grown here in Colorado.*  We have selected these varieties because they all grow very successfully here.   See below and our website for descriptions.   KENNEBEC  (Certified ‘seed’ potato)
Kennebec is an excellent, widely adapted, medium to late, all-purpose, white potato, bred by the USDA in 1941. This fast-growing variety has high yields of round to oblong tubers with shallow eyes, buff skin and white flesh that maintain good quality in storage. Plants do best when planted at 8-10” spacing to avoid overly-large tubers. The ivory flesh is firm and starchy with minimal water content and offers a rich, earthy and nutty flavor. Excels as a frying potato (fries, hash browns, chips, etc.) and is well suited for baking, mashing or roasting. Kennebec potatoes keep their shape when cooked, perfect for potato salads, curries, soups, stews.Resistant to Potato Virus A and Potato Virus Y; moderate resistance to Potato Virus S, Potato Virus X, blackleg, and foliage late blight.  MOUNTAIN ROSE   (Certified ‘seed’ potato)
Red inside and out! Bred in & for Colorado. Excellent as potato chips, French fries, oven fries, and also great for baking, mashing, and potato salads. High in antioxidants!  Early to Mid-season. PURPLE MAJESTY (Certified ‘seed’ potato)
Uniform, high-yield, deep purple skin and flesh, very high in anthocyanins (high-potency antioxidant).  Bred in and for Colorado. They are delicious roasted, baked, sliced for home-made chips, mashed..

*Our seed potatoes this year are not certified organic. They ARE “Certified Seed”, which means they have been tested and found free of disease (late blight – think Ireland’s Potato Famine). Potatoes sold for eating are NOT tested or certified; that’s why we do not recommend planting potatoes from the grocery store or farmer’s market. Our seed potatoes have been grown the same way as their organic crop, with the addition of an application of sulfur.  Our supplier was unable to sell their certified organic seed potatoes this year for planting because they didn’t qualify as disease-free.   Potato Growing Instructions From our friend, Frank Hodge

Potatoes grow best in full sun.  Plant seed potatoes (pieces of potatoes or small whole potatoes – plant whole if they are smaller than a golf ball) with at least 2 eyes per piece. If you are cutting up the potatoes, do so ahead of time (couple hours to a day prior to planting) to give them a chance to form a protective layer for moisture retention and rot resistance.

Plant as soon as when soil can be easily worked.  Plants will begin to grow when the soil temperature reaches 45 degrees.  Plants can tolerate a light frost but be prepared to cover them if a hard frost is expected.

Spread and mix compost into the bottom of a 4-6” deep planting trench. Soil should be moist, but not water-logged.  Plant seed potatoes 4” deep, 1 foot apart, with the eye side up. Potatoes thrive in LOOSE, well drained soil with consistent moisture.  

When plants reach about 6” tall, cover them with light compost or straw until just the top inch or two still shows. Continue to cover the plants (called hilling) as they grow. This will result in a fairly significantly sized mound.  Harvest potatoes on a dry day. Soil should NOT be compacted, so digging should be easy, but be gentle so as not to puncture the tubers.  “New” (small) potatoes may be ready in early July.  Mature potatoes should be harvested 2-3 weeks after the vines die (usually late July / early August). Brush off any soil, and store them in a cool, dry, dark place (but not in the refrigerator).  Do not store potatoes with apples as the ethylene gas produced by the apples can cause your potatoes to spoil. Do not wash potatoes until right before use.
 
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 20 at 1 PM      
FEARLESS ROSE PRUNING with Eve Brawner Eve will demonstrate and discuss why and how to prune roses in a fearless and confident manner. She will also discuss feeding, watering, etc. to maximize your success with growing roses. Wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves, and a hat and be prepared to be outside. Class cost: $15
 
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 a Horticulturist 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 30th 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 this week!  In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl
and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens


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Bundle Up Your Plants!

Spring snow is on it’s way!

This week will be a challenging one for gardeners; we will have night temperatures in the mid-20s Wednesday through Friday, before the next warming trend. We are also expecting snow and perhaps sleet.  There are a number of ways to protect your plants including row cover, solar caps, upside-down pots.  See below for details.  [Read More]

Veggies, Seeds, Special Events, and Classes!

VEGGIES, SEEDS, SPECIAL EVENTS, & CLASSES!

So many opportunities this spring!

Harlequin’s Gardens offers a lot of exceptional and unusual varieties of veggies that you won’t find anywhere else!  Our selection of cool-season veggies continues to expand daily as do our perennials.  There are many veggies, including onions, leeks, Asian greens, bok choy, and heading type of brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) that will yield larger and better results if they are planted sooner, rather than later in the season.  (Eve with Graffiti Cauliflower, right.)  See our website for many of our veggie descriptions.  

This is also the best time to get many types of seeds in the ground.  Our collection of Botanical Interests, Seed Savers, and Beauty Beyond Belief seeds contain many interesting and heirloom varieties for you to try.

If you’re unsure about the best ways to approach veggie gardening, or want to expand your knowledge, we have two classes this weekend that will be of great help.  On Saturday at 10 AM, our own Mimi Yanus will guide you in her popular “Getting Started in Veggie Gardening” class.  Then, at 1:00, Tracy Parrish follows with her “Succession Planting” class where you’ll learn how to maximize your garden space and keep your veggie garden in continual production. 

On Sunday at 1:00, Mikl will share how you can have a successful lawn without using toxic chemicals in his “Organic Lawn Care” class.   See below for more details and call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!

As of April 1 we’re now OPEN DAILY from 9 AM to 5 PM, and until 6 PM on Thursdays. 




POTATO STARTS 

… will be arriving late next week!  This year we will have German Butterball, Kennebec, Mountain Rose, and Purple Majesty selections.  See our website for descriptions! 

 




GOOD NEWS SPECIAL EVENT!

Neighbors, farmers, gardeners, citizen activists, the politically weary, the financially skeptical, the poetically inclined, pollinators, seed savers, CSA members, folks who want to know where their food comes from and where their money goes, and all who would like to put the culture back into agriculture and the civil back into civilization, all who would like to make our community healthier and our soil more fertile (which, as fate would have it, also pulls carbon out of the atmosphere, go figure!), all who take to heart the morning news reports about the collapse of insect populations and the urgency of climate change and who are no longer content to place all our bets on distant markets and distant political solutions. . .yes, you, us, we of Boulder, of the Front Range, of the environs between the Great Plains and the Continental Divide. . . we’re coming together to enjoy

—ADMISSION FREE—

. . .which could stand for Americans for Healthy Agriculture (AHA!), but doesn’t, because there is no such organization, but it stands for bunches of us coming together in a spirit of radical neighborliness, and for AHA! moments towards which we are heading, courtesy of these festivities, CO-HOSTED BY SOIL (Slow Opportunities for Investing Locally) and HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS, with help from our friends at Boulder County Farmers Markets, Savory Institute, Fresh Thymes Eatery, Organic Sandwich Company, Backpacker’s Pantry, Charlotte’s Web, and 78 individuals (on our way to many more, we trust) who have begun making 0% loans to local farmers and food enterprises, in the name of diversity and health, in the name of relationships putting transactions in their place, a small token of the esteem in which we hold those who are tending the soil and building the local food system. . .So, you are cordially invited to join in an afternoon of shared learning and community celebration, along with a few words from

and others, and. . . including poetry, music and other forms of cultural invigoration and mutual appreciation. Conviviality! Conversation! Door prizes! Radical neighborliness!

Who knew?! Something is afoot! AHA!

For more information contact woody@nullslowmoney.org.   
 




BACKYARD VINEYARD CLASS

Have you dreamt of starting your own backyard vineyard?  Our friend, John Martin of Stonebridge Farm, will be teaching an introductory class this Sunday, April 7, from 1:00-4:00 at Stonebridge Farm. To attend email John Martin. 

Interested, but not able to attend?  Come to John’s Sunday, April 28 class at Harlequin’s Gardens: GROWING GRAPES ON THE FRONT RANGE at 1 PM.  In this class John 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.  Call 303-939-9403 to register. 




APRIL 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, Apr 6 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!  (This is a repeat of Mimi’s March 16 class.) Class cost: $15

Sat, Apr 6 at 1 PM
SUCCESSION PLANTING: OPTIMIZING PLANTING TIMES TO INCREASE GARDEN YIELDSwith Tracey Parrish   

Learn the techniques and timing to maximize your garden space and keep your veggie garden in continual production throughout the seasons. This class provides participants with an extensive planting schedule table, outlining when and where to start your seeds, the time to transplant out and when to expect harvest. Tracey is an expert in culinary gardening.  Class cost: $15
 

Sun, Apr 7 at 1 PM        
ORGANIC LAWN CARE with Mikl Brawner

You can have successful a lawn without using toxic chemicals! Learn how to support healthy soil and soil life using compost, organic fertilizers, aeration, proper watering, and mowing, and how to avoid and deal with weeds. Class cost: $15
 



Sat, Apr 13 at 10 AM    
EDIBLE LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck

Learn how to grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, vines and herbs in your yard, beautifully. Learn which plants are the most successful and how to integrate them into your landscape. Alison has been designing edible landscapes for 25 years; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Apr 13 at 1 PM      
DO-IT-YOURSELF DRIP IRRIGATIONwithAlison Peck

Drip Irrigation can be easy! Come learn a simple, easy way to design and install a system that can be connected to an outside hose bib with a battery-operated timer, giving you an inexpensive automatic watering system.  We will also discuss how to convert an existing sprinkler system to drip irrigation. Class cost: $15

Sun, Apr 14 at 10 AM
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PLANTING DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS
with Panayoti Kelaidis

Do you know what parts of the world your xeriscape plants come from? Whether they’re adapted to spring moisture, summer monsoons, or winter snow-cover? In what type of soil conditions they thrive? How to group plants with similar needs so they will all succeed? Don’t miss this rare opportunity for an enlightening explanation of the sets of growing conditions in which our Colorado-adapted garden plants evolved, including prairie, steppe, desert, foothill and montane, with an emphasis on steppes. Panayoti Kelaidis is Senior Curator and Director of Outreach at Denver Botanic Gardens, one of the world’s foremost botanical experts, an internationally acclaimed, inexhaustible and enthusiastic font of knowledge, passionate plant-explorer and gardener, a founder of the Plant Select program, and lead author of DBG’s groundbreaking book ‘Steppes’.  Class cost: $15

Sun, Apr 14 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. (This is not a repeat of the Fall Pruning Class.) Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Apr 20 at 1 PM      
FEARLESS ROSE PRUNING with Eve Brawner

Eve will demonstrate and discuss why and how to prune roses in a fearless and confident manner. She will also discuss feeding, watering, etc. to maximize your success with growing roses. Wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves, and a hat and be prepared to be outside. 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 a Horticulturist 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
 




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

WELCOME TO HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS SPRING NEWSLETTER!


Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Welcome to Spring, to Harlequin’s Gardens and to another chance to get your hands into the living earth and add healthy biology to your micobiome, and breathe fresh air and hear the birds and partner with Nature in gardening.

With some notable exceptions, we humans have seen ourselves as separate and superior to the animals, plants and insects. We have seen ourrole as users, not partners. And now with our atmosphere polluted with greenhouse gases and our soils, ground water, streams and oceans contaminated with toxins and plastics, we humans are going “whoops!” Of course there are enormous economic interests and habitual patterns that are resisting the changes that are necessary.

Rationally, it appears that we are stuck in the Dark Ages, but intuitively, it feels like there is a Renaissance emerging. This Renaissance is dependent on a greater humility and a broader awareness. It is being driven by climate disruption, the food revolution, the soil revolution and a view merging new physics with ecology and social justice.

Realizations are arising that we really are all connected. American power plants are affecting islands in the South Pacific. Poisoning insect pests is killing billions of insect and microbial allies, which leads to greater pest problems. And basing our economy on oil and arms sales is backfiring with climate crises and displaced people needing new places to live.    

Read More


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Veggie Starts
Receive Newsletters by Email
Some Good News!
Events, Sales and Hours
Classes
Membership
Staff
Soil Life Products
Home-grown Fruit
Roses
Perennials
Trees & Seeds
Thank you!


VEGGIE STARTS

As usual we will have a great selection of organic veggie starts.  Every winter Eve pores over the most interesting and reliable seed catalogs, searching for new and special varieties that resist disease and pests, are very productive, taste fabulous, and that we think will likely be successful and rewarding here on the high plains and in the mountains. We think you’ll find the very best choices at Harlequin’s Gardens.  

Please give us your feedback on what you grow from us.  We want to know what works and what doesn’t.Please go to our website under Plants/Edibles for a complete listing and descriptions of our veggies.



A FEW of our NEW TOMATOES:

Offering 80+ varieties in 2019

THORBURN’S TERRA COTTA Tomato – NEW!  Very Limited Supply.  ~75 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate 
Our friend Thomas brought this very rare and completely unique tomato to our 2018 Taste of Tomato public tasting (where this remarkable new-old variety took second place in the Slicers category) and we’d never seen anything like it! Incredible color, flavor and history! Introduced in 1893, this sensational tomato has glossy/waxy terracotta brown skin, orange-pink flesh, and green seed mass. When cooked, it will yield a beautiful pumpkin-orange sauce with a floral aroma. (Pictured left.) 

BRAD’S ATOMIC GRAPE Tomato – NEW!Very Limited Supply~75 days, OP, Indeterminate
Highly productive, open, vining plants with wispy foliage. Large, pointy grape tomatoes are  borne in large clusters. Every fruit appears hand-painted! Lavender and purple stripes, orange turning to technicolor olive-green, red, and brown/blue stripes when fully ripe. Flavor? They came in second place after Sungold in the Cherry tomato category at our 2018 Taste of Tomato!  Fruits  are crack-resistant and exceptionally sweet.

TOMMY TOE cherry tomato – NEW!~70 days, Heirloom OP, Indeterminate
Tommy Toe is a great old heirloom from the Ozark Mountains that produces huge numbers of large, 1.5 oz red cherries with old fashioned flavor reminiscent of heirloom ‘beefsteak’ tomatoes. 

Read More about ALL of our Veggies



RECEIVE NEWSLETTERS BY EMAIL

Please subscribe to receive our newsletters by email. You can get both hardcopy and emails. Receive our weekly blogs with timely garden advice and reminders, as well as news of stock arrivals, upcoming classes, special events and sales, etc.  Our blog is a way we can give you detailed and up-to-date information at the time when it is relevant. We’re very happy to give you a hard copy newsletter when you visit the nursery or continue to mail it to you if you prefer.

Go to our subscription page and please remember to add us to your Contact List so your email server doesn’t throw us in the trash.

FACEBOOK :We wish you could LOVE us on Facebook, but since that’s not possible, we hope you will LIKE us…  


“The miracle is not to walk on water, but to walk on earth” Thich Nhat Hanh

“One of the least discussed but, I suspect, most effective agents in the race to save ourselves from extinction is reconnecting to nature. When I hug a tree, I get a tiny, blessed glimpse of the truth, which is that I’m a very small part of a gigantic ecosystem”

Maeve Higgins

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HEAR YE, HEAR YE: Some Good News!

Here is an invitation to a FREE event that celebrates various awakenings in local food, farmer support, turning carbon into fertility, saving the insects and the planet, and more – are happening locally. With brief talks by local activators, music, poetry, conviviality and conversation.

Please Join Us: 

Saturday, April 13, from 3 – 6 PM

at The Boulder Circus Center  
(4747 N 26th Street, next door to Harlequin’s Gardens)


—  FREE! — 
 

A collaboration of SOIL (Slow Opportunities for Investing Locally) and Harlequin’s Gardens.  For more details go to SOIL.

“We can drift along with general opinion and tradition, or we can throw ourselves upon the guidance of the soul and steer courageously toward truth.“

Helen Keller

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EVENTS, SALES & HOURS

On March 1 we opened for the Season and through the month are open Thursday through Sunday, 9-5.
Beginning April 1 we will be open everyday 9-5; Thursdays 9-6.
April 29 thru May 5: Harlequin’s Gardens May Day Plant Sale.
April 28 thru May 5: Harlequin’s Gardens Annual May Day Celebration and Cinco de Mayo.
On Saturday, May 4 at 10 AM don’t miss the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers who will bring us fertility and merriment. Then at 11:30 enjoy the duo Martian Acres playing classic pop and originals, and then at 1:30 move to Bistro Marimba with the music of Zimbabwe.
On Sunday, May 5, Cinco de Mayo, refreshments will be served, and from 11:00 jig and reel with the excellent musicians of the Boulder Irish Session. Then at 1pm local harpist Margo Krimmel will treat us to the tunes of O’Carolan and other fine melodies. 
August 19 to 25:  Members Fall Plant Sale
August 26: Harlequin’s Annual Fall Plant Sale begins for everyone. This sale continues every week in September and October.
September 7: Taste of Tomato: a tomato tasting festival; Harlequin’s Gardens with Growing Gardens, 10 AM-1 PM at Growing Gardens.  Bring your favorites; call/see our website for details.
October: open every day 9-5, and our Sale continues.  Closed for the Season on October 31.
November 29: Harlequin’s 2019 Holiday Market begins on GreenFriday with Local Artisan Goods and Goodies and will continue every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through December 22nd.

“In nature’s economy, the currency is not money; it is life.”

Vandanna Shiva

The World Bank says it will no longer finance oil and gas projects after 2019.  

The Sierra Club

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HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS 2019 CLASSES

In our classes you will learn more than information. Our teachers are people who have spent years honing their skills and their experience in Colorado will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 unless otherwise stated to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. (Cash and check are much appreciated!)  Pre-register at 303-939-9403 for these classes both in case they fill up or too few people register and we have to cancel the class. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. Classes are also listed here.

MARCH

Sun, Mar 31 at 10 AM      BUILDING TOPSOIL and 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. (Rescheduled from March 24.)  Class cost: $15


APRIL

Sat, Apr 6 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

Sat, Apr 6 at 1 PM         SUCCESSION PLANTING: OPTIMIZING PLANTING TIMES TO INCREASE YIELDSwith Tracey Parrish   
Learn the techniques and timing to maximize your garden space and keep your veggie garden in continual production throughout the seasons. This class provides participants with an extensive planting schedule table, outlining when and where to start your seeds, the time to transplant out and when to expect harvest. Tracey is an expert in culinary gardening.  Class cost: $15

Sun, Apr 7 at 1 PM         ORGANIC LAWN CARE with Mikl Brawner
You can have successful lawn without using toxic chemicals! Learn how to support healthy soil and soil life using compost, organic fertilizers, aeration, proper watering, and mowing, and how to avoid and deal with weeds. Class cost: $15
 

Sat, Apr 13 at 10 AM     EDIBLE LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck
Learn how to grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, vines and herbs in your yard, beautifully. Learn which plants are the most successful and how to integrate them into your landscape. Alison has been designing edible landscapes for 25 years; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. Class cost: $15  

Read More
 



MEMBERSHIP in HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS

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.

Please become a member to support what we do, and receive special benefits too.  Here is our expanded current offer: Members will give us $20 for a one year membership and in direct return will receive these 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 (except 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!!!

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

Anne Frank

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OUR STAFF

We are very proud of our staff, so to help you to get to know us and our specialties, here are our portraits.

REBECCA WATERHOUSE is our excellent office manager who grew up on her family’s hobby farm in Oregon. She has become quite knowledgeable about plants and is indispensable around the nursery.  Rebecca is integral to the success of our operations! 




KRISTINA WILLIAMS has been a beekeeper for over 21 years and is our local expert on native bees. She is the current President of the Boulder County Beekeepers Assoc., is a trained entomologist and will be available to help people with beekeeping questions and beekeeping equipment.


ELAINE WALKER has a degree in landscape architecture with an emphasis in ecological practices. She has her own landscape design practice, and her recent work includes designing outdoor living spaces, retaining & boulder walls, native and drought tolerant plantings.  Elaine develops and publishes our weekly blogs and maintains our customer database.

Read More



SOIL LIFE PRODUCTS

Very Special Products To Benefit Your Soil Life and Your Plant Life

Big Foot Mycorrhizae – NEW! – combines 4 species of mycorrhizae with biochar, worm castings, seaweed and rock minerals to provide a strong population of plant allies to bring water and nutrients.  
Endo Mycorrhizae – water soluble symbiotic fungus, innoculate roots to bring water and nutrients. 
Biodynamic Compost Starter – speeds decomposition, adds nitrogen bacteria, helps make humus, improves mineral availability; for compost piles, manure, leaves; 55 microorganisms.
Biodynamic Field and Garden Spray – speeds the breakdown of cover crops or sheet mulch; planting can be 2-3 weeks after spraying & turning under, 55 microorganisms.


COMPOSTS:

Organic Mushroom Compost – from a local organic mushroom farm. Premium food for soil life and wonderful in vegetable gardens, helps to loosen heavy soils and improve aeration and porosity.  

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HOME-GROWN FRUIT

One of our specialties is fruiting plants that are adapted to Colorado conditions. All the apples we carry are resistant to fireblight and good-tasting. And the cherries we sell are all proven successful in Colorado. Our grapes are the most hardy of any you will find, delicious fresh, in juice and a few are good for wine. And we have productive & good tasting currants, gooseberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries including:

Crandall Clove Currant and Gwen’s Buffalo Currant – both are 5’x4’ with very fragrant yellow flowers in spring and annual bearing of sweet-tart berries full of healthy phytonutrients and reddish fall color; these are native currants selected for better fruit. (photo, right)
Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry – late blooming so avoids late frosts, medium to large very sweet berries, semi-trailing, best pruned to 8’.  

Read More



ROSES

We are known far and wide for our selection of sustainable roses and for our expertise in helping people choose the best varieties for their gardens and landscapes. We sell roses on their own roots not grafted, which makes them more cold hardy, longer lived, with more flowers.

This year we will have more Austin English roses. And

we have many other great roses including Bill Reid, Marie Pavie, The Gift, John Cabot, Seafoam, Stanwell Perpetual, The Fawn, Abraham Darby, Applejack,Darlow’s Enigma, Henry Kelsey, John Davis, Golden Wings, Victorian Memory, Fairmont Proserpine, Joann’s Pink Perpetual, Golden Celebration, Champlain, Morden Snowbeauty, Henry Kelsey, Robusta, etc.

See our 2019 Rose List on our website.

SHRUBS: We have a large selection of natives and non-natives AND Vines!

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PERENNIALS

Harlequin’s huge choice of pollinator-supporting perennials-including:

Sulfur Flower-Kannah Creek – mahogany fall color (Pictured right)
Eriogonum allennii – 3’ wide, very xeric, yellow flowers, a winner
E. jamesii – silver foliage, light yellow flowers, local native
Eriogonum umbellatum – yellow blooms cover xeric native mat, feeds butterflies, bees
Many Lavenders – Royal Velvet, Buena Vista, Grosso, Twickle Purple, Munstead, Hidcote
Asclepias incarnata – 1’-3’ Full Sun, Attracts butterflies, native & honeybees, butterflies
Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Weed, orange flowers, 1’-2’ high, Monarch food and nectar  

Read More



TREES

The trees we sell are smaller than ball & burlap trees that are dug in the field, leaving at least 75% of their roots in the ground. Ours are grown in a container so they have a complete root system and begin growing immediately and are not stressed. Here is a sample of some of ours.

Russian Hawthorn –  very tough and xeric, grows 15’ high and wide, white flowers and red berries, loves CO. (photo, left)
Rocky Mt. Maple – a native of our foothills, likes to grow in the protection of other trees, red fall color, 10’-15’.
Gambel Oak and Wavyleaf Oak – both natives that grow 10’-15’, with little water and poor soil, support birds.  

Read More



THANK YOU!

Thank you, local gardeners, for helping to cultivate a healthy 21st Century World!

Sincerely,

Mikl Brawner & Eve Reshetnik-Brawner
And the Great Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

“There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one we are capable of living. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

Nelson Mandela

Additional Mason Bee Class

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

Cool-Season Veggies are Here!


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 6th 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

We Have Soil Products for You!

It’s time to prepare your soil!

Thank you to all those who helped us with a successful opening day, last Friday!  And a big thanks to those who braved the elements later in the weekend to stop by!  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.

March is a great time to focus on soil enrichment and we’re stocked with great products that will help you prepare for the season ahead.  You’ll recognize many products which we’ve stocked for years and we’re also trying out some new and exciting items.  As always, we welcome your feedback on them all!  

Classes

This weekend we’re featuring three great classes.  We start 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.  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.  (See the list of cover crop seeds that we’re offering, below.)

Finally on Sunday, at 1:00 pm, Mikl with share how to address “Fireblight” issues, which were a hardship for many gardeners last year.  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 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 6th 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) 
 




Products for Building and Supporting Healthy Soils

Harlequin’s Gardens has been studying soil health for many years now, because soil health is needed for plant health, for plant resistance to pests and diseases and for nutritional value of plants. We believe that a strong Soil Life with all the beneficial fungi, bacteria, earthworm etc. is the goal to digest the nutrients in the soil and make them into plant-available forms.

Our soils also are deficient in organic matter and available nutrients. Colorado soils do have nutrients, but many are not in a form that’s available to plants. So, Harlequin’s has sourced most of our soil-building products from businesses as local as possible, almost all from Colorado. Local products use our local wastes (like landscape wastes, beer wastes, food wastes, beetle-kill pine, mushroom waste, dairy cow manure, chicken manure). This supports local businesses to recycle and because trucking distances are greatly reduced, we are cutting down on carbon emissions. Putting these organic wastes into the soil also sequesters carbon. And because carbon is one of Life’s main building blocks, these products help build fertility.

This year we have many returning products and some new products that we’d like to tell you about.

Humate

This is a mined carbon concentrate that multiplies microorganisms and has the effect of making nutrients in the soil available. We have been using this for years in our potting mixes. 

Corn Gluten

A non-toxic, weed-and-feed with 9% nitrogen. It inhibits seed germination, but is harmless to plants with root systems, people, worms, and microorganisms. The effect can last up to 6 months and is especially useful in lawns. Apply in September/October, and again in late February/March to prevent the majority of existing weed seeds from germinating.


Alpha One

100% organic fertilizer for vegetables and ornamentals. Contains: 7% Nitrogen, 2% Phosphorus, 2% Potash, 1% Iron, 1% Sulphur, with a pH of 6.2.  Formulated in Loveland for Colorado Soils. 

Richlawn 5-3-2 Fertilizer 

A 100% organic product comprised of dehydrated poultry waste.  It is listed by OMRI for organic use and is ideal for lawns, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, vegetables and roses.  One bag covers 2,000 sq. ft. of turf.

EcoGro Compost

A Class 1 Compost made from leaves, grass, chipped branches, and beer wastes. It has a healthy population of microorganisms and diverse nutrients.  It is very stable and will not burn or steal nitrogen.  It is fine textured, low in salts with some woody particles.  The pH is 8.3; the NPK 1-1-1.

Eko Compost

Made from forest and recycled wood products composted with poultry manure. Use Eko Compost in vegetable and flower gardens, on lawns, trees, shrubs. to Improve soil’s physical, chemical, and biological health.

Eko Lawn Topdressing

Finely screened compost perfect for top dressing lawns after aeration.  Holds moisture next to the roots increasing drought tolerance. Supports microorganisms. 

Symbiosis Potting Soil – NEW! 

Symbiosis Potting Soil is a plant-based compost, made from coconut coir, perlite, azomite minerals, calphos, rock dust, kelp meal, oyster shell, dolomite lime, earthworm castings, mycorrhizae and Alaska humus.     



Fort Vee Potting Mix – NEW!  

This compost-based potting mix is best for starting seeds and transplanting seedlings and houseplants. It is composed of composted manure and plant material, peat moss, crushed granite and basalt, blood meal, kelp meal, bone meal, gypsum, vermiculite, coconut coir and biodynamic preparations. It’s best to wet before use. Used very successfully last year at Kilt Farm.  

Ocean Forest Potting Soil

A nutrient-rich soil for planting seedlings. It performed well in our tests. Contains: composted bark, sphagnum peat, fish emulsion, crab, earthworm castings, loam, perlite, bat guano, granite dust, kelp meal.


EcoPett

A natural pine coop bedding (or cat litter!). 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 5X when wet. Reduces cleaning by 50%. Not a soil amendment, but a local, recycled beetle-kill pine product to help care for your poultry and other small animals.




Products Coming Soon!

Harlequin’s Fertility Mix

A mix of Biosol Certified Organic 6-1-1 Fertilizer, humate, molasses, endomycorrhizae, and calcium. Increases root mass, top growth, soil life, and productivity naturally.  This is not just a fertilizer. The combination of ingredients and mycorrhizae act synergistically to support fertility.  It has received rave reviews!  Try it and let us know your experience. 

Rocky Mt. Minerals

From Salida, this broad spectrum of many different minerals that support plant strength and immune function, including 11% Calcium, 6% Sulfur plus magnesium, iron, and many others. The big difference with this product is that its geothermal source makes these minerals much more available. 

Mushroom Compost

From a local mushroom farm.  Dark, rich humus that feeds soil life, improves soil structure & aeration, saves water. Great soil amendment for veggies, perennials, roses & shrubs. Also, a superb mulch for roses. 

Dairy Cow Manure Compost

Nutrient-rich compost made from manure of dairy cows – NOT fed hormones and only given antibiotics when sick. (No rBGH given.)  

Coco Loco Potting Soil

A superior coir-based potting media produced from coconut husks, making it one of nature’s most abundant renewable resources.  This mix also contains earthworm castings, bat guano, kelp meal and oyster shell.  It resists compaction, easily rewets, and absorbs evenly for excellent aeration and maximum drainage.

Biochar

A highly adsorbent, specially-produced charcoal applied to soil as a means to increase soil fertility and agricultural yields and sequester carbon.



Related New Products

Two great publications by the highly respected Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC), who specializes in finding non-toxic and least-toxic, integrated pest management (IPM) solutions to urban and agricultural pest problems.

“Alternatives to Glyphosate” – NEW! 

Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Roundup herbicide, and a probable carcinogen. This resource is derived from the latest scientific research.  

“IPM for Cannabis Pests” – NEW!

Registered insecticides are illegal and toxic pesticides make no sense.    

Insect Saver – NEW! 

Having trouble with insects in your house?  Catch wasps, bees, moths, flies, spiders, beetles, even earwigs, one-handed, swiftly, easily, without hurting them!  Observe the insect through the clear container, then open it to release them outside.   This is the German-made Schutzgreifer that we have been searching for. We had purchased a couple of these nifty devices and used them for years, but couldn’t find a supplier. Now we have them and you can too! They operate one-handed, like scissors: simply open, place over the insect and gently close. Even works on drapes and upholstery.   



Cover Crop Seeds – NEW! 

We’ve expanded our offerings of cover crops to better meet your gardening needs.  

  • 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



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.

Now Open!

WELCOME TO OUR 2019 SEASON!

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Welcome to our 27th 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 6th 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

It’s Time to Jump into Spring!

IT’S TIME TO JUMP INTO SPRING!
(Despite the snowy weather!)  Welcome to our 27th year! Starting off a new season at Harlequin’s Gardens is always a lot of work, but it’s also very exciting! There will be lots of NEW things, including a new front entry sign and planting, great new classes, new potting mixes, new and redesigned display gardens, new additions to our staff and, of course, new plants, including vegetable start varieties. 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.
 
Here’s a taste of some of our New Plants.  We will be offering the following 2019 Plant Select® introductions, produced by our own wholesale division, so you know they are completely chemical-free, pesticide-free and bee-safe!

SteppeSuns™ ‘Sunset Glow” Penstemon: An excellent new and different color selection of Pineleaf Penstemon with a profusion of glowing soft orange funnel-shaped blooms, this mounding evergreen perennial is long-lived and blooms for a very long season. The nectar-rich flowers attract and feed hummingbirds, honeybees, and native pollinators. ‘Sunset Glow’ thrives in full sun or morning sun in the dry or low-water garden. The unique shade of ‘sherbet’ orange blends well with both pastel and bright colors in the garden. It looks beautiful in masses and as an individual specimen, growing 12-18” high and 18-24” wide. Hardy to USDA zone 4.  (Photo Credit: Emily Goldman.)   


Granita® Orange Ice Plant: A beautiful, new and unique color in hardy Ice Plants. Granita® Orange has proved successful in low-water gardens with well-drained soils, making a dense, 1 to 2”-high, spreading evergreen groundcover, covered with large, bright, iridescent deep orange flowers for much of the growing season. Like other Delosperma varieties, the flowers are open during bright daylight hours, closed at night and on dark days. In our intense sun, they thrive best with some afternoon shade. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.  (Photo Credit: John Stireman.) 


Sucker Punch® Chokecherry: Our friend Scott Skogerboe, head propagator for Fort Collins Nursery, has made many great contributions to Plant Select® over the years. One of his triumphs has been the discovery and successful trialing of a non-suckering Prunus virginiana, our native red-leaf Chokecherry. This break-though makes it possible to use this attractive, small to medium-sized flowering/fruiting native tree in small home landscapes without the nuisance of constant suckering. Thought to be an accidental hybrid with Prunus padus (Mayday Tree, Bird Cherry), it has a more rounded crown, reaching 20-25’ tall and 15-20’ wide, foliage that emerges green, turning purple-red after blooming, and profuse panicles of sweetly fragrant white flowers in early spring that provide an important source of nectar and pollen for honeybees, native bees, and other native pollinators. The fruits are famous for attracting a wide variety of birds and for making delicious preserves! Hardy to USDA zone 3.  (Photo Credit: Gary Epstein.) 


 
TOMATOES!  Enticing new Vegetable varieties, and especially Tomatoes, are being discovered, bred and introduced at a dizzying pace! We get to taste some of the new and exciting Tomato varieties at our annual Taste of Tomato (this year scheduled for Saturday, September 9th). When we meet a new tomato that makes our knees go weak, we add it to our offerings as soon as we can. Here are just a few of our new tomato, and other vegetable, starts for 2019.  You can peruse our entire list of this year’s tomatoes at our website.  Soon we will also be updating all of our website veggie start descriptions!  Thorburn’s Terra-Cotta ~75 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate. Limited Supply!
Our friend Thomas brought this very rare and completely unique tomato to our 2018 Taste of Tomato public tasting (where this remarkable new-old variety took second place in the Slicers category) and we’d never seen anything like it! Incredible color, flavor and history! Introduced in 1893 by J.M. Thorburn & Co. seedsmen of New York, this sensational tomato has glossy/waxy terracotta brown skin, orange-pink flesh, and green seed mass. Dr. William Woys Weaver has spent years growing out and selecting from the seeds he was gifted one hundred years later! His patient and artful work has restored this stunning and delicious, juicy slicer, produces heavily during early/mid-season and then drops off quickly once cool weather sets in. Reviews from gardeners in Colorado reveal that this variety seems to like our hot, dry summers, whereas complaints of cracking came from growers in the wetter upper Midwest and Northwest. When cooked, it will yield a beautiful pumpkin-orange sauce with a floral aroma. Read the back-story, written by Dr. Weaver in 2012. 
  Anna Banana Russian ~75 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
A beautiful bright yellow version of the famous Anna Russian tomato. The fruits are definitively heart-shaped, weigh from 6 to 13 ounces, and have delicious, well-balanced flavor with mild fruitiness. They often have a slight pink blush on the inside. As with many other heart-shaped heirloom tomatoes, the tall vines are skinny, with wispy foliage, and should be staked. ‘Anna Banana Russian’ originated as an accidental cross from Anna Russian that was stabilized by Michael Walker of Ellensburg, Washington.
  Black Icicle    ~75 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
With stunning, 2-3” long and pointed deep purplish-brown fruits, this Ukrainian heirloom tomato looks like a paste tomato but has the deep, rich, complex flavor of the best large dark heirlooms. A great variety for both home gardeners and chefs, it is delicious eaten fresh or cooked down for fabulous sauce. The productive vines are tall and skinny, with wispy foliage.
  Brad’s Atomic Grape ~75 days, OP, Indeterminate.  Very Limited Supply!
Highly productive, open, vining plants with wispy foliage. Large, elongated, pointy grape tomatoes borne in large clusters. Sounds dull, huh?  Well, the colors of these 2-bite gems are extraordinary, and every fruit appears hand-painted! Lavender and purple stripes, orange turning to technicolor olive-green, red, and brown/blue stripes when fully ripe. The olive green interior is blushed with red when dead-ripe. Flavor? They came in second place after Sungold in the Cherry tomato category at our 2018 Taste of Tomato! The fruits are juicy and firm, crack-resistant and exceptionally sweet, which is what many people are looking for in a snacking tomato. The fruit holds well on the vine or off.  This release from Wild Boar Farms also won best in show at the 2017 National Heirloom Expo. Brown Sugar   Mid-season, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate
Brown Sugar is an open-pollinated Russian commercial variety that provides early production, beautiful color and delicious flavor. A high-yielding, indeterminate, regular-leaf plant, Brown Sugar produces lots of medium-size (~6oz.), round, purple-brown fruits with green shoulders. The deep red interior has rich, complex flavor, a little more sweet than tangy. Very well adapted to colder and short season regions.
  White Tomesol  75-85 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
White Tomesol is not only a beautiful addition to the color palette of tomatoes, but is perhaps the easiest ‘white’ tomato to grow, and full of fragrance and flavor, sweet, rich but mild. The lovely smooth, pale yellow fruits have a pretty blush of pink on the blossom end, and look like a smaller beef-steak type, averaging about 8oz. Fruits with full sun exposure will develop deeper yellow color. The vigorous, disease-resistant vines set heavy yields, producing late into the season and adapting well to difficult growing conditions. We see it as a worthy replacement for the fabulous ‘Moonstone Blanco’, for which we can no longer find seed. Introduced to Seed Savers in 1998 by Dorothy Beiswenger of Crookston, Minnesota.
  Tommy Toe Cherry Tomato ~70 days, Heirloom OP, Indeterminate
Tommy Toe is a great old heirloom from the Ozark Mountains that produces huge numbers of large, 1.5 oz red cherries with old fashioned flavor reminiscent of heirloom ‘beefsteak’ tomatoes. The large, vigorous plants will need staking/trellising to control.
  Black Ethiopian  70-80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate.  RETURNING!
A wonderful, rare heirloom, variously reported as originating in Ukraine, Russia, or Hungary, despite being  named Ethiopian. Nevertheless, the large, vigorous 4-5’ tall plants yield heavy crops mahogany-bronze, 5-oz., plum-shaped fruits with exceptional, rich flavor that’s both tangy and sweet. At our first annual Taste of Tomato, acclaimed local chef Bradford Heap chose Black Ethiopian as his top favorite.
  Dancing With Smurfs (a.k.a. Indigo Cherry Drops, Blue Cherry) 78-84 days, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate.  Very limited quantities! 
We are told that this variety is named after the 13th episode of the 13th season of the animated TV series ‘South Park’. We don’t have a television, so don’t ask us!   Bred by Tom Wagner of ‘Green Zebra’ fame, this deep blue/purple cherry tomato is descended from OSU’s anthocyanine line and is very high in powerful antioxidants. In summer heat, the purple coloration is equally visible as the underlying red. But when night temperatures drop, fruits darken to purple-black. Productive, purple-blushed vines to 6’ tall are disease-resistant and bear 1” or larger fruits in clusters of 6-8, with much better flavor than the original ‘blue’ varieties. Described as ‘tart and sweet true-tomato, with faint undertones of rhubarb’.  
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 6th 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 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

March In for March Classes

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 6th 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.






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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

HOLIDAY MARKET FINAL WEEK NEWS!

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!

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

HOLIDAY MARKET THIRD WEEK NEWS!

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

Holiday Market Updates and Announcements

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

WELCOME TO OUR HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE!

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

HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS 2018 HOLIDAY MARKET CATALOG

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. 

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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

Thanks for a wonderful season!

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”.


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We’re looking forward to seeing you at our Holiday Market!
In gratitude,
Eve, Mikl and the super hard-working Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Just 8 Days Left!

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!

OCTOBER 22 thru 30:

  • Enjoy 30% off perennials, vines, grasses, shrubs and trees

  • 20% off roses, fruit trees, and books

  • 50% (wow!) off soil products in big bags

  • 50% off compost tea (get it while the brewer is running!)

  • 4” perennials in full flats of 12 or 15 plants are ONLY $4.20 each (regularly $6.95).  Mix & Match!

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks are $0.50 each.   

 


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.


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

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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

Snow? What snow? Our Fall Sale Continues


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.


 

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.

 


FALL SALE THIS WEEK

OCTOBER 15 thru 21:

  • Enjoy 30% off perennials, vines, grasses, shrubs and trees

  • 20% off roses, fruit trees, and books

  • 50% (wow!) off soil products in big bags

  • 50% off compost tea (get it while the brewer is running!)

  • 4” perennials in full flats of 12 or 15 plants are ONLY $4.20 each (regularly $6.95).  Mix & Match!

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks are $0.50 each.  

 


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!!


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

ONLY ONE MONTH LEFT for the lowest prices of the season!

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.


FALL SALE THIS WEEK,

OCTOBER 1 thru 7:

  • Enjoy 30% off perennials, shrubs & trees

  • 20% off roses, fruit trees, and books

  • 50% (wow!) off soil products in big bags

  • 50% off compost tea (get it while the brewer is running!)

  • 4” perennials in full flats of 12 or 15 plants are ONLY $4.20 each (regularly $6.95).  Mix & Match!

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks are $0.50 each.  

 


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.


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

Our Fall Sale Continues with LOTS of Beautiful Plants You Can Plant Now!


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.


BULB BONANZA! (also going fast!)

Spring and fall blooming bulbs are here, and selling fast! A few more varieties will arrive in early October, and GARLIC is on its way here! 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.


FALL SALE THIS WEEK, SEPTEMBER 24 thru 30:

  • Enjoy 30% off perennials, shrubs & trees

  • 20% off Roses, Fruit Trees, and Books

50% (wow!) off soil products in big bags and compost tea!

  • 4” perennials in full flats of 12 or 15 plants are ONLY $4.20 each (regularly $6.95).  Mix & Match!

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks are $0.50 each.  


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

A Beautiful Spring Starts Now, with Fall Fertilization!

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.


BULB BONANZA!

Spring and fall blooming bulbs are here and ready for you!  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) and Crocus cartwrightianus 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.


FALL SALE THIS WEEK, SEPTEMBER 17 thru 23:

  • Enjoy 30% off perennials, shrubs & trees

  • 20% off Roses, Fruit Trees, and Books

  • 40% (wow!) off soil products in big bags

  • Buy one Compost Tea, get one FREE!

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

You will find Golden Columbine, Porter’s Aster, Cheddar Pink Dianthus, Greek Oregano, perennial sunflowers, many sedums, Creeping Phlox, Coreopsis, Shasta Daisies  and MORE: 2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks.  4” perennials in flats of 12 or 15 regular $6.95, full flats ONLY $4.20 each.  Mix & Match!


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

Bees, Bulbs, Veggies

Harlequin’s Gardens

Bees, Bulbs, Veggies,

and our Fabulous Fall Sale!

This is that special time of the year when you can easily plant trees, shrubs, and perennials that will surprise you in the spring with the vigor their roots have gained by establishing over the winter.  And guess what, most of our inventory is on sale at great prices!  See below for details.

In addition, fill out your garden with delicious and nutritious fall veggies including arugula, spinach, lettuce, bok choy, chard, kohlrabi, senposai, kale, and broccoli raab.

Our flowering bulbs are here – and a great selection too!  Come visit our display, read more below, and check out our full selection here.  (Pictured below: Jetfire Narcissus, our bulb display, Species Tulip.)

Coming soon, are Garlic and Shallots, which are expected to arrive the week of September 24th.

We’ve noticed an abundance of native bees on our plants and in our own gardens this season.  Have you?  Check-out our Bee Barn Update, below, and the wonderful pics Kristina has taken of native bees in their Chalet!

Our classes wrap up this weekend with two wonderful offerings!  On Saturday at 1:00, the renowned Zach Hedstrom will show you how to identify and forage for mushrooms right here in the Rocky Mountains.  Then on Sunday at 1:00, Mikl repeats his ever-popular Pruning for Strength, Health, and Beauty class where he’ll de-mystify how to prune.  Reserve your spot in either or both classes with a quick call to 303-939-9403. 


BEE BARN UPDATE

This week, September 8-15, is the North American Mite-A-Thon.  The Mite-A-Thon is a tri-national effort to collect mite infestation data and to visualize Varroa infestations in honey bee colonies across North America within a one week window. All beekeepers can participate (including you!), creating a rich distribution of sampling sites in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.  Just about every pro-honey bee organization out there helps to sponsor this important event!   At this point in the year all beekeepers should know what their hives’ mite levels are (and hopefully they’re under control).  If you have mite counts on your hives, please share it here.  Colorado needs more dots (reports) on the Mite Count Map.  So please be active and participate!

If you need supplies for mite monitoring and control, we’re here to help! Come in and let us help you find what you need in our Bee Barn.


With temps in the 90’s again this week, winter may seem far away, but the bees know it’s coming.  They will need to be healthy and well fed.  I recommend feeding 1-2 pounds of pollen substitute per hive between now and Thanksgiving and making sure that the hive has 80 pounds of honey.  That’s a full 10 frame deep box plus several in the bottom.  We can help with syrup feeders from 1 qt to 2 gal, entrance reducers, mouse guards, Bee Cozies (pictured left) and a fridge full of pollen substitute and winter patties. Yum!

Below are cool images of native bees inhabiting our Mason Bee Tubes and Native Bee Chalet!

  

CORN GLUTEN SPECIAL!

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.

While supplies last, our Corn Gluten is 30% off the regular $45 price!


EVE’S FAVORITE BULBS

Hi! Eve here, to share with you some of my favorite bulb flowers, and tell you why I especially love them. You can get further details, and pictures of most of them, at our website.

Allium (Nectaroscordum) bulgaricum (Sicilian Honey Lily)

is unlike any other flower in your garden. It’s elegantly shaded from purple-mauve to green and cream, tall and graceful, with highly original and fascinating form and behavior at every stage of its development. And, as the common name implies, it is full of nectar that delights the bees. I’ve had them in my garden for about 20 years, and the clumps have increased very slowly, and never self-sow.   Pictured below are the three unique stages of bud (shown from two angles), bloom, and upward facing seed capsule.

Anemone blanda ‘Blue Shades’ (Blue Grecian Windflower)

makes a finely-textured seasonal carpet covered with fabulously true-blue daisy-like blooms. And it keeps blooming for quite a long time! It’s a very refined looking wildflower, suitable for underplanting taller bulbs or featured in rock gardens and perennial beds.

Colchicum speciosum ‘The Giant’, Giant Meadow Saffron

is an autumn flowering miracle! One day you see nothing there, having forgotten that you ever planted it, and the next day you have what look like giant pink goblets popping up with the suddenness of mushrooms! They light up areas where you may not have seen a bloom in months, and once established, they bloom for several weeks! They should be planted NOW to get blooms this fall.

Diminutive Crocus chrysanthus ‘Gipsy Girl’, ‘Blue Pearl’, ‘Fuscotinctus’, E.P. Bowles (pictured) and C. seiberi ‘Spring Beauty’  

are some of the very earliest bulbs to bloom, bringing color and cheer to the winter garden in February and March! They form colonies quickly, and they are tough and hardy.

Iris reticulata ‘Alida’

is a gem among gems. If you can, plant it where you can enjoy its sweet fragrance, and allow it to multiply and form dense clumps of intricately formed and patterned little sky-blue flowers in February or March!

Ixiolirion pallassii (I. tataricum) Blue Mountain Lily (arriving soon)

is a wildflower species from Central Asia, and one of the latest-blooming bulb flowers in my garden. And it’s blue! Since its native habitat is rocky, dry and sunny, it’s perfectly at home in xeriscape gardens here and harmonizes perfectly with our xeric native perennials!

Narcissus ‘Geranium’ 

I grow the heirloom Narcissus ‘Geranium’ for its delicious fragrance. Yes, it’s also very lovely to look at – small clusters of white flowers with scarlet-orange cups. I keep planting more of them so I will have enough to enjoy both indoors and out.  

Narcissus ‘Hawera’

is one of my 2 favorite miniature daffodils. The soft yellow individual blooms are about the diameter of a dime, but you get many of them from each bulb, and they multiply quickly to form wonderful clumps or colonies. They’re very dainty, very hardy, very adaptable, and rodents and deer leave them alone!

Narcissus ‘Jetfire’

is my other favorite miniature daffodil. It’s so cute, and so tough! We have clumps of it here at Harlequin’s, thriving in spite of considerable, okay, complete neglect! It blooms for a long time, even in full sun, and its bright orange trumpets and bright yellow petals are so jaunty in early spring. Our resident rabbits don’t bother them.

Tulipa kaufmanniana ‘The First’ and ‘Johann Strauss’

are in of the class of wildflower tulips known as ‘Waterlily’ tulips because the flowers open wide in the sun and they do look something like little waterlilies. They are so easy, so early and very hardy. I tuck them in everywhere I can! 


FALL SALE THIS WEEK, SEPTEMBER 10 thru 16:

  • Enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs & trees

  • 20% off Roses, Fruit Trees, and Books

  • 30% off soil products in big bags

  • 30% off Compost Tea

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

You will find Golden Columbine, Porter’s Aster, Cheddar Pink Dianthus, Greek Oregano, perennial sunflowers, many sedums, Creeping Phlox, Coreopsis, Shasta Daisies  and MORE: 2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks.  4” perennials in flats of 12 or 15 regular $6.95, full flats ONLY $4.20 each. Mix & Match!


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

A Perfect Time To Plant

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. 


FALL SALE THIS WEEK:

September 3 thru 9 enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs & trees. 20% off Roses and Fruit Trees, AND 20% off soil products in big bags Compost Tea.

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

You will find Golden Columbine, Porter’s Aster, Cheddar Pink Dianthus, Greek Oregano, perennial sunflowers, many sedums, Creeping Phlox, Coreopsis, Shasta Daisies  and MORE: 2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks.  4” perennials in flats of 12 or 15 regular $6.95, full flats ONLY $4.20 each. Mix & Match!

 


This Week: soil products in big bags are 20% off!

Soil Products: explained

  • Potting Soil: for putting in pots.
  • Compost: for amending garden soils, for carbon, fertility and biology. Use 30% compost mixed with the soil
  • Mulch: for putting on top of the ground to hold moisture and suppress weeds
  • Walden’s Outdoor Garden Mix: an enhanced compost with forest humus and biochar for amending garden soil or for mixing 50/50 with potting soil for raised beds
  • Fertilizer: for adding stronger fertility like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus to soils for heavy feeders like food crops
  • Rocky Mountain Minerals (AKA “Rock Dust”): for supplying micro nutrients like calcium, magnesium, iron, etc.

Get your corn gluten while you can! We have a limited supply and now is THE time to apply it to your lawn.


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, 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


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

The Fall Sale Is On!

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. 


FALL SALE

NOW OPEN TO EVERYONE!

Monday, August 27 thru Sept. 2:  20% off most plants except veggies and bulbs. The Deep Discount section will be opened with $1.75 perennials (were $3.95 & $4.95),$.50 Hen and Chicks

September 3 thru 9 enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs & trees.  And 20% off Roses, AND 20% off soil products in big bags and 20% off Compost Tea.

Sept. 10 thru 16 take 25% off perennials, shrubs and trees; 20% off Roses, Fruit Trees and books; and 30% off soil  products in big bags and 30% off Compost Tea.

Sept. 17 thru 23 take 30% off perennials, shrubs and trees, and 40% off soil products in big bags, 20% off Roses, Fruit Trees & Books; Compost Tea- buy one, get one FREE!

Sept. 24 thru Oct. 30: a 30% discount off Perennials, Shrubs and Trees. 20% OFF Roses, Fruit trees & Books And 50% off soil products in big bags; 50% off Compost Tea. 

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

Opens Monday, August 27 where you will find Golden Columbine, Porter’s Aster, Cheddar Pink Dianthus, Greek Oregano, perennial sunflowers, many sedums, Creeping Phlox, Coreopsis, Shasta Daisies  and MORE: 2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks.  4” perennials in flats of 12 or 15 regular $6.95, full flats ONLY $4.20 each. Mix & Match!

 


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

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!


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, 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


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

Tasting Tomatoes and Fall Sale – What could be better?

With the cooler temps and some moisture we are welcoming Autumn with our 8th Annual Taste of Tomato and our Fall Plant Sale!  Lots of good details below.

On top of that, we have two great classes this weekend.  On Saturday at 1 PM, our friend Zach Hedstrom illustrates basic techniques on how to grow mushrooms and how to encourage beneficial fungal soil activity.  Then on Sunday at 1 PM, Mikl shares 20 years of greenhouse design and operation info – super valuable info for those thinking of building, improving, or better utilizing their greenhouse!  Reserve your spot in class with a quick call to 303-939-9403. 


8th annual Taste of Tomato
A Scrumptious, Home-Grown Community Event!

SATURDAY, August 25th, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
NEW LOCATION! Growing Gardens Barn
1630 Hawthorn Ave., Boulder CO 80304

Are your tomatoes healthy, delicious and productive in spite of weather and pests? Bring some samples of your successes to the 8th Annual TASTE of TOMATO this Saturday! The local gardening community (and the general community, too) wants to know which varieties worked for you and wants to taste them to see if your varieties should be growing in their gardens next year! Which ones kept producing through the intense heat? Did you experiment with some new and wonderful types? If you’re among the lucky ones whose tomatoes are producing well, please bring some nice ripe ones to share (click on Entry Instructions below), and you’ll get in free!

And if you don’t have any to share, come anyway! For a nominal entry fee of $5, you’ll make lots of delicious new taste discoveries, learn how to save seeds from your best tomatoes, and have an excellent chance of winning one of the valuable door-prizes we give away every half hour!

We’ve always had between 65 and 100 different varieties to taste, including heirlooms, hybrids, cherry tomatoes, honkin’ big ‘beefsteaks’, slicers, and paste types – amazing! And they’re labeled, so you know what they are.

Note that we have a fabulous new location – the new BARN at GROWING GARDENS! This year, we are delighted that Growing Gardens and Slow Food Boulder County have joined us to present the Taste of Tomato!

Also, this year young gardeners from the CULTIVA program are bringing their summer bounty of beautiful, organic, heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and other top-quality summer vegetables for you to buy. Your purchases will support the Cultiva program.

The Cultiva Youth Project is a youth leadership program where teens ages 12-19 operate an urban organic farm, growing produce for the local community while developing leadership and job skills. This hands-on farm experience teaches youth the importance of caring for the earth while learning how to grow their own food, work in a professional environment, operate a small business and create positive change for the community, the environment, and themselves.

Two demonstrations of Tomato Seed-saving procedures will take place during the tasting, at 10:30 and 12 noon.

This is always a lot of fun, and educational, too!  Master Gardeners and Harlequin’s Gardens staff will be on hand to answer your tomato questions.

Children are welcome with adult supervision.  Please do not bring dogs.

Check our website for detailed Entry Instructions
So, Y’all come! See you soon!

Presented by HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS NURSERY, GROWING GARDENS, and SLOW FOOD BOULDER.


Organic Fall Veggie Starts have arrived!

More people are catching on to planting cool-season greens in the fall. Your garden can keep producing delicious, nutritious greens through autumn and winter!  Re-purpose the spaces where your peas, spring lettuce, Asian greens, cauliflower and cabbage, cilantro and radicchio had been to grow months more low-maintenance food. Be sure to add some compost/compost tea, mycorrhizae and organic fertilizer to replenish your soil’s fertility before you plant.  These new premium plants cannot be sold at a discounted price.  (Except this week to members only!)

Here’s what we have: 

  • Bok Choy/Pak Choy Dwarf
  • ‘Ice Bred’ Arugula (especially cold tolerant)
  • Fall Broccoli Raab
  • Tatsoi
  • Kale ‘White Russian’ (especially cold-tolerant)
  • Senposai (delicious mild mustard greens)
  • Kohlrabi
  • Chard ‘Sea Foam’ (tender and delicious)

Ready next week and the following 2 weeks:

  • More Chard, Kale, Arugula and Broccoli Raab
  • Lettuces
  • Spinach

We also have a great selection of Botanical Interests Seeds for cool-season greens.


FALL SALE

THE MEMBERS SALE HAS BEGUN!

Monday, August 20 thru August 26: for your special support, you are rewarded with first pick: 20% off all plants except Fruit Trees (including veggie starts – this week only!);  25% off books (think Holiday gifts!).  

What does membership mean?  All along, we have depended on recycled materials, trades, word-of-mouth promotion, generosity, kindness, passion, service and other non-corporate building blocks to create our success. This year we are going to use membership money to buy labels for our demonstration gardens. We know our labeling has been lacking. This will make our gardens more educational.  All of only $20!  (Membership valid from January 1 to December 31, 2018.)  Read more about membership benefits here.

FALL SALE begins for everybody:

Monday, August 27 thru Sept. 2:  20% off most plants except veggies and bulbs. The Deep Discount section will be opened with $1.75 perennials (were $3.95 & $4.95),$.50 Hen and Chicks

September 3 thru 9 enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs & trees.  And 20% off Roses, AND 20% off soil products in big bags and 20% off Compost Tea.

Sept. 10 thru 16 take 25% off perennials, shrubs and trees; 20% off Roses, Fruit Trees and books; and 30% off soil  products in big bags and 30% off Compost Tea.

Sept. 17 thru 23 take 30% off perennials, shrubs and trees, and 40% off soil products in big bags, 20% off Roses, Fruit Trees & Books; Compost Tea- buy one, get one FREE!

Sept. 24 thru Oct. 30: a 30% discount off Perennials, Shrubs and Trees. 20% OFF Roses, Fruit trees & Books And 50% off soil products in big bags; 50% off Compost Tea. 

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA

Opens Monday, August 27 where you will find Golden Columbine, Porter’s Aster, Cheddar Pink Dianthus, Greek Oregano, perennial sunflowers, many sedums, Creeping Phlox, Coreopsis, Shasta Daisies  and MORE: 2 ½” pots reduced from $3.95 to $1.75; Quarts reduced from $6.95 to $4. trees and shrubs specials. Hen & Chicks.  4” perennials in flats of 12 or 15 regular $6.95, full flats ONLY $4.20 each. Mix & Match!


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.)

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

Don’t miss our 8th annual ‘Taste of Tomato’ festival & tasting event along with Growing Gardens and Slow Food Boulder!  There are always exciting new varieties to taste and learn about. The location is not yet decided. See above or our website for more.

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


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

Fall Pest Management Strategies

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.


Bee Barn Buzz: Honey and Mites

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.  Formic Pro is on the way, which is a great treatment when temperatures are a little cooler.  It should arrive Thursday.  Buzz on by!

PEST MANAGEMENT SUPPLIES

Insects

We have pest management strategies for spider mites, white flies, flea beetles, and many others!

We recently got in Semaspore Grasshopper Bait (same as Nolo Bait), which contains Nosema locustae, a naturally occurring single celled protozoan that infects all stages of developing grasshoppers, mole crickets, Mormon and black field crickets. Nosema when ingested creates a disease that is specific to these pests. It will not harm any other living species.

Many of you are in various stages of despair about the invasive Japanese Beetle. If this voracious insect is bugging your plants, you might try luring the Japanese Beetles to a different part of your yard using Safer Brand’s Japanese Beetle Bait. Slap it on the inside of a 5-gallon bucket with soapy water in the bottom, and your beetles will drown themselves.

Veggie Pharm will kill Japanese Beetles when sprayed directly onto them, but we recommend doing so in the evening to avoid leaf burn. Garlic Pharm and Rose Pharm are also excellent, OMRI certified insecticides.

Fungal Diseases

Are the leaves on your squash, zucchini, cucumber, or melon plants turning grey? Does your Monarda have white spots on its leaves? If so, you have a case of Powdery Mildew, a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants especially at this time of year, when nights are cool. Never fear; although all of our fungicides work better when used preventively, Green Cure actually kills Powdery Mildew. Neem and Fungus Pharm are also effective against it.

Weeds

We also carry non-toxic weed-killers, such as horticultural vinegar and a citrus oil-based product called Avenger.


8th ANNUAL TASTE OF TOMATO

A Scrumptious, Home-Grown Community Event!

Saturday August 25th, from 10 am to 1 pm
at our New Location, GROWING GARDENS BARN!

Are your tomatoes healthy and productive in spite of weather and pests? Did you grow some fabulous favorites this year? The local gardening community wants to know, and wants to taste them to see if your favorite varieties should be growing in their gardens next year!  Some of you have endured hail-storms and record heat, but for many, this has been a terrific tomato year.  If you’re among the lucky ones whose tomatoes are producing a bounty, please bring some nice ripe ones to share (see Entry Instructions below), and you’ll get in free!

And if you don’t have any to share, come anyway! For a nominal entry fee of $5, you’ll make lots of delicious new taste discoveries, learn how to save seeds from your best tomatoes, and have an excellent chance of winning one of the valuable door-prizes we give away every half hour!

We’ve always had between 65 and 100 different varieties to taste, including heirlooms, hybrids, cherry tomatoes, honkin’ big ‘beefsteaks’, slicers, and paste types – amazing! And they’re labeled, so you know what variety and type they are, where they were grown, and more.

This year, we are excited to be collaborating with Growing Gardens, and using their beautiful new ‘Barn’ for our Tomato Tasting! And there will be fresh, local summer produce for sale to support the Cultiva Youth Program.

So, Y’all come! See you soon!


TOMATO TASTING ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS

Saturday August 25th, from 10 am-1 pm
at the new, modern GROWING GARDENS BARN
1630 Hawthorn Avenue, Boulder 80304

(Please note the NEW location)

If you bring 3 or more medium to large tomatoes (or 10+ small or cherry tomatoes) of one named variety, with its variety name on a card, to donate to the tasting you will get in FREE. You are encouraged to share more than the minimum, and enter more than one variety!  NOTE: If the correct name for your tomatoes is unknown we cannot use them in our tasting.

If you have no tomatoes to bring, come anyway, for an entrance fee of $5.

Volunteers will be cutting tomatoes for your tasting. The samples will be grouped by type: Cherry, Beefsteak, Paste, and Slicing/Salad and will be labeled by name. In past years we’ve had from 65 to more than 100 different varieties to taste!

You will be able to vote for 6 of your favorite tomatoes. Voting results will be assembled and emailed to participants. Results will also be posted at www.HarlequinsGardens.com

Valuable DOOR PRIZES will be awarded every half hour!

Two demonstrations of Tomato Seed-saving procedures will take place during the tasting, at 10:30 and 12 noon.

This is always a lot of fun, and educational, too!  Master Gardeners and Harlequin’s Gardens staff will be on hand to answer your tomato questions.

Children are welcome with adult supervision.  Please do not bring dogs.

Presented by HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS NURSERY, GROWING GARDENS, and SLOW FOOD BOULDER.


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.)

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

Don’t miss our 8th annual ‘Taste of Tomato’ festival & tasting event along with Growing Gardens and Slow Food Boulder!  There are always exciting new varieties to taste and learn about. The location is not yet decided. See above or our website for more.

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


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

Tomatoes are Coming!


‘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!


PLANTING FRUIT TREES

Despite the warm summer temps, now through the end of September is a GREAT TIME to plant fruit trees.  Planting now will give your tree the maximum time for its root system to establish before the winter sets in.  Then come spring, your tree will be ready to grow.  In addition, when you purchase your tree now, we will give you a FREE packet of mycorrhizae, which helps to boost root production up to 30%! 

We have a fabulous selection of fruit trees and shrubs right now – come in and see for yourself! The fruit varieties we offer have been carefully researched and vetted by Mikl, assuring you of winter hardiness, disease resistance, short-season ripening and, of course, SUPERIOR FLAVOR!


COOL SEASON VEGGIES

You’ve started asking us about planting cool-season veggies, and we want to let you know that we’re on it!  Our fall seed order will arrive in a couple of days, and we’re already growing our fall starts of lettuce, chard, kale, kohlrabi, and much more. They will be ready to move to your garden at the right time for each crop, so stay tuned as we will keep you posted on the arrivals of our seeds and starts!  

In the meantime, come in and take advantage of our 40% off sale on 2018 spring seed packets that’ll give you a head start next spring!


8th ANNUAL TASTE OF TOMATO

A Scrumptious, Home-Grown Community Event!

Saturday August 25th, from 10 am to 1 pm
at our New Location, GROWING GARDENS BARN!

Are your tomatoes healthy and productive in spite of weather and pests? Did you grow some fabulous favorites this year? The local gardening community wants to know, and wants to taste them to see if your favorite varieties should be growing in their gardens next year!  Some of you have endured hail-storms and record heat, but for many, this has been a terrific tomato year.  If you’re among the lucky ones whose tomatoes are producing a bounty, please bring some nice ripe ones to share (see Entry Instructions below), and you’ll get in free!

And if you don’t have any to share, come anyway! For a nominal entry fee of $5, you’ll make lots of delicious new taste discoveries, learn how to save seeds from your best tomatoes, and have an excellent chance of winning one of the valuable door-prizes we give away every half hour!

We’ve always had between 65 and 100 different varieties to taste, including heirlooms, hybrids, cherry tomatoes, honkin’ big ‘beefsteaks’, slicers, and paste types – amazing! And they’re labeled, so you know what variety and type they are, where they were grown, and more.

This year, we are excited to be collaborating with Growing Gardens, and using their beautiful new ‘Barn’ for our Tomato Tasting! And there will be fresh, local summer produce for sale to support the Cultiva Youth Program.

So, Y’all come! See you soon!


TOMATO TASTING ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS

Saturday August 25th, from 10 am-1 pm
at the new, modern GROWING GARDENS BARN
1630 Hawthorn Avenue, Boulder 80304

(Please note the NEW location)

If you bring 3 or more medium to large tomatoes (or 10+ small or cherry tomatoes) of one named variety, with its variety name on a card, to donate to the tasting you will get in FREE. You are encouraged to share more than the minimum, and enter more than one variety!  NOTE: If the correct name for your tomatoes is unknown we cannot use them in our tasting.

If you have no tomatoes to bring, come anyway, for an entrance fee of $5.

Volunteers will be cutting tomatoes for your tasting. The samples will be grouped by type: Cherry, Beefsteak, Paste, and Slicing/Salad and will be labeled by name. In past years we’ve had from 65 to more than 100 different varieties to taste!

You will be able to vote for 6 of your favorite tomatoes. Voting results will be assembled and emailed to participants. Results will also be posted at www.HarlequinsGardens.com

Valuable DOOR PRIZES will be awarded every half hour!

Two demonstrations of Tomato Seed-saving procedures will take place during the tasting, at 10:30 and 12 noon.

This is always a lot of fun, and educational, too! Harlequin’s Gardens staff will be on hand to answer your tomato questions.

Children are welcome with adult supervision.  Please do not bring dogs.

Presented by HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS NURSERY, GROWING GARDENS, and SLOW FOOD BOULDER.


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 – EIGHTH ANNUAL TASTE OF TOMATO

Don’t miss our 8th annual ‘Taste of Tomato’ festival & tasting event along with Growing Gardens and Slow Food Boulder!  There are always exciting new varieties to taste and learn about. The location is not yet decided. See above or our website for more.

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


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!

Accent your perennial garden with ornamental grasses!

​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!


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.)

​

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.


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.


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!


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)


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.

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


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

NATURE’S HUMMINGBIRD FOOD!

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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.


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!


​

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!


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.


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.

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 with Beautiful Color!

CELEBRATE YOUR INDEPENDENCE  
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WITH BEAUTIFUL COLOR!


We are CLOSED TOMORROW, on Independence Day!

In a long standing tradition, Harlequin’s Gardens celebrates Independence Day by taking the day off and being

closed on Wednesday, July 4.

We look forward to seeing you today, 9-5, and beginning again on Thursday when we’re open 9-6.


​

SOME CURRENT FLOWERING BEAUTIES

PICTURED BLOOMING PLANTS:
Top Row: Clematis ‘Ville de Lyon’
Second Row: Delphinium elatum ‘Magic Fountains’, Kniphofia uvaria ‘Flamenco’, Digitalis grandiflora, Yellow Foxglove
Third Row: Campanula poscharskyana, Siberian Bellflower

OUR GLOVE RACK IS OVERFLOWING!

We’ve completely restocked our glove rack in all styles, colors, and sizes (especially small sizes)!  Come in and see which ones are a match for you!


PLANT ANCHORS

If you’re struggling to find a way to create a support for your vine, your outdoor mist system, or holiday lights, check-out our Plant Anchor System.  It works on masonry, wood, stucco, glass, plastic, steel and concrete – without nails, or screws!  It’s pretty amazing!

ANNUALS ON SALE!

We have some great annuals in stock, many of which are on sale at $1.50 each – wow!

Come in and see our selection!


WHAT’S BLOOMING IN JULY?

Many gardeners think of Spring as the height of the ornamental gardening season. Sure, so many of our best-known flowering plants – Tulip, Crocus, Daffodil, Primrose, Peony, Lilac, Forsythia, Oriental Poppy, Basket of Gold, Bearded Iris, are at their showiest in spring. But as we pass to the other side of the Summer Solstice, a whole new palette of blooms arises, including many Natives, lots of Prairie-dwellers and Steppe plants, and hardy plants from South of the Border, bringing bold color and attracting more and different beneficial insects and pollinators to the garden.
Here is the beginning of our list of July beauties.  For the full list of those July flowers to inspire you, Click here, or visit the nursery for the list! 

  • Acanthus balcanicus (Bear’s Breech)
  • Achillea (Yarrow)
  • Aconitum  (Monkshood)
  • Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado’
  • Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado Red’
  • Agastache ‘Blue Boa’
  • Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)
  • Alcea (Hollyhock)
  • Allium caeruleum/azureum
  • Allium flavum
  • Allium senescens  (Pictured right)

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

Sat, Jul 21 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.   $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


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

Pest control, flowering beauties

PEST CONTROL, 
​​​

SALES, and JULY BLOOMS!!

PEST CONTROL

This is the season for pest problems (diseases, insects, fungus) and here at Harlequin’s Gardens we have products that have been proven successful for combating them in effective and environmentally safe ways!  Below are some of our favorite pest control products; come on in to see our full range of products, some of which are on sale at 50% off through Sunday, July 1! 

While you’re here, please utilize our reference library and knowledgeable staff to help with your plant and pest identification needs.    
  • When bringing a plant identification sample, please bring a sizable sample including numerous leaves, flowers, buds, etc.
  • When bringing a pest sample, again bring in a sizable plant sample and several bugs, eggs, etc.
  • We request that you bring all samples in clear plastic bags to avoid contamination of our plant stock.  Thank you!

NEEM OIL from INDIA

Pure, cold press with active ingredient Azadirachtin, which is approved by the EPA.  Neem controls, stops feeding of and/or repels Aphids, Leafhoppers, Scale, Leafminers, Beetles, Spider Mites, Mealy Bugs, Thrips, Caterpillars, Weevils, Whitefly, Grasshoppers and fungal disease like Powdery Mildew.  It is not harmful to humans, animals, beneficial insects or the environment (not good over water with fish). 

Neem must be sprayed directly on pests to be effective for killing; it prevents molting and stops feeding, and works as a repellent. Spray in the early morning or evening.  Neem oil solidifies at 50˚, so thaw it in a warm water bath before mixing.  Then, mix it with one quart of warm water and ¼ teaspoon of mild dish soap, and shake occasionally to emulsify.  For very tough pests try 2 teaspoons per quart with ½ teaspoon soap (test on small area first).  Neem requires some care to use but is safe and very useful.

GREEN CURE

Organic protection & correction of fungus diseases. It has been tested commercially for over 9 years. This alternative to toxic fungicides has proved effective against powdery mildew, blackspot, rust & others. This product is perfectly safe for use on vegetables.  Local rosarians swear by it!  

VEGGIE PHARM

Amazingly effective not only for aphids and mites, but even for blister beetles and potato beetles, that devour clematis, mirabilis, and anemome!  Veggie Pharm also acts as a repellent for insects and small animals.

JAPANESE BEETLE BAIT​

Sadly Japanese Beetles have become an annual problem in Boulder and neighboring counties. We are now carrying Safer® Brand Replacement Bait to help you with the Japanese Beetle Battle.  This product uses a food and sex attractant to lure insects into the trap and disrupt the mating cycle of destructive Japanese Beetles. There are no sprays and has no mess, and under ordinary weather conditions, this bait should last about 12 weeks.

Trap Placement, Application Rate and Use:

  • Place traps as beetles emerge (late June in Colorado)
  • Place traps on the generally upwind side of vegetable gardens, flower gardens, ornamental shrub planting and other outside landscape planting attached by the beetles. Apply traps at the rate of one trap per 50 linear feet along two sides of plant perimeters. For example, if the site is 1-50 linear feet, place only one trap on each of the two sides. If the site is 51-100 linear feet, place two traps on each of the two sides, etc. Do not enclose the treated site with traps.
  • Place traps in sunny areas 3 to 5 feet above the ground.
  • Place traps at least 10 feet away from the planting as they may attract beetles to foliage if placed closer
  • Replace traps when full. If trap catches decline and beetles are still present, replace bait pack. Remove traps from site when beetles are no longer present.

FIREBLIGHT

Mikl recently wrote an excellent article detailing fireblight causes and the best ways to treat your affected plants.  Click here to read more!


SPECIAL PLANTS ON SALE through SUNDAY, JULY 1!

These beautiful, useful and successful plants, including 2-gallon roses and shrubs are on sale through the weekend!!  And find Surprise sale items while you’re here.

SHRUBS & TREES

Acer tataricum (Tatarian Maple), 2-gallon at $30 (regularly at $36)

Has those pretty red winged seed pods, like ‘Hot Wings’. 15′ tall, alkaline and drought-tolerant.  (Pictured left.)

Cercocarpus ledifolius, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)

Large broadleafed evergreen shrub/small tree (12-20’ x 9-12’) native to the Southwest and Western foothills. Upright growth habit and small lance-shaped, dark green, leathery leaves with edges that curl under. White, fuzzy, curled “seed tails” in fall are both attractive and unusual. Grows well in full sun in low fertility, well-drained soil. Zone 4. Low water. Deer resistant.

Cercocarpus montanus, 2-gallon at $16 (regularly $26)

Native shrub (6-9’ x 3-6’) with dark gray-green, deeply veined leaves. Inconspicuous flowers produce fuzzy, twisted “seed tails” in fall, providing interest through the winter. This xeric plant grows here in our foothills, and thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. Zone 2.

Cotoneaster multiflora, 2-gallon at $16 (regularly $26)

Little known and underused cotoneaster (pronounced: co-tow-nee-aster),  with small white flowers in spring that mature to bright red fruit in fall. A large shrub (8-10’ x 10-12’) with graceful arching branches. Native to China. Zone 4. Plant in full sun with low-moderate water.

Golden Rain Tree, 2-gallon at $30 (regularly $35)

Drought-tolerant, 35′ tall, ornamental tree with clusters of yellow flowers in the summer followed by Chinese lantern-like pods.

Ligustrum vulgare ​Cheyenne Privet, 2-gallon at $16 (regularly $26), #5 at $29 (regularly $39)

An upright, rapid grower with dark green foliage and fragrant clusters of small white flowers in early summer. Takes shearing well which makes this an excellent, reliable shrub for screens and hedges. Grows to 9-12’ x 3-6’ Plant in full sun to part shade with low-moderate water. Zone 3.  (Pictured right.)

Lodense Privet, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)

Very compact, dense, upright slow-growing shrub with glossy green foliage that holds on late into the season. Loose clusters of white flowers in early summer produce shiny black (possibly poisonous) fruit. Excellent as a low hedge. No significant fall color (yellow). Some potential for stem dieback during severe winters. Full sun to part shade. Zone 4.

Goldflame Spirea, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)

The spring foliage of this 2-3′ x 2-3′ shrub is bright gold with red tips, turning gold-green in summer. Coppery-orange fall color. Dark pink flower clusters in summer. Terrific accent or border plant with many accenting color changes throughout the season. Zone 4.

Purple Lilac, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)​

Stout branches form an upright, vase-shaped shrub (10-12′ x 10-12′) producing fragrant purple flowers in large, pyramidal clusters in mid-spring. Leaves are thick and heart-shaped, with a lustrous blue-green color. Tolerant of alkaline soil and drought conditions. Zone 2.  (Pictured left.)

Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Nana’ (Dwarf Ninebark), 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)

Attractive plant with small green leaves on a dense, (4-6′ x 4-6′) bushy form. White flowers in May to June are followed by reddish seed heads. Useful as a hedge plant. Zone 2.

Siberian Pea Shrub, 2-gallon at $22 (regularly at $27)

An adaptable, tough, super-hardy shrub that resists deer, withstands heat and cold, sun or part shade, moderate or low water. Makes an excellent screen or hedge. The stems are an attractive bright green and have some spines, and foliage is finely textured. Pea-like yellow flowers in spring are followed by red-brown pods that make nutritious food for chickens. 10-15′ tall, zone 2.

Euonymus fortunei Minima, 1-gallon at $5 (regularly at $17)

Evergreen vine to 10′. Small leaves, drought-tolerant, and tough.

Crataegus ambigua (Russian Hawthorn), 3-gallon at $40 (regularly at $48)

A small, attractive, broad-headed tree with medium green, deeply lobed foliage. Masses of white flowers appear in late May, becoming abundant 1/2″ brilliant red fruits in mid- to late summer. Can be single or multi-trunked. Full sun. Drought-resistant. 15′ x 15′, zone 3.  (Pictured right.)

Hardy Boxwoods ‘Julia Jane’ and ‘Saskatoon’, 1-gallon at $15 (regularly at $20)

3’x3′ compact evergreen shrubs for shade. Low-water, deer-resistant.

ROSES

2-gallon Roses in the Sale area are $20 (regularly $26) unless otherwise marked.

Darlow’s Enigma Shrub rose, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly at $26)

This 8-10′ x 6′ rose produces large quantities of small, white, very fragrant single blooms. Good repeat. (Pictured left.)

Baltimore Belle Climbing Rose, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly at $26)

10′ climber with double, light-pink to white, sweetly fragrant flowers in the spring. Vigorous and tough.

Martin’s Pink Climbing Rose, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly at $26)

The beautiful, soft pink, double flowers are fragrant. A vigorous, 10′ rambler. Spring-blooming.

The Gift Shrub rose, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly at $26)

3′ x 4′, clouds of small white flowers. Profuse-blooming. Tough as nails!

FREE package of mycorrhizae with every purchase over $50!​


We are Closed on Independence Day!

In a long standing tradition, Harlequin’s Gardens celebrates Independence Day by taking the day off and being

closed on Wednesday, July 4.


​
OUR GLOVE RACK IS FULL!

We’ve completely restocked our glove rack in all styles, colors, and sizes (especially small sizes)!  Come in and see which ones are a match for you!


PLANT ANCHORS

If you’re struggling to find a way to create a support for your vine, your outdoor mist system, or holiday lights, check-out our Plant Anchor System.  It works on masonry, wood, stucco, glass, plastic, steel and concrete – without nails, or screws!  It’s pretty amazing!

ANNUALS ON SALE!

We have some great annuals in stock, many of which are on sale at $1.50 each – wow!

Come in and see our selection!


WHAT’S BLOOMING IN JULY?

Many gardeners think of Spring as the height of the ornamental gardening season. Sure, so many of our best-known flowering plants – Tulip, Crocus, Daffodil, Primrose, Peony, Lilac, Forsythia, Oriental Poppy, Basket of Gold, Bearded Iris, are at their showiest in spring. But as we pass to the other side of the Summer Solstice, a whole new palette of blooms arises, including many Natives, lots of Prairie-dwellers and Steppe plants, and hardy plants from South of the Border, bringing bold color and attracting more and different beneficial insects and pollinators to the garden.
Here is the beginning of our list of July beauties.  For the full list of those July flowers to inspire you, Click here, or visit the nursery for the list! 
  • Acanthus balcanicus (Bear’s Breech)
  • Achillea (Yarrow)
  • Aconitum  (Monkshood)
  • Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado’
  • Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado Red’
  • Agastache ‘Blue Boa’
  • Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)
  • Alcea (Hollyhock)
  • Allium caeruleum/azureum
  • Allium flavum
  • Allium senescens  (Pictured right)

Pictured below are some of our current flowering beauties.​

​
​

PICTURED BLOOMING PLANTS:

Top Row: Oenothera macro. ‘ Silver Blade’, Clematis ‘Warsaw Nike’, Rosa Pink Drift
Second Row: Acantholimon hohenackeri, Rosa Morden Sunrise, Berlandiera lyrata – Chocolate Flower
Third Row: Penstemon virgatus – Wand bloom Penstemon, Sedum ‘Blue Spruce’, Phlomis cachmeriana
Fourth Row: Rosa ‘Abraham Darby’, Corydalis lutea, Lilium regale – Regal Lily

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

Sat, Jul 21 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.   $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


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

Pollinator Month and Two Special Sales

POLLINATOR MONTH and TWO SPECIAL SALES !!

Pollinator Month

The month of June is Pollinator Month in Boulder, and June 18-24 is National Pollinator Week.  Harlequin’s Gardens is here to help you celebrate in a variety of ways!

PLANTS

The best way to support pollinators is to provide safe forage and habitat.  
First, our plants are all neonicotinoid-free. Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides that circulate through the entire plant, including nectar and pollen, which are collected by bees for food.  Bees, with their fuzzy bodies and need for pollen for their baby-food are the best pollinators.

Second, our plants are adapted to our local environment. This means that they’re ‘happier’ here and require less chemical and water input.  We carry many plants from ground covers to trees, among them Nepeta (catmint) and Helianthus (sunflower), that will provide for pollinators in general, as well as some plants visited by bee specialists, for example Sphaeralcea ( mallow) and Oenothera (evening primrose) (Pictured left).  Even our own-root roses, selected for our climate and soils, are good for pollinators.  As a rule of thumb, if you can see the stamens, so can the bees.

Ask for our pollinator plant lists to help you shop, or prepare in advance by visiting our website “Plants for Bees and other Pollinators” and “Plants for Pollinators List”.

PICTURED POLLINATOR PLANTS:

Top Row: Tiger Swallowtail on Larkspur,  Seseli gummiferum (Moon Carrot), Native bee on Showy Milkweed
Second Row: Genista lydia (Dwarf Golden Broom), Allium ‘Millenium’, Achillea (Yarrow)
Third Row: Origanum ‘Kent’s Beauty, Native bee on native Gaillardia, Gallardia aristata
Fourth Row: Asclepias curassavica (Milkweed), Sambucus nigra (Elderberry), Dictamnus albus (Gas Plant)

WEEKEND CLASSES

We’ll feature pollinators in our classes too where you can learn how to support the important role of bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles in pollinating our lovely flowers, native plants, fruits, and veggies.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning at 10 AM, our own Queen Bee, Kristina Williams, orchestrates a Honey Bee Meet and Greet where you can see the inside of a working honey bee hive!  (Long pants and sleeves recommended.)
This is followed at 1 PM by our (Free!) and very special Habitat Hero Wildscaping 101 class.  Here Laura Somers helps you to view gardens as a bird does when seeking shelter, food and nesting opportunities.  A wealth of knowledge for a fantastic price!

SUNDAY

Kristina returns on Sunday morning at 10 AM to share info on our most important, and perhaps underrated, pollinators: Colorado Native Bees.  She will tell you about our local species, where and how they nest, and their integral role in our ecosystem.  (Photo left: Native bee on Phacelia tanacetifolia.)
Then at 1 PM, Mikl teaches us how to Manage Garden Pests Without Using Poisons – increasingly important techniques in our evolving world. Mikl has over 30 years of non-toxic gardening experience and wisdom to share!

We’re so proud to be offering these important classes and hope to see you there this weekend!  As always, pre-registration is appreciated and highly recommended for all classes with a quick call to 303-939-9403. 

SUPPLIES​

This year our Bee Barn offers supplies for cultivating some of the Front Range’s  500+ species of native bees as well as the better known European honey bee.
This is the month to start making serious plans for the health of your honey bees.  Varroa mite levels will climb steeply in July, but we have the tools to monitor them and ways to knock them down before they knock your bees down. European Foulbrood has been rearing its ugly head too.  We carry easy-to-use diagnostic kits to determine whether your bees have it and will need to be seen by a vet.

NATIVE BEES

Honey bees aren’t practical for everyone, but our native, mostly solitary bees did ALL of the bee-pollinating in the Americas before the introduction of honey bees from Europe in the 1600s.  They love our weather, soils and native plants. And we love them! This year we’re excited to add a selection of products to help you culture some of these gentle hole nesting bees where you live, including mason bees and leafcutter bees.  Did you know that re-using old nesting tubes or blocks drilled with holes can promote diseases and parasites? We’ve partnered with Crown Bees to bring you responsible, sustainable, clean culture methods, based on the needs of the bees.

Here’s a sample of the items we’re offering at a special 20% discount during Pollinator Week, June 18-24!!

Native Bee Chalet

For placing nesting tubes for the current season and an attic for placing the previous season’s bees to emerge in the current season.

Reusable cardboard mason bee tubes with disposable paper liners

For those interested in spring mason bees in particular. Pollinator Pack: Tubes in an assortment of sizes and materials provide nesting holes for a variety of our native bees.

Native Bee Guide Booklet

A brief introduction to just some of the bee species that may nest in your native bee house.

The Mason Bee Revolution book

For those who are seriously into mason bees, early season pollinators.

For more information about Pollinator Partnership, visit their website where you’ll also find additional Programs, Resources and Events.

AFTER the RAIN SALE!   PLANT NOW and SAVE!

Come in Friday, June 22 through Thursday, June 28 for these beautiful, useful and successful plants, including 2-gallon roses and shrubs!!  And find Surprise sale items while you’re here.

Cercocarpus ledifolius, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)
Large broadleafed evergreen shrub/small tree (12-20’ x 9-12’) native to the Southwest and Western foothills. Upright growth habit and small lance-shaped, dark green, leathery leaves with edges that curl under. White, fuzzy, curled “seed tails” in fall are both attractive and unusual. Grows well in full sun in low fertility, well-drained soil. Zone 4. Low water. Deer resistant.

Cercocarpus montanus, 2-gallon at $16 (regularly $26)
Native shrub (6-9’ x 3-6’) with dark gray-green, deeply veined leaves. Inconspicuous flowers produce fuzzy, twisted “seed tails” in fall, providing interest through the winter. This xeric plant grows here in our foothills, and thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. Zone 2.

Cotoneaster multiflora, 2-gallon at $16 (regularly $26)
Little known and underused cotoneaster (pronounced: co-tow-nee-aster),  with small white flowers in spring that mature to bright red fruit in fall. A large shrub (8-10’ x 10-12’) with graceful arching branches. Native to China. Zone 4. Plant in full sun with low-moderate water.

Ligustrum vulgare ​Cheyenne Privet, 2-gallon at $16 (regularly $26), #5 at $29 (regularly $39)
An upright, rapid grower with dark green foliage and fragrant clusters of small white flowers in early summer. Takes shearing well which makes this an excellent, reliable shrub for screens and hedges. Grows to 9-12’ x 3-6’ Plant in full sun to part shade with low-moderate water. Zone 3
Lodense Privet, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)
Very compact, dense, upright slow-growing shrub with glossy green foliage that holds on late into the season. Loose clusters of white flowers in early summer produce shiny black (possibly poisonous) fruit. Excellent as a low hedge. No significant fall color (yellow). Some potential for stem dieback during severe winters. Full sun to part shade. Zone 4.
Purple Lilac, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)
Stout branches form an upright, vase-shaped shrub (10-12′ x 10-12′) producing fragrant purple flowers in large, pyramidal clusters in mid-spring. Leaves are thick and heart-shaped, with a lustrous blue-green color. Tolerant of alkaline soil and drought conditions. Zone 2.
Goldflame Spirea, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)
The spring foliage of this 2-3′ x 2-3′ shrub is bright gold with red tips, turning gold-green in summer. Coppery-orange fall color. Dark pink flower clusters in summer. Terrific accent or border plant with many accenting color changes throughout the season. Zone 4.
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Nana’ (Dwarf Ninebark), 2-gallon at $20 (regularly $26)
Attractive plant with small green leaves on a dense, (4-6′ x 4-6′) bushy form. White flowers in May to June are followed by reddish seed heads. Useful as a hedge plant. Zone 2.
Golden Rain Tree, 2-gallon at $30 (regularly $35)
Drought-tolerant, 35′ tall, ornamental tree with clusters of yellow flowers in the summer followed by Chinese lantern-like pods.
Siberian Pea Shrub, 2-gallon at $22 (regularly at $27)
An adaptable, tough, super-hardy shrub that resists deer, withstands heat and cold, sun or part shade, moderate or low water. Makes an excellent screen or hedge. The stems are an attractive bright green and have some spines, and foliage is finely textured. Pea-like yellow flowers in spring are followed by red-brown pods that make nutritious food for chickens. 10-15′ tall, zone 2.
Acer tataricum (Tatarian Maple), 2-gallon at $30 (regularly at $36)
Has those pretty red winged seed pods, like ‘Hot Wings’. 15′ tall, alkaline and drought-tolerant.
Crataegus ambigua (Russian Hawthorn), 3-gallon at $40 (regularly at $48)
A small, attractive, broad-headed tree with medium green, deeply lobed foliage. Masses of white flowers appear in late May, becoming abundant 1/2″ brilliant red fruits in mid- to late summer. Can be single or multi-trunked. Full sun. Drought-resistant. 15′ x 15′, zone 3.
Euonymus fortunei Minima, 1-gallon at $5 (regularly at $17)
Evergreen vine to 10′. Small leaves, drought-tolerant, and tough.
Hardy Boxwoods ‘Julia Jane’ and ‘Saskatoon’, 1-gallon at $15 (regularly at $20)
3’x3′ compact evergreen shrubs for shade. Low-water, deer-resistant.
Roses:
2-gallon Roses in the Sale area are $20
(regularly $26) unless otherwise marked.
Baltimore Belle Climbing Rose, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly at $26)
10′ climber with double, light-pink to white, sweetly fragrant flowers in the spring. Vigorous and tough.
Martin’s Pink Climbing Rose, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly at $26)
The beautiful, soft pink, double flowers are fragrant. A vigorous, 10′ rambler. Spring-blooming.
Darlow’s Enigma Shrub rose, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly at $26)
This 8-10′ x 6′ rose produces large quantities of small, white, very fragrant single blooms. Good repeat.
The Gift Shrub rose, 2-gallon at $20 (regularly at $26)
3′ x 4′, clouds of small white flowers. Profuse-blooming. Tough as nails!

FREE package of mycorrhizae with every purchase over $50!​


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.)

Sat, Jun 23 at 10 AM – HONEY BEE MEET & GREET with Kristina Williams

Have you ever watched bees coming out of a knot hole 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 honey bees 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.   $15

Sat, Jun 23 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!)

Sun, Jun 24 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.   $15

Sun, Jun 24 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.    $15


Future Classes:

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

Sat, Jul 21 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.   $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


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

Peak Roses, Fireblight

Peak Roses!

We have so much great information to share with you this week!  From Eve and Mikl’s (photo worthy!) visit to the Dushanbe Teahouse, special rose profiles, and an informative article on fireblight from Mikl.
Before that, we’ll remind you of our three spectacular classes this weekend.  Saturday at 10 AM, Alison Peck talks about landscapes patterned after nature in “Gardening Advice from Mother Nature”.  This is followed at 1 PM with a ​not-to-be-missed “Natives for Every Garden” by Dan Johnson, Denver Botanical Garden’s Curator of Native Plants!  Dan will share his immense knowledge on water-thrifty plants that attract pollinators, create wildlife habitat, and provide changing year ‘round color – wow!  Then on Sunday at 1 PM, Mikl shares his Composting Success tips.  Join us for one, or all three classes!
Pre-registration is appreciated and highly recommended with a quick call to 303-939-9403. To see the full descriptions of these classes and many more, just scroll down.


PEAK ROSES!

Eve and Mikl visited the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse Friday evening, and found the rose garden there in absolutely glorious, fragrant, breathtaking full bloom! If you haven’t been there recently, we really encourage you to make it a priority.

The Teahouse garden has never been better, and this is it’s 20th year! Eve and Mikl designed the rose garden, which was installed in May, 1998. From the beginning, it has been a demonstration garden of hardy, own-root (not grafted) roses for the Boulder Valley Rose Society, who care for the garden, using NO pesticides, NO chemicals, EVER! That’s 20 years of beautiful, thriving, fragrant roses of many different types and more than 30 varieties.

Harlequin’s Gardens sells many of these varieties, and with a lot of our potted rose plants in bloom, this is an excellent time to come and choose from our large and wide-ranging selection, from romantic heirloom antiques to super-hardy Canadian-bred varieties, to continual-blooming ‘patio’ roses for smaller gardens.

Here’s an introduction to just a few of the wonderful roses at the Teahouse:

Golden Wings:

Shrub Rose to 5-6’ high & wide, introduced 1956, Cold-hardy to Zone 5
Probably the most asked-about rose at the Teahouse! The center of each large light-yellow bloom is graced with a prominent, lush ring of long, curved deep-red stamens, giving it an unmatched natural elegance. They also possess a wonderful, spicy and sweet fragrance! Golden Wings blooms repeatedly from June until hard frost, and the blooms are followed by a glorious crop of large golden hips in autumn. A versatile rose, it looks appropriate in almost any style of garden.

Stanwell Perpetual:​

Unique Heirloom Shrub Rose to 4-5’ high and wide, Cold-hardy to Zone 4​
A five-star rose with wonderful old-rose fragrance, covered with lovely 3” wide blush-pink blooms of old-fashioned double form, and lots of unusual gray-green foliage on a gracefully arching shrub. Stanwell Perpetual begins blooming in late May, and barely takes a break until late fall. It blooms through the heat of July, when most other roses are taking a break. Introduced in 1838, Stanwell is thought to be the result of a cross between the once-blooming Rosa spinosissima (Scotsbriar), with it’s finely pinnate gray-green leaves and spiny red canes, and repeat-blooming Autumn Damask. Hardy, adaptable and disease-free!

Robusta:

​Hybrid Robusta Large Shrub/Climber, 4-8’h x 6’w, Cold-hardy to Zone 5
Robusta is a rose you simply cannot ignore. It grabs your attention even from a distance, with its profusion of 4”-wide lipstick-red single to semi-double flowers in large clusters almost continuously through the season! This upright shrub develops thick canes, clothed in beautiful, large, glossy bright green leaves and undeniably fierce prickles. The blooms are lightly fragrant. Use Robusta for a focal point, a fence, hedge or impenetrable barrier. No other hardy rose offers this kind of red impact for so long! Robusta was introduced in 1979 by Kordes Roses in Germany.

JoAn’s Pink Perpetual

Found Heirloom Shrub Rose, probable Hyb. Perpetual, 4-6’h x 2-4’w, Cold-hardy to Zone 4
One of the mystery roses from the historical Fairmount Cemetery in Denver. Deep, rosy pink blooms are large, very full and deliciously fragrant on a sturdy, healthy and hardy shrub. Heavy spring bloom is followed by some repeat through the summer. The study name “JoAn’s Pink Perpetual” is dedicated to the proactive efforts to protect Fairmount Cemetery’s roses by former publicity director JoAn Cullen.  (Image from High Country Garden.)

John Davis

Canadian-bred Shrub/short Climber, to 5’high and wide (7-8’h x 3’w as climber), Cold-hardy to Zone3
This double, pink rose looks so charming and old-fashioned, it’s hard to imagine just how tough it really is. But we’ve not only had John Davis climbing happily at the Teahouse for 20 years, but he’s also been thriving as a shrub on the sun-and-wind-battered west side of the blue house at Harlequin’s Gardens for even longer! Taking everything in stride, the blooms don’t fade, they continue through the summer, and the shrub remains healthy as can be; and the flowers are even fragrant!

Hope for Humanity

Canadian-bred Shrub rose, 5-6’h x 4-5’w, Cold-hardy to Zone3
Aside from the inspiring name, this is a great and unique rose, with a color unmatched in hardy roses – deep blood red opening to rich, unfading crimson. The loosely double flowers are held in large terminal clusters on arching canes, and blooming repeats through the season. Alas, there’s not much fragrance, but Hope for Humanity is very resistant to disease and easy to grow. It was bred in Canada and released in 1984.

John Cabot

Canadian-bred Shrub/Climber, 8-10’h x 3-4’w as climber, Cold-hardy to Zone 3
Brilliant orchid-pink semi-double blossoms almost cover this fast-growing, easy-going shrub or climber, making quite a show! The first climbing rose in Ag. Canada’s Explorer Series, John Cabot was bred by Dr. Felicitas Svejda and introduced in 1977. With excellent hardiness, vigor, disease-resistance, repeat bloom, and even some shade tolerance, John Cabot is hard to beat, especially as a climber. Grown on an arbor or spread out along a fence, it can be quite a bit wider than 4’. Canes are thick, sturdy and upright, and prickly. One has to take the thorns with the roses, right?

Fighting Fireblight

This is a bad year for fireblight which is a bacterial disease affecting mostly apple, pear, crabapple, hawthorn and Mt. Ash. It is spread in the presence of moisture and enters the trees through wounds and open blossoms. Colorado is the worst state in the US for fireblight.

Because of our moist spring and extra wounding caused by hail, there is a lot of infection. Symptoms include black, hooked twig ends, brown or blackened leaves, dried up fruits and sunken cankers that can be a dull orange or black. Fireblight is a difficult disease to manage because there is no cure. Spraying chemicals is not recommended by CSU because they are not very effective, timing is critical and spraying must be repeated.

Pruning out infected branches is the main active solution that can prevent the spread of the disease, but it is tricky because pruning can spread or worsen the disease. There are many views of the “right” way to do it.

Mikl Brawner dealt with fireblighted trees as an arborist for over 35 years. Here is a simplified version of his approach:
Do not prune in spring because the moist conditions and pruning cuts create opportunities for the fireblight to enter the trees. Once conditions are drier, prune fireblighted twigs and branches back 6″-8″ from the infection, and sterilize tools after every cut with Lysol, alcohol or a bleach/water solution.

If there are hundreds of blackened leaves and twigs, wait until the leaves are falling to prune, because when the tree is dormant, pruning can be done without sterilizing every cut. In general make more small cuts than big cuts which take longer to heal and cause more stress to the tree. The infection can be superficial and not as bad as it looks, so pruning less can be better. Also radical pruning stresses the tree and creates more sucker growth, both which increase infection by fireblight.  (Image from Chipps Tree Care Inc.)

Prevention is important when possible. Plant fireblight-resistant varieties. (there are conflicting views, unfortunately) Irrigation that sprays the leaves and keeps the soil saturated encourage fireblight. Strong chemical fertilizers cause fast soft growth that is especially susceptible. Do water when soil is really dry, because stress makes fireblight worse.

There is evidence that organic fertilizers and mineral supplements (like rock dust) applied in September can prevent or reduce fireblight infection by increasing nutrient availability and vitality. Inoculating new tree roots with mycorrhizae can also be helpful.

Don’t ignore fireblight or it will spread, but don’t be afraid to take 2 or 3 years to prune out diseased wood if that allows for smaller cuts. A susceptible variety like Jonathan apple or Bechtel crab may die or have to be removed.

This year may also be bad for fungal diseases like Powdery Mildew which appears as a white covering of leaves and stems with curling of leaves and stems. This can be managed and cured with Green Cure, Neem, Compost Tea and Fungus Pharm—all non-toxic products.  (Image from GrowingProduce.com)

Cultural Prevention: Water deeply and only once or twice (3x in July?). It is best not to spray the leaves with water, and best to water in the morning so the soil can dry out by evening when our cool nights can condense moisture onto the leaves. A mulch reduces fungus spores from splashing up onto leaves.


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.)

Sat, Jun 9 at 10 AM – GARDENING ADVICE FROM MOTHER NATURE with Alison Peck

When we move from plant collections to landscapes patterned after nature, our gardens become richer, healthier, and more abundant. We’ll share ecological understandings that allow us to work with nature to conserve resources (including our time), create better habitat for us and wildlife, and weave native plants into regenerative native landscapes.   $15

Sat, Jun 9 at 1 PM – NATIVES FOR EVERY GARDEN with Dan Johnson

Imagine a group of water-thrifty plants that could attract pollinators, create wildlife habitat, provide changing year ‘round color, motion and texture in the garden, mingle happily with other durable plants from around the world, and thrive in all extremes of our Colorado weather. Asking too much? Then you haven’t considered our own native Western plants! Not just for the purist or specialist anymore, natives have gone mainstream. We’ll look at the best of the best and where to use them. From vibrant rock-hardy perennials to swaying grasses and bristling cactus, there a native for every garden niche. Class lasts 1 hour.   $15

Sun, Jun 10 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.   $15


Sat, Jun 16 at 1 PM – What to do about the Japanese Beetle Invasion with Katie McAllister

Tried and true methods of Japanese beetle reduction by Matrix Gardens’ Katie McAllister. Learn the phases and life stages of this insect and how and when to take environmentally-friendly (but beetle-deadly) action. $15

Sat, Jun 23 at 10 AM – HONEY BEE MEET & GREET with Kristina Williams

Have you ever watched bees coming out of a knot hole 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 honey bees 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.   $15

Sat, Jun 23 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!)

Sun, Jun 24 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.   $15

Sun, Jun 24 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.    $15

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

Sat, Jul 21 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.              $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

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

Sat, 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


Referrals

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Social Media

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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

Potatoes Have Rolled In!!

POTATOES HAVE ROLLED IN !!

Five Delicious Varieties

… that were all organically grown here in Colorado.  We have selected these varieties because they all grow very successfully here.  Eve hand-delivered the potatoes yesterday – come in and check them out!

GERMAN BUTTERBALL

(Certified ‘seed’ potato) – (heirloom yellow)
German Butterball offers everything you could want in a potato: heirloom quality, deep golden flesh, and a delightfully mild flavor.  Versatile for every kind of preparation.  Best if harvested when small to medium sized. Superior storage.  Approximately 110 days to maturity.

KENNEBEC 

(Certified ‘seed’ potato)
Kennebec is an excellent, widely adapted, medium to late, all-purpose, white potato, bred by the USDA in 1941. This fast-growing variety has high yields of round to oblong tubers with shallow eyes, buff skin and white flesh that maintain good quality in storage. Plants do best when planted at 8-10” spacing to avoid overly-large tubers. The ivory flesh is firm and starchy with minimal water content and offers a rich, earthy and nutty flavor. Excels as a frying potato (fries, hash browns, chips, etc.) and is well suited for baking, mashing or roasting. Kennebec potatoes keep their shape when cooked, perfect for potato salads, curries, soups, stews. Resistant to Potato Virus A and Potato Virus Y; moderate resistance to Potato Virus S, Potato Virus X, blackleg, and foliage late blight.

MOUNTAIN ROSE  

(Certified ‘seed’ potato)
Red inside and out! Bred in & for Colorado. Excellent as potato chips, French fries, oven fries, and also great for baking, mashing, and potato salads. High in antioxidants!  Early to Mid-season.

PURPLE MAJESTY

(Certified ‘seed’ potato)
Uniform, high-yield, deep purple skin and flesh, very high in anthocyanins (high-potency antioxidant).  Bred in and for Colorado.

RED THUMB Fingerling Potato – NEW!

(Certified ‘seed’ potato)  Early (65+ days)
One of the best tasting of the fingerlings, with unique ruby red skin and marbled deep pink and cream flesh that is waxy, firm, and has a buttery taste. A favorite with chefs for their flavor and beauty, their red coloring holds well when cooked.  Excellent for potato salad, soups, mashing, and for grilling or roasting. Red Thumb is easy to grow and produces high yields of medium-sized, well-clustered, finger-shaped potatoes. The tubers are long-keeping and the vines are very vigorous. Be careful not to overcrowd this variety. Harvest in late summer at 2-3” long. They can be grown in grow-bags or large containers. (Photo credit, right: White Flower Farm.)

Potato Growing Instructions

From our friend, Frank Hodge

Potatoes grow best in full sun.  Plant seed potatoes (pieces of potatoes or small whole potatoes – plant whole if they are smaller than a golf ball) with at least 2 eyes per piece. If you are cutting up the potatoes, do so ahead of time (couple hours to a day prior to planting) to give them a chance to form a protective layer for moisture retention and rot resistance.

Plant as soon as when soil can be easily worked.  Plants will begin to grow when the soil temperature reaches 45 degrees.  Plants can tolerate a light frost but be prepared to cover them if a hard frost is expected.

Spread and mix compost into the bottom of a 4-6” deep planting trench. Soil should be moist, but not water-logged.  Plant seed potatoes 4” deep, 1 foot apart, with the eye side up. Potatoes thrive in LOOSE, well drained soil with consistent moisture.

When plants reach about 6” tall, cover them with light compost or straw until just the top inch or two still shows. Continue to cover the plants (called hilling) as they grow. This will result in a fairly significantly sized mound.  Harvest potatoes on a dry day. Soil should NOT be compacted, so digging should be easy, but be gentle so as not to puncture the tubers.  “New” (small) potatoes may be ready in early July.  Mature potatoes should be harvested 2-3 weeks after the vines die (usually late July / early August). Brush off any soil, and store them in a cool, dry, dark place (but not in the refrigerator).  Do not store potatoes with apples as the ethylene gas produced by the apples can cause your potatoes to spoil. Do not wash potatoes until right before use.

Onions, Leeks, & Shallots, Oh My! 

Don’t worry if you haven’t gotten your onions in yet, we still have a nice stock of Walla Walla and Copra onion starts.

And, we have a wonderful selection of onion, leeks and for the first time, shallot seedlings!  These are specialty varieties for those that don’t want an entire bundle.  Come select your favorites from varieties including Cippolini Genova, Ailsa Craig, Walla Walla, Italian Red Bottle, and Purplette Onions.  Bleu de Solaize and King Richard Leeks.  And, Zebrune Shallots.

Weekend Classes

Our classroom will be overflowing this weekend with an amazing collection of THREE CLASSES!   Alison Peck kicks us off on Saturday at 10 AM with her much-loved Edible Landscaping class, showing you how to artfully incorporate food plants into your garden.  Then at 1 PM Katie McAllister (another Matrix Gardens’ guru!) shares What to do about the Japanese Beeltle Invasion.  (None of us want to think about those nasties this early in the season – but now is the best time get informed and prepared!)

On Sunday at 1 PM, Mikl wraps up the weekend sharing great info on Organic Lawn Care – you don’t have to use chemicals to attain a lush, green turf!

Pre-registration is appreciated and highly recommended for all classes with a quick call to 303-939-9403.

Plant Sale – Coming Soon!

Our Member Plant sale begins very soon on April 28 and extends through May 5.  It’s not too late to renew your annual membership, which will give you a 10% discount on a $50 or more purchase of plants (excluding roses & fruit trees) during that timeframe!

We are very appreciative of your membership as all along, we have depended on recycled materials, trades, word-of-mouth promotion, generosity, kindness, passion, service and other non-corporate building blocks to create our success. This year we are going to use membership money to buy labels for our demonstration gardens. We know our labeling has been lacking. This will make our gardens more educational.

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
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!!!

Veggies in the House!

In addition to tomato starts, we have a beautiful bounty of cool-season veggies, which can be planted after a few days of hardening-off or under row cover fabric. We have two weights of row cover. The lightest one is Seed Guard and it can be laid directly over seeds, giving 3 degrees additional protection, and shielding them from critters. Ensulate is the heavier weight product and it can last many years.

Artichoke

‘Romanesco’ and ‘Imperial Star Globe’

Arugula

‘Astro’

Broccoli

‘Aspabroc’ hybrid, Raab/Rapini, ‘Fiesta’ hybrid, ‘Arcadia’ hybrid, ‘Happy Rich’ hybrid mini broccoli, and ‘Miranda’

Cabbage

‘Fioretto 60’ flowering stick type hybrid, ‘Copenhagen Green’, ‘Red Acre’, ‘Chinese/Napa’

Cauliflower

‘Vitaverde’ green hybrid, ‘Graffiti’ hybrid

Collards

‘Cascade Glaze’

Endive

‘Romanesco’

Kale

‘Red Russian’, ‘Beedy’s Camden’, ‘Darkibor’ hybrid, ‘Baltisk Red’, and ‘Chinese/Kailaan’

Kohlrabi

‘Winner’ hybrid

Lettuce

Tom Thumb, Yugoslavian Red

Pak Choy

‘White Stem’, ‘Da Hong’

Spinach

Purple Orach, ‘Oceanside’ hybrid, ‘Escalade’ hybrid, and ‘Avon’ hybrid

Swiss Chard

‘Perpetual’, ‘Fordhook Giant’, ‘Bright Lights’, ‘Bali Red Rhubarb’, and ‘Seafoam’

Tatsoi

 

Celeriac

‘Bianco del Veneto’

Chicory

‘Orchidea Rossa’
Herbs are also in!

Including parsley, thyme, rosemary, mint, lovage, santolina, fever few, garlic chives, artemisia, lavender, bronze fennel, culinary sage and oregano, nettles, and camomile – wow! 

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.

Our APRIL CLASSES Include: 

(This list is also available on our website.)

Sat, Apr 14 at 10 AM – EDIBLE LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck 

Learn how to grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, vines and herbs in your yard, beautifully. Learn which plants are the most successful and how to integrate them into your landscape. Alison has been designing edible landscapes for 25 years; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping.  $15

Sat, Apr 14 at 1 PM – WHAT TO DO ABOUT the JAPANESE BEETLE INVASION with Katie McAllister

Tried and true methods of Japanese beetle reduction by Matrix Gardens’ Katie McAllister. Learn the phases and life stages of this insect and how and when to take environmentally-friendly (but beetle-deadly) action.  $15    

Sun, Apr 15 at 1 PM – ORGANIC LAWN CARE with Mikl Brawner

Learn how to support healthy soil and soil life using compost, organic fertilizers, aeration, proper watering, and mowing, and how to avoid and deal with weeds.  $15

Sat, Apr 21 at 10 AM – NATIVE BEES for the YOUNGSTERS! #1 with Jessica Goldstrohm

Children and parents learn together about native bees in this hands-on, super-fun class! Jessica will introduce you to our native bee species & their habitat needs, you will build a Leaf Cutter Bee House to take home, and sing the new Bumble Bee song! Hungry Honey Bee book & seeds available for purchase. (repeated on May 26)  $20, one parent and one child. $5 per additional child.    

Sat, Apr 21 at 1 PM – GROWING PEPPERS on the FRONT RANGE with Mimi Yanus

Learn how to grow the best peppers for the Boulder area. We’ll discuss types of peppers, soil, water and fertility requirements, propagation requirements, growing tips, and varieties that do well on the Front Range. $15

Sun, Apr 22 from 10-3 – MUSHROOM CULTIVATION and IDENTIFICATION 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!  $50 per person, 12 person maximum.

Sun, Apr 29 at 12:30 PM – BABY GOAT DAY!  FREE!

Margaret Hollander, owner of Capering Goat Dairy, is bringing several of her adorable baby goats by for a visit.  Stop by with your children, or your own inner child, to enjoy their hilarious antics!   FREE!

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

Veggies Love Solar Caps!!

VEGGIES LOVE SOLAR CAPS!!

We Love Solar Caps!

You’ve been asking for tomato starts, and they’re in!  Beginning this weekend, the first of our great varieties of organic, neonic-free tomato starts will be ready for sale for those of you with greenhouses and smart gardeners with Solar Caps!  Despite our wide-ranging temperatures at this time of year, you can plant your tomatoes using a Solar Caps. (pictured above and right)

Solar Caps are a vast improvement over the well-known Wall-o-Water, which are prone to collapsing and crushing your plants! Solar Caps have 8 wire legs that keep it firmly secured in place. Solar Caps don’t have all those seams to leak, and the only part that requires annual replacement is the very inexpensive customized plastic bag. We like to keep the Solar Caps on our vining tomatoes throughout the season to moderate soil temperatures. They can be used to get a head-start on Peppers, Eggplants, Squashes, Cucumbers and Melons, but should be removed from those shorter plants when temperatures allow.

Solar Caps consist of a sturdy, re-usable, welded galvanized steel wire frame over which you drape the water-filled plastic bag that comes with the kit.  By positioning the Solar Cap where your tomato (or other warm-season veggies) will be planted, in 5-7 days your soil will be warm enough for planting (55+ Fahrenheit).  Following planting, Solar Caps form a personal greenhouse for your veggies, which improves growth throughout the season.  We’ve had great success using them for many years and regularly plant our tomatoes by April 15.

Weekend Classes

In keeping with veggie planting, on Saturday at 1:00 expert culinary gardener, Tracy Parrish, will show you how to keep your veggie garden in continual production (Succession Planting) of when and where to properly plant your veggies.  Her schedule table alone is worth the $15 price of admission!

Then on Sunday at 1:00, Mikl partners with Front Range Wild Ones , whose mission is to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities, in showing you how to Design with Natives.  (Wild Ones members $15, non-members $20.)

Pre-registration is appreciated and highly recommended for all classes with a quick call to 303-939-9403.

Bee Barn Sale – Yippee!

Christina, our Queen Bee, has put two very special products on sale – Top Bar Hives and Foundationless Frames.  Come in and check them out, along with our other wonderful Beekeeping Supplies!

Spring Sale on Top Bar Hives!  $50 off!

We are putting our Kelley TBHs on sale for $50 off!  This unique design features V-shaped top bars that are the same as the Langstroth foundationless frames.  The longer, one piece bar makes for a more secure comb attachment. It also opens options for transferring combs between the TBH and a Langstroth hive so it’s easier to share bees with your Langstroth Friends!  This hive comes with legs and a peaked roof and is made of clear pine.

Spring Sale Foundationless Frames!  10% off!

Have you thought about going foundationless?!  If you prefer your bees to live on their own homemade wax comb, this is the way to go.  We have Langstroth frames that have a one piece V-shaped top bar designed to give the bees a starting place for comb. The end bars have holes in case you want to reinforce with cross wires.  The easiest method for you and your bees is to place these frames between two already drawn frames so the bees use them as a guide and don’t get too “creative”. A good nectar flow is the best time to do this.  Use the shallow or medium frames to make cut comb or chunk honey.

Veggies in the House!

In addition to tomato starts, we have a beautiful bounty of cool-season veggies, which can be planted after a few days of hardening-off.

Artichoke

‘Romanesco’ and ‘Imperial Star Globe’

Arugula

‘Astro’

Broccoli

‘Aspabroc’ hybrid, Raab/Rapini, ‘Fiesta’ hybrid, ‘Arcadia’ hybrid, ‘Happy Rich’ hybrid mini broccoli, and ‘Miranda’

Cabbage

‘Fioretto 60’ flowering stick type hybrid, ‘Copenhagen Green’, ‘Red Acre’, ‘Chinese/Napa’

Cauliflower

‘Vitaverde’ green hybrid, ‘Graffiti’ hybrid

Collards

‘Cascade Glaze’

Endive

‘Romanesco’

Kale

‘Red Russian’, ‘Beedy’s Camden’, ‘Darkibor’ hybrid, ‘Baltisk Red’, and ‘Chinese/Kailaan’

Kohlrabi

‘Winner’ hybrid

Pak Choy

‘White Stem’, ‘Da Hong’

Spinach

Purple Orach, ‘Oceanside’ hybrid, ‘Escalade’ hybrid, and ‘Avon’ hybrid

Swiss Chard

‘Perpetual’, ‘Fordhook Giant’, ‘Bright Lights’, ‘Bali Red Rhubarb’, and ‘Seafoam’

Tatsoi

 

Celeriac

‘Bianco del Veneto’

Chicory

‘Orchidea Rossa’

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.

Our APRIL CLASSES Include: 

(This list is also available on our website.)

Sat, Apr 7 at 1 PM – SUCCESSION PLANTING with Tracey Parrish

Learn the techniques and timing to maximize your garden space and keep your veggie garden in continual production throughout the seasons. This class provides participants with an extensive planting schedule table, outlining when and where to start your seeds, the time to transplant out and when to expect harvest. Tracey is expert in culinary gardening, has a large garden and sells produce and cut flowers at local farmers markets.  $15

Sun, Apr 8 at 1 PM – DESIGNING with NATIVES with Mikl Brawner

Natives are wild plants. Learn which ones will fit in a tidy landscape and which ones are better in a wildlife corner. We will discuss the difference between a native and a cloned native variety or hybrid. Learn how to balance control with natural. Wild Ones members $15, non-members $20.

Sat, Apr 14 at 10 AM – EDIBLE LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck 

Learn how to grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, vines and herbs in your yard, beautifully. Learn which plants are the most successful and how to integrate them into your landscape. Alison has been designing edible landscapes for 25 years; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping.  $15

Sat, Apr 14 at 1 PM – WHAT TO DO ABOUT the JAPANESE BEETLE INVASION with Katie McAllister

Tried and true methods of Japanese beetle reduction by Matrix Gardens’ Katie McAllister. Learn the phases and life stages of this insect and how and when to take environmentally-friendly (but beetle-deadly) action.  $15    

Sun, Apr 15 at 10 AM – CREATE YOUR OWN PERENNIAL FOOD FOREST with David Bailey

We will look at the different steps from grading, hugelkultur, irrigation to plant specifics. Attendees of this class will leave knowing how to create a thriving ecology that feeds humans and animals alike while protecting our riparian areas.  David studied Environmental Science at Metropolitan State College and is a certified Permaculture Designer. He sees that natural forms can be married to natural functions within the landscape. He is “relentlessly seeking ecologically sensible landscapes that fit our clients varied visions and our changing Colorado climate.”  $15

Sun, Apr 15 at 1 PM – ORGANIC LAWN CARE with Mikl Brawner

Learn how to support healthy soil and soil life using compost, organic fertilizers, aeration, proper watering, and mowing, and how to avoid and deal with weeds.  $15

Sat, Apr 21 at 10 AM – NATIVE BEES for the YOUNGSTERS! #1 with Jessica Goldstrohm

Children and parents learn together about native bees in this hands-on, super-fun class! Jessica will introduce you to our native bee species & their habitat needs, you will build a Leaf Cutter Bee House to take home, and sing the new Bumble Bee song! Hungry Honey Bee book & seeds available for purchase. (repeated on May 26)  $20, one parent and one child. $5 per additional child.    

Sat, Apr 21 at 1 PM – GROWING PEPPERS on the FRONT RANGE with Mimi Yanus

Learn how to grow the best peppers for the Boulder area. We’ll discuss types of peppers, soil, water and fertility requirements, propagation requirements, growing tips, and varieties that do well on the Front Range. $15

Sun, Apr 22 from 10-3 – MUSHROOM CULTIVATION and IDENTIFICATION 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!  $50 per person, 12 person maximum.

Sun, Apr 29 at 12:30 – PM – BABY GOAT DAY!  FREE!

Margaret Hollander, owner of Capering Goat Dairy, is bringing several of her adorable baby goats by for a visit.  Stop by with your children, or your own inner child, to enjoy their hilarious antics!   FREE!

 

Referrals

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

 

Veggie Starts are Here!

VEGGIE STARTS ARE HERE!!

Our delightful spring weather is a reminder that cool season veggies can be planted now!  We are stocked with locally-grown, organic, neonic-free veggie starts – and with super seeds from Botanical Interests and Beauty Beyond Belief – that are ready for your garden!  See our comprehensive list, below.

After hardening-off, our cool season veggie starts are ready to be planted with no protection.  Should you like to give your plants further protection from the elements and a few degrees of temperature buffer, check-out our Solar Caps (shown right with a tomato plant), and two weights of row cover. The lightest one is Seed Guard and it can be laid directly over seeds, giving 3 degrees additional protection, and shielding them from critters. Ensulate is the heavier weight product and it can last many years.

This, and next, weekend’s line-up of classes will further support your spring planting endeavors.  On Saturday morning, Alison Peck demonstrates how easy Do-it-Yourself Drip Irrigation can be.   On Sunday morning our talented propagator, Gary Meis, shows you how to cultivate native plants from seeds in Plant Propagation 101.  That afternoon Mikl discusses Building Topsoil & Fertility – the perfect thing to be doing in the spring.  And, don’t forget that next Saturday, Mimi Yanis offers her wonderful Getting Started in Veggie Gardening class!  Pre-registration is appreciated and highly recommended for all classes with a quick call to 303-939-9403.


Onions

Bare root onion plants in bundles have arrived, including Copra, Walla Walla, and Redwing varieties.  These onions are robust and can be planted right away!  The earlier you plant them the larger they can grow because they are long-day onions and the sun keeps feeding the plant until Summer Solstice when the bulbs then begin to plump-up.  Note: Avoid planting onions where Brassica family veggies were grown last year, or they won’t thrive.  Plants in the Brassica family include arugula, kale, broccoli, collard greens, mustard, cauliflower, and most Asian greens, etc.  Onions thrive with lots of sun, fertile soil, consistent watering, and free of weed competition. 


Veggies in the House!

Artichoke

‘Romanesco’ and ‘Imperial Star Globe’

Arugula

‘Astro’

Broccoli

‘Aspabroc’ hybrid, Raab/Rapini, ‘Fiesta’ hybrid, ‘Arcadia’ hybrid, ‘Happy Rich’ hybrid mini broccoli, and ‘Miranda’

Cabbage

‘Fioretto 60’ flowering stick type hybrid, ‘Copenhagen Green’, ‘Red Acre’, ‘Chinese/Napa’

Cauliflower

‘Vitaverde’ green hybrid, ‘Graffiti’ hybrid

Collards

‘Cascade Glaze’

Endive

‘Romanesco’

Kale

‘Red Russian’, ‘Beedy’s Camden’, ‘Darkibor’ hybrid, ‘Baltisk Red’, and ‘Chinese/Kailaan’

Kohlrabi

‘Winner’ hybrid

Pak Choy

‘White Stem’, ‘Da Hong’

Spinach

Purple Orach, ‘Oceanside’ hybrid, ‘Escalade’ hybrid, and ‘Avon’ hybrid

Swiss Chard

‘Perpetual’, ‘Fordhook Giant’, ‘Bright Lights’, ‘Bali Red Rhubarb’, and ‘Seafoam’

Tatsoi

Celeriac

‘Bianco del Veneto’

Chicory

‘Orchidea Rossa’


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.

Our MARCH CLASSES Include: 

(This list is also available on our website.)

Sat, Mar 24 at 10 AM – DO-IT-YOURSELF DRIP IRRIGATION with Alison Peck

Drip irrigation can be easy! Come learn a simple, easy to design and install system that can be connected to an outside hose bib with a battery-operated timer, giving you inexpensive automatic watering. Alison Peck of Matrix Gardens will also discuss new efficient sprinklers that can reduce water use for lawns and groundcovers.   $15                (Photo credit: BSN Tech Networks)

Sun, Mar 25 at 10 AM – PLANT PROPAGATION 101 with Gary Meis

Propagating and multiplying plants are useful skills that everyone can learn!  With over 35 years of experience, Gary Meis, Harlequin’s Gardens own propagator, will discuss methods of propagation and the pros and cons of each.  Specifically, this class will cover Different ways to break the dormancy of our western native seeds, How to find and collect native seeds, How to clean your seeds, and should you?, How to treat your seeds for optimum sprouting, How to keep your babies alive when small, and Alternatives to seed grown natives.  Cool stuff!  $15

Sun, Mar 25 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.   $15


Sat, Mar 31 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 Yanus what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful, even bountiful, even in Colorado conditions!  $15


Coming next week…

Our Spring Newsletter – brimming with great info on our plants, classes and more, for the upcoming season!

 

Happy Plants Begin with Happy Soil

HAPPY PLANTS BEGIN with HAPPY SOIL!!

Before Mikl talks about soil enrichment, below, we want to remind you that we have two wonderful classes this weekend: On Saturday morning Mimi Yanus – a renowned veggie gardener – will share How to Get Started with Veggie Gardening.  This is a super class for those that are new to the area, or felt that they didn’t have the success in their garden last year that they wanted.  (Forward this email to your new neighbor!)  Then on Sunday afternoon Mikl shares the importance and techniques for Spring Pruning.  Pruning can be overwhelming, but Mikl will give you insight on how to simplify and approach this task.  Pre-registration is appreciated and highly recommended for all classes with a quick call to 303-939-9403.

Onions are Here!

Bare root onion plants in bundles have arrived, including Copra, Walla Walla, and Redwing varieties.  These onions are robust and can be planted right away!  The earlier you plant them the larger they can grow because they are long-day onions and the sun keeps feeding the plant until Summer Solstice when the bulbs then begin to plump-up.  Note: Avoid planting onions where Brassica family veggies were grown last year, or they won’t thrive.  Plants in the Brassica family include arugula, kale, broccoli, collard greens, mustard, cauliflower, and most Asian greens, etc.  Onions thrive with lots of sun, fertile soil, consistent watering, and free of weed competition. 

Some of Our cool season starts (broccoli, arugula and cabbage) have arrived – come in and get them!  (As a note, the veggie starts do need to be hardened-off.)  As for our other veggie starts, take a look at our 2018 Veggie Starts List to see the wonderful selections we’re growing for you!

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.

Our MARCH CLASSES Include: 

(This list is also available on our website.)

Sat, Mar 17 at 10 AM – GETTING STARTED IN VEGETABLE GARDENING w/ 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 Yanus what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful, even bountiful, even in Colorado conditions!  $15  (Repeated on Sat, March 31.)

Sun, Mar 18 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.  (This is not a repeat of the Fall Pruning Class.)   $15


Sat, Mar 24 at 10 AM – DO-IT-YOURSELF DRIP IRRIGATION with Alison Peck

Drip irrigation can be easy! Come learn a simple, easy to design and install system that can be connected to an outside hose bib with a battery-operated timer, giving you inexpensive automatic watering. Alison Peck of Matrix Gardens will also discuss new efficient sprinklers that can reduce water use for lawns and groundcovers.   $15                (Photo credit: BSN Tech Networks)

Sun, Mar 25 at 10 AM – PLANT PROPAGATION 101 with Gary Meis

Propagating and multiplying plants are useful skills that everyone can learn!  With over 35 years of experience, Gary Meis, Harlequin’s Gardens own propagator, will discuss methods of propagation and the pros and cons of each.  Specifically, this class will cover Different ways to break the dormancy of our western native seeds, How to find and collect native seeds, How to clean your seeds, and should you?, How to treat your seeds for optimum sprouting, How to keep your babies alive when small, and Alternatives to seed grown natives.  Cool stuff!  $15

Sun, Mar 25 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.   $15

Sat, Mar 31 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 Yanus what you need to know to make your new organic vegetable garden successful, even bountiful, even in Colorado conditions!  $15  (Repeat of Sat, March 17.)


Products for Building and Supporting Healthy Soils

Harlequin’s Gardens has been studying soil health for many years now, because soil health is needed for plant health, for plant resistance to pests and diseases and for nutritional value of plants. We believe that a strong Soil Life with all the beneficial fungi, bacteria, earthworm etc. is the goal to digest the nutrients in the soil and make them into plant-available forms.

Our soils also are deficient in organic matter and available nutrients. Colorado soils do have nutrients, but many are not in a form that’s available to plants. So, Harlequin’s has sourced most of our soil-building products form businesses as local as possible, almost all from Colorado. Local products use our local wastes (like landscape wastes, beer wastes, food wastes, beetle-kill pine, mushroom waste, dairy cow manure, chicken manure). This supports local businesses to recycle and because trucking distances are greatly reduced, we are cutting down on carbon emissions. Putting these organic wastes into the soil also sequesters carbon. And because carbon is one of Life’s main building blocks, these products help build fertility.

This year we have many returning products and some new products that we’d like to tell you about.

Rocky Mt. Minerals

From Salida, this broad spectrum of many different minerals that support plant strength and immune function, including 11% Calcium, 6% Sulfur plus magnesium, iron, and many others. The big difference with this product is that its geothermal source makes these minerals much more available.

Humate

This is a mined carbon concentrate that multiplies microorganisms and has the effect of making nutrients in the soil available. We have been using this for years in our potting mixes.

Walden’s Organics

Since Maxfields moved over the mountain and lost quality, we have been looking for a good local soil for larger containers and for raised beds. Local topsoil and Planters Mixes contain too much clay. Walden’s Organics uses an OMRI certified cow manure with 6+ year-aged forest humus (from beetle-kill pine), biochar etc. We have been using their potting soil and forest humus and think they are good and much more economical than Maxfields.  These are somewhat new for us and we would appreciate your feedback.

Walden’s Potting Soil

Is ideal for containers, planter boxes, and raised beds. Contains 8 qts beetle-kill aged wood chips, peat moss, biochar, OMRI cow manure compost, perlite, and nutrients. Voted best new product at ProGreen Expo 2016 and has a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  Last year we mixed this potting soil 50/50 with Foxfarm’s Coco Loco and had good results in one trial.

Walden’s Outdoor Garden Mix

For amending garden soils to increase porosity, organic matter, water holding capacity, and nutrition. Mix 10-25% with soils. Contains: 8 qt. bag containing aged beetle-kill woodchips, OMRI cow manure compost and biochar.  In addition to its use as a soil amendment, Walden recommends using this 50/50 with Walden’s Potting Mix for filling large containers and raised beds. We would also suggest adding Harlequin’s Fertility Mix.

Walden’s Garden Mulch

For mulching perennials, shrubs, and vegetable gardens. Sprinkle some organic fertilizer on the soil, then apply mulch 1-3” thick.  Holds moisture, resists weeds, and feeds worms and microbes. Contains 5-8 year aged beetle-kill wood chips.  This forest humus mulch is so broken down that we are planning to use it this year to mulch our veggie garden. We do sell straw because straw breaks down in one season. Most wood chips are so raw that it is not advisable to turn them into the soil, because they cause a nitrogen deficiency until they break down.

Harlequin’s Fertility Mix

A mix of Biosol Certified Organic 6-1-1 Fertilizer, humate, molasses, endomycorrhizae, and calcium. Increases root mass, top growth, soil life, and productivity naturally.  This is not just a fertilizer. The combination of ingredients and mycorrhizae act synergistically to support fertility. It has gotten rave reviews. Try it and let us know your experience.

Corn Gluten

A non-toxic, weed-and-feed with 9% nitrogen. It inhibits seed germination, but is harmless to plants with root systems, people, worms, and microorganisms. The effect can last up to 6 months and is especially useful in lawns. Apply in September/October, and again in late February/March to prevent the majority of existing weed seeds from germinating.

Alpha One

100% organic fertilizer for vegetables and ornamentals. Contains: 7% Nitrogen, 2% Phosphorus, 2% Potash, 1% Iron, 1% Sulphur, with a pH of 6.2. Formulated in Loveland for Colorado Soils.

Richlawn Organic

A 100% organic product comprised of dehydrated poultry waste. Listed by OMRI for organic use. Ideal for lawns, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, vegetables and roses. Covers 2,000 sq ft for turf.

EcoGro Compost

A Class 1 compost made from leaves, grass, chipped branches, and beer wastes. It has a healthy population of microorganisms and diverse nutrients.  It is very stable and will not burn or steal nitrogen.  It is fine textured, low in salts with some woody particles.  The pH is 8.3; the NPK 1-1-1.

Western Grow Compost

From Boulder County landscape and food wastes. Well composted. Good non-burning soil builder, reduces carbon dioxide and shipping. Great local resource. NPK 1.5-0.64-1

Eko Compost

Made from forest and recycled wood products composted with poultry manure. Use in vegetable and flower gardens, lawns, trees, shrubs. Improves soil’s physical, chemical, and biological health.

Eko Lawn Topdressing

Finely screened compost perfect for top dressing lawns after aeration.  Holds moisture next to the roots increasing drought tolerance. Supports microorganisms.

Mushroom Compost

From a local mushroom farm.  Dark, rich humus that feeds soil life, improves soil structure & aeration, saves water. Great soil amendment for veggies, perennials, roses & shrubs. Also, a superb mulch for roses.

Coco Loco Potting Soil

A superior coir-based potting media produced from coconut husks, making it one of nature’s most abundant renewable resources.  This mix also contains earthworm castings, bat guano, kelp meal and oyster shell.  It resists compaction, easily rewets, and absorbs evenly for excellent aeration and maximum drainage.

Ocean Forest Potting Soil

A nutrient-rich soil for planting seedlings. It performed well in our tests. Contains: composted bark, sphagnum peat, fish emulsion, crab, earthworm castings, loam, perlite, bat guano, granite dust, kelp meal.

Biochar

A highly adsorbent, specially-produced charcoal applied to soil as a means to increase soil fertility and agricultural yields and sequester carbon.

EcoPett

A natural pine coop bedding (or cat litter!). 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 5X when wet. Reduces cleaning by 50%. Not a soil amendment, but a local, recycled beetle-kill pine product to help care for your poultry and other small animals.


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

 

6th Annual Holiday Gift Market!

Check out our 2017 Holiday Gift Market Catalogue

Come to our Holiday Gift Market Open House: Friday, November 24th-Sunday, November 26th

Holiday Gift Market info 2017

Page 2 of Holiday Market Info

May Day Celebration and Plant Sale

May Day Celebration – Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7
Join us to celebrate the fertility of spring with music, dance, refreshments and frivolity!

Entertainment Schedule:

  • Saturday, May 6th:
    • 10-11:00 AM: The Maroon Bells Morris Dancers will bring us fertility and merriment.
    • 12:00 Noon: Jig and reel with the excellent musicians of the Boulder Irish Session
  • Sunday, May 7th:
    • Light refreshments!
    • 10:30-Noon: Alamos, a duet of clarinet and flute play light classical, ragtime and folk music.
    • Noon-1 PM: Elena Klaver, singer/songwriter
    • 1:00 PM: Local master harpist Margot Krimmel will treat us to O’Carolan and other fine melodies.

May Day Sale – Monday, May 1 through Sunday, May 7

  • For Members – Discount of $10 on a $50+ purchase of plants (except roses & fruit trees)
  • For Everyone – Deep Discount Area will be stocked with loads of beautiful neonic-free perennials and more

 

It’s Raining Trees at our May Day Sale!

IT’S RAINING TREES at our MAY DAY SALE!

Cactus Grouping

JOIN THE MAY DAY FUN!

We’ll be starting our Member May Day Week Sale and the Deep Discount Area on Monday, leading up to our May Day Extravaganza May 6 & 7.
Meanwhile, join our (now legal!) Rainwater Harvesting class on Saturday and Fruit Tree class on Sunday.  Our class descriptions, below, highlight all the details.
Space is limited in each of our classes, so call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!
(Cash or check only for class payment.)
Our photo montage, below, shows the fun we had last weekend with Margaret Hollander and her kid goats!

CLASSES THIS WEEKEND

Sat., April 29 at 10 AM
Rainwater Harvesting with Alison Peck

Rainbarrels are finally legal in Colorado – yay!  Learn about rainbarrrels and even better ways of using rainwater and snowmelt, such as rain-gardens and pervious pavement (and even about greywater).  Learn easy ways to use this free water in your gardens while protecting yourself from flooding.   $15   SATURDAY!  

Sun., April 30 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.   $15  SUNDAY! 

MAY DAY SALE & CELEBRATION IS HERE!

  • May Day Sale – Monday, May 1 to Sunday, May 7
    • For Members – Discount of $10 on a $50+ purchase of plants (except roses & fruit trees)
    • For Everyone – Deep Discount Area will be stocked with loads of beautiful neonic-free perennials and more
  • May Day Celebration – Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7
  • Join us to celebrate the fertility of spring with music, dance, refreshments and frivolity!
  • Entertainment features the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers’ on May 6
  • View the full weekend schedule at http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=bfa84374803c512fe7df11c8d&id=d5e90a5d80&e=b3867df01b#Greetings

THEY’RE IN!

  • FIRST TOMATO STARTS ARE IN – TIME FOR SOLAR CAPS! – Set up your Solar Caps now to pre-warm the soil and you can plant your tomatoes in 5-7 days.  Solar Caps form a personal greenhouse for your tomato starts, which improves growth throughout the season.  We’ve had great success using them on our tomatoes and we love Solar Caps!
  • SEED POTATOES ARE IN THE HOUSE! – Our organic and certified seed potato varieties include: German Butterball, Purple Majesty, Mountain Rose, and Kennebec.
  • ORGANIC COOL-SEASON VEGGIE STARTS –  Our wonderful selection still includes Kale, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cabbage, Bok Choy, Collards, Lettuce and more.
  • PERENNIALS – We have lots of new choice and unusual perennials coming in most every day.  Come check them out!
  • PLANTS – In addition, we have beautiful shrubs and trees that we have overwintered outdoors and are ready to plant without any transition period.
  • SOIL PRODUCTS – Premium composts, organic fertilizers and other great soil amendments.  We have re-stocked our Mushroom Compost!
  • SEEDS from Botanical Interests, Seed Savers Exchange, BBB along with seed-starting supplies.
  • PEA SEEDS – It’s not too late to plant pea seeds, particularly Sugar Snap Peas like Cascadia.

FUN WITH THE KIDS LAST WEEKEND!

Our photo montage shows the fun we had last weekend with Margaret Hollander and her kid goats!



JOIN OUR TEAM!

Please take a look and if this 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 at www.HarlequinsGardens.com.

Full-time or Part-time Retail Sales Position

Must have significant ornamental gardening / horticulture experience, be dedicated to non-toxic gardening, be a team player, organized, with good communication skills, able to do some physical work. Duties include plant and product sales, customer education and service, attending monthly staff meetings.  3-5 days/wk, including Wednesday, Thursday, and one weekend day.

We hope to see you at Harlequin’s soon!

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Every Day is Earth Day at Harlequin’s Gardens

Every Day is EARTH DAY
at HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS!!

Garima with Gertrude Jekyll Rose

EVERYDAY is Earth Day at Harlequin’s Gardens, where we never use any toxic pesticides, fungicides or herbicides.

Come out to get your organic veggie starts (we have tomatoes, peppers and basil in stock now!)  If you protect them with our famously successful Solar Caps, you can plant these now.  Or plant them in a green house or cold frame.

We already have a bountiful selection of organic herb starts, with more coming in all the time.

All of our perennials, shrubs and trees are free of insect-killing neonicotinoid pesticides.

We have an excellent selection of locally sourced composts, mulches, and potting mixes and organic fertilizers.

And, our Compost Tea Brewer is now running for the season!

Compost Tea is…

  • a highly concentrated population of beneficial bacteria and beneficial fungi that build healthy soil
  •  a nutrient-rich brew that feeds soil life naturally
  • a compost concentrate that reduces compaction, aerates and improves water retention
  • who knows? You can’t tell anything by looking at the tea. You have to watch how the plants respond!

So let your plants “taste and see.”   Homegrown fertilizer produced on-site.   $5 / gallon + $1 refundable deposit for container, or bring your own 1 gallon jug.

CLASSES THIS WEEKEND

Space is limited in each of our classes, so call 303-939-9403 to reserve your seat!
(Cash or check only for class payment.)

Sat., April 22 at 10 AM
Native Bees for the Youngsters!
with Jessica Goldstrohm

Children and parents learn together about native bees in this hands-on, super-fun class!  Jessica will introduce you to our native bee species & their habitat needs, you will build a Leaf Cutter Bee House to take home, and sing the new Bumble Bee song!  Hungry Honey Bee book & seeds available for purchase.   $20, one parent and one child.  $5 per additional child.   SATURDAY!  (repeated on May 27)

Sat., April 22 at 1 PM
Fearless Rose Pruning with Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Don’t let your roses intimidate you!  Eve will demonstrate and discuss why and how to prune roses in a fearless and confident manner.  She will also discuss feeding, watering, etc. to maximize your success with growing roses.  Wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves, and a hat and be prepared to be outside.   $15   SATURDAY! 

Sun., April 23 at 10 AM
Baby Goat Day with Margaret Hollander and her Kids – Free!

Margaret Hollander, owner of Capering Goat Dairy, brings several of her adorable baby goats by for a visit.  Bring your children, or just your own inner child, to enjoy their antics!   FREE – SUNDAY!! 

Sun., April 23 at 1 PM
Viticulture with John Martin

Would you like a glass of wine from your own backyard vineyard? Then this is the class for you!  John will discuss grape varieties and how to get started in wine making.  He is co-owner of Stonebridge Farms in Lyons, the first CSA in Boulder County.    $15   SUNDAY! 

IN BLOOM NOW!

Plant names, left to right.
TOP ROW:  Phlox divaricata (fragrant blue), Phlox divaricata ‘Dirigo Ice’ (fragrant white)
BOTTOM ROW:  Lilac’s: Pocohontas (front) and Mount Baker (back), Viburnum Mohawk

2016 SPRING INVITATION

WELCOME TO HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS!

WELCOME

ORGANIC VEGGIE STARTS

  • New Tomatoes
  • New Dwarf Determinate Tomatoes
  • New Hot Peppers
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Eggplants
  • Cool Season Veggies
  • Brassicas, Onions and More

A WONDERFUL SPRING OR ?
CAN YOU HELP US?
PLANTS

  • Kelly Grummons Special Plants
  • Harlequin’s Favorites
  • Trees
  • Shrubs
  • Home-grown Fruit
  • Roses
  • Perennials
  • Herbs
  • Seeds

SPECIAL PRODUCTS
SOIL AMENDMENTS
EVENTS & SALES
EDUCATIONAL CLASSES
OUR STAFF
NEWSLETTER & BLOG SUBSCRIPTIONS
MEMBERSHIP
HOURS & PAYMENT
THANK YOU!

WELCOME

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Welcome to Spring and welcome to another season at Harlequin’s Gardens. We would not be here without you, and it is your vision and support that is helping us to grow and expand our service to the community and to the planet.

Sometimes our human love is expressed by creating beauty as we do in cultivating a garden; sometimes it is in growing food and sharing it with others, but sometimes the most compassionate expression of our love is cleaning the bathroom. The theme of this newsletter is compassionate cleanup and interdependence.

The time has come for the sake of our health and the survival of the planet to say, “No more toxic chemicals.” The 21st Century direction is the understanding that Life is not us vs them; it is cooperation for a win-win. It is recognizing that we are all inter-dependent. Science, religion and common sense show us this is true, and that “everybody does better when everybody does better.” We can see this in the way soil organisms and plants create and share resources with each other as if they were not separate.

And yet we very intelligent human beings have been seduced into dominator thinking that is powered by petroleum. Some 70,000 chemicals that have never been tested for toxicity are now in our soil, water, air and our bodies. We are on the verge of another Silent Spring because the neonicotinoids and RoundUps and other toxins are poisoning our bees, our birds, our soil life, our bodies and our ocean. Now it is clear that we have to withdraw from all the toxins and pollutions brought to us through petroleum-thinking. We have to clean up our world, and take a healthier path so Life can prosper and our children and our children’s children will be able to live good, healthy lives.

We need to learn to think like Nature. We need to rapidly partner with the regenerative processes of Nature, to support Life. Profit motives to sell petroleum have guided us into fearing Nature. 21st Century thinking is not profit above everything; it is people, planet, profit. We do not have to poison our world to prosper. A realistic world view is compassionate and sees benefit as two-fold: benefiting yourself and benefiting others. How else can we save the planet and create conditions supportive of Life?

Caring for a garden is a very clear way to see how easily Nature rewards cooperation and how giving is returned when we give nourishment. There are plenty of earth-friendly methods for growing healthy plants. Harlequin’s Gardens has 24 years’ experience growing plants without poisons and without chemical fertilizers. And now we are going to prove how successful that can be on a bigger scale with our plan to build a large fossil fuel-free greenhouse and to grow pesticide-free plants. We are a small company with very limited financial backing, but with your support we have been leaders in sustainability and with your support, on this Leap Year, we will leap into being a genuine 21st Century nursery.

“You’ve got to go out on a limb sometimes,
because that’s where the fruit is.”

Will Rogers

 

ORGANIC VEGGIE STARTS

As usual we will have a great selection of organic veggie starts. Every winter Eve pores over the most interesting and reliable seed catalogs, searching for new and special varieties that resist disease and pests, are very productive, taste fabulous, and that we think will likely be successful and rewarding here on the high plains and in the mountains. Our selection aims to include the best vegetable and herb varieties for a wide range of garden sizes and growing conditions (high altitude, hot, sunny and dry, shaded, short-season, raised bed, container, ornamental edible, etc.) and for a variety of culinary uses. We think you’ll find the very best choices at Harlequin’s Gardens. Please give us your feedback on what you grow from us.

WE ARE GROWING dozens of varieties that we cannot describe here. Please go to our website under Plants/Edibles for a complete listing and descriptions of our veggies.  https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/

New Tomatoes

A few our new tomatoes (85 varieties of tomatoes in 2016)
CARBON, 90 days, IND. OP: This taste-test winning, hard-to-find heirloom is one of the darkest ‘black’ tomatoes, with delicious, rich, smoky-sweet, complex flavor. The pretty 8-14 oz. purple-brown fruits are smooth, round and thin-skinned, making them prone to radial cracking. Big, productive, regular-leaf plants are healthy and tolerate heat and dry conditions.
KELLOGG’S BREAKFAST (POTATO-LEAFED) aka KBX, 85 days, IND. OP: An exceptional heirloom tomato, delicious, meaty and juicy, Kellogg’s has been one of our top favorites for many years. Last year we planted this rare, potato-leafed version and found it even more productive than the original. The stunning, 4-5” (1-2 lbs) brilliant gold-orange ‘beefsteak’ fruits have outstanding, old-fashioned, rich, fruity flavor; great for sandwiches.
MASTER CARUSO, 80 days, IND, OP: Austrian heirloom variety bears pretty scarlet, 5-8oz. globes with perfect sugar to acid balance and rich, robust flavor. Vines are very productive and disease-resistant.
BLACK PRINCE, 70 days, Ind., OP: This Siberian heirloom bears a bounty of beautiful medium-sized., chocolate-bronze, meaty, juicy fruits with distinctive, rich, fruity flavor on large, sturdy, healthy plants that require trellising. Easy to grow, fast-ripening, with a long season of productivity. A great salad tomato.

New Dwarf Determinate Tomatoes

FRED’S TIE DYE, 75 days, Det., OP: Early to midseason tree-type dwarf plants to 3-4’are vigorous and productive. Beautiful round purple fruits with jagged gold and green stripes and the deep crimson flesh of ‘black’ tomatoes. The medium to medium-large fruits have a rich, intense, balanced flavor. Bred from ‘Berkeley Tie Dye’.
YUKON QUEST, 75 days, Det., OP: Early to mid-season dwarf variety bred from our favorite, Black from Tula. Tree-type with rugose regular foliage on stout central stem to 3’ tall. 3-6 oz. smooth round fruits ripen pink, with well-balance flavor.
DWARF ARCTIC ROSE, 60 days, Det. OP: Very early dwarf heirloom cross between dwarf Budai Torpe and fabulous Black from Tula, with smooth 3-8 oz. round fruits ripen pink with red interior. Flavor is reportedly well-balance and delicious. Tree-type plant has stout central stem to 3’ tall, dark green, rugose leaves.

Plus, many oldie but goodies: Sungold, Pineapple, Jaune Flamme, Black from Tula, Siletz, Carmello, Super Lakota and many, many more!


 

We will host the ‘TASTE OF TOMATO’ festival & tasting event along with Boulder County CSU Cooperative Extension on
Sat, August 27, from 9 am-1 pm

There are always new varieties to taste, and learn about.
Bring at least 3 tomatoes of a known variety to get in free.
It will be held at the Gateway Park Fun Center,
4800  28th Street, Boulder.


 

New Hot Peppers

AJI CRYSTAL – 3′ Tall plants with waxy 3-4″ peppers ripen from light green to reddish-orange and have their best flavor for eating when yellow and less than 3″ long.  A spicy, citrus flavor that is great for salsa, pickling, in salads and drying.  Very Prolific and originally from Chile.  90 Days.
BOLIVIAN RAINBOW – Grown for centuries in Bolivia and a stunning small plant (12″ tall and wide) for the space-challenged or as a decorative accent in pots.  The peppers are small, about 1 inch cones growing upright on the plant.  They start out a brilliant purple and change to yellow then orange and finally red – looking like Christmas lights!  The blossoms and foliage are also purple.  Crunchy, seedy, medium heat and with a crisp, fresh taste and a slight tang.  Delicious in salads, salsas, pickled or dried. 90 days.
HOT LEMON – 18-24″ tall and 16″ wide.  An heirloom from the markets of Ecuador that is as hot as cayenne but with a unique flavor and good yields.  The skin is tender and the aroma is spicy with a hint of pine.  Best used fresh but it’s sensational in sauces.  The fruits ripen to a pure lemon yellow color 3-4″ long and wrinkled.  70-80 Days.
HUNGARIAN YELLOW WAX – 18-24″ tall and 16″ wide.  It may look like a mild banana pepper but this light yellow Hungarian heirloom is an excellent medium to hot pepper is delicious stuffed, grilled, sautéed, pickled or canned.  Sets fruit early and over a long season.  70 days.
ITALIAN PEPPERONCINI – The popular little, thin, pickling pepper from Southern Italy with huge yields. 3-5-inch fruit have a superb flavor and just a little heat. Bushy, small (12″x12″) plants are lovely in containers.  75 Days.
SANTA FE GRANDE – 24 x 24″ plants that are easy to care for.  Spicy, 4-inch peppers are a glowing gold in color and quite warm. Makes pretty pickles and salsa. Ornamental plants give heavy yields over the entire summer, making this variety choice for home or market gardens. Introduced in 1965. 75-80 Days.
THAI RED –  Also known as Bird’s Eye Chili.  12″ tall and wide plants that are loaded with fruit and look great in a container.  This is the hot heirloom chili from Thailand, these peppers are used in almost every dish in old Siam. Small pointed fruit are easy to dry and bright red in color. The Thais love the pungent heat. Ornamental plants are loaded with fruit.  Makes excellent hot sauce.  90 Days.
TWILIGHT – 24″ tall and 18″ wide.  A stunning, eye-catching variety producing an abundance of small ¾” upright peppers with a medium-hot flavor. The colorful chilies ripen through a rainbow of colors as they mature from purple to yellow to orange to red. This neat compact variety makes a superb ornamental edible that can be grown outdoors on the patio in a container.

RETURNING:  Big Jim, Anaheim M, New Mexico #6, Early Jalapeno, Purple Cayenne, Ancho Poblano and more.

Sweet Peppers

FRIARELLO DI NAPOLI –  A very early, dwarf plant.  This is the famous frying pepper of Naples, Italy. This heirloom produces small, long, cone-shaped peppers that are fried or pickled and are known for their sweet, distinctive flavor. The plants are very productive, so you will get plenty of delicious fruit all summer.  Try them in omelets, soups and raw in salads.
GOLDEN STAR –  The picture-perfect fruit is very thick walled and grows to a blocky, 4 x 4″size. Young peppers start out a shiny, medium-green then mature to a gorgeous, bright yellow. The crisp, sweet flavor makes this pepper perfect for fresh snacking. Wonderful for cooking, too.  65-70 days.
LIPSTICK – 18-24″ tall and wide. A favorite in specialty markets, considered the ultimate sweet pepper for gourmet salads, salsa and cooking. Glossy, bright red, 4″ blunt-tipped fruits are juicy and delicious. Harvest when dark green at the early end of the range, or wait 20 more days to ripen to a glossy red. Reliable and pretty, with heavy yields, even in cool summers.  65-80 days.
MINI BELL – 2′ tall plants produce miniature red, bell peppers only about 1-1/2 inches tall and wide. The sweet red flesh is thick and makes them great for stuffing. Very productive and early. Great in containers 60 days.
SHISHITO – 2′ tall and x 2 ½’ wide.  A favorite old Japanese variety which produces 3″ long, thin-walled slightly wrinkled fruit that are perfect for making tempura and other traditional recipes. Fruit is emerald green color, mildly flavored with a just bit of spice; Very prolific all summer. Excellent stir-fried, grilled or “blistered” with a bit of lime juice and sea salt.
SHEEPNOSE PIMENTO – 24″ tall and wide. A tried-and-true heirloom that’s enjoying a resurgence in popularity these pimento-shaped, 3 by 4″ fruits are very sweet and meaty, making them ideal for canning, freezing and eating fresh. Plants are very productive, and fruits keep for weeks in the refrigerator.  80 days.

Plus, many happy returns: Jimmy Nardello, Quadrato d’Asti, King of the North, Cubanelle and more.

Eggplants

Amadeo hybrid, 65 days: Early, classic Italian glossy oval fruits are 5”x 8”, almost black, never-bitter, excellent nutty flavor & texture. Provide support for the vigorous, 3’, spineless, heavy-yielding plant.
Black Beauty heirloom, 80 days: Large, firm, oval, glossy, deep purple fruits with excellent flavor & quality are borne on attractive, vigorous, compact 21” to 30” plants. Adapts well to a variety of conditions. Fruits are broad and sometimes beautifully ‘fluted’.
Slim Jim OP, 60 days: Bred in Italy, this is an ‘Asian-type’, with delicious long, slender dark purple fruits borne extra-early on gorgeous, dramatic plants. I would grow this one just for its ornamental value, even if I didn’t love the fruits, which I do. The deep purple coloration is also in the sepals, leaves and stems. Harvest while still glossy, at 4-5” long.

ALSO: Prosperosa, Long Purple, Rosita, Rosa Bianca, Diamond and more.

Cool Season Veggies

We have a fantastic selection of cool season vegetable starts in stock including many different varieties of Broccoli (including Romanesco), Cabbage, Radicchio, Kale, Chard, Bok Choy, Broccoli Raab (Rapini).  We also have some very tasty and interesting Asian vegetables that may be new to a lot of our customers – Komatsuna (Japanese Mustard Spinach), Senposai, Mispoona, Tatsoi, Asian Stir Fry Blend and Mizuna. These delectable Asian vegetables go far beyond stir fry.  They are amazing added to salads, soups, sautéed with eggs or steamed or any Thai, Japanese or Chinese recipe.

New CAULIFLOWER – Precoce de Jesi heirloom, 75 days: Originally from Venice, this unusual cauliflower has beautiful pale yellow curds and delicious flavor. A wonderful addition to the kaleidoscope of colorful and nutritious vegetables.
Violet of Sicily heirloom, 68 days: Mild, delicious and easy to grow, this beautiful cauliflower is bright purple when raw, turning pale green when cooked. It has a delicate texture and looser florets in a flatter head than white cauliflowers. Purple vegetables and fruits provide the powerful anti-oxidant anthocyanin.
ALSO: Graffiti, Early Snowball

ASPARABROC BROCCOLI –  The savory tastes of broccoli and asparagus in one plant.  Entire plant is edible and extremely tender with a sweet mild flavor with a slight bite of pepper.  Takes little space.  50 Days.
Plus: Purple Peacock Sprouting Broccoli is 2 ½’ tall and wide with deeply cut purple leaves, sweet broccoli head and abundant side shoots are also purple; stems too; Ornamental delicious Edible
Broccoli Romanesco (75+ days) Italian heirloom widely grown and eaten in northern Italy. Spiraling apple-green heads have sweet nutty flavor if eaten raw or lightly cooked. A chef’s favorite! Very cool looking.

Onions & More

SUGAR BABY Watermelon open-pollinated, 79 days: The most popular ice-box sized watermelon among gardeners. Early 6 to10-lb. melons have sweet, deep red flesh, are adaptable to many climates and especially valuable for Northern gardens

ONIONS – Ailsa Craig, Copra, Rosa di Milano, Red Marble, Redwing, Walla Walla

SILVER SLICER Cucumber OP, 54 days: A great slicer with excellent flavor and lovely creamy white, thin, smooth skin.  Fruits are 2” wide, 5-6” long.  Bred by Cornell University for resistance to powdery mildew.  Superb juicy, sweet and mild flavor and good crunch.

And of course, many, many more varieties of Broccoli, Cabbage, Eggplant, Squashes, Melons, Lettuces, Spinach, Kales, Chards etc. see our website under Plants/Edibles

“Others sowed for me. I sow for others to come.”
Middle Eastern Proverb

 

A WONDERFUL SPRING, OR ?

This sure feels like a wonderful Spring. We had record snowfall in February, the first couple days. It has been great people weather up to now, but recently dry. Those of us who have lived here for a while are wary, though. This warmth can seduce plants to leaf and flower too early and then a cold spell can kill leaves and blooms, forcing the plant to expend energy in making new leaves and perhaps leaving us another year without fruit on our trees. If you put out your cool-season veggies and snow is forecast, you can put a frost-blanket, or other cover over them, or a bucket or used pot, but there is no way to protect the big plants. The best we can do is to fertilize them in the fall, so they have the nutrients to store in their roots and stems, that they can use to re-leaf if necessary.

Mikl usually plants a couple tomatoes in Solar Caps in mid-April. This great mini-greenhouse was invented by a commercial tomato grower in Wyoming where the wind is just as hard on a newly planted tomato as a cold night. Even buried under snow, a tomato in a Solar Cap has never died. Solar Caps can add a month to the growing season, hasten fruiting and increasing yields. Of course it helps to plant Siberian or other cold-tolerant varieties in your first plantings. We sell the Solar Caps and they work in the mountains also to grow tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, keeping the soil warm at night.

 “The two big issues we are facing are climate changes and water shortages…Coal and oil have to go, partly because of their water usage…The great thing about solar and wind is that they don’t require a drop of water (and) how much they use today has no effect on how much is available tomorrow.”
Lester Brown of World Watch Institute and Energy Policy Institute

Industrial agriculture uses a lot of water. According to National Geographic:

  • 1 gallon for 1 single almond
  • 12 gallons for a head of lettuce
  • 24 gallons for a cluster of grapes
  • 53 gallons for an egg
  • 468 gallons for a pound of chicken and
  • 1800 gallons for a pound of beef.

(Good reasons to buy local, organic foods.)

Not only can water be used more efficiently, meat is very water and energy intensive and was identified at the Paris Climate talks as a food we could consume less to help reduce Climate Change.

 “Of the more than one million species of animals in the world, 94% are invertebrates. The services they perform—pollination, seed dispersal, food for wildlife, nutrient recycling—are critical to life on our planet. Indeed, without them whole ecosystems would collapse.”
The Xerces Society

Harlequin’s Gardens has a new plant propagator: Gary Meis
Gary worked for Country Lane Wholesale Nursery for 20 years as their head propagator. Growing plants without pesticides is what he wants to do and so he has a good home at Harlequin’s Gardens. Gary loves to propagate native plants and has a rich knowledge of edible and medicinal natives. He is doing the best he can with our current limited facilities, but you can expect a greater diversity of native perennials and shrubs in the future, as well as other great ornamentals and trees that are normally hard to find. We are very happy and grateful to have Gary on our team!

 

“If your plants are not being eaten, they are not supporting any insects. And without insects, the foundation of the food chain is compromised.” 
Neil Diboll of Prairie Nursery

 

Populations of bees, butterflies and all insects are declining in what has been called a Second Silent Spring, due to the combined effects of loss of habitat and the effect of the new nicotine pesticides, the neonicotinoids. The first Silent Spring was threatened because of DDT, but the neonics are 5000-10,000 times more toxic to insects than DDT. And they are systemic, so the nerve poison is in all parts of the plant from the root hairs to the pollen. And it lasts in the plants and soil from 3 months to 5 years.

Colorado is home to 946 species of wild bees. 
Butterfly Pavilion

That is why Harlequin’s Gardens will not grow or sell plants that were treated with neonicotinoids, nor will we buy plants unless we are sure that the plugs and cuttings they were grown from were also neonic-free.  We have never used toxic pesticides.

CAN YOU HELP US?

Harlequin’s has purchased an acre of land. We have designed a large greenhouse that will function without fossil fuels. We have hired an excellent plant propagator. We have years of experience growing pesticide-free plants.

We need loans of $5000 or more for 1-3 years at 3%-4% interest to build the greenhouse and get started.  We will make money. We will sign a legal agreement.  We will pay you back.

Your loan will help protect our bees and other beings. It will help Harlequin’s to prosper and expand what we do. It will help create an example to other nurseries

If you can help, call Mikl at 303-485-7715

PLANTS

Kelly Grummons’ Special Plants

Harlequin’s Gardens is grateful to Kelly Grummons for getting us started with some of his special plants which we will be offering this year.

Agastache ‘Blue Blazes’
Blue Blazes is a large growing hybrid hummingbird mint, to 42-54” tall x 24-30” wide, with glowing lavender-purple flower spikes, blooming from mid-summer through fall. Its nectar-rich flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees, making it an essential low-water perennial for pollinators. Plant it in full sun with a well-drained soil. Pinch the plant back in late spring to keep it more compact. Deer and rabbit resistant. ‘Blue Blazes’ was bred by Kelly Grummons.
Verbena sp. ‘Annie!’
Verbena ‘Annie!’ is a truly cold hardy, low-water, long-lived, long blooming perennial Verbena. Very fragrant, lavender-pink flowers start up in mid-spring and are continuous until hard frost in October. A feast for butterflies! Grows in full to part sun in most soils. Brought into cultivation as an heirloom plant from a Minnesota garden by Colorado plantsman Kelly Grummons.  Great as a large scale groundcover or specimen plant.
Windwalker Big Bluestem:
A powdery blue, upright selection of our native grass, that turns plum/purple in fall, with bronzy-red plumes; to 6’ tall and 2’ wide; moderate to low water, full sun, most soils. Selected by Bill Adams of Sunscapes Nursery. 2015 Plant Select
Dog Tuff Grass (Cynodon hybrida) Plant Select 2016: only 2”-4” high, very drought tolerant, very dog tolerant, very sun loving, recovers quickly from foot and dog traffic, honeybees love the pollen, spreads by runners but is sterile so cannot become invasive. It loves clay soils, is deep rooted and weed resistant. Warm season grass is green from June thru Sept. and is a nice straw color in winter. Not shade tolerant. Grows happily on dry slopes once established. Mow seldom.
Opuntia ‘Coral Carpet’-one of the best prickly pear selections with gold spines in winter, coral pink flowers, very hardy
Opuntia ‘Citrus Punch’- flowers are plum, orange & peach, very hardy, likes dry, is good in pots
Opuntia ‘Mesa Sky’-gold flowers with red stripes, tons of large red fruit, best native strain for fruit production
Windwalker Royal Red Salvia-2015 Plant Select winner: carmine-red flowers June through Oct magnetize hummingbirds. 36”-48” high and wide, loves sun, moderate to low water, bees also are attracted; bred by Kelly Grummons

Interdependence is our reality,
whether we accept it or not.

The 17 Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

 

HARLEQUIN’S FAVORITES

Alyssum oxycarpum-our new Favorite Plant: a low Basket of Gold, 4” high and 24” in diameter, gorgeous silver foliage summer and winter, with soft yellow flowers in spring
See them in our Groundcovers Display Garden. Harlequin’s Exclusive. Colorado-tough.
Dick’s Wine Veronica: Wow, wait till you see this creeping veronica in bloom covered with rose-pink flowers on short spires. It looks fragile, but we’ve grown it for years in low water conditions. Give it water once a week to be nice. It makes a mat 16” in diameter
Teucrium sp. ‘Harlequin’s Silver’ was selected amongst our seedlings. This silver-leafed germander is a beauty; 4” high and 24” wide; purplish flowers. We have tested it in hot, dry conditions and find it needs little water. The silver leaves look beautiful summer and winter
Keller’s Yarrow: a wonderful, heat tolerant, non-spreading yarrow; very attractive blue-green ferny foliage; clusters of white flowers provide nectar for beneficial insects. 6”x 18” wide; undemanding and enduring; low water needs. Not bothered by deer or rabbits
Sedum populifolium: has fleshy, poplar-shaped leaves, grows 8”-12” tall with some off- white flowers. Very unusual and attractive form, deer-resistant, part-shade preferring
Jasmine Dianthus: the white filigree flowers have a most wonderful jasmine fragrance. A single tiny flower is enough to raise eyebrows of delight; a mature plant can lure you from 10’ away. The foliage looks grassy so be careful not to pull it out; 6”x 18”; low water needs
Reiter’s Thyme: a tough, resilient creeping thyme often grown as a groundcover or small lawn. David Salman says “…rich, olive-green foliage grows so thickly that it also chokes out most weeds.” 3”x 30”; lavender flowers in the summer for nectar for the bees.
Veronica allioni: this is the true rock garden gem with 6” spikes of blue flowers on a 12” mat. This is not the groundcover sold under the same. Tough, low water and really cute.
Dianthus ‘Blue Hills’: a rugged, low, creeping dianthus with the most blue foliage; 3”x 12”; very spicy fragrant pink flowers; sweet and tough in a rock garden; 3 or 4 make a mass along the front of a border or on the sunny side of a shrub.
Native Bee-Balm (Monarda fistulosa v menthifolia): Mint-scented foliage and stunning, nectar-rich purple-pink flowers that bring bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Leaves make a delicious tea. 2’ to 5’ tall. Very hardy perennial to zone 3, adaptable to many soils.
Native Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata): This easy, hardy 2’ perennial bears masses of large red daisies with fringed bright yellow tips. Thrives in hot dry places and blooms all summer. Dead-head for more flowers and a neater look. A favorite of bees and butterflies.
Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur Flower): This superb, compact, dry-land native perennial is an important nectar source for many species of native butterflies and bees. The dense, compact 1-2’ mats of leathery dark green leaves are evergreen, covered with dense umbels of tiny sulphur-yellow flowers for a solid month. Groundcover to 10,000’
Liatris ligulistylis (Meadow Blazingstar):  This is the ultimate Monarch butterfly magnet! It grows 3 to 5’ tall, with numerous crimson flower buds opening to large bright purple-pink florets that bloom over an extended period of time in summer.  It is a prairie native. !  After flowering, the seeds are a favorite food for goldfinches.  Hardy to Zone 4.
Asclepias incarnata (Red Milkweed): dense clusters of sweetly-scented, rosy-pink flowers from early summer to fall on slender, erect branches. The flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and the leaves of Red Milkweed are a preferred food source for Monarch caterpillars.  Plant in any spot with moist soil, and you’ll have Monarch Butterflies
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower): This lovely 3-4’ tall prairie native attracts many showy butterflies, songbirds and hummingbirds! Large purple-pink flowers with rusty red central cones bloom profusely for up to two months in mid to late summer.
Solidago rigida (Stiff Goldenrod): This summer-blooming golden beauty is a Monarch Butterfly favorite. It will thrive even in poor, dry soils. The flowers also support bees and many other beneficial insects. The seeds provide important protein-rich bird food. Zone 4.
Silphium laciniata (Compass Plant)
4-8’ tall x 2-3’ wide, A classic prairie native, standing an amazing 4’ to 8’ tall. It sends up sturdy flower stalks with up to 100, 2-3” starry bright yellow ‘sunflowers’ opening from July to September. The seeds are loved by songbirds. The plant is very architectural with sturdy, deeply-cleft leaves that stand erect and point North/South, flat surfaces East/West.

If we think small, our actions will be small.
Inuit Saying

 

Trees

The trees we sell are smaller than ball & burlap trees that are dug in the field, leaving at least 75% of their roots in the ground. Ours are grown in a container so they have a complete root system and begin growing immediately and are not stressed. Here is a sample of some of ours.
Russian Hawthorn: very tough and xeric, grows 15’ high and wide, white flowers and red berries, loves CO.
Rocky Mt. Maple: a native of our foothills, likes to grow in the protection of other trees, red fall color, 10’-15’
Gambel Oak and Wavyleaf Oak: both natives that grow 10’-15’, with little water and poor soil, support birds
Hackberry: a good shade tree to replace an ash, a fast-growing hardwood, the most drought tolerant shade tree
White Mulberry-the hardiest mulberry, 25’-30’ tall & wide, very xeric, white fruit is tasty & does not stain
‘Corinthian White’ Peach-gorgeous double white flowers on columnar ornamental tree 20’x10’  zone 5
Wavy Leaf Oak-Rocky Mt. native with leathery, wavy leaves, 10’+ tall, multi-stem; xeric, zone 4
Quercus turbinella-8’-12’ native oak with evergreen leaves that are leathery and sharp toothed, hardy

Shrubs

Lower maintenance, more flowers for pollinators, . All are neonic-free.
Julia Jane Boxwood: discovered in Denver, grown at Harlequin’s for 10 years, 3’ evergreen, deer and rabbit proof, low water, survived Nov ’14 with little damage
Squeek Point Kinnickinick-3” high evergreen groundcover, pink bells, local selection
Littleleaf Mt. Mahogany-C. intricatus to 5’ evergreen, rosemary-like leaves, xeric, tidy
Fernbush-5’ high 4’ wide, fern-like leaves, white flowers loved by beneficial insects & bees
Chilopsis linearis-Desert Willow- 10’ with beautiful orchid-like flowers, drought tolerant
Philadelphus Mock Orange Mikl’s Select– 10’ low water shrub, very very fragrant flowers
Physocarpus o. Nanus-Dwarf Ninebark: attractive flowers, foliage, bark; 1’-2’ high; shade

Roses

We are known far and wide for our selection of sustainable roses and for our expertise in helping people choose the best varieties for their gardens and landscapes. We sell roses on their own roots not grafted, which makes them more cold hardy, longer lived,with more flowers. Most of our roses are disease-resistant and very hardy and none should need spraying with toxic pesticides. See our 2016 Rose List on our website.  https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/roses/

Home-Grown Fruit

One of our specialties is fruiting plants that are adapted to Colorado conditions. All the apples we carry are resistant to fireblight and good-tasting. And the cherries we sell are all proven successful in Colorado. Our grapes are the most hardy of any you will find, delicious fresh, in juice and a few are good for wine. And we have productive & good tasting currants, gooseberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries including: Crandall Clove Currant and Gwen’s Buffalo Currant-both are 5’x4’ with very fragrant yellow flowers in spring and annual bearing of sweet-tart berries full of healthy phytonutrients and reddish fall color. Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry-late blooming so avoids late frosts, medium to large very sweet berries, semi-trailing, best pruned to 8’. Gooseberries: Invicta, Hinnomaki Red, Black Velvet, Comanche, Pixwell;
Niwot primocane Black Raspberry bred in Longmont, fruits on new wood, excellent flavor
Orient Nanking Cherry-selected for flavor; it’s good; same 6’ height, xeric, red cherries
Johns Elderberry-larger berries, 8’, better edible elderberry, needs a pollinator

We will carry several good apple varieties: Cortland, Liberty, Harlson, Sweet 16, Honeycrisp, Dakota Gold, Hazen, Macfree, Mandan, Zestar, Redstone Canyon Gold.
And several good plums Mount Royal Plum, Alderman, Golden Gage, Red Baron, Superior, Toka, Italian Plum     
And successful tart cherries: Bali Cherry, North Star, Montmorency
Strawberries: We are carrying many good varieties, each for good reasons. Ft. Laramie, Tristar, Alexander Alpine, Earliglow, Mara de Bois, Yellow Alpine.

Roundup herbicide is not safe at all. In 2015, the World Health Organization declared glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, to be a probable human carcinogen. The Roundup Original formulation is more than 400 times more toxic than glyphosate.
The BioIntegral Resource Center

 

Perennials

Harlequin’s has a huge selection of perennials—all neonic-free-including:
Lesotho Pink Iceplant: 1” high x 18” wide, very cold hardy, tight mat, large pink flowers
Geranium ‘Biokovo’ & ‘Karmina’: light pink/rich pink flowers, groundcover, dry shade.  Also Ballerina, cinereum Splendens, Bevan’s Variety, sanguineum & s. Album
Alyssoides graeca: yellow flowers early, xeric, 10” high 16” wide, attractive seed pods
Asclepias tuberosa: Butterfly Weed, orange flowers, 1’-2’ high, Monarch food and nectar
Callirhoe involucrata: Winecups; viney stems, purplish flowers, xeric native; 4’ diameter
Antirrhinum hispanicum roseum: Spanish Snapdragon, pink flowers all summer, z5
Sunroses-Helianthemums-1” wild rose-like flowers in many colors, xeric, evergreen
Redfeathers-Echium: russet-red spikes on 14” xeric plant, attracts hummers & b.flies
Gas Plant-Dictamnus: shiny leaves, upright spikes of orchid-like white or pink, xeric
Desert Moss-Arenaria: ½” high bright green cushion, Pt. Shade, Plant Select 2015
Coral Bells: Firefly-green leaves, red flowers tough, Plum Pudding & Can Can purples
Iris: siberica Welcome Return; pallida variegata (green& white foliage) & historic variet.
Sunset Foxglove-Digitalis obscura: 14”-16” high, small orange trumpets, great foliage
Dianthus: Tuscan Honeymoon-grassy foliage, 2’-3’ stalks of pink flowers late summer
D. gratianopolitanus-very tough groundcover. very fragrant pink flowers, durable
D. Blue Hills-the bluest foliage, fragrant flowers, 12” diam. D. Firewitch-fragrant
Pretty Betsy Centranthus-pink to coral-red selection of iron-tough Red Valerian
Erodium chrysanthem-silvery, ferny rosettes 1’-2’ wide, 4” high; single pale yellow flowers
Lilies: Regal-4’ tall, very fragrant white with yellow trumpets, easy to grow, a classic
Formosa Lily-short 12’-18” tall with large white with maroon fragrant trumpets
Molly the Witch Peony: Here it is: pale yellow goblets, attractive foliage and seed pods
Penstemon mensarum ‘Violet Mesa’-violet-blue flowers on 2’ spikes, drought tolerant
Penstemon mexicali Windwalker-garnet-red flowers on 14” spikes, Kelly Grummons orig
Phlomis russeliana-whorles of soft yellow flowers on tough, low water perennial 30”-36”
Salvia ‘Windwalker’-blood red flowers on 3-4’ spikes draw the hummers, low water, hardy
Scabiosa lucida-Fairy Pincushion: sweet and tough, 12” plant 4” high, blooms long, xeric
Seseli gummifera-Moon Carrot: silvery blue foliage, 4” umbels of pink draw all pollinators
Teucium ‘Harlequin’s Silver’– 2’-3’ diameter 4” high mounds of very silver leaves very beautiful in the winter, with purplish flowers, drought tolerant

Seeds

This year we continue to offer a wonderful selection of seeds from our local Botanical Interests for tried-and-true vegetables, herbs, flowers and sprouts. (Their seed quality is excellent, packets are adorned with exquisite botanical illustrations by local artists, and their packets are loaded with great information.) We also offer excellent wildflower seed mixes and pollinator-specific mixes from another great local seed purveyor, BBB Seeds.

For 2016 we have added a carefully selected rack of seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, a non-profit network of thousands of gardeners interested in conserving biodiversity by preserving heirloom varieties and sharing seeds. We have chosen unique and fascinating varieties that will enhance your gardening adventure.

Herbs

Our herbs are organic and we carry both culinary and medicinal. We grow some unusual ones.

We know the average American child is walking around with more than 200 industrial chemicals coursing through her bloodstream…
We are locked in with chemicals every day, and we have to find a way out.

Florence Williams

Harlequin’s Gardens has many winter-hardy cacti: chollas, ball cacti and prickly pears.
Also Agave parryi, Agave havardiana, Hesperaloe, 3 Yuccas, Bear Grass

SPECIAL PRODUCTS

Very Special Products for Your Benefit:
Compost Tea-enriches soil, prevents disease, supports & inoculates soil life, increases plant growth and flowering. We make our own from Biodynamic Compost. Local fertility: Try it!
Yum Yum Mix- 2-2-2 Vegan/Organic fertilizer for alkaline, nutrient-poor Western soils, feeds plants/microbes. Made from alfalfa, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, rock dust, green sand, humate.
Mile-Hi Rose Feed: formulated specifically for Colorado soils, mostly organic, contains 12 essential nutrients and trace minerals for roses, adds organic matter, supports microorganisms. We’ve been using this for 18 years at the Boulder-Dushanbe Tea House with great results.
Corn Gluten-a truly organic weed and feed; keeps weed seeds from growing, fertilizes with 9% N
Pharm Solutions for safe pest management: this great line of USDA certified products are made from organic essential oils & other non-toxic and good smelling ingredients.
Pure Spray Green Horticultural Oil: THE best non-toxic pest management product I know; baby oil grade has no burning on leaves; smothers aphids, mites, sawflies; no harm to lady bugs, birds
Cascade Minerals: basalt-derived micronutrients improve yield, stem strength, fruit quality and nutrient density of foods, in general improves health of plants; what is lacking in many fertilizers
Solar Caps: Season extending device that’s a big improvement over “Wall-o-Water”. Sturdy wire frames are covered with a water-filled lining, they don’t blow over, light transmission is excellent. They can be left on all season to keep the soil warm at night, which is very beneficial for tomatoes and peppers.  We planted a tomato in one April 11, it was ripe July 15.
Green Cure: nontoxic cure for powdery mildew & blackspot, tomato blight, proved effective locally

Garden by garden, person by person, day by day is how we became habituated to toxic chemicals, and in the same way, we can withdraw from oil thinking and regenerate our world in partnership with Nature.
Mikl Brawner

 

SOIL AMENDMENTS

PRODUCTS to amend soils for fertility, aeration and biological health
Expanded Shale: a shale product that is mined and fired just south of Boulder to create a porous, light “gravel” that holds both water and air, and creates optimal housing for microorganisms. Aids in water penetration of tight clay soils (a Real claybuster). Texas A&M recommends using 3” expanded shale in the top 6” of soil. (or mixing 10%-20% by volume). It does not break down, so it holds soil structure and reduces watering needs for a long time.
Composts hold water when mixed in soil supporting plants and support soil life which both bring water to plants and support them nutritionally. We carry: A-1 EcoGro-locally made from landscape and beer wastes,; Eko Compost-made locally from egg-laying chicken manure and wood wastes, Western Grow-made from local landscape wastes and food wastes; Dairy Cow-from low salt Dairy Cow manure and bedding
Mushroom Compost-fungal mass from organic mushroom farm is great for veggie gardens and all gardens
Mycorrhizal inoculants: multiplying the microorganisms especially the beneficial fungi mycorrhizae, supports a system for bring water beyond the reach of roots, to the plants and supporting their nutritional health, helping with stress.

SPECIAL SOIL PRODUCTS:
Biosol
-an OMRI certified organic fertilizer that is 90% fungal biomass, 6-1-1, made from organic soybean meal, org. cottonseed meal, sucrose, lactose and trace minerals; holds water and stimulates soil life; without salt, non-burning, weed-free
Maxfields Organics: new local company making premium soil mixes without peat from high quality ingredients: compost, coir, expanded shale, alfalfa fertilizer, rice hulls, biochar and beneficial microorganisms.
Maxfields Soil Conditioner-for amending clay soils and building raised beds
Maxfields Planting Mix-for filling planter boxes and large containers, like Earth Boxes (better than Eko Potting Soil that we carried last year?) And for topdressing vegetable gardens and planting trees and shrubs.

POTTING SOILS:
Maxfield’s Potting Soil-for transplanting seedlings, small containers, (for seed starting?)
Ocean Forest Potting Soil-their top grade with kelp meal, bat guano, crab & fish: nutrient rich: performed well
Coco Loco Potting Soil –made from Coco fiber instead of peat, looks good, we’re trying it this year

Soil is more important than oil.
Without oil we can’t drive.
But without soil, we can’t eat.

Wes Jackson

 

EVENTS & SALES

March 3:   Open for the Season: Thurs., Fri., Sat., and Sunday’s, 9-5
Beginning April 1:  Open every day 9-5; Thursdays 9-6
April 30, May 1-8th, Harlequin’s Gardens Annual May Day Celebration and Plant Sale.  Plant Sale Saturday thru Sunday, Mother’s Day;
On Saturday, April 30, from 10:30-12 don’t miss Alamos, a duet of clarinet and flute playing light classical, ragtime and folk. At 12:30-2 we will welcome Stele Earth E Man, Eco-Troubadour & children charmer AND at 2pm enjoy the original and Americana Music of Living Easy.
On Sunday, May 1, World Laughter Day, refreshments will be served, and from 11-12, don’t miss the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers who will bring us fertility and merriment. At 12:30pm, jig and reel with the excellent musicians of the Boulder Irish Session Band. From 2-3pm we are pleased to have Boulder’s own Elena Klaver doing folk, old-timey, and earth-honoring music
August 22 – 28:  Members Fall Plant Sale
Aug 29:  Harlequin’s Annual Fall Plant Sale begins for everyone. This sale continues every week in September and October.
Aug. 27: Taste of Tomato: a tomato tasting festival; CSU Co-op Extension with Harlequin’s Gardens; Held at Gateway Park, 9-1.  Bring your favorites; call/see our website for details.
October: open every day 9-5, the Sale continues.    Closed for the Season-TBA
December Holiday Market begins on Green Friday with Local Artisan Goods and Goodies every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in December.

EDUCATIONAL CLASSES

In our classes you will learn more than information. Our teachers are people who have spent years honing their skills and their experience in Colorado will help guide you to success. We are charging $15 unless otherwise stated to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. Cash and check only for classes.  Pre-register at 303-939-9403 or at Harlequin’s for these classes both in case they fill up or too few people register and we have to cancel the class. Pre-payment assures your place in the class.

Saturday, April 2, 10 am: Getting Started in Vegetable Gardening with Mimi Yanus
If you are new to Colorado, new to gardening, or have been unhappy with the results of your earlier attempts, this class is for you! Learn what you need to know to make your organic vegetable garden successful, even bountiful, in our Colorado conditions.
Saturday, April 2, 1 pm:  Organic Lawn Care with Mikl Brawner
Learn how to support healthy soil and soil life using compost, organic fertilizers, aeration, proper watering and mowing, and how to avoid and deal with weeds.
Sunday, April 3, 1 pm:  Succession Planting with local culinary gardening expert, Tracey Parrish
Learn the techniques and timing to maximize the use of your garden space and keep your vegetable garden in continual production throughout the season(s)
Saturday, April 9, 10 am: Do It Yourself Drip Irrigation w Alison Peck
Drip irrigation can be easy! It is a key part of most water conserving landscapes, but it can seem intimidating. Come learn a simple, easy to design and install system that Alison has been using for years. This drip irrigation system can be connected to an outside hose bib with a battery-operated timer, giving you inexpensive automatic watering. Save money, save water, reduce weeds, and have healthier plants. We will also discuss new efficient sprinklers that can reduce water use for lawns and groundcovers.
Saturday, April 9, 1 pm:  Seed Starting Success with Janis Keift of Botanical Interests Seed Co.   
Learn all of the background and tips for getting good germination and a healthy start with seeds, both indoors and out.
Sunday April 10, 1 pm: Viticulture with John Martin
Would you like a glass of wine from your own backyard vineyard? John will discuss grape varieties and how to get started in wine making.  He is co-owner of Stonebridge Farms in Lyons, the first CSA in Boulder County.
Saturday, April 16, 10 am: Neonicotinoid Pesticides w Mikl Brawner   
What are neonics, and how do they affect bees and other insect life? This class will show you how to avoid letting them into your yard, and choose pesticide alternatives like healthy soil, beneficial insects, and non-toxic sprays.
Saturday, April 16, 12 pm [Note time]:Top Bar Hives w Julie Finley-Ridinger
What is a top bar hive, and how is it different from other types? Julie has been working with top bar hives for over 15 years and will show you how and why she prefers them.  She will be demonstrating with the live top bar hive at Harlequin’s. Please wear light colored clothing and avoid scented body products.
Sunday, April 17, 1 pm: Baby Goat Day!  
Margaret Hollander, owner of Capering Goat Dairy, will bring several of her adorable baby goats by for a visit. Come enjoy their hilarious antics! For kids of all ages.
Sunday, April 17, 2 pm [Note time]:   Baby Bee Day! with Jessica Goldstrohm of The Bees Waggle
Kids and parents alike will enjoy this hands-on lesson about native bees and pollinators, and construction of bee habitats, including watering holes, bee blocks, and nesting tubes!
Friday, April 22 Earth Day
Saturday, April 23, 10 am: Edible Landscaping with Alison Peck 

Learn how to grow fruits, nuts, veggies, vines, herbs, perennials, even weeds in your yard, beautifully.  Discover which plants are the most successful and how to integrate them into your landscape.  Alison has been designing edible landscapes for 25 years.
Saturday, April 23, 1 pm: Undaunted Rose Pruning with Eve Reshetnik Brawner   
Learn the proper timing and methods to prune your roses.  Eve is co-owner of Harlequin’s Gardens and has been caring for roses for over 20 years.
Sunday, April 24, 1 pm:   Natives in the Garden with Mikl Brawner 
Natives are not only successful here, they are low maintenance, low water and resilient to Colorado weather. They support native birds, butterflies and bees, and they give a landscape that genuine Colorado look. Learn the plants and how to grow them.
April 30 – May 1: Annual May Day Celebration & World Laughter Day
Saturday, May 7, 10 am: Best Fruit Trees for CO with Mikl Brawner   

Learn which varieties are successful here, and how to care for them. Mikl will cover apples, cherries, plums, pears, and peaches.
Saturday, May 7, 3 pm (Note time): Raised Beds 101 w Bryant Mason 
Step-by-step description of how to start an easy and productive raised bed vegetable garden. Topics will include soil development, planting timing, fertilizing, weeding, watering, harvesting, and recommended crops. Bryant is the founder of The Urban Farm Co.
Sunday, May 8: Mothers’ Day
Saturday, May 14, 10 am: Rainwater Harvesting with Alison Peck, owner of Matrix Gardens              

Rainwater harvesting is not illegal in Colorado. The most effective ways to use rainwater/snowmelt, such as rain-gardens and pervious pavement, are legal and encouraged locally and nationally.  Learn easy ways to use this free water in your gardens while protecting yourself from flooding. Alison has 25 years’ experience.
Saturday, May 14, 1 pm: Soil Sequestration of Carbon with Elizabeth Black
Soil sequestration of carbon is a hopeful new strategy for combating climate change and promoting healthy soils.  Elizabeth will cover the whys, how’s, research, and challenges of soil sequestration. Soil can hold more carbon than all the plants above ground.
Sunday, May 15, 1 pm: Bees, Bees, Bees with Miles McGaughey
Miles, a beekeeper for more than 20 years, will discuss the fascinating world of honey bees, and demonstrate how to work with them using our live hives.  Wear light-colored clothing and avoid scented body products.
Saturday, May 21, 10 am: Native Bees with Kristina Williams  
Learn about the more than 500 species of native bees in Boulder County and how to make your garden friendly to them.
Saturday, May 21, 1pm: Edible Weeds and Wild Medicinals with
Emily Kallio

A hands-on herb class in the field: forage, taste, and delight in the wild foods nature has to offer. Learn to prepare scrumptious snacks with the “weeds” all around you.  One of our most popular and fun classes!
Sunday, May 22, 1 pm: Gardening with Mushrooms: The Magic of Mycellium with Zach Hedstrom   
There are many ways you can incorporate mushrooms and fungi in your garden and lifestyle. 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!
Saturday, May 28, 10 am: Work less, enjoy more: Using ecological understanding to create abundant landscapes w Alison Peck
Bountiful food, humming pollinators, singing birds, and splendid native gardens are all much easier when you use ecological understandings to guide your efforts.  Working with nature allows the creation of healthy ecosystems that generate healthy soil, discourage weeds, dramatically reduce insect problems and allow you to enjoy gardening more and work less.  Alison has 25 years’ experience with this.
Saturday, June 4, 10 am: Beneficial Insects with Carol O’Meara  
Most of the insects we encounter are actually good guys! Carol will help you learn the difference, and what you can do to attract them.
Saturday, June 4, 1 pm: Foraging Rocky Mountain Mushrooms: Regional Mushroom ID with Zach Hedstrom 
Learn the basics of mushroom identification and what you should know before going out on a hunt. A good class for beginners as well as those who have done some foraging before.
Saturday, June 11, 10 am:  The Allure and Romance of Old Garden Roses with Linda Taylor
Explore the beauty, fragrance, and pleasure of the old garden and heirloom roses.  Every garden deserves an old rose! Linda has grown roses for over 20 years, both here and in Montana, where she owned her own nursery.
Saturday, June 11, 1:30 pm:  (Note time)  Habitat Heroes 
Learn the basics of creating a garden that creates important habitat for wildlife.Habitat Heroes are people who practice ‘wildscaping’ – landscaping designed to attract and benefit birds, pollinators and other wildlife, providing shelter, food, water and nest materials without pesticides.
Sunday, June 12, 1 pm: Berries and Small Fruits for Colorado with Mikl Brawner
Small fruits are delicious, high in antioxidants and vitamins, and easy to grow: strawberries, raspberries, grapes, currants, and gooseberries. The best varieties for Colorado, and how to grow them.
Saturday, June 18, 10 am: 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’s been walking the walk for 35 years!
Saturday, June 18, 1 pm: Gardening at Higher Altitudes with
Diane Badertscher

Gardening above 6000’ has its own challenges.  Certain plants and strategies that can improve your success. Diane lives & gardens at 8000.’
Sunday, June 19: Fathers Day
June 20-26: National Pollinator Week
Thursday, June 23, 5 pm: [Note date and time]  What’s wrong with my tomato plant?  with Carol O’Meara

It’s that time when we are beset with all manner of tomato plant issues. Our local Colorado State Cooperative Extension Horticulture Agent and tomato expert will help diagnose problems.
Saturday, June 25, 1 pm:  Tips and Tricks of Xeriscape with Mikl Brawner
Gardening with less water is not that hard if you know how! There are tricks that will improve your success. Mikl’s will pass on his 30 years of xeriscape experience.
Sunday, June 26,1 pm: Permaculture for Everyone! with Lynn Dugay
Heard about permaculture but not sure what it’s all about? Join Lynn for a fun-filled exploration into this fascinating design system. The workshop will consist of a presentation and field work to develop your basic permaculture skills.
Saturday, July 1 pm: Basic Plant ID with Diane Badertscher
Ever wondered what kind of tree or shrub that was? Diane can show you some ways to identify some of the more common plants in the area.
Saturday, July 16, 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 and create a bubble space diagram.
Sunday, August 14, 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.
Sunday, August 21, 1 pm: Low Tech Greenhouse Design and 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.
Saturday, August 27, 10 am – 1 pm: 5th Annual Taste of Tomato

Saturday, Sept. 10, 1 pm: Pruning for Strength, Health, and Beauty with Mikl Brawner  (repeat of 8/14 class)

OUR STAFF

We are very proud of our staff, who have worked with us for so many years, so to help you to get to know us and our specialties, here are our portraits.

Laurel Brabec is on the board of the Colorado Tree Coalition. She previously worked at Timberline Nursery helping customers with trees and shrubs as well as propagation and maintenance of plants. She is also a teacher of Yoga in the Garden and is knowledgeable in patio container planting and garden design
Todd Moore has 17 year’s experience locally, giving professional help to people in choosing their plants, especially their perennials. He is also an expert tomato grower, with a book on tomatoes on its way to the publisher.
Loren Brown is an experienced beekeeper and is available to help our customers in our Bee Barn with questions about equipment and beekeeping in general.
Lola Higbie is a practicing landscape designer with many years of local experience helping people choose plants for their gardens. Lola also practices Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging
Gillian Collins is a mountain Master Gardener and a student and practitioner of Colorado Permaculture. She is experienced at helping people choose plants for their gardens.
Amy Runkle is experienced in greenhouse propagation, garden maintenance, customer service and beekeeping. She has boundless energy and curiosity, especially for insects, wildlife and, of course, plants
Elaine Walker has a degree in landscape architecture with an emphasis in ecological practices. She has her own landscape design practice, and her recent work includes designing outdoor living spaces, retaining & boulder walls, water features, native and drought tolerant plantings.
Linda Taylor, MA, Rosarian and Garden Coach Extraordinaire, has been with Harlequins since 2008. She brings a combination of education, hands-on experience, years of study, and knowledge to our nursery. For over 25 years, Linda has been studying, teaching, and growing heirloom roses. She’s owned a boutique, specialty rose nursery in Montana and created flower and vegetable gardens in the 6 western states
Diane Badertscher has her degree in horticulture and has qualified as a Certified Colorado Nursery Professional. She specializes in trees and shrubs, especially natives, and assists with our on-site beehives. Diane has lived and gardened at 8,000’ for 18 years, and brings that knowledge and experience to our customers. She is a cheerful, genuine Harlequin character who takes care of more than can be said.
Matt Patrick is trained as a CSU Master Gardener and has operated his own landscape business for the past 10 years. He has a strong knowledge of plants for our area. He has worked for the Boulder County AIDS Project, Boulder Human Relations Comm., & Foothills United Way. He excels in recycling.
Engrid Winslow has a degree in Urban Horticulture and has taken Master Gardener training. She is an excellent and educated gardener, and her new greenhouse is allowing her to propagate organic veggie starts for us. She manages both our organic vegetable production and our new Bee Barn and helps care for our bees and her home hives. Engrid makes the best jams and preserves which are for sale at the nursery.
Heather Stone worked with us 9 years ago until the birth of twins called her home. She holds a certificate in clinical herbalism, and has been gardening locally for 15 years. Her special interests include herbs, vegetables and perennials. She volunteers at Coal Creek Elementary in the Garden to Table program.
Eve Reshetnik-Brawner has always had a passion for gardening and for studying, growing and drawing plants. She has a degree in landscape architecture and over ten years of professional experience in that field. She has a special love and knowledge of roses, fragrant flowers, ornamental grasses, clematis, natives, vegetables and herbs.  Eve, with Mikl, designed the rose garden at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. In her “spare” time she is a musician, a ceramic artist and loves to cook. Eve is available for garden consultations
Mikl Brawner got his initial training along the creeks and woods of eastern Iowa. He studied biology at the University of Iowa, then went to India with the Peace Corps. Back in America, he managed a small organic apple orchard, and started a tree care business. Studying plants, researching alternatives to pesticides, and developing a xeriscape garden led him from the tree tops to a plant nursery. Now the evolving Harlequin’s Gardens is his life-work, helping the gardening community to bring nature into their personal lives and homes using sustainable plants, materials and methods. His current passion is soil health, and designing an energy-efficient greenhouse. He was honored with the 2009 PaceSetter Award for the Environment

And we’re delighted to have occasional help from: Sharron Zaun, Marty Crigler, and Marilyn Kakudo

If there were an award for staff, we should get one, because our people are very knowledgeable, experienced, dedicated, conscientious, good-hearted and fun. Our staff is so good that we have borrowed the slogan from Harrell’s Hardware: “Together, we can do it yourself.”

NEWSLETTER &
BLOG SUBSCRIPTIONS

Please subscribe to receive our newsletters and Where the Bees Are Blog by email!  https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/subscribe/

We are delighted that we now have over 9,000 customers on our mailing list, but so far only 2,550 have subscribed to receive our newsletters by email. Here are some really good reasons to join our email group.

1) Receive our occasional blogs with timely garden advice and reminders, as well as news of stock arrivals, upcoming classes, special events and sales, etc.
2) Our blog is a way we can give you detailed and up-to-date information at the time when it is relevant.
3) Save trees.
4) Help Harlequin’s Gardens to save money. We’re very happy to give you a ‘hard copy’ newsletter when you visit the nursery, or continue to mail it to you if you prefer. You can get both hardcopy and emails.

Go to https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/subscribe/ to subscribe. Please remember to add us to your Contact List so your email server doesn’t throw us in the trash.

FACEBOOK : We wish you could LOVE us on Facebook, but since that’s not possible, we hope you will LIKE us.

In the first half of 2015, fully 70% of all new
electrical power in the country came from
renewable energy installations.

The Sierra Club

 

MEMBERSHIP

All along, we have depended on recycled materials, trades, word-of-mouth promotion, generosity, kindness, passion, service and other non-corporate building blocks to create our success. This year the area that really needs your support is our new fossil fuel-free greenhouse project to produce much greater numbers of pesticide-free plants. To support the bees and all insect life, and to withdraw our investments from all sources of toxic pesticides, we are investing in this new direction.

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. Here is our expanded current offer: Members will give us $20 for a one-year membership and in direct return will receive these benefits
1) Free Harlequin’s Class of your choice, worth $15.
2) 25% discount on books all year
3) During the May Day Week get $10 off a $50 or more purchase of plants (except 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!!!

 

We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.
Pope Francis

 

HOURS & PAYMENT

This year Harlequin’s Gardens opened on March 3rd for business on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Starting in April we will be open every day 9-5 and Thursdays til 6.

And this year we ARE accepting credit cards, but cash and checks save us money and save you elevated prices.
See our website or call 303-939-9403.

THANK YOU!

Remember that passage in Genesis that says the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden? That’s one of my favorite verses. If God had wanted to, He could have zapped that garden into being, but what fun would that have been? He planted it. We don’t get to share creativity with God too often, but I feel that I have that privilege every time I put a flower in the ground or plant a seed.
Marlyn Mather, (Mikl’s mother)

AGAIN this year, ALL our plants are free of neonicotinoids, and most are free of all toxic pesticides, and again we are selling beekeeping supplies. See a list of what we are carrying on our website or come out for a look in our BEE BARN.  Be in a neighborhood, free from nerve toxin neonics, join or start a Bee Safe Neighborhood: Visit www.BeeSafeBoulder.com

Neonicotinoids were found in a little more than half the streams tested in 24 states.
U.S. Geological Survey

Thank you, local gardeners, for helping to cultivate a healthy 21st Century World.  We hope to see you soon!

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

Get all the latest news from your friends at Harlequin’s Gardens.
303-939-9403

www.harlequinsgardens.com

Harlequin’s Gardens Holiday Gift Market Final Weekend!

Winter Greetings!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Winter Solstice and Holiday Season full of good cheer, good company, good health, good food and the spirit of generosity.

If you are looking for LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE, UNIQUE, QUALITY gifts (or things for yourself), please check out our Holiday Gift Market.  We have continued to re-stock and add wonderful new items! You’ll find inspired, affordable gifts of all kinds for almost everyone on your list, many of them one-of-a-kind, and many not available anywhere else.  We’ve got everything from Hostess gifts and Stocking Stuffers to wonderful ‘Main-Course’ gifts.  See the ‘photo gallery’ below.

ONE WEEK LEFT
To shop our HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET!

Open 10 ~ 5
this Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
(Dec. 17-20)

and Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24

After December 24, Harlequin’s Gardens
will be closed until March 3, 2016

ON SALE!

This week you will find some items on sale at significant discounts –

Spring-blooming Bulbs, 50% off

Succulent Houseplants, 30% off 

Ritual Chocolate bars,15% off

Come in to find additional unadvertised bargains! 

We are profoundly grateful that the response to our market this year has been fantastic, and we’re having such a great time doing it!

Several new comments came in this week:

“LOVE your holiday market!
Products by our local creatives are always preferred,
and these are some of the best I’ve seen.
The intimate setting and helpful advice on beekeeping items
were also welcome. Thanks!”

“So warm and cozy –
wish I could have stayed longer to keep shopping!
Beautiful music, too! May have to go back next weekend…”
“Of course the music was lovely and the quality of the artisans.
There were also some tasty morsels to sample.
The atmosphere was festive.”

WHERE THE BEES ARE IN THE WINTER

Just like us, bees huddle together indoors when it is snowy and cold.  For them, it is all about protecting the queen and the small amount of brood rearing that is going on.  Honeybees live longer in the winter months because they don’t wear themselves out foraging for honey and pollen.  On warm days (above 50) they will leave the hive and take “cleansing flights”, which means exactly what it sounds like!  They will also freely access honey stores in the top box.  Many beekeepers have already put pollen and/or sugar patties on top of the bottom brood box where the bees can easily access it.  The bees rotate from the inside to the outside of the cluster and may grab a nip of food while on the outside.   If you put your ear to the outside opening of the hive you can hear the gentle buzz of the colony generating warmth.  Sadly, many of the bees on the outside of the cluster sacrifice themselves to keep their sisters and the queen warm.   Fingers are crossed and hopes are high that the colony will survive the cold dark nights and have enough food in their reserves (and with some supplementation).

Solitary and native bees, even bumblebees, do not over-winter as a colony.  Only the queen, and in some cases larvae, are present in nesting boxes, holes in wood or underground.  Their chances of surviving the winter are much better than a honeybee hive.

WHAT TO GIVE A BEEKEEPER?

Gloves are always a welcome gift because as the beekeeper works the hives, they get sticky and stiff from propolis and honey.  They don’t really wash well and need to be replaced.  The ones we carry in the Bee Barn tend to run quite large so be sure to buy a size or even two smaller than regular gloves.  It’s no fun to have bits of glove hanging off the end of your fingers getting caught between frames and the hive.
Log Book – Every good beekeeper should keep records of the status of their hives every time they look in the hive or observe bee behavior.  We carry the “Mighty Giant” version which is bright yellow with weatherproof pages.
Hive Tools – Beekeepers love their hive tools and like to have different ones for different uses.  If the beekeeper on your list only has the regular hive tool, they will appreciate receiving one of the more unusual ones such as the extra long or the multi-tool.
Books – We have a number of great books including the textbook for the Boulder County Beekeepers’ Beekeeping Class, which will start in January.  One book that is extremely popular is the recently published Beekeeping, Mentor in a Book by local beekeeper Donald Studinsky.  This is a valuable, month by month guide to beekeeping packed with valuable information including the recipe for making your own sugar patties.

WHAT TO GIVE A BEE LOVER?

Come in and check out our metal bee garden stakes, queen bee key rings, books about gardening for bees and native pollinators, bee hand puppets from Folkmanis, locally hand-made majolica bee bowls, mugs and candle sticks and, of course, our huge selection of locally-crafted beeswax candles.

Still don’t know what to give?  Talk with one of our beekeepers on staff, either Engrid, Diane or Amy is there every day the Holiday Market is open, for even more great ideas and of course a Harlequin’s Gift Certificate suits everyone!

Thank you for your continued support!

Warmly,Eve & Mikl Brawner
and the Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

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

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Holiday Gift Market 2015

Welcome to our
Holiday Gift Market 2015!

  

Harlequin’s Gardens will reopen on Green Friday (Nov. 27) for 4 weeks of our 4th annual Holiday Gift Market!

Come visit us!
Open 10 ~ 5
every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
from Nov 27 ~ Dec 24

Our Holiday Gift Market is back for its 4th fabulous year, again featuring unique and exceptional goods crafted by local artisans, delicious local artisan foods, and sustainable, innovative, fun and practical goods for home and garden. So many of you have told us that our Holiday Gift Market is your favorite holiday shopping experience, that you appreciate our focus on locally-made and responsible products, and that you found outstanding, affordable presents at Harlequin’s for everyone on your list. Several friends who live outside our region lament that they dearly wish they could afford to fly to Boulder just to shop our Holiday Gift Market, because we have “the best gifts anywhere!”.

This year many of our artisans and products are back, and we’ve added lots of exciting new products, artisans and producers! Two areas in which we’ve expanded notably are Jewelry and Ceramics, with more exceptional   locally-crafted items than ever. And our Bee Barn will be open during the Holiday Market, so you can purchase supplies for your hives, or get the perfect gift for an aspiring or active beekeeper!  As always, you’ll find many choices of everything from ‘stocking-stuffers’ to ‘necessary luxuries’ for men, women and children.

Every day of our Holiday Market offers a chance to escape from the ordinary and repetitive mass-market Christmas music that assails us everywhere else.  You will especially enjoy our Holiday Open House (see below), when we will again present exquisite live music from some our very best local talent, along with tasty goodies and organic hot cider!

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

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!  To enter this drawing, bring in our entry form (the postcard we mailed to you in our Fall Newsletter), OR print a copy from our website at this link: Printable Entry Form ………….  and present it when you shop our Holiday Market.

Please join us for our
  HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

~~~ November 27th, 28th & 29th ~~~
Featuring Great Live Music & Homemade Treats

 

Music Schedule

Friday Nov. 27

11:30am to 1:30pm PAUL VISVADER, World music guitar

Saturday Nov. 28

11:00am to1:00pm ELENA KLAVER – Original and Folk Songs with Guitar
1:00pm to 3:00pm RYAN DAKOTA FARRIS – Classical, Celtic & World Cello, fiddle, whistle

Sunday Nov. 29

11:00am to 1:00pm RICHARD BACKES, Celtic fiddle, guitar, & vocals
1:00 pm to 2:30pm MARGOT KRIMMEL, Celtic & original harp

CDs by some of these and other fine local artists will be for sale in our Holiday Market!

HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET OFFERINGS

  Make a Taste of Colorado Gift Basket –
a perfect gift for almost everyone!

FINE LOCAL ARTISAN TREATS

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

Back by public 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!

Engrid’s Fine Fruit Preserves – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

Many of you already know that our own Engrid Winslow makes jams, jellies and chutneys that make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure. She uses fresh, organic fruit, (local whenever possible) and very little sugar, so the fruit flavors shine. She makes the classics as well as many delicious originals, like Sweet Cherry with Orange, Meyer Lemon Honey Marmalade, Peach Honey Vanilla Bean, and Wild Blueberry Lemonade, to name just a few. You’ll find delicious uses for Engrid’s preserves, in breakfasts, hors d’oevres, salad dressings, glazes, and desserts.

Truffles by Robin Chocolates

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.”

Balsamic Nectar

A best-seller at our Holiday Gift Markets, Balsamic Nectar is a high-quality balsamic vinegar reduction made in Boulder by our friend Ben. It comes very close to Italy’s ‘Traditional Balsamic Vinegar’, which takes many years, even decades of barrel-aging to mature to a thick, richly-flavored, sweet glaze, quite different from ordinary Balsamic vinegars. The reduction process developed by Balsamic Nectar is entirely natural yet doesn’t heat the vinegar, accelerating the aging to just a couple of months, and making this ‘magic ingredient’ far more affordable. Balsamic Nectar gives the perfect finishing touch to cheeses, grilled or roasted veggies or meats, fresh berries, even ice cream!

Lamborn Mountain Culinary Lavender & Lavender Earl Grey Tea

Lamborn Mountain’s lavender and goat milk body-care products, made in Paonia, CO, by our friends Carol and Jim Schott, are a great favorite at Harlequin’s. Now, in addition we are offering their homegrown and hand-harvested organic culinary lavender, and lovely small tins of their delicious and aromatic organic Earl Grey tea with lavender buds.  Both make wonderful, unique stocking-stuffers.

Ritual Chocolate

Chocolate to live for! Ritual Chocolate is a quality-focused small-batch craft chocolate started out in Denver and is now made in Park City, Utah. Their old-world, artisan approach and dedication to every detail of the complex process produces chocolate as delicious, distinctive and memorable as fine wine – meant to be savored. Ritual’s single-origin chocolate is hand-crafted by traditional methods with ethically-sourced cacao from several choice growers around the world. Unlike most chocolatiers, who buy their beans already roasted, or even fully processed, Ritual starts with raw beans and they hand-sort, roast, winnow, mix, refine, conche, age, temper, mold and wrap (bet you didn’t know how much goes into making a really good chocolate bar!). We offer 4 varieties of their single-source organic bars.  Combine with some Askinosie Sipping Chocolate and Victoria’s Truffles for a chocolate-lover’s dream gift!

St. Claire’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 tins! Incredibly cheap!

Organic India Teas

The most delicious, the most righteous teas! Organic India is a Boulder-based grower of Tulsi, (also known as Holy Basil) and all of the other ingredients in their organic, beyond fair-trade products. Tulsi teas have many health benefits including reducing stress, supporting the immune system, aiding digestion, balancing energy, and relieving allergy symptoms. Tulsi is also delicious, and we carry six great flavors: Original, Tulsi Ginger, Tulsi Rose, Tulsi Jasmine, Masala Chai, and Tulsi Breakfast. Organic India is a leader in sustainable business, cultivating ecology with organic/biodynamic practices while supporting social justice and dignity.

Askinosie Chocolate – Harlequin’s Exclusive! 

The only other product in this category not made in Colorado, we felt compelled to go a bit farther, to Springfield, Missouri, to bring you the finest single-origin artisan Sipping Chocolatesand chocolate bars available. Askinosie’s products are also ethically-sourced, well beyond Fair-Trade requirements, and they engage in a truly progressive relationship with their Missouri staff and with the cacao growers and their communities. We offer their heavenly Single Origin Sipping Chocolate and their unique, original Gingerbread Spice chocolate bar.  Sipping chocolate is just like drinking a chocolate bar- thick, rich, and indulgent. Simply mix with milk or heavy cream and enjoy.

Wellspring Way Herb-Infused Honeys – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

What a yummy way to take your medicine! Herbalist Leslie Lewis uses herbs from her medicinal garden and raw, unpasteurized honey from her hive to produce these delicious and healing condiments. All the beneficial enzymes in the honey have been preserved in the low-temperature infusion process. Three infusions are offered – Rosehip, Lavender and Ginger, each with uses in teas, glazes for roasted or grilled foods, and much more. Leslie also teaches wonderful herbal classes for us during the gardening season.

Local Raw Honey

Slow honey is a raw honey produced by Donald Studinski, dba Honeybee Keep. Don is a beekeeper and permaculture enthusiast who applies permaculture philosophy to beekeeping and manages Colorado’s first Certified Naturally Grown apiaries. His hives are located from Golden to Nederland to Erie.  Don is a respected and popular mentor, teacher and author.  His book “Beekeeping Mentor in a Book”, a monthly guide for Colorado Beekeepers, is available in our Bee Barn whenever we are open.

Tim Brod is a master beekeeper who keeps over a dozen apiaries around Boulder County. He moves the hives several times a year to take advantage of timely and diverse nectar flows – it is not a monoculture honey. Tim’s Highland Honey is delicious and pure, and contains the natural enzymes that make it an extremely healthy food as well. The honey is raw, unfiltered and unheated – never subjected to temperatures higher than the natural temperatures found in beehives, 95 degrees F. The honey is also creamed, ensuring that it will never become crystallized hard. It comes in attractive hexagonal jars.

BEEKEEPING & GARDENING

BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES

We at Harlequin’s Gardens have loved and supported bees for a long, long time. We also know that many of our customers keep bees, or would like to learn more about how to support bees and other pollinators and how to keep honeybee hives.  So, early this year we transformed the back portion of our building into The Bee Barn (painted the color of honey, of course!).

Our new Bee Barn is full of a good selection of products including

Langstroth hive equipment such as starter kits, Deep, Medium and Honey Supers (both assembled and unassembled) as well as a selection of Top Bar hives.  We have locally constructed Top Bar Hives made with Beetle-Kill Pine and screened bottoms. Come and check out our great selection of Hive Tools, Equipment, Protective Gear, Feeding supplies and great books including the recently published, “Beekeeping Mentor in a Book” by local beekeeping expert, Don Studinski, as well as other helpful books and accessories.

If you are a new beekeeper, we can help you decide what you need because we have beekeepers on staff to answer questions and give advice. You will find our prices are quite reasonable.  Beekeeping equipment may be just the perfect gift for someone on your holiday list, so come and take a look!

Succulents

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.

Beauty Beyond Belief Seeds

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

Bulbs – 50% off!

We still have some wonderful Tulip, Narcissus, Crocus and other bulbs, and they’re priced to move! 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. Please come and give these beauties a good home!

Sprouters & Sprouting Seeds

Keep growing green food through the winter!  We have Botanical Interests sprouters and sprouting seeds waiting for you.

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

2016 Stella Natura Astrological Planting Calendar

The Stella Natura Wall Calendar is an easy-to-use, informative and beautiful planting and gardening calendar that shows the best times to take advantage of the cosmic influences of the moon, sun and planets. This is a research-based system that is used by Biodynamic farmers and gardeners.  We have been using this calendar for 22 years and believe it has helped with germination of seeds, root development of cuttings, and healthy plant development. More than just a calendar – it’s packed with valuable information and insights for successful growing, from seed to harvest.

Mikl will be giving a class in Planting by the Moon in March 2016, which will help you better understand and get the most out of your astrological planting calendar.

Japanese Knife-Weeders

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

Our Favorite Gardening Tools 
Japanese Knife-Weeders (see above)
Radius Trowels (ergonomic)
Radius Pro Spade (ergonomic)
Radius Pro Garden Fork (ergonomic)
Radius ‘Garden Shark’ Ergonomic Rake
World’s Best Trowel
Garden Bandit Weeders
High-quality clippers, shears and loppers

ART & HOME ACCESSORIES

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 wonderful salt-fired cups decorated with birds and other wildlife that remind us of ancient cave paintings.  We also continue to offer Lois’s elegant hand-made embossed greeting cards and holiday tree ornaments.

The Hands Work

Arel Mishory has a long and interesting history in art and craft. After college she traveled in Mexico, Israel and Europe, learning local crafts and customs, sketching ideas in journals that she still refers to years later. She and her husband have had a weaving and textile studio in Israel, and then a porcelain button and jewelry studio in New Mexico for many years. Now Arel is in Denver, making small paintings, painted metal amulets, personal  and house-blessings, clocks, cards, etc., and they are all delightful! They draw on the folk art themes she studied in her travels, and her Jewish faith.

Baby Quilts, Quilted Pot-holders, Placemats & Table-Runners

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

Peace Garlands

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

Abeego Natural, Reusable Eco Food Storage Wraps – Harlequin’s Exclusive

We love this! A great natural way to keep food fresh and safe, and reduce our reliance on plastic. Abeego uses durable, natural hemp/cotton fabric, which they infuse with a blend of 100% natural, simple ingredients – pure beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin, all known for their preservative properties, to make a versatile, breathable wrapping or cover for storing foods. Using gentle pressure and the warmth of your hands, shape the flat square to tightly cover a bowl of leftovers, wrap up cheese, form around produce, baked goods, etc. Abeego is malleable and slightly adhesive at room temperature and will stiffen when cool, holding the shape you created.  The beeswax coating is fluid-resistant, keeps food fresh longer than plastic, and is easy to clean. With proper care, you can expect Abeego to last over a year. Each 3-pack contains a 7”, 10”, and a 13” sheet. Made in Canada.

TG Nature Photos

In his color photography, Martin Tobias has captured some amazing, special moments in nature. He has a keen eye, and the patience and persistence to be in the right place at the right time (in other words, it’s no accident). From Martin’s bio – “Thank you for taking the time to view a little of nature’s beauty through my lens, and for savoring with me some of the few, never-to-be-repeated moments to which I’ve tried to give permanence!” We think you will appreciate his remarkable photos of herons, owls, pelicans, and local landscapes, sold matted or framed. Martin lives in Niwot.

Porcelain Pods and Cactus Cups

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 (like women) 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 some of her Ikebana ‘pods’, perfect for small, informal arrangements or mini-bouquets, and her fanciful pods that can hang on the wall or mount on a garden stake. And this year we are thrilled to have some of Willi’s ‘Cactus’ cups, as well!

Luminous Arts

Our friend Tricia Grable is an artist and has been working in fiber arts and painting for many years. This year we will have her wonderful cards and her vibrant fruit and vegetable print napkin sets.

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, and zipper bags.

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 an doorway, deck, porch, window or wall. Hand-made in Lafayette, CO.

Ceramic Garlic Keepers

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

Mary Lynn 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 25 years, and is a long-time member of the Boulder Potter’s Guild. We have some of Mary Lynn’s wall nichos, which can be used in the home or garden as small personal shrines, a place to perch a votive candle, a flower or other ‘offering’, as well as other wall-mounted pieces for home or garden, unique planters (wonderful for houseplants, especially succulents!), and holiday tree ornaments.

Majolica Bee Ceramics

Our friends Thea Tenenbaum and Raffaele Malferrari are well known around Boulder and beyond for their charming tradition-based Italian majolica pottery. We asked them to design and create some small candleholders with a bee motif, to fit the beautiful Niwot Honey Farm beeswax taper candles we carry.  They make a delightful gift for almost anyone (especially paired with the beeswax tapers).   And this year we’re delighted to have exquisitely detailed bee mugs, spoon-rests and dessert bowls!

Woodcut Print Calendars, Cards

Theresa Haberkorn, acclaimed woodcut printmaker, has made Boulder her home for two decades.  Her masterful prints are found in exhibits and collections nation-wide, and she teaches her art form as well. Theresa brings her art to household items as well, hand-crafting an artful wall calendar, greeting cards and hand-made books.

Bells & Chimes

From within his solar-powered studio in the foothills beyond Lyons, artist Lane Dukart creates one-of-a-kind stoneware bells and chimes, each individually cast and hand-carved with original designs, inspired by the natural beauty that surrounds him. He applies only natural oxides to accentuate the clay’s inherent earthy tones and the rustic textures of his carvings. The durable stoneware clay is fired to over 2000 degrees F, making it impervious to the elements, able to withstand rain, snow and wind, and can be hung outdoors. The gentle tones evoked by the movement of the bells and chimes are soothing and pleasing. Each finished composition is unique.

Smudges

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

Meteorites and Petrified Wood

Give a gift that’s out of this world! Our friend Fred Hall is a first-class rock hound. He is especially intrigued with fossil wood and meteorites and is offering both in our Holiday Gift Market this year. These stony meteorites (all found in the Sahara region) originated in the asteroid belt. They’re about 4.566 billion years old — comparable with Earth’s age — and are bits of small asteroids that didn’t separate into crust, mantle, and melted metal core, so the iron-nickel metal is sprinkled through the silicate rock like pepper in scrambled eggs. So when you look at these, you are seeing some of the oldest things in the solar system! Some of the pieces will also have some black fusion crust on the surface from their journey through Earth’s atmosphere.

The fossil wood specimens are all from Utah, and date from the Jurassic Morrison formation, about 145 million years old, while others are from the Triassic Chinle layer, about 210 million years old. Colors come from trace bits of iron oxides, manganese, and other ions. Often the preservation of structures is so detailed that the individual tracheids making up the rings and rays of the wood are still visible under good magnification!

Traveling With Watercolors

Leon Loughridge is an accomplished watercolor painter and woodblock print artist whose beautiful work is exhibited nationally and is included in many museum and private collections. He has decades of experience sketching ‘en plein air’ and has compiled a group of products to aid the artist working out of doors. His excellent softcover book, ‘Traveling with Watercolors’ shows how to develop a plein air sketch with three levels of values. His traveling watercolor kits are perfect, compact sets of watercolor supplies, all housed in sturdy zippered cases, with the contents held in place so they will not fall out. He also offers a light-weight wood traveling easel. Leon publishes his books and prints through his publishing house, Dry Creek Art Press, located in Denver.

Raven Mugs

Shelley Goddard has lived in Boulder for over 35 years and has been involved in a wide variety of creative local business ventures. She founded Boulder Arts and Crafts, one of the nation’s oldest and most successful artist cooperatives, and in the early 1990’s opened “As You Wish”, the vanguard stores for the “Paint Your Own” pottery concept. Shelley has enjoyed teaching a variety of art and business classes since the early 1970’s and works from her home studio.

PERSONAL ADORNMENT

Sarah deAngelo Designs

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.

heARTfelt Hand-Felted Bags

Lisa Robb’s experiments in wool felting led to the discovery of her own technique for embedding patterned silk in the surface of the felt. The resulting gorgeous, textured and color-saturated, one-of-a kind purses, handbags and shoulder bags will make treasured gifts for the gals on your list. Paisley, floral, tie-dye, geometric – the variety is unlimited! Hand-made in Aurora, CO.

True June

Jennifer Grant’s fine semi-precious bead necklaces and bracelets beg to be worn every day. The small beads are crocheted into a super-fine and slightly stretchy cord. They are so charmingly simple, and almost weightless, making them easy to wear with everything. I know people who never take them off.

Finer Edge Jewelry

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.

aGain and Sweet Ann Marie’s

Ann Mitchell loves to sew! And she loves to recycle. So it’s only natural that she would put the two together and create fun fashion by re-purposing high-quality wool and cashmere sweaters to make wonderful one-of-a-kind jackets, coats, ‘arm cozies’ and cashmere baby caps. We also carry her very cozy and flattering fleece hats.

In her line of children’s clothing, Sweet Ann Marie’s, she makes adorable aprons, reversible dresses, onesies, baby booties and more!Ann sews up a storm in her Lafayette, CO studio.

Twenty Pound Tabby Earrings and Ornaments – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

We’ve known Cheryl for many years in the context of her expertise in Roses (she grows about 500 of them in her home garden), and Morris Dancing (Cheryl, husband and kids have all danced with the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers at our May Day Festivals). A few years ago we discovered that she is also a multi-talented craftswoman. Her whimsical ornaments are original designs, meticulously hand-dyed, painted and beaded, sewn on a 1948 Singer sewing machine, and stuffed. They are double sided so they look good from all angles. Because of the nature of the hand dyeing and hand painting, no two ornaments are ever exactly alike. This year she has added delightful faerie ornaments.  Cheryl also makes felted Acorn Earrings, made with real acorn caps, dainty Czech Glass Flower Earrings, and

Scandinavian Slipper Socks – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

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

Shift Jewelry

This affordable and fun line of earrings from Lisa Jascott of Denver features enameled and patina finishes on copper. Simple shapes, great colors, and subtle adornment are the hallmarks of this easy-to-wear jewelry.

Lynn Mattingly

This year, in addition to her fabulous quilted items, our friend Lynn has brought us some of her luxurious and exuberantly hand-painted silk scarves. Lynn is all about color, and this is nowhere more evident than in these lovely scarves.

Crow Jane Jewelry

Jessica Thomas has developed several lines of very beautiful and affordable jewelry that are like musical variations on a theme, with graceful, original motifs used in many ways, all of which fit together perfectly to present a look that harkens to ancient, indigenous and mystical symbolism. Her pieces are right on trend, yet absolutely distinctive and original. Her long necklaces are simultaneously dramatic and feminine. Okay, enough words – you just have to come see them!

Dana Birke Designs

Dana Birke works from her little studio in the Boulder foothills. With this vantage point, her inspiration comes from the nature surrounding her – the simplicity and jewel-tones of the wildflowers, aspens, stones and skies. She uses fine metals (often recycled) and gemstones to make subtly elegant jewelry that is easy to wear, regardless of your age or style.

Art by Shea

Fort Collins resident Shea Henke is an adventurous and artful young man who began making jewelry and dream-catchers from salvaged wire at the age of 9. Over the years he has studied numerous techniques and now works extensively with jewelry design, metals and fibers. Shea has also traveled from Alaska to the Amazon, and brought home new materials and inspirations. He will be graduating from college this December with a degree in Business and Nonprofit Management. We think his heart and his art are in the right place!

Union Studio Metals

Michele Keller of Denver applies her metalworking artistry to brass and bronze to make bold and highly wearable (and affordable) rings, bracelets and necklaces that go from daytime casual to evening dress-up with ease.

BODY CARE

Dr. Brawner’s Healing Aloe 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).

Kisu Neroli Lip Balm

Created by Plum Botanicals, a small fair-trade organic skin-care line based here in Boulder. This long-lasting lip balm is based on wild-collected African shea butter from a 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.

Blair’s Herbals

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

Wellspring Way Herbals

A certified clinical herbalist since 2006, our friend Leslie Lewis is passionate about growing and using plants for their remarkable healing properties. Her beehive and beautiful xeric garden in Longmont provide most of the raw ingredients for Wellspring Way’s salves and infused honeys, all of which are organic, nutrient-dense, and pesticide-free. The very effective salves address a number of conditions – insomnia, lung congestion, fungal infection, rash & sunburn, and cracked skin. New this year, will be an eczema treatment as well.  The herb- infused honeys offer a healing and delicious condiment with many culinary uses. Leslie also teaches a popular class in Medicinals as Ornamentals in a Xeriscape for Harlequin’s Gardens in the summer.

NovAurora Natural Skin Care

Founded in 2000 by our friend Pamela Lambert in Boulder, novAurora Natural Skin Care makes unscented skin-care products for men and women from pure, botanical, body-friendly ingredients – organically grown where available – that promote skin health and beauty, regenerate skin on the cellular level. And stimulate the body to produce its own life-giving nutrients, while doing no harm to the environment or other living beings. Their products include: Soap-free Facial Cleanser (Eve’s favorite), Lotion Potion (for potters and gardeners), Pure Organic Jojoba Oil, Odorless Organic Shea Butter, Weekend Warrior Balm with MSM.  All novAurora products are non-toxic, vegan, gluten-free, and never tested on animals.

‘Trementina’ Traditional Pinyon Salve – Harlequin’s Exclusive!

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

Lamborn Mt. Farmstead Lotion, Soaps, Hydrosol and Culinary Lavender

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

Lavender Skin-Care Products by Colorado Aromatics

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

BJ’s Hikers

Barbara Schumacher is a watercolor artist and the mother of clay artist MaryLynn Schumacher (see Art & Home section) and 3 other daughters. She has been designing and making hiking sticks since 1999, after finding a nearly perfect fallen stick on a hiking trail. Barbara’s wood is always found in its fallen state and never cut down. Each of her hiking sticks is unique, featuring such designs as petroglyphs, trees, birds, paw prints. When you give someone you love (yourself?) one of BJ’s sticks, you help keep them safer on the trail, and give them a walking companion for life!

BRAIN FOOD

Join us on Sun., Dec. 13 (Time TBA) for a book signing with Katrina Blair!

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.

Spiders in Your Neighborhood, A Field Guide to Your Local Spider Friends

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.

Farm Fork Food: A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm

The Denver Post calls Eric Skokan and his pioneering farm-to-table enterprises “the most ambitious do-it-yourself chef and restaurateur in Colorado, and among the most accomplished in the nation. In terms of the blossoming ‘locavore’ or local food movement, Skokan is a leader.” The 130-acre Black Cat Farm supplies Eric’s two highly acclaimed restaurants in downtown Boulder, Bramble & Hare and Black Cat Bistro, as well as a Farmer’s Market booth and CSA.  Eric pours his unbounded energy into working hard at all of these enterprises, and loves every part of it. In ‘Farm Fork Food’ Eric shares his cooking philosophy, love of quality ingredients, “Things I’ve learned along the way”, and his inspirational recipes, and invites home cooks to feel the immediacy and excitement of vegetables and fruits just plucked from the garden. The 219 fabulous recipes are rooted in the seasons and the flavors unique to the Front Range region and are beautifully photographed by Con Poulos.

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.

Gardening and Nature Books

Winter is the season when most gardeners get to read gardening books to help them plan and dream their next gardening season. We have an excellent supply of the best books for gardeners and aspiring gardeners, as well as homesteaders.  For the most accurate gardening advice for your Colorado garden, look to our local garden writers!

‘Organic Gardener’s Companion’ by Jane Shellenberger, editor & publisher of the Colorado Gardener magazine, offers up-to-date Colorado-specific advice on every aspect of organic vegetable gardening.
We also have recent books from Colorado’s ‘garden-laureates’ Lauren Springer Ogden & Scott Ogden, including the new revised ‘Undaunted Garden’.
And we have other great books by local garden and nature experts: Dan Johnson’s newly edited ‘Meet the Natives’, Susan Tweit (Colorado Wildscapes),
Gwen Moore Kelaidis (Hardy Succulents), Jim Knopf (Waterwise Landscaping), Tammi Hartung (Homegrown Herbs), Denver Botanic Gardens (Steppes), and more!

Children’s Books

Children have a lively interest in the natural world. They love vivid pictures, but they are bored if we dumb it down for them. These children’s books are fascinating even for adults, full of in-depth science, but graphic and fun—many with projects and activities that make facts real. Also great story books, beautifully told and illustrated – from classic fairy tales to Salman Rushdi’s ‘Luka and the Fire of Life’. Last but not least, the wonderful Peter Yarrow Songbook & CD.  In addition, we have many youth orientated interactive items that put kids in touch with and teaches about nature and natural history.

The Boulder Irish Session ~ Next Sunday at Conor’s

New and hot-off-the-press! At 29 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 come together on Sunday evenings at Conor O’Neil’s Pub in downtown Boulder to share tunes and songs of the Celtic tradition. Over the years, the Session has gained many loyal followers who know they will always hear some of the best, most spirited live traditional Irish and Celtic music in the region on any given Sunday, comparable to sessions in Galway and County Clare. Harlequin’s Gardens co-owner Eve Brawner is one of the founding members of the Boulder Irish Session and is still a ‘regular’ there, playing English concertina, and singing.

This summer the Session produced their second CD, ‘Next Sunday at Conor’s’. This vibrant, live-in-the-studio CD, is comprised of 18 tracks, presenting 38 of our favorite tunes and songs, played by an ensemble of Session members on fiddle, flute, banjo, concertina, button accordion, harp, tin whistle, octave mandolin (bouzouki), guitar, bodhran and vocals.

Elena Klaver – ‘Promise of Spring’ CD

Elena, whose music has been compared to Kate Wolf, has played individually and with a number of groups in the Denver/Boulder area, including the Mother Folkers. Her traditional and original music has been a longtime contribution to numerous peace, justice, and environmental gatherings and events. Based in the activist tradition, her music expresses an emotional and spiritual dimension and connection that inspires us to continue working for a better world. Reflecting Elena’s fluency in both Spanish and English (she works full time as a professional interpreter), the CD’s songs- mostly in English, with a couple in Spanish- also serve as a bridge between languages, cultures and people. And Elena’s lovely voice is and warm and sweet.

Her songs have been recorded by a number of other musicians, including the award-winning duo Magpie. Her song for Native American political prisoner Leonard Peltier, Dakota Wind, appears on an anthology of songs that includes the work of Bruce Cockburn, Joanne Shenandoah, and Buffy Sainte Marie. She has shared the stage with such venerable folk musicians and activists as the late Utah Phillips, Si Kahn, John McCutcheon, and the late Mimi Fariña, among others. Elena is joined on this CD by a number of other accomplished local musicians.
Come and hear Elena live, at 11 am Saturday Nov. 28, during our Holiday Open House.

Jon Sousa ~ Jon Sousa Solo, SuanTrai (with Adam Agee, fiddle)

Jon is one of the rising stars of Traditional Irish music and solo finger-style guitar as well as banjo, and has studied and performed to much acclaim in Ireland and Europe as well as Colorado.  Jon’s musical journey started early in his life, including rock and electronic dance music, but after moving to Boulder in 2003, he fell deeply in love with Traditional Irish music. His impeccable technique and the grace and passion of his playing are dazzling.  Jon teaches and performs solo and as a duo with the equally talented Adam Agee on fiddle, and can sometimes be found at the Boulder Irish Session at Conor O’Neil’s on Sunday evenings.

Gift Certificates

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

We are very appreciative of your support and wish you a season of joy and fulfillment!  We look forward to seeing you soon at our Holiday Gift Market.

Warmly,
Eve & Mikl Brawner
and the Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Blog #2 here

Harlequin’s Gardens Holiday Gift Market continues!

Greetings to our Customers & Friends!

It’s December 10 and I still have Autumn Crocus blooming in my garden!

Well, at least this year we are having a gradual (if late) journey into Winter. And very soon we will see the lengthening of the days, and before you know it, bees sipping nectar from early spring crocus!  By the way, we still have some great Spring-flowering Bulbs, at 50% OFF! And you can still plant them successfully!

As you celebrate the season, we invite you to come (or come again) to our Holiday Gift Market, which is open for its

Final 2 Weeks!
Open 10 ~ 5 every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday through Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

Enjoy home-made cookies, jam samples and a cup of hot cider while you shop local in a warm, rustic and relaxed atmosphere.

Enter our DAILY PRIZE DRAWINGS and GRAND PRIZE DRAWING to win valuable $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES! 

Discover why customers tell us:

“I hate to shop – I even buy my socks online!
But I LOVE to shop at Harlequin’s holiday gift market!”
“It doesn’t feel like shopping; it’s more like a jolly visit with family!”

“No need to go elsewhere.
Unique, affordable local art and products for everyone on my list –
simply the best I’ve ever found at a holiday market!”
“Shopping here is such a relief!”
“Great local crafts & treats”

…and many more enthusiastic comments!

We have NEW ITEMS and lots of RESTOCKED ITEMS!

Safe and Fun Toys, Clothing, & Books for Kids

Brand New CDs by Boulder Irish Session, White Birds (Margot Krimmel & Beth Gadbaw

Unique Hand-made Jewelry, Hats, Socks, Gloves, Scarves, by local artisans

Locally hand-made Ceramic Planters for your succulents and other house-plants

Beautiful Holiday and other Greeting Cards by local artists

Locally hand-crafted Quilts, Potholders, Placemats, Table Runners, Aprons, Napkins

Fine locally-crafted Ceramic Mugs and other Clay Art

Excellent Books by award-winning local authors

Delicious Specialty Foods by the best local producers, including Harlequin’s Exclusives and fabulous Chocolates!

Locally-made non-toxic Body-Care products

 

 

 

Fine Art, Craft and Seasonal Ornaments by local artisans Indoor Succulent Gardens

Eco Products for Sustainable Living
 
Gardening Tools & Accessories
……………and MORE!

We have been able to re-stock some of our most popular items
, such as Eve’s grain-free Pecan Shortbread cookies, up-cycled wool and cashmere ‘arm-cozies’ from Ann Mitchell, Robin Chocolate truffles, wood-block printed tea towels and calendars from Theresa Haberkorn, many of our great local body-care products, beeswax candles, and ceramic pieces by Willi Eggerman, Thea & Rafaele, Lois Edgar and others, ornaments from Twenty Pound Tabby, Ritual chocolate bars, and many more items!
AND, we have some exciting new artists and new items from the artists you already know.

Sondra Finch, a new artist for us, just brought in a big armload of fabulous, fun hand-knitted hats and head bands!Mark Andreas, author of the very popular and inspiring ‘Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree’ brought us his hot-off-the-press new book, “Waltzing with Wolverines: Finding connection & cooperation with troubled teens’.

Ann Mitchell brought in wonderful new skirts and tops made from re-purposed garments.

Beth Gallovic recently dropped off delightful stuffed, re-purposed fabric turtles, great as toys and as pillows.

AND, gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, meticulously hand-made silk Bandhani Scarves from Gujarat, India are ON SALE for 25% off! Last chance! 

New and restocked items continue to arrive, so keep checking back!

Gift Certificates

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

We are grateful for your support,and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Warmly,
Eve & Mikl Brawner
and the Marvelous Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

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

www.harlequinsgardens.com

Harlequin’s Gardens Holiday Gift Market Final Weekend!

Winter Greetings!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Winter Solstice and Holiday Season full of good cheer, good company, good health, good food and the spirit of generosity.

If you are looking for LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE, UNIQUE, QUALITY gifts (or things for yourself), please check out our Holiday Gift Market.  We have continued to re-stock and add wonderful new items! You’ll find inspired, affordable gifts of all kinds for almost everyone on your list, many of them one-of-a-kind, and many not available anywhere else.  We’ve got everything from Hostess gifts and Stocking Stuffers to wonderful ‘Main-Course’ gifts.  See the ‘photo gallery’ below.

ONE WEEK LEFT
To shop our HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET!

Open 10 ~ 5
this Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
(Dec. 17-20)

and Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24

After December 24, Harlequin’s Gardens
will be closed until March 3, 2016

ON SALE!

This week you will find some items on sale at significant discounts –

Spring-blooming Bulbs, 50% off

Succulent Houseplants, 30% off 

 

Ritual Chocolate bars,15% off

Come in to find additional unadvertised bargains! 

We are profoundly grateful that the response to our market this year has been fantastic, and we’re having such a great time doing it!

Several new comments came in this week:

“LOVE your holiday market!
Products by our local creatives are always preferred,
and these are some of the best I’ve seen.
The intimate setting and helpful advice on beekeeping items
were also welcome. Thanks!”

“So warm and cozy –
wish I could have stayed longer to keep shopping!
Beautiful music, too! May have to go back next weekend…”
“Of course the music was lovely and the quality of the artisans.
There were also some tasty morsels to sample.
The atmosphere was festive.”

WHERE THE BEES ARE IN THE WINTER

Just like us, bees huddle together indoors when it is snowy and cold.  For them, it is all about protecting the queen and the small amount of brood rearing that is going on.  Honeybees live longer in the winter months because they don’t wear themselves out foraging for honey and pollen.  On warm days (above 50) they will leave the hive and take “cleansing flights”, which means exactly what it sounds like!  They will also freely access honey stores in the top box.  Many beekeepers have already put pollen and/or sugar patties on top of the bottom brood box where the bees can easily access it.  The bees rotate from the inside to the outside of the cluster and may grab a nip of food while on the outside.   If you put your ear to the outside opening of the hive you can hear the gentle buzz of the colony generating warmth.  Sadly, many of the bees on the outside of the cluster sacrifice themselves to keep their sisters and the queen warm.   Fingers are crossed and hopes are high that the colony will survive the cold dark nights and have enough food in their reserves (and with some supplementation).

Solitary and native bees, even bumblebees, do not over-winter as a colony.  Only the queen, and in some cases larvae, are present in nesting boxes, holes in wood or underground.  Their chances of surviving the winter are much better than a honeybee hive.

WHAT TO GIVE A BEEKEEPER?

Gloves are always a welcome gift because as the beekeeper works the hives, they get sticky and stiff from propolis and honey.  They don’t really wash well and need to be replaced.  The ones we carry in the Bee Barn tend to run quite large so be sure to buy a size or even two smaller than regular gloves.  It’s no fun to have bits of glove hanging off the end of your fingers getting caught between frames and the hive.
Log Book – Every good beekeeper should keep records of the status of their hives every time they look in the hive or observe bee behavior.  We carry the “Mighty Giant” version which is bright yellow with weatherproof pages.
Hive Tools – Beekeepers love their hive tools and like to have different ones for different uses.  If the beekeeper on your list only has the regular hive tool, they will appreciate receiving one of the more unusual ones such as the extra long or the multi-tool.
Books – We have a number of great books including the textbook for the Boulder County Beekeepers’ Beekeeping Class, which will start in January.  One book that is extremely popular is the recently published Beekeeping, Mentor in a Book by local beekeeper Donald Studinsky.  This is a valuable, month by month guide to beekeeping packed with valuable information including the recipe for making your own sugar patties.

WHAT TO GIVE A BEE LOVER?

Come in and check out our metal bee garden stakes, queen bee key rings, books about gardening for bees and native pollinators, bee hand puppets from Folkmanis, locally hand-made majolica bee bowls, mugs and candle sticks and, of course, our huge selection of locally-crafted beeswax candles.

Still don’t know what to give?  Talk with one of our beekeepers on staff, either Engrid, Diane or Amy is there every day the Holiday Market is open, for even more great ideas and of course a Harlequin’s Gift Certificate suits everyone!

Thank you for your continued support!

Warmly,Eve & Mikl Brawner
and the Wonderful Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

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

https://www.harlequinsgardens.com/2015/11/24/holiday-gift-market-2015/
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Fall 2015 Newsletter

Harlequin’s Gardens
Fall 2015 Newsletter
www.HarlequinsGardens.com 303-939-9403

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,
Welcome to Autumn and to Harlequin’s Gardens Fall Plant Sale.
With fall approaching, days and nights are more equal in length. This signals plants to shift energy from flowers to roots. And this is why it is both an excellent time in Colorado for planting and for fertilizing. Evergreens, like our Colorado-grown dwarf conifers, Woodward Junipers and Bristlecone Pine should be planted in early autumn so they will be well-rooted to avoid drying out during our sunny winters. And fertilizing is best done by mid-September so plants will have the nutrition to produce flower and fruit buds for next spring. This is especially important for fruit trees and berry bushes to produce well the following year. But even roses, shrubs and perennials perform better with fall fertilization.
Our efforts to secure plants free from neonicotinoid pesticides really paid off this year. Harlequin’s Gardens is not only 100% neonic-free, we have the best selection of plants we have ever had. Our Fall Sale always offers good deals on our healthy plants, but this year you will have the biggest selection to choose from: natives, roses, perennials, shrubs and ground covers—we have them. And they will not poison our bees, butterflies or beneficial insects, nor weaken or kill our birds, soil bacteria or symbiotic fungi. We see this value, not as a bonus, but as the new standard of life support for our planet.
Research at CSU has shown that fall is the most important time to fertilize turf grass. We carry organic fertilizers that are good for lawns. September is the best time of year to aerate. Follow that with fertilizer and ideally with a quarter inch of compost topdressing. This will thicken up thin lawns and help to prevent fungal diseases. Fall is also an excellent time to apply Corn Gluten,the organic weed and feed,.
Nature Cycle Lawn Fertilizer: made from chicken manure, blood meal, feather meal
Alpha One Fertilizer: alfalfa, cottonseed meal, blood meal, sunflower
Lawn Topdressing: composted chicken manure and wood chips
Mile-Hi Rose Feed: with alfalfa and kelp; excellent for Sept. use; promotes repeat flowering & strength
Yum Yum Mix: cottonseed, rock dust, alfalfa, rock phosphate, kelp: perennials, shrubs & xeriscapes
Biosol: fungal mass with many nutrients; certified organic; for lawns, perennials, veggies, shrubs
Tomato & Vegetable Food and Harlequin’s Fertility Mix: both great for fall veggie planting
Planters II, now Rocky Mt. Minerals, is a rock dust very beneficial for plant health & nutrient density.
Kelp for micronutrients; Humate to make nutrients available

Organic Fall Veggie Starts: More people are catching on to planting cool-season greens in the fall. This can be very rewarding & the season can be extended with row cover & mulch:
Many varieties of Kale, Lettuce and Mesclun Lettuce, Spinach, & Swiss Chard, plus Arugula, Kohlrabi, Broccoli Raab, Winter Cress,& Asian Greens: Bok Choy, Tat Soi, Senposai These new premium plants cannot be sold at a discounted price

We also have a great selection of Botanical Interests Seeds for cool-season greens

Our Fall Sale has graduated discounts that change and increase through September. Our discounts might not dive as rapidly or as deeply as some stores, because we are not dumping the dregs before they crash. Our plants are still strong and healthy and neonic-free. We choose our plants carefully, buy from the better suppliers, and we grow thousands of plants organically in nutritious potting mixes that we blend ourselves. We go to great lengths to insure your planting success, and to support your organic methods. See page 4 for Fall Sale details.

BULBS- (no discount) Don’t envy our species tulips, deer-resistant daffodils, and fragrant hyacinths next spring when you visit Harlequin’s. Get them from us and plant them now. We will have many kinds of bulbs and new varieties. Check our website under Plants/Bulbs for detailed descriptions and photos of this year’s selection.

DEEP DISCOUNT AREA: Opens Monday, August 31, where you will find the very beautiful and dependable ‘Red Creeping Thyme’ and ‘Wooly Thyme’, Creeping Baby’s Breath, Herniaria, Kelaidis Ice Plant, Corsican Viola, Lamb’s Ears, Agastache rupestris etc reduced from $3.95 to $1.75. One gallon heirloom irises for $5, one gallon roses for $10 and More. Many kinds of Hen and Chicks for $1.00.

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

Beekeepers: visit our Bee Barn for your bee equipment needs including: Cloake Boards, Grafting Tools, Mesh Strainers, Gift Honey Containers, Capping Scratchers etc.

Our new crop of Fruit Trees, grown in our own potting mix, with mycorrhizae, and without any pesticides or chemical fertilizers, will be available at regular prices. They are in short supply and cannot be discounted.

Most of the rest of our plants ARE on SALE including:

ORGANIC HERB STARTS: Comfrey, Valerian, Hyssop, Stevia, Rosemary, Angelica, Stinging Nettle, several Lavenders, many Mints, Oregano, Wild Parsley, Prunella, Winter Savory, Golden Feverfew and more

BERRIES: Organic Strawberry plants; fall-fruiting, dependable Raspberries; Zone 4 Table Grapes and hardy Wine Grapes, all chosen for good flavor and success in Colorado. Also HOPS.

GROUNDCOVERS: several creeping thymes, great for summer flowering and bee-support (neonic-free), Paronychia (‘Tough As Nails’)-looks like a thyme, but more water-wise; many varieties of creeping Veronica, blooming blue in spring including Turkish Veronica, Thyme-leaf Veronica, Crystal Rivers, Wooly Veronica, True Allioni with 4” spikes and the rare and tough ‘Dick’s Wine’ with purple-pink flowers. Also many sedums including: ‘Dragon’s Blood’ with deep pink flowers and red fall color, evergreen ‘Acre’, luscious Sedum cauticola lidakense with gray-purple foliage and rich pink flowers, Bailey’s Gold, the Sedum hybridum Panayoti collected in Kazakhstan, our native Sedum lanceolatum and the Plant Select ‘Turquoise Tails’ and creeping oregano, low teucriums, Herniaria, creeping potentilla, and more.

VINES: Clematis, Honeysuckles, Trumpet Vines, Orn. Grape, Hops, Bittersweet, Wisteria
We have 10 varieties of Hummingbird Mints (Agastaches) and we aim to sell them by Sept. 15, because they establish better if planted earlier in the fall: Blue Fortune, Coronado, A. rupestris, Joyful, Blue Blazes, Golden Jubilee, Sonoran Sunset, giant A. barberi & its selections Tutti Frutti & Firebird. Thanks to Kelly Grummons for the new varieties.

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES: Our Harlequin-grown one gallon grasses are perfectly ready.
They were not shipped here from California in the spring and now root-bound. Ours will not only survive, they will thrive when planted in September: Little Bluestem, Northern Sea Oats, Blonde Ambition, Stipa pennata, Shenandoah Switchgrass, Sideoats Grama, Blue Grama, Pennisetum orientale, Karl Foerster, Giant Sacaton and Undaunted Muhly Grass
Neonic-free Grasses are hard-to-find: Ours will not attract insects and poison them

ROSES: Our proven, sustainable own-root roses will be 20% off the entire month of September. A huge selection of our premium plants

TREES: many varieties, container-grown have complete root systems and are easy to plant: Mt. Ash with white flowers and red berries-not affected by Emerald Ash Borer, Crab Apples, Hawthorns, Aspens, Chokecherry, Buffaloberry, Mayday Tree, Rocky Mt. Juniper, Oaks

Shrubs: both native and non-native, some in #2 pots are Harlequin-Grown in nutrient-rich soil mix with worm compost and mycorrhizae; economical & premium quality: Butterfly Bush, Rose of Sharon, Lead Plant, Currants, Fernbush, Spirea, Cotoneaster, Chilopsis

HUNDREDS OF PERENNIALS: like ‘Harlequin’s Silver’ Germander, Tuscan Honeymoon Dianthus, Russian Sage, Lamiastrum ‘Herman’s Pride’, Prairie Petunia, Yellow Columbine, Perky Sue, 10 varieties of Penstemon, Chocolate Flower, Ajuga ‘Catlin’s Giant’, Plumbago, Eriogonum allenii and others, Anemone robustissima, many great Hardy Geraniums, several Coral Bells, Agaves, several Goldenrods, Bergenia, Regal Lily, Salvias: ‘Windwalker’, daghestanica, grandiflora, East Friesland, Blue Hill, reptans etc; Scabiosa- Fama, Blue Butterfly, lucida; Oregano: Hopley’s Purple, Kent’s Beauty, Amethyst Falls, sipyleum, Wood’s Compact, many Dianthus, several Asters, Echium, Zauschneria, Moon Carrot, Tall Globemallow, Helianthemum, Harebell Campanula

Winter-hardy Cacti: Mt. Ball, Snow Leopard Cholla, Lloyd’s Hedgehog-orange, Claret Cup-red-orange, Fendler’s Hedgehog-purple, Pincushion Ball- deep pink & prickly pears

Newsletters by Email: Please choose to receive our newsletters by email. Go to our website @ www.harlequinsgardens.com and click on Subscribe

Special Event August 29: don’t miss the 2015 Taste of Tomato: festival & tasting (see www.HarlequinsGardens.com for complete information)

Open: Daily 9-5 and Thursday 9-6 ; October: daily 9-5
www.HarlequinsGardens.com 303-939-9403

FALL SALE: We cannot offer our plants at deeper discounts, because our neonic-
free plants are hard to find and our Harlequin-grown plants are premium quality.
(You pay more for plants grown in poor soil with chemicals that struggle, die and/or poison our Earth)

MEMBERS SALE: Monday, August 24 thru August 30: for your special support, you are rewarded with first pick: 20% off all plants except Fruit Trees, and 25% off books (Membership is still $20, membership supports our demo gardens & has benefits)

FALL SALE begins for everybody: Monday, August 31 thru Sept. 6: 20% off most plants except veggies, berries, fruit trees and bulbs. The Deep Discount section will be opened with $1.75 perennials (were $3.95 & $4.95),$1.oo Hen and Chicks, $10 roses etc.

September 7 thru 13 enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs & trees. And 20% off Roses, AND 20% off soil products in big bags and 20% off Compost Tea

Sept. 14 thru 20 take 25% off perennials, shrubs and trees; 20% off Roses and books; and 30% off soil products in big bags and 20% off Compost Tea

Sept. 21 thru 27 take 30% off perennials, shrubs and trees, and 30% off soil products in big bags, 20% off Roses and Books; Compost Tea- buy one, get one FREE!

Sept.28 thru Oct. 30 there will be a 30% discount off perennials and shrubs and trees. 20% OFF Roses and Books And 50% off soil products in big bags; 50% off Compost Tea

CLOSED OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 26
Reopening Nov. 27 for our Holiday Gift Market

NEW * WINTER HOURS & HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET * NEW

Opens Green Friday Nov. 27-Dec. 24 every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10-5
Offering: exceptional local artisan goods: Eve’s gluten-free shortbread cookies, Engrid’s jams & preserves, local specialty foods, herbal body-care products, bees-wax candles, jewelry, clothing & accessories, gift certificates, books, CD’s, gardening tools, planting calendars, gloves, Mikl’s Aftershave, illuminated magnifiers, succulent plants, honey & bee-keeping supplies; MANY other great gifts. Door-prize drawings daily !!!

Fall Newsletter printable version (pdf)

Click on image for printable version.

2015 Holiday Market postcard


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We do not ship plants!

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

Hours by Season

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

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

 

 

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Contact Us

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

4795 North 26th St
Boulder, CO 80301

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Please Note

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

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