Native Currant
Normally, we would hold onto these beautiful, hard-to-find native shrubs through the winter, and offer them for sale in spring. But we looked around at our Native Shrubs sales area, and the few plants still there looked a little lonesome. So we decided to bring out our fresh, new crop of native shrubs to join them! Most are in easy-to-plant “2-gallon” pots. Not discounted.
We’ve got both Hard-neck and Soft-neck varieties! Get your garlic ‘seed’ bulbs NOW for planting from mid-October to mid-November!
SOFT-NECK Varieties:
If you’d like to be eating your own home-grown organic garlic for 9 months (or more!) after harvesting, you should be growing some of our excellent Soft-Neck varieties. All of them are very flavorful without being excessively hot, they are cold-hardy and easy to grow here, and produce large, easy-to-peel outer cloves. [Read More]
The end of summer doesn’t mean the end to color in the garden, on the contrary, you can plan and plant now for a vibrant wave of color, and habitat for our insects and birds, that continues all the way to hard frost! From native and water-wise perennials and shrubs, to trees (including fruit trees) and grasses, the selection is vast.
Our Fall sale is a great opportunity to extend color and interest well into autumn.
We’re seeing cherries everywhere we go this summer! There were so many on the trees in the Harlequin’s Wholesale area that our Retail Manager Beth just had to make a pie for our co-workers.
We love the pie she made, and we’re sharing the recipe with you.
We generally agree that the term “Xeriscape” (water–conserving landscape) applies to plantings watered deeply one a week. However, in July it’s safer to water twice a week. At Harlequin’s Gardens, some of our shrubs and trees are only watered once a month, and twice in July. One of our gardens of mostly native shrubs and trees is never watered.
What does that mean, “water deeply“? It means that when you irrigate by hand or sprinkler or drip, the soil should be moist to a depth of at least 4″. Moisture meters and the old ‘screwdriver test‘ are not as accurate as digging a small hole 4 to 6” deep and feeling the soil. If it is dry at 4″ just after watering, you will need to water longer.
You can water less frequently if:
1-You have added compost to your soil
2-You have added expanded shale (10-20% by volume) to your soil
3-You have inoculated your plant roots (especially at planting time) with beneficial mycorrhizal fungi 4- you have covered your soil with mulch, or if your plants cover and shade the soil.
Do not:
1-Water lightly every day (except if temperatures exceed 95 degrees); it encourages shallow rooting and evaporates rapidly.
2-Water deeply more than twice a week, creating saturated soil that excludes air (plants and beneficial soil life need air as much as they need water).
3-Plant too close together, creating competition for water. It’s better to mulch the gaps between plants while you wait for them to fill in.
4-Mix plants with high and low water needs in the same planting bed.
When you plant in July:
1-Prepare the soil well, incorporating 30% compost (a 1-2” layer spread on top and then dug in to a depth of 6“)
2-Inoculate the roots of the new plants with mycorrhizae, which will vastly improve transplanting success of most species
3-Treat your new ‘babies‘ as if you’d just brought them home from the hospital, i.e. water them frequently, shield them from hot sun with shade cloth or another source of shade until you see new growth. Then you will know that their roots have reached into the surrounding soil.
4-Place a ‘flag‘ next to every new plant so you can quickly see which plants need the most attention. 5- If your soil is very dense clay (a 10“-deep hole holds water for 30 minutes or longer, add expanded shale (10-20% by volume) along with compost.
6-If you’re leaving town, even for just a few days, give your special watering jobs to someone you would trust with your life.
Fire-wise landscaping should focus on creating a ‘defensible space’ around your home. In “Firewise Plant Materials,” a fact-sheet for the CO Cooperative Extension, F. C. Dennis defines this: “Defensible space is the area between a structure and an oncoming wildfire where nearby vegetation has been modified to reduce a wildfire’s intensity,” and therefore, reduces risk to property.
These modifications could be accomplished by: increasing moisture content, choosing the most fire-resistant plants, spacing plants in smaller, disconnected groups, and proper maintenance and clean-up.
Some specific suggestions:[Read More]
Yesterday we managed to sneak away from work and visit a couple of the fabulous Open Space parks in the foothills. We were too late to see the Pasque Flowers in bloom, but we were surrounded by botanical treasures, nonetheless. A picture is worth a thousand words, so this will be mostly a photo essay of most of the species we encountered. However, you might want to know that in spite of being difficult or impossible to find in nursery production, quite a few of these native treasures have been offered or are currently offered at Harlequin’s Gardens this year.
We know that not all of customers live in a house with a yard. Many of you live in apartments or condominiums or townhomes and have only a balcony or a very small patio on which to grow anything outdoors. We would love to help you make the most of your outdoor space, even if it’s tiny.
Many vegetables, ornamental annuals, and most culinary herbs can be planted in almost any kind of container as long as there’s sufficient width and depth to accommodate the roots and enough soil mass to hold sufficient water.
It’s not ideal, but sometimes you have to plant in the middle of a heatwave. Fortunately, it can be done successfully, even here in the high, windy and dry zone. High temperatures, wind and strong sunlight cause water to evaporate from plant leaves faster than the roots can take up water.
The key to survival of new plantings is shade – for the plant and for the soil. Here are some tips:[Read More]
Penstemon virgatus
Few genera are as synonymous with Western North America as penstemons or beardtongues. The genus is almost entirely native only to North America with the center of diversity falling west of the 100th meridian. Over 250 species are found in North America with one outlier in
Japan. The outlier is often placed in its own genus. Penstemons are native to every state in the union except Hawaii and almost every Canadian province besides Nunavut.
Right now, we have our biggest selection of highly desirable plants for the season. Some of them are unusual and available in limited quantities. This includes a number of very choice native perennials that are very hard to find and will sell out fast, like:
Scrophularia macrantha (Red Birds In A Tree) – This rare New Mexico wildflower was first brought into cultivation, and given its delightful common name, by the late, great plantsman David Salman, only a couple of decades ago. Subsequently promoted by the Plant Select program, it won the hearts of native plant gardeners and pollinator gardeners, and is a great favorite of hummingbirds. [Read More]
Vilma Tomato courtesy Sara’s Kitchen Garden
A Special Tomato Offer! 2 half-price plants in return for your evaluations!
We know that many of our customers need to grow small but bountiful vegetables in containers.
So we searched out and grew a group of very special, rare varieties of tomato that are specifically intended for growing in containers – Dwarf, Micro dwarf and even hanging tomatoes! They are ready this week, but quantities are limited – only 25 to 60 plants of each variety.[Read More]
So many very special experiences!
We were delighted with the turnout for our May Day festivities and sales, and loved seeing and helping old friends and new, first-time customers and loyal Harlequin’s supporters. The live music and gentle weather kept us all smiling and we so appreciate everyone’s cheerful patience in the check-out line. The Mothers’ Day weekend was equally exciting and heartwarming, and it was preceded by a rare and thrilling display of the Northern Lights on Friday night. We hope many of you were able to see it!
Walks on foothills trails this week reveal the earliest Penstemons (Beardtongues) in our area – the xeric, and showy Sidebells Penstemon (Penstemon secundiflorus). [Read More]
Fairmount Proserpine, courtesy High Country Roses
This is the week we begin to bring you the Roses! From healthy over-wintered Harlequin’s roses in gallon pots, to beauties in ‘quart’ pots like the ‘Fairmount’ Proserpine pictured here – we have a selection like no other nursery – with 99% of our roses being own-root and able to take the Colorado weather.
Here’s the ‘big list’ of what we’ll have for you this season – many of them will be available for the May Day Celebration!
Rosa eglanteria (rubiginosa)
Rosa foet. Bicolor (Austrian Copper)
Scarlet meidiland
Sunbeam Veranda
The Gift
Victorian Memory
Westerland
White Dawn, Climbing
White Meidiland
Winner’s Circle
Gourmet Popcorn
Harrison’s ellow
Henry Kelsey
Iceberg (climbing)
Jeanne Lajoie
JoAn’s Pink Perpetual
Lady in Red
Lavender Jewel
Lemon Fizz Kolorscape
Mandarin Sunblaze
Millie Walters
Mountain Mignonette
Petite Peach
Polka
Red Ribbons
Carefree WonderCelestial Night
Champlain
Cinco de Mayo
Complicata
Cream eranda
Denvers Dream
Desiree Parmentier
Dortmund
Ebb Tide
Emily Carr
Fairmount Proserpine
Fire Meidiland
Firecracker Kolorscape
Flamingo Kolorscape
Fred Loads
Golden Opportunity
Adelaide Hoodless
AUSblush
AUSbord
AUScat
AUScot
AUSlot
AUSmary
AUSmound – Lilian Austin
AUSpeet
Autumn Sunblaze
Awakening
Ridal Sunblaze
Brilliant Veranda
Burgundy Iceberg
Canyon Road
Carefree Delight
Carefree Spirit
It’s time to plant!
This week, we have a great selection of Colorado-adapted and cold-hardy Native Cacti and Perennials, Annuals, Roses, Grapes, Raspberries, Clematis and plenty of Fruiting Trees and Shrubs. And we’re at the height of our Tomato selection, building up our splendid stock of Peppers, and still well-stocked with other delicious vegetable starts, herbs, Water-Wise Perennials, and so much more!
Many of these plants are already out for sale, and more will be available beginning Thursday.
New Perennials
Beautiful, hard-to-find specimens!
NATIVE PERENNIALS
Berlandiera lyrata (Chocolate Flower)
Berlandiera lyrata (Chocolate Flower)
Linum lewisii (Native Blue Flax)
Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot Daisy)
Oenothera caespitosa (Tufted Evening Primrose)
Penstemon ambiguus (Sand Penstemon)
Penstemon barbatus (Scarlet Bugler)
Penstemon caespitosus (Dwarf Beardtongue)
Penstemon clutei (Sunset Penstemon)
Penstemon eatonii (Firecracker Penstemon)
Penstemon grandiflorus (Shell Leaf Penstemon)
Penstemon jamesii (James’ Penstemon)
Penstemon linarioides (Creeping Penstemon)
Penstemon palmeri (Fragrant Penstemon)
Penstemon pinifolius (pineleaf Penstemon)
Penstemon pseudospectabilis (Desert Beardtongue)
Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mt. Penstemon)
Penstemon superbus (Superb Penstemon)
Penstemon virens (Foothills or Blue Mist Penstemon)
Penstemon virgatus (Wand Bloom Penstemon)
Pulsatilla patens (Native Pasqueflower)
Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)
Dalea (Petalostemon) purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)
Verbena bipinnatifida (Dakota Verbena)
Verbena wrightii (Purple Verbena)
SUCCULENTS
Aloinopsis hybrids (Hardy Living Stone) (non-native)
Ruschia pulvinaris (Creeping Shrubby Iceplant) (non-native)
Titanopsis calcarea (Concrete Living Stone) (non-native)
NATIVE HARDY CACTI
Coryphantha scheeri (NM Pineapple Cactus)
Echinocereus coccineus (Strawberry Hedgehog)
Echinocereus engelmannii (Engelmann’s Cactus)
Echinocereus fendleri (Sitting Cactus)
Echinocereus lloydii (Lloyd’s Cactus)
Claret Cup Cactus
Echinocereus reichenbachii (Purple Candle)
Echinocereus triglochidiatus (Claret Cup Cactus)
Echinocereus viridiflorus (Green Pitaya)
Escobaria sneedii (Sneed’s Pincushion)
Escobaria vivipara (Ball Cactus)
Maihuenia poeppigii (Green Mat Cactus)
Opuntia polyacantha (Prickly Pear)
Clematis
Clematis x ‘Huldine’
Guernsey Cream
Gipsy Queen
HF Young
Huldine
Jackmanii
Clematis hexapetala ‘Mongolian Snowflakes’ (bush form)
Clematis fruticosa ‘Mongolian Gold (bush form)
Clematis fruticosa ‘Mongolian Gold’
Mrs. N Thompson
Niobe
Nelly Moser
Omoshiro
Polish Spirit
Princess Diana
Clematis ‘Ville de Lyon’
The President
Clematis viticella ‘Polish Spirit’
Rouge Cardinal
Ville de Lyon
XERISCAPE TREES AND SHRUBS for SUN
Harlequin’s Gardens 303-939-9403 www.harlequinsgardens.com
Note: plants listed in bold are native to our region
Acer ginnala / Amur maple
Acer ginnala ‘Compacta’ / Dwf. Amur Maple
Acer grandidentatum / Bigtooth Maple
Acer negundo / Boxelder
Acer negundo ‘Sensation’ / ‘Sensation’ Boxelder, male selection
Acer tataricum ‘Hot Wings’ / Hot Wings Tatarian Maple
Aesculus glabra / Ohio Buckeye
Amelanchier utahensis / Utah Serviceberry
Catalpa speciosa / Western Catalpa
Celtis occidentalis / Western Hackberry
Celtis reticulata / Netleaf Hackberry
Crataegus ambigua / Russian Hawthorn
Crataegus crus-galli / Cockspur Hawthorn
Crataegus mollis / Downy Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna / Singleseed Hawthorn
Crataegus phaenopyrum / Washington Hawthorn
Cupressus arizonica / Arizona Cypress
Gleditsia triacanthos inermis / Honeylocust
Gymnocladus dioica / Kentucky Coffeetree
Juniperus monosperma / One-seed Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum & selections / Rocky Mt. Juniper
Koelreuteria paniculata / Goldenrain Tree
Malus species / Flowering Crabapple selections
Morus alba / White Mulberry
Pinus aristata / Bristlecone Pine
Pinus cembroides edulis / Pinyon Pine
Pinus contorta v. latifolia / Lodgepole Pine
Pinus flexilis / Limber Pine
Pinus ponderosa / Ponderosa Pine
Prunus americana / American Wild Plum
Prunus padus / Mayday Tree, Bird Cherry
Prunus virginiana / Native Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana ‘Shubert’ / Canada Red Chokecherry
Prunus x virginiana ‘Sucker Punch’ / Non-suckering Chokecherry
Pseudotsuga menziesii v. glauca / Rocky Mt. Douglas Fir
Ptelea trifoliata / Wafer Ash, Hop Tree
Pyrus ussuriensis / Ussurian Pear
Quercus bicolor / Swamp White Oak
Quercus gambelii / Gambel Oak
Quercus macrocarpa / Bur Oak
Quercus muehlenbergii / Chinkapin Oak
Quercus undulata / Rocky Mt. Scrub Oak
Robinia neomexicana / New Mexico Locust
Agave parryi ssp. neomexicana
Amelanchier alnifolia / Saskatoon Serviceberry
Amelanchier aln. ‘Regent’ / Regent Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis / Shadblow Serviceberry
Amelanchier laevis / Allegheny Serviceberry
Amorpha canescens / Great Plains Leadplant
Amorpha nana / Dwarf Leadplant
Artemisia cana / Silver Sagebrush
Artemisia filifolia / Sand Sagebrush
Artemisia tridentata / Tall Western Sagebrush
Artemisia versicolor (canescens) / Seafoam Sage
Atriplex canescens / Four Wing Saltbush
Atriplex confertifolia / Spiny Saltbush
Buddleia alternifolia ‘Argentea” / Silver Butterfly Bush
Buddleia dav. nanhoensis cultivars / Compact Butterfly Bush
Buddleia davidii cultivars / Butterfly Bush
Caragana arborescens / Siberian Peashrub
Caragana pygmaea / Pygmy Peashrub
Caryopteris x clandonensis cultivars / Blue Mist Spirea
Ceanothus fendleri / Mountain Lilac
Ceratoides lantana / Winterfat
Cercocarpus brevifolius / Little-flowered Mt. Mahogany
Cercocarpus intricatus / Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus ledifolius / Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus montanus / Common Mountain Mahogany
Chamaebatieria millefolium / Fernbush
Chrysothamnus n. ssp. graveolens / Tall Grn. Rabbitbrush
Chrysothamnus naus. ssp. albicaulis / Tall Blue Rabbitbrush
Chrysothamnus naus. ssp. nauseosus / Dwf. Blue Rabbitbrush
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus / Dwf. Grn. Rabbitbrush
Cotinus coggygria / Smoke Tree
Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ / Royal Purple Smoke Tree
Cotinus x ‘Grace / ‘Grace’ Smoketree
Cotoneaster divaricatus / Spreading Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster lucidus / Peking Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster multiflora / Big-flowered Cotoneaster
Cowania mexicana (Purshia stansburyana) / Cliffrose
Cytissus purgans ‘Spanish Gold’ / Andora Broom
Cytissus scoparius ‘Moonlight’ / Moonlight Broom
Ephedra americana / American Ephedra
Ephedra viridis / Mormon Tea
Fallugia paradoxa / Apache Plume
Forestiera neomexicana / New Mexico Privet
Genista lydia / Lydian Broom, Dwarf Broom
Genista tinctoria / Woadwaxen
Hesperaloe parviflora / Red Yucca
Hippophae rhamnoides / Sea Buckthorn
Holodiscus dumosus / Rock Spirea
Ligustrum vulgare ‘Cheyenne’ / ‘Cheyenne’ Privet
Ligustrum vulgare ‘Lodense’ / Lodense Privet
Lonicera k. v. floribunda ‘Blue Velvet’ / Blue Velvet Honeysuckle
Lonicera syringantha v. wolfii / Tiny Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera tatarica selections / Shrub Honeysuckle
Mahonia aqu. Compactum / Compact Oregon Grapeholly
Mahonia aquifolium / Oregon Grapeholly
Mahonia fremontii / Fremont’s Mahonia
Mahonia haematocarpa / Desert Holly
Opuntia species / Cholla Cactus
Perovskia atriplicifolia / Russian Sage
Philadelphus lewisii / Lewis Mockorange
Physocarpus opulifolius cultivars / Ninebark
Juniperus communus/Common Juniper selections
Prunus besseyi / Western Sandcherry
Prunus besseyi ‘Pawnee Buttes’ / Pawnee Buttes Sandcherry
Prunus besseyi ‘Boulder Weeping’ / Boulder Weeping Sandcherry
Prunus tenella / Dwarf Russian Almond
Purshia tridentata / Antelope Bitterbrush
Pyracantha coccinea / Firethorn
Rhamnus smithii / Smith’s Buckthorn
Rhus aromatica / Fragrant Sumac
Rhus glabra / Smooth Sumac
Rhus glabra v. cismontana / Rocky Mt. Sumac
Rhus trilobata / Threeleaf Sumac
Rhus typhina / Staghorn Sumac
Rhus typhina laciniata / Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac
Ribes aureum / Native Golden Currant
Ribes cereum / Wax Currant
Ribes odoratum / Golden Currant
Robinia neomexicana / New Mexico Locust
Rosa ‘Alba Maxima’
Rosa ‘Alba semi-plena’
Rosa ‘Alba Suaveolens’
Rosa ‘Felicite Parmentier’
Rosa ‘Fruhlingsgold’
Rosa ‘Golden Wings’
Rosa ‘Harison’s Yellow
Rosa ‘Henry Kelsey’
Rosa ‘John Cabot’
Rosa ‘John Davis’
Rosa ‘Konigen von Danemark’
Rosa ‘Lawrence Johnston’
Rosa ‘Maiden’s Blush’
Rosa “Banshee”
Rosa arvensis
Rosa ‘Complicata’
Rosa eglanteria / Sweetbriar
Rosa foet. Persiana / Persian Yellow Rose
Rosa foetida bicolor / Austrian Copper Rose
Rosa glauca (rubrifolia) / Redleaf Rose
Rosa hugonis / Father Hugo’s Rose
Rosa woodsii / Wood’s Rose
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Arp’ / Arp Rosemary
Shepherdia argentea / Silver Buffaloberry
Robinia neomexicana / New Mexico Locust
Spiraea ‘Cheyenne Snowmound’
Spiraea jap. ‘Goldflame’ / Goldflame Spirea
Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ / Miss Kim Dwf. Korean Lilac
Syringa prestoniae cultivars / Canadian Lilacs
Syringa vulgaris cultivars / Common Lilacs
Yucca baccata / Banana Yucca
Yucca filamentosa / Adam’s Needle
Yucca glauca / Native Soapweed, Narrowleaf Yucca
Yucca harrimanii / Harriman’s Dwf. Yucca
XERISCAPE PERENNIALS & BIENNIALS for SUN
Harlequin’s Gardens 303-939-9403 www.harlequinsgardens.com
Note: plants listed in bold are native to our region
Acantholimon (hohenackeri, glumaceum, etc.)
Achillea ageratifolia
Achillea filipendula ‘Moonshine’
Achillea lanulosa
Achillea millefolium ‘Cerise Queen’
Achillea millefolium ‘Paprika’
Achillea serbica
Aethionema grandiflora
Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado’
Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’
Agastache cana
Agastache foeniculum
Agastache neomexicana
Agastache rupestris
Agastache urticifolia
Agastache x ‘Ava’
Agave parryi selections
Alcea rosea
Alcea rugosa
Allium altaicum
Allium cernuum
Allium flavum
Allium geyeri
Allium ‘Millenium’
Allium senescens
Allium senescens ‘Glaucum’
Allium tuberosum
Alyssum oxycarpum
Anacyclus depressus
Anchusa azurea
Antennaria ‘McClintock’
Antennaria parviflora
Antennaria rosea
Argemone hispida
Argemone polyanthemos
Artemisia frigida
Artemisia ludoviciana
Artemisia ludoviciana‘Powis Castle’
Artemisia ‘Silver Frost’
Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Valerie Finnis’
Artemisia stelleriana ‘Silver Brocade’
Artemisia ’Leprechaun’
Asclepias tuberosa
Asphodeline demascena
Asphodelus albus
Aster ericoides
Aster porteri
Aster (Symphiotrichon) laevis
Aster (Symphiotrichon) sericeus
Astragalus sps.
Aurinia saxatilis
Baptisia australis
Baptisia minor
Berlandiera lyrata
Betonica foliosa
Cacti, various hardy
Callirhoe involucrata
Calylophus hartwegii
Calylophus serrulatus
Calylophus serrulatus ‘Prairie Lode’
Catananche caerulea
Centranthus ruber
Cerastium candidissimum
Cerastium tomentosum
Clematis scottii
Coreopsis lanceolata
Coreopsis lanceoplata ‘Sterntaler’
Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’
Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’
Crambe cordifolia
Crambe maritima
Dalea (Petalostemon) purpureum
Delosperma ‘John Proffitt’(‘Table Mountain’)
Delosperma ‘Kelaidis’ (Mesa Verde)
Delosperma cooperi
Delopserma dyeri
Delosperma ‘Firespinner’
Delosperma ‘Granita Orange’
Delosperma ‘Granita Raspberry’
Delosperma ‘Lavender Ice’
Delosperma ‘Red Mountain Flame’
Delosperma nubigenum
Dianthus barbatus
Dianthus ‘Blue Hill’
Dianthus deltoides varieties
Dianthus gratianapolitanus
Dianthus gratianapolitanus varieties
Dianthus nardiformus
Dianthus petraeus noeanus
Dianthus ‘Tuscan Honeymoon’
Dianthus ‘Tiny Rubies’
Dictamnus albus purpureus
Dracocephalum ruyschianum
Ephedra minuta
Erigeron compositus
Erigeron linearis
Erigeron speciosus
Erigeron caespitosa
Eriogonum jamesii
Eriogonum ovalifolium
Eriogonum umbellatum
Eriogonum umb. v ‘Kannah Creek’
Eriogonum umb. v majus
Eriogonum umb. v porteri
Erodium chrysanthum
Erodium manescavii
Erodium petraeum hybrids
Euphorbia polychroma
Foeniculum vulgare
Foeniculum vulgare ‘Bronze’
Gaillardia aristata
Gaillardia aristata ‘Meriwether’
Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Goblin’
Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Burgundy’
Gaura lindheimeri
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Summer Breeze’
Geranium sanguineum
Glaucium acutidentatum
Globularia cordifolia
Goniolimon tataricum
Gutierrezia sarothrae
Gypsophila paniculata
Gypsophila repens
Helianthemum nummularium varieties
Herniaria glabra
Heterotheca pumila
Heterotheca ‘Gold Hill’
Hymenoxys (tetraneuris)acaulis
Hymenoxys (Tetraneuris)argenteus
Hymenoxys (Tetraneuris)scaposa
Iberis sempervirens
Iberis sempervirens ‘Little Gem’
Ipomopsis (Gilia) aggregate
Ipomopsis rubra
Iris (tall, medium and miniature) Bearded
Iris pallida ‘Variegata’
Lavandula ‘Provence’
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead Strain’
Liatris punctata
Limonium latifolium
Limonium gmellinii
Linum flavum compactum
Linum lewisii
Linum narbonense
Linum perenne
Lithospermum multiflorum
Lychnis chalcedonica
Lychnis coronaria
Malva alcea fastigiata
Malva sylvestris mauritania
Marrubium globosum
Marrubium rotundifolium
Melampodium leucanthum
Mentzelia decapetala
Mentzelia nuda
Mirabilis multiflora
Nepeta x faassenii
Nepeta x f. ‘Six Hills Giant’
Nepeta x f. ‘Walker’s Low’
Nepeta ‘Little Trudy’
Nolina microcarpa
Oenothera howardii
Oenothera berlandieri ‘Siskyou’
Oenothera caespitosa
Oenothera caespitosa ‘Marginata’
Oenothera fremontii
Oenothera fremontii ‘Shimmer’
Oenothera macrocarpa
Oenothera m. incana ‘Comanche Campfire’
Oenothera fremontii
Oenothera macro. incana ‘Silver Blade’
Oenothera pallida
Oxytropis lambertii
Oxytropis sericea
Oxytropis splendens
Papaver orientale varieties
Papaver pilosum
Papaver triniifolium (biennial)
Penstemon ambiguus
Penstemon arenicola
Penstemon auriberbis
Penstemon barbatus
Penstemon brandegei
Penstemon cardinalis
Penstemon caespitosus
Penstemon clutei
Penstemon crandallii
Penstemon cyananthus
Penstemon eatonii
Penstemon grandifloras
Penstemon hallii
Penstemon linarioides
Penstemon linarioides coloradoensis
Penstemon mensarum
Penstemon x mexicale hybrids
Penstemon palmeri
Penstemon pinifolius and selections
Penstemon pinifolius compactus
Penstemon pseudospectabilis
Penstemon richardsonii
Penstemon rostriflorus
Penstemon secundiflorus
Penstemon strictus
Penstemon strictus ‘Bandera’
Penstemon superbus
Penstemon teucroides
Penstemon virens
Penstemon virgatus
Penstemon xylus (tusharensis)
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Petalostemon (Dalea) purpurea
Phlomis russeliana
Physaria bellii
Physostegia virginiana ‘Summer Snow’
Platycodon grandiflorus
Potentilla neumanniana ‘nana’
Ratibida columnifera
Ratibida column. pulchella
Ratibida pinnata
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Arp’
Rosmarinus off. ‘Madeline Hill’
Rosularia sp.
Rudbeckia hirta
Rudbeckia triloba
Rudbeckia maxima
Rudbeckia missouriensis
Rudbeckia fulgida’Goldsturm’
Ruellia humilis
Ruta graveolens
Salvia argentea
Salvia azurea grandiflora (S. pitcheri)
Salvia nemorosa ‘Blue Queen’
Salvia nemorosa ‘May Night’
Salvia nemorosa ‘Rose Queen’
Salvia officinalis
Salvia officinalis ‘Purpureus’
Salvia officinalis ‘nana’
Salvia sclarea
Salvia transylvanica
Santolina chamaecyparissus’
Saponaria lempergii ‘Max Frei’
Saponaria ocymoides
Satureja montana
Satureja montana ssp illyrica
Scabiosa caucasica
Scabiosa lucida
Scutellaria resinosa
Scrophularia macrantha
Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Sedum ‘Matrona’
Sedum ‘Lidakense’
Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’
Sedum ‘Vera Jameson’
Sedum album
Sedum hybridum
Sedum lanceolatum
Sedum sexangulare
Sedum spurium varieties
Sedum tatarowinii
Sempervivum sps.
Sphaeralcea fendleri
Sphaeralcea coccinea
Sphaeralcea munroana
Stachys byzantine ‘Helene Von Stein’
Stachys byzantine ‘Silver Carpet’
Stanleya pinnata
Talinum calycinum
Tanacetum densum ‘Amani’
Tanacetum niveum
Teucrium chamaedys
Teucrium cossonii
Teucrium ‘Harlequin’s Silver’
Teucrium rotundifolium
Thelesperma filifolia
Thermopsis lupinoides
Thymus ‘Back Wall’
Thymus ‘Clear Gold’
Thymus ‘Elfin’
Thymus ‘Minus’
Thymus ‘Reiter’
Thymus ‘Pink Chintz’
Thymus ‘Ohme Garden’
Thymus baeticus
Thymus citriodorus ‘Argentea’
Thymus pseudolanguinosus
Thymus ‘Magic Carpet’
Thymus nieceffii
Thymus praecox ‘Albiflorus’
Thymus praecox ‘Coccineus’
Thymus praecox ‘Pink Chintz’
Thymus praecox “Minus’
Thymus praecox pseudolanguinosus
Thymus serphyllum varieties
Townsendia hookeri
Tradescantia occidentalis
Verbascum bombyciferum
Verbascum olympica
Verbascum wiedemannianum
Verbena bipinnatifida
Verbena wrightii
Veronica allionii
Veronica ‘Crystal Rivers’
Veronica cuneifolia
Veronica liwanensis
Veronica macrostachya
Veronica oltensis
Veronica pectinata
Veronica prostrata
Veronica tauricola
Viola cornuta
Zauschneria garrettii ‘Orange Carpet’
Zauschneria californica ‘Etteri’
Zinnia grandiflora
Note: Plants listed in bold type are native to our region.
2024 Rose Availability List
Austrian Copper
Above and Beyond
Darlow’s Enigma
Cream Veranda
Golden Wings
Fred’s Loads
Morden Sunrise
Lilian Austin
Victorian Memory
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Our compost tea will be ready this week, hopefully by Friday. Our tea has always been good, but this year we are working on making it even better. Please let us know if you can see good results from using it, and if it seems to be more effective.
Say Hello to ECOPLUS Organic Compost! We are replacing our A-1 Eco-Grow compost with the newly-available ECOPLUS Organic Compost, an OMRI certified organic compost made by A-1 Organics in Colorado.[Read More]
Purple Majesty when cooked
Heirloom Tohono O’odham Multiplier Onion plants
ALSO, Leeks and Shallots.
JERSEY KNIGHT (roots, 5 per bundle)
All male hybrid with big spears. Does not make seed, so doesn’t become weedy. Best selection for dense clay soils. Very productive and disease resistant. Hardy to Zone 2.
PURPLE PASSION (roots, 5 per bundle)
Beautiful deep burgundy-colored spears with high sugar content, delicious, tender, less fibrous, great in raw salads.
Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,
Welcome to Spring, and to another gardening opportunity to partner with Mother Nature, grow healthy food, increase the population of native plants, create beauty and learn more about caring for our planet and local habitat. Some people would call this work; we gardeners call it fun in the Colorado sun.
This year Harlequin’s Gardens is going to perform as usual, but we are not sure about the future. We’ve come to a Fork in the Road. We would like to continue to provide plants, soils and services into the future. And we are almost able to do this. We have gotten to the point where we need some help to continue. We’ve been giving a heck of a performance for 32 years, with a small hard-working crew on a shoe-string budget, but times have changed and expenses are growing faster than profits.
Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,
Welcome to Spring, to Harlequin’s Gardens and another opportunity to partner with nature. This season we can all grow healthy food, increase the population of native plants, create beauty and learn more about caring for our planet and local habitat. Some people would call this work; we gardeners call it fun in the Colorado sun.
The theme of this newsletter is the Resilience of the Human Spirit and the survival instinct. We can’t speak for the whole world, but everybody we know is in pain and suffering. This is the Elephant in the room. This is a painful time. Of course there is happiness and even joy, but we can’t deny the dark cloud over humanity. Who can ignore the suffering of so many wars? Our world economy is based on guns and bombs, there are poisons and plastics in our food and water, climate extremes are normal, money in politics makes a mockery of democracy, and slime molds know more about symbiotic relationships with their neighbors than humans.[Read More]
At Harlequin’s Gardens, we’ve been reusing and recycling black plastic nursery pots since day one. It is very important to us that we minimize our plastic waste. We have always encouraged our customers to bring back to us the nursery pots that came with the plants you purchased from us, and you have responded with enthusiasm, which we appreciate!
But many people have brought us pots that we cannot reuse and cannot recycle, and this has been costly for us. For us to be able to afford this pot drop-off service, we need your help! This year we would like to clarify exactly which pots we can accept and use. Following these requirements is the first way you can really help us out![Read More]
With some deeply chilling temperatures on the near horizon, gardeners can gain a little comfort by fast-forwarding to spring in our minds as we plan for our 2024 gardens. The predictable and unpredictable consequences of climate change call upon us to observe our gardens more closely, revise our expectations of our gardens, broaden our vision of what makes a garden, and make our gardens more resilient and less dependent on uncertain resources.
We have been absorbed in seed catalogs; the past couple of nights my bedtime companion has been has the always-fascinating J.L.Hudson Seed Catalog, which is much more interesting in print than it is online. Our seed orders have been arriving and our propagators have been cleaning our precious wild-collected seeds, applying treatments to break dormancy (mostly hot water, physical scarification, and refrigeration), and making new plants from old by division and cuttings.[Read More]
Bald Cypress, courtesy Marilyn Kircus
Take advantage of our new stock of very choice container-grown trees, just being brought out for sale! (like the Bald Cypress pictured here). We have grown these hardy, Colorado-adapted trees organically at Harlequin’s Gardens from bare-root stock, and they are potted in large containers – from 5 to 15 gallon pots. They are in our own nutrient-rich, special potting mix with mycorrhizae. They will make an impact in your landscape quickly.
In our culture today, Valentine’s Day immediately brings to mind Romantic Love, Flowers, Gift-giving and Chocolate. And though this very old Saint’s Day has now been commercialized to the Nth degree, it’s still one of the happier occasions we celebrate, so why not enjoy it in our own way? Romance, Love, flowers, gifts and chocolate are all very positive and uplifting. And we have some recommendations for all of those categories except Romance (you’re on your own there!).[Read More]
Agave seed stalk
The day before Thanksgiving in the Reshetnik-Brawer home was largely spent cleaning the house, but we also decided it was time to cut down the towering inflorescence of our Century Plant (Agave utahensis x parryi v. couesii). I held the 3”- thick stalk while Mikl cut through it with his folding hand-saw (a great tool!), then we laid it down on a ground-cloth to catch the copious seeds that fell out of the hundreds of pods. To me it felt as if we had just felled a large and noble animal or tree, and there were several quiet minutes of awe and reverence. Now that it was horizontal, we were able to get an accurate measurement of the bloom stalk’s height, 14.5 feet, and I counted 34 branches! We will be planting the hundreds (or thousands?) of seeds to produce new plants for you.
We still have LOTS of gorgeous spring-flowering bulbs! When these ‘buried treasures’ emerge, they are among the first signs of spring and are welcomed not only for their beauty, but also for providing early pollen and nectar sources for our pollinating insect as they, too, emerge.
Customers have been inquiring about which bulbs can thrive in the particular circumstances of their gardens. Whether you have a rock garden, native garden, xeriscape, fragrance garden, traditional flower border, cutting garden, or meadow, or you are living with deer, squirrels, chipmunks, limited water, baking sun, shade, clay soil or decomposed granite, there are spring flowering bulbs you can grow successfully, and we still have plenty of them! We carefully curate our selection to provide the best of the best for our climate and all our various garden types.
Well, that was a false alarm!
You heard it from us (and all the weather guessers in the media) – we were going to have our first freeze, possibly a hard freeze, late last week. As my friend Elise put it, after harvesting all of her dahlia blooms, tomatoes, etc., “Huh?”.
In fact, Mikl and I did clear counter space and we did spend all day Thursday harvesting, cutting down and cleaning up much of our vegetable garden, and starting up the dehydrator to dry what seemed like thousands of tomatoes. And we hauled in all the houseplants that spent the summer outside. Our winter squash harvest was remarkable, especially considering that the bed where they were planted had been neglected most of the season, with only 3 or 4 intentional waterings.[Read More]
It’s time to clear counter space in your kitchen and bring in final harvests of tomatoes, peppers, basil, ground cherry, beans, and squash for whatever processing you like to do. My dehydrator has been churning out dried tomatoes to snack on and use in soups, sauces and stews through the winter. Frost is predicted for Friday and Saturday nights (29-30 deg. F) and can be damaging or fatal to these summer crops. On the other hand, if you’re not ready to say goodbye to them this week, we have the knowledge and tools you’ll need to protect your plants! (see this article for more)
Our annual, month-long Holiday Gift Market, open through October 29th, is the perfect place to warm up and enjoy perusing the work of many local artists and artisans. Some of our offerings are available this month exclusively at Harlequin’s Gardens, and nowhere else! From art for the home to personal adornment, the best books for adults and kids, from gardening gifts to delicious treats for foodies, you’ll find unique and beautiful items.[Read More]
If you’ve been to Harlequin’s Gardens, you know that what Mikl and I and our wonderful staff have collaborated on these past 31 years is much more than a place to purchase plants. We believe “our primary product is knowledge”, and much of our work has been to develop and support deeply knowledgeable gardeners who value sustainability. We grow many of our own plants, but truly, thanks to you, we’ve also grown a community.
Our annual, month-long Holiday Gift Market, open through October 29th, is our yearly gift to you. For the past 12 years we have been making space for a community of artists and performers to share their talents, and it’s our great pleasure to introduce the gardening community to these members of Boulder County and Colorado’s artistic community. Please be our guests this month and come take a look at the abundance of beauty available – both from the natural world and crafted by human hands.
We go the extra mile to bring you special bulbs that other nurseries just don’t offer. Many of them are delightful smaller beauties at home in the front of the border, under deciduous trees and shrubs, and in the rockery. They are selling quickly, so be sure to come in to be sure of the best selection. Here is a list, and descriptions, of the fall and spring-blooming treasures for your home garden!
As the year is drawing toward a close and much of the garden and natural landscape is dormant, we can still appreciate the beauty and interest of plants: the silhouetted structure of our leafless trees and shrubs, the textures and colors of their bark, the berries and seedpods ornamenting their branches, and likewise the colors and textures of dry grasses, cattails and sedges. We can also admire the color and form of our evergreen trees and shrubs, and realize how many of our favorite perennial flowering plants and groundcovers provide evergreen (or red, or silver, or purple) foliage through the winter!
The Winter Solstice season is a time for celebrating the return of the light, both literally and figuratively, and as our daylight hours increase in the outer world, we will also try to keep our inner light burning for love, justice, and compassion for all life on earth. It’s a time for generosity, opening hearts, kindness, sharing, and spreading good news. Here are a couple of our suggestions for valuable gifts you can share:
[Read More]
SAVING YOUR TOMATO SEEDS
If you’re thinking about starting your own tomato plants from seed, you’ll be glad to know that it’s easy to save the seeds from heirlooms and other ‘open-pollinated’ tomatoes. One reason for this is that tomatoes are self-pollinating. This means that each flower is ‘perfect’, containing both male and female parts, and the arrangement of those parts is such that the female part (the stigma) is rarely exposed to the outside world before having been thoroughly ‘impregnated’ by the surrounding pollen-bearing anthers. Bees and other insects don’t really figure into the pollination of tomatoes. There are some older varieties derived from wild tomato that may be more vulnerable to cross-pollination, but don’t worry about that now. Do not bother to save seeds from hybrid varieties – only about 25% of them will resemble the plant from which you saved seeds.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Clear cups, small jars or glasses
Small fine strainer
Paper towels
Adhesive tape
Permanent marking pen
Non-chlorinated water (filtered, spring, etc.)
The weather’s looking to be mild for the holidays, but a bit DRY! All this sun and wind, with just a little snow, is stressful to our plants, so don’t forget to give your plants some water.
This is especially true for new plantings, evergreens, and roses and most any plant that was planted in September or October. These plants are especially vulnerable and are more likely to suffer or die from dehydration than from cold.
With this week’s unseasonably warm weather, there’s more time this fall to be out in the garden than usual.
DON’T BE TEMPTED TO CLEAN EVERTHING UP!
It’s important to leave many of those leaves and plants alone to support our insect, bird, animal and soils! It might be the most sustainable thing you can do this season.
This fall, two of our Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) bushes performed especially well: ‘Mikl’s’ and ‘Marge’. Black Elder is considered the most beneficial species for herbal use.
We harvested a bounty, and are happy to share our favorite way to use them.
A healthy herbal remedy used for centuries, we love making Elderberry Syrup from berries harvested from the gorgeous elderberry shrubs and trees we can grow right here in Colorado!
This easy-to-make syrup recipe comes from Boulder wellness coach and herbalist Mitten Lowe.[Read More]
Are mosquitoes bugging you?
Mosquitoes are a problem this year. “Mosquito Man” Bob Hancock at Metro State University of Denver stated recently “We are not only breeding crazy numbers of mosquitoes here in Colorado with our rainy year, but we are keeping the ones that we’re breeding alive because it’s not getting as hot as it usually does.” Mosquitoes can be vectors for various diseases including West Nile Disease. Be proactive!
As Colorado gardeners, we’ve come to expect snow in October (last year it was October 10). It looks like this weekend might give us our first real freeze and chance for snow (the earliest recorded area snowfall was in 1961 when Denver received over 4″ of snow on Labor Day).
This translates into a lot of flower, fruit, and vegetable crops that are still productive that you might want to protect, harvest, and preserve. [Read More]
Purple Smokebush
MIKL’s ‘MACRO BONSAI’ PATIO TREES FOR YOURSELF!
Every so often, one of the trees or shrubs we’ve grown or received from a grower displays interesting twists, bends, curves or dwarfing that suggest the character of Bonsai specimens, but much bigger. Mikl has been collecting and cultivating these ‘Macro Bonsai’ for quite a few years. We have some available for sale right now.
There is so much to look at when you visit Harlequin’s Gardens, it isn’t easy to take it all in!
Today we’re highlighting Special Products that may have escaped your notice, but which will greatly assist your gardening efforts.
Fall is among the best times to plant perennials. While we may begin to wilt from late summer heat, many plants rise to the occasion and burst into bloom! As days begin to grow shorter, perennials spend the next few months developing root systems or taproots that delve well below the hot, dry surface soil. Pollinators depend on finding pollen and nectar sources through the entire summer, so it’s important to include late-summer and autumn bloomers in your garden.
Here are a few suggestions for successful planting.
Bill McKibben, environmentalist, educator and founder of 350.org recently wrote, “If the last year has been about a phase change in our planet’s climate, the next year has to be about a phase change in our planet’s politics.”
This past week we did get significant good news about climate action, and we want to share it with you.
Summer is waning. Nights are cooler and we’re even closing some windows again. Lots of plants are producing seeds. The most comfortable planting season is here, and so are thousands of plants. And to sweeten the season even more, here come our Fall Sales! Next week you will receive our Fall Sale E-Newsletter, with complete information about our special Member’s Sale at the end of August, and our progressive Fall Sale for everyone! In the meantime, we have some pop-up sales appropriate to the season – see below for the details.
As Colorado gardeners, we’ve come to expect snow in October. But on September 9, 2020 we saw a temperature swing of more than 60 degrees, going from record-breaking heat to one of the earliest recorded snow falls in the state.
This translates into a lot of flower, fruit, and vegetable crops cut short, and a lot of unanticipated work protecting vulnerable plants, harvesting, and preserving. There are measures you can take now to be prepared to protect your gardens from cold weather and snow when they arrive, suddenly or not. The following tools, techniques, and ‘props’ can make the difference between life and untimely death of your plants during inclement weather.
Sweet Autumn Clematis
Vines are very valuable for their versatility, variety and vigor, especially in the vertical plane. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Many of us live in urban environments full of walls and fences, and closely packed homes with narrow side-yards. Those of us in townhomes, condos or apartments have only tiny patio gardens or balconies offering little opportunity for greening our outdoor spaces. Or, we live in new developments built on open farmland without mature trees and shrubs for shade or screening. In all of these situations, vines can quickly provide short-term or long-term solutions to provide privacy or shade, maximize our connection to the earth, block unpleasant views, cover ugly surfaces, or add a vertical dimension to the garden. And some vines can also work as groundcovers in tough situations, like under evergreen trees.
We’ve got a wonderful selection of vines right now! Last week we gave you an overview of vines and how to use them, based on their mechanisms for climbing. This week, let’s get into the details of some individual varieties.
from Mitten Lowe at Journey to Wellness
I love beets and beet greens for how grounding and nutritious they are – providing folate, dietary fiber, manganese, potassium, iron, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and more! This wonderful garden beet salad is a perfect way to utilize all parts of the beet plus it’s versatile and so incredibly satisfying.
Geranium x cantabrigiense
Remember Spring of 2023? Cool, rainy and cloudy? We had many thousands of plants coming along from seed, cuttings and plugs. And under these challenging conditions, some of them took a very long time to reach the point when they became ready for sale. But they’re ready now! And some of our best groundcover plants for dry shade or part sun, Plumbago and hardy Geraniums (Cranesbills) are among them!
Here’s a list of some of the great plants, including many native plants (noted with an asterisk), we now have in stock.
