Japanese Beetle is one of the most damaging insect pests in the Eastern and Midwestern US, but
until fairly recently, Coloradans were spared that challenge. It entered the US in 1916, but took until 2003 before a population was established in Colorado.
OLD-Blog
GARDEN VEGGIES & HERBS – 2024 Newsletter
GARDEN VEGGIES & HERBS![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cool-Season-Veggie-Harvest-162x159.jpg)
We’re bringing you a fantastic selection this year!
ARTICHOKE: Imperial Star
ARUGULA: Wild, Astro (spring), Ice Bred (fall)
ASIAN GREENS: Tat Soi, Joi Choi, Pak Choi, Red Giant and Miz America Mustards, Shiso and more!
BROCCOLI: Fiesta, Nutribud, Solstice, Broccoli Raab, Piracicaba
BRUSSEL SPROUTS: Speedia
CABBAGE: Golden Acre, Red Acre
CAULIFLOWER: De Purple, Snow Crown
CELERIAC: Brilliant
COLLARDS: Georgia Southern and 4 more!
CUCUMBERS: 10 varieties including Lemon, Marketmore 76, Armenian, Nat’l Pickling, Silver Slicer, and more!
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dino-kale-162x159.jpg)
Lacinato Kale
KALE: Rainbow Dinosaur/Lacinato, Red Russian, White Russian Blue Curled Dwarf & 4 more!
LETTUCE: Several varieties of each type – Leaf, Butterhead, Romaine, Oakleaf, Batavian, Dwarf, Mixed, Mesclun
RHUBARB: Glaskins Perpetual, Victoria, Canada Red
SPINACH: Caucasian Climbing Perennial (Hablitzia tamnoides), Bloomsdale, Sun Angel, & more!
SWISS CHARD: Seafoam, Fordhook Giant, Perpetual Spinach, 5-Color Silverbeet, and more
MELON: Minnesota Midget, Tuscany, Noir des Carmes
PUMPKIN: Casper, Cherokee Bush, Cinderella, Jarrahdale, Winter Luxury
SUMMER SQUASH: Black Beauty, Yellow Zephyr, Dirani, Tromboncino, Jaune et Verte Scallop, Summer Crookneck +
WATERMELON: 6 varieties including Early Moonbeam, Sugar Baby, Blacktail Mountain, Moon and Stars
WINTER SQUASH: 15 includes Kabocha, Spaghetti, Uncle David’s Buttercup, Acorn, Honeyboat Delicata, Silver Bell +
PLUS: Amaranth, Bulbing Fennel, Collards, Endive, Escarole, Ground Cherry, Kohlrabi, Okra, Tomatillo, Radicchio, Watercress & more!
HERBS, Culinary & Medicinal – Many varieties of THYME, LAVENDER, BASIL, MINT, ROSEMARY, SAGE, OREGANO, CHIVES, plus Parsley, French Tarragon, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Lemon Balm, Lemon Thyme, Lime Balm, Marjoram,, Lemon Grass, Vietnamese Coriander, Pineapple Sage, Lemon Verbena, Borage, Savory, Lovage, Cutting Celery, Catnip, Calendula, Aloe, Greek Mountain Tea, Comfrey, Echinacea , Feverfew, Lobelia, Valerian, Motherwort, Mullein, Sweet Leaf, Lomatium, Hyssop, Anise Hyssop, Plantain, Clary Sage, Skullcap, Arnica, Sheep Sorrel, Self-Heal, Rue, Mugwort, Wormwood, and more.
The Inflation Reduction Act invests $20 billion to help the nation’s farmers respond to climate change…to plant perennial and cover crops and diversify crop rotations…that store carbon in the soil and build resilience against flood and drought.
Union of Concerned Scientists
A Bit about Cucurbits
What’s a cucurbit? It’s any plant that’s in the Cucurbitaceae plant family. You eat them frequently and very likely grow them. This is the plant family that includes zucchini, summer and winter squash, pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon, cantaloupe and other sweet melons, and gourd.
Time to Sow for Fall Harvests
The next few weeks are the perfect time to sow arugula, beets, small carrots, lettuce, kale, radish, and more!
You’re looking to sow veggies that will be harvestable before our first big frosts – often in early October.
We’re proud to bring you seeds from Botanical Interests. They say, “Nurturing seeds in the garden slows us down to reconnect to nature and earth, develops bonds in a community, and creates family traditions and memories. We’re so happy to be a part of that!” And we are, too!
Mixed Herb Chimichurri Recipe
My favorite way to use fresh, home-grown Cilantro and my favorite way to get a concentrated hit of nutrition-packed greens is to make my own version of Chimichurri.
The Event of the Century is Here!
Well, it’s almost here …… we couldn’t wait any longer to tell you about it! Some of you may have guessed that we’re talking about the blooming of Eve and Mikl’s Agave parryi, aka Century Plant, which was planted 27 years ago. Last summer, Eve started whispering to it, suggesting that it might be time to think about blooming.
Ollin Farms Springtime Orzo Salad
Late spring, with the blessing of all the rain we’ve had, offers some of the first harvests of the season. Asparagus, radish, and crisp, mild Hakurei turnips are showing up in CSA shares and at our farmers’ markets. Why not try this springtime salad recipe – the recipe and the vegetables are local, and delicious!
Dead or Alive?
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_3283-194x194.jpg)
Lace Bark Pine
by Mikl Brawner
As we enter June, most of our trees and shrubs have leafed out, but not all. Some have leaves only three quarters of the way up, and many broad-leafed evergreens are mostly brown. Should we cut them back or replace them? Let’s not, just yet.
Wildflower Ramble
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Castilleja-integrifolia-2-194x194.jpg)
Castilleja integra
Yesterday’s Wildflower Ramble
Monday was a perfect day (except for the smoke) for us to take a wildflower ramble in our favorite foothills open space. I had one particular goal: to find Fringed Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum) in bloom. This is a very small plant with foliage and stature that are anything but charismatic, so searching for it when out of bloom is a lost cause. Even when blooming, the light lemon-yellow flowers are only a half inch across. It’s been many years since I have found any Fringed Puccoon in these meadows, and I was hoping that the generous rains we’ve had this month might have coaxed them out of hiding.[Read More]
Another Spring Wildflower Ramble
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mertensia-lanceolata-Chiming-Bells-2-162x159.jpg)
Mertensia lanceolata
In spite of cloudy skies and not-so-distant rumblings of thunder, Mikl and I had another opportunity to ramble among the wildflowers last week. This time, we chose the easy Lichen Loop trail at Heil Ranch, just off Lefhand Canyon Road. It’s amazing how long we can take to walk a mere 1.3 miles! Our excuse was the amazingly rich floristic display brought on by the combination of copious rain and wood ash from the Calwood Fire.
[Read More]
Lovely Lilacs: A Few Recipes
Lilac time is a very special and very short sweet time for us here in Colorado. Here are a few ways to use these flowers for health and well-being, from Mitten Lowe at Journey to Wellness.
We recommend harvesting lilac flowers while they are in full bloom, and making delicious medicine to enjoy through the rest of the year.
[Read More]
Fruit Trees for Your Yard
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW.” While this ancient Chinese proverb still rings true, fruit trees can begin to bear at a pretty young age, bringing satisfaction much sooner than a tree planted for shade or major presence in the landscape. We carry a wide selection of fruit trees proven to thrive and produce here in Colorado and taste great, and the apples, pears, cherries and plums on the list in the link below are in stock right now so that you can plant your own for years of enjoyment. (We don’t have peaches out at the moment – ask when you come in).
Special Woody Plants
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Jamesia-Americana-Waxflower.-Native-1-194x194.jpg)
Jamesia americana – Waxflower
Mikl has assembled a collection of some of our most interesting, unusual and hard-to-find woody plants, many of which are just ready for sale now. These include some excellent native trees, shrubs and ground-covers, as well as particularly interesting and worthy non-natives that thrive in Colorado conditions. We’d like to share some descriptive profiles with you here.
Beautiful, Bountiful Biennials
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/digitalis-purpurea1-194x194.jpg)
Digitalis purpurea – photo courtesy First Nature
Does everyone know what a biennial plant is? It’s a plant that spends its first year of life building a substantial root system and a basal rosette of foliage. In its second year, it will have the resources to support a season of massive blooming and seeding. After having done its job, it dies away, leaving the future of its kind to the new generation of seedlings it has created.[Read More]
New This Week!
We are constantly bringing out new plants from our propagators and receiving deliveries of native, fruiting, perennial, woody and xeriscape specialty plants from our favorite local growers.
This week, we’re excited to bring you new tomato varieties, herbs and perennials.
Plant Select Turns 26
By Mikl Brawner
Not Just Another Pretty Face
We gardeners see a lot of branded plants in branded pots pushed with a lot of money to make a lot of money. That’s not the story with Colorado’s Plant Select program. Plant Select began as, and continues to be a plant promotion program genuinely aimed at the success of Rocky Mt. gardeners. It’s goals include saving water, supporting pollinators and encouraging a western garden aesthetic.
Legislature Forces HOA’s to Save Water on Landscaping
Around 60% of Coloradans live under a homeowner association. If you’re one of them, you know how difficult it is to get HOA approval for water-saving landscaping choices. Senate Bill 178 would allow homeowners to remove grass lawns, forcing HOAs to accept the alternative landscaping.
Benefits of the Beautiful Dandelion
Thinking this cheery yellow-flowered plant is a weed? Think again.
First of all, dandelions provide much needed early-season nutrition for the bees. If that wasn’t enough of a reason to let them into your garden, every part of this plant is good for you. Since ancient times dandelion has been used as a spring tonic. (That’s right, we’re suggesting eating the weeds!).
Blooming Without a Care
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Xeriscape-Native-plantings-Xeriscape-Native-Plantings-Prickly-Poppy-and-Gaillardia-194x194.jpg)
Argemone polyanthemos
by Mikl Brawner
DitchWeeds, Wildflowers, Native Forbs
Call them what you will: when Nature chooses, She knows what She’s doing. And She doesn’t need a human audience. Nature is happy playing to the bees, wasps, butterflies, moths and beetles. We humans can learn a thing or two just by noticing and appreciating Nature’s perfect performance. And that’s just what we gardeners do.
[Read More]
Own-Root Roses
Did your roses take a hit from the winter cold and strong winds we just experienced? Perhaps they look as though they didn’t make it, showing brown, shriveled canes and no new growth above the ground. Or maybe there are no signs of life on the canes, but there is new growth just coming up from the ground. Either way, if your roses are growing on their own roots, you’re in luck. If they were grafted onto a rootstock, the prospects are not so good.[Read More]
May 4 – May 12: May Day Celebration and Sales!
There is something special and exciting about the arrival of May. In May, Spring weather may still be variable, but there’s nothing tentative about the progress of growth and flowering. They are unstoppable, full speed ahead!
At Harlequin’s Gardens, we love to celebrate May Day. This ancient festival from the British Isles welcomes Spring and celebrates the beauty, fertility, and abundance of the Earth. For 30 years, Harlequin’s Gardens has maintained a tradition of starting off our May Day festivities with hosting the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers, performing their lively traditional dances with bells, music, knocking sticks and waving scarves to bring forth the Earth’s fertility. The magic seems to work!
Earth Day Greetings!
It may sound trite or boastful, but truly – every day is Earth Day for us.
We are not just here to sell plants. We have a deep love and respect for plants and their roles in everything from making life on Earth possible for us humans and so many other life-forms, down to the minute details of their wondrous adaptations, behaviors and forms. We want to share all this with you,
Trees for a Changing Climate and a Resilient Urban Forest
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Amelanchier-alnifolia-Saskatoon-Serviceberry-in-autumn-194x194.jpg)
Serviceberry
by Mikl Brawner
If you look at old photos of Colorado Front Range cities, you won’t see many trees. And if you look up native trees of Colorado, you will find a lot of mountain-growing conifers and just a few deciduous trees that grow natively along streams. And yet the quality of life for us humans depends on trees.
A Pair of Products
A Pair of Products for your Spring Lawn and Rose Care
Corn Gluten and Rose Food are two helpful products you should consider at this time of year.
Corn Gluten Meal
We normally recommend applying corn gluten for weed control a bit earlier in the year, like February and March, and NOW is a still an effective time to apply it on lawns and other spaces. Here are the details.[Read More]
FEATURED EGGPLANT OFFERINGS – 2024 Spring Newsletter
FEATURD EGGPLANT OFFERINGS FOR 2024
PURPLE COMET – NEW!
70 days from transplant, hybrid, Asian-type
Strong upright plants produce big yields of long-fruited Asian type eggplant. Purple Comet’s substantial fruits can reach 10” long and 1.5 to 2” diameter, but they are equally delicious when picked young. The firm white flesh is bitter-free, seed development is slow, and the rich violet skin is thin and tender. Plants are robust, with extra-large, tropical-looking foliage and showy purple flowers, and beautiful purple fruits.
PURPLE PICKLING – NEW!
90 days from transplant, OP, Italian
This pear-shaped Italian heirloom variety is traditionally used to make eggplant relishes like Caponata, but is equally suited to grilling, roasting, and baking and stewing. Fruits up to 8″ long are borne in abundance on purple-stemmed, thornless plants.
EGGPLANT OFFERINGS – 2023 Spring Newsletter
EGGPLANTS FOR 2023
KURUME LONG – New! 60 days, Open-pollinated
This popular, early and productive Japanese heirloom variety is a favorite for its cylindrical 9 to 10”- long, shiny black fruits with black calyx, excellent texture and mild, delicate flavor. The attractive, high-yielding plants are very vigorous. Can do well in containers.
New this Week!
A Wide selection of Roses, Peppers, Tomatoes, Pots and Planters!
This week, we have a great selection of Colorado-adapted, healthy, plants.
Choose from pepper and tomato plants, herbs, flowering annuals, native and non-native perennials, shrubs, trees, fruiting bushes and fruit trees. Plus the pots and planters you’ll need this season.[Read More]
Sharing a Call to Action for Local Pesticide Control
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Mason-Bee-162x159.jpg)
Mason Bee
Commentary needed on Senate Bill 23-192 – the Sunset Pesticide Applicators Act
Sometimes you can make a difference. Colorado’s People and Pollinators Action Network (PPAN) is organizing a letter campaign to legislators advocating for greater local control of pesticides.[Read More]
Seed Summer Fruits and Veggies Now!
Today (May 9) is the average last frost date in our area, and Mother’s Day is the traditional Colorado date considered ‘safe’ for planting.
Of course, we have lived through enough late-May freezes and snowstorms to be a bit cautious! We offer vital supplies to have on hand to protect your frost-sensitive plants. Ask about our row-cover fabrics when you come to the nursery.[Read More]
Plant Recovery After a Cold, Snowy Winter
We’ve just endured one of the coldest and snowiest winters in the last 16 years.
On December 22nd Boulder saw low temperatures of minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by minus 10 on January 30th , and again in late February the temperature fell to minus 11. These cold temperatures seem to be the explanation for damage to plants that we are seeing.[Read More]
Greener Denver 2023
Voting for the Planet, and People
With the election a week away, we wanted to bring a visionary moral community effort to your attention. Over 30 of our local environmental groups are calling on Denver municipal candidates to work for the planet, and people.
This coalition has created “The Greener Denver Platform” for a healthy, thriving and climate-resilient future.
Successful Container Gardening
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.
Self-Sowing Hardy Annuals
Some customers wonder why we are selling starts of self-sowing hardy annuals like Larkspur, Rocky Mt. Beeplant, California Poppy, Peony-flowered Poppy, Sweet Alyssum and Desert Bluebell. Shouldn’t they be grown from seed sown directly in the garden? The answer is Yes, they certainly can be, and if you find a source for the seeds and sow them at the optimal time, usually in the fall, you can get great results. But some gardeners report having little or no success with direct sowing: their timing is off, the seeds are watered in and then dry up and are no longer viable, critters eat the seeds, etc. [Read More]
Get Involved! 2023 Farm Bill
Every 5 years or so Congress has the opportunity to transform our food system by revising a piece of legislation known as the Farm Bill, which covers everything from supporting farmers to ensuring food security for all. Politicians and local and national advocacy organizations are working to determine how nearly a billion dollars a year will be spent. You can help!
TOMATO OFFERINGS – 2023 Spring Newsletter
A Few New & ‘New Again’ TOMATOES: Offering 73 varieties!
BURRELL’S SPECIAL – New Again! 70-75 days, Hybrid, Determinate
A very productive and ‘picture perfect’ large red salad/slicer tomato developed by Burrell’s seed company of Rocky Ford, CO. The flattened globe fruits average 8 oz, 3” x 2.5”, and have excellent sweet, balanced flavor, plump, meaty texture and small cores, good heat tolerance, and demonstrated ability to set fruit in hot weather. Vines grow to 4’.
CASCADE VILLAGE BLUE – New Again! 75 days, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate
This lovely indigo saladette type tomato holds well on and off the vine, is beautiful, and tastes great, too. Dark purple-skinned, 3 oz globes ripen to red on the bottom, with a red star shape that forms under the calyx, common to indigo tomatoes. Flesh is red, foliage has a dark purple tinge.
Dr. WYCHE’s YELLOW – New Again! 80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Dr. Wyche’s has been away too long! One of the great heirloom tomatoes featured in Dr. Carolyn Male’s book ‘100 Heirloom Tomatoes’. The yellow fruits are large (up to 1 lb), slightly flattened globes, with very richly flavored flesh , fruity and complex, meaty and blemish-free. When completely ripe, they are golden-orange.
FLAMING BURST – New! 70 days, Open-pollinated, Indeterminate
These crack-resistant, 1oz, 1.25 x 1.75”, golden orange fruits look like a cross between a pear tomato and a cherry tomato, in clusters on a steadily productive plant. Meaty but not dense; juicy and sweet but tangy, not insipid, with the flavor and nuance that so many yellow pears tomatoes lack. The high-yielding plants grow to a manageable 4′ tall.
JERSEY DEVIL– New! 85 days, Open-pollinated, Indeterminate
Jersey Devil is a brilliant red, very prolific heirloom paste-type variety shaped like a plump banana pepper. These sweet and richly flavored, 4 to 6” tomatoes are solid and very meaty, great for making into sauces and salsas, and even eating fresh, and have very few seeds. Vines grow 3’ to 5’ tall, , fruits can be colossal! They yield very heavily.
LARGE RED CHERRY – New! 75-80 days, Open-pollinated, Indeterminate
This famous 19th century cross between a smaller currant-type wild tomato and a domesticated garden tomato bears clusters of sweet, juicy, bright red 1″ to 1.25” diameter round fruits over a long season on tall, vigorous vines. Ideal for salads, stuffing, and snacking.
MOUNTAIN DELIGHT – New! 70 days, Hybrid, Determinate
One of the Mountain series developed by NC State University and similar to Mountain Fresh and Mountain Spring, but plants are more compact with higher yields. Bright red flattened globes weigh 10 oz. and are firm and flavorful, great for salads, slicing and sandwiches. Healthy determinate vines grow to 3 to 5’ tall and are resistant to many diseases.
ORANGE KING – New Again! 65 days. Open-pollinated, Semi-Determinate
One of the earliest full-size tomatoes to ripen and one of the best producers of tennis-ball-size, very meaty, bright orange globes that can weigh up to ¾ lb. Blemish-free fruit grow on stocky 3’ bushes that are easy to cage. An excellent short-season slicing variety, it has great low-acid, sweet, fruity flavor. This Orange King was bred by Tim Peters
PINK BUMBLE BEE – New! 65-70 days, Open-pollinated, Indeterminate
Recently bred by Artisan Seeds to perform under tough conditions, these gorgeous, streaked cherry
tomatoes hang in trusses of pinks, yellows and oranges. Vigorous, tall vines yield loads of crack-resistant fruit over a very long season; bright, sweet flavor; tolerates cool nights and hot days.
SUNRAY – New! 75 days, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate The beautiful golden orange, blemish-free, 6 to 9oz fruits have a meaty texture and rich, sweet and tangy flavor, said to rival the best reds and perfect for salads, sandwiches, slicing or canning. Vigorous, leafy, high-yielding vines have strong resistance to Fusarium wilt. They are known to be very drought-tolerant and thrive in hot, dry climates.
Returning Varieties: ‘Anasazi’, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Big Rainbow, Black from Tula, Black Krim, Black Prince, Black Sea Man, Cherokee Purple, Chianti Rose, Dona, Gold Medal, Italian Heirloom, Moskvitch, Pink Brandywine (Sudduth), Pruden’s Purple, Striped German, Burrell’s Special, chocolate Cherry, Isis Candy, Juliet, Large Red Cherry, Lemon Drop, Matt’s Wild Cherry, Mexico Midget, SunGold, Supersweet 100, Tommy Toe, Gold Nugget, Red Robin, Stupice, Tasmanian Chocolate, Tidy Treats, Tumbling Tom Yellow, Cuor di Bue, Martino’s Roma, Native Sun, Jaune Flamme, Principe Borghese, San Marzano Redorta, Blush, Garden Peach, Glacier, Green Zebra, Indigo Apple, Floradade, Better Boy, Bella Rosa, Bush Early Girl, Carmello, Chocolate Stripes, Cosmonaut Volkov, Orange King, Sasha’s Altai, Azoychka, Black Truffle, Paul Robeson, Pink Berkeley Tie Dye, Taxi, Thessaloniki, Super Sioux (Lakota).
New Year’s Greeting!
Two quotations greet me every morning, posted on our bathroom mirror: “Tell me. What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” (poet Mary Oliver) and “I wake up each morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. This makes it very hard to plan the day.” (author/editor E. B. White). The first inspires me to define my priorities, while the second, which perfectly describes my daily dilemma, allows me a little slack and sense of humor in the midst of my personal chaos and the chaos of life on Earth in this time. Perhaps you can take some inspiration and comfort from them, too.
Thanks, Volunteers!
![Gary Meis teaching](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_7887-1-194x194.jpg)
Gary Meis teaching
Last Saturday a group of dedicated plantspeople came in from the cold to learn and volunteer with Harlequin’s Gardens’ expert propagator Gary Meis. We’re passing a few of his native plant seeding and propagation tips along to you.
Warming Herbal Tea Recipe
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_7823-1-194x194.jpg)
Herbal Tea
Herbal Teas are some of the best home-grown medicines! This time of year infusions of herbs from Harlequin’s Gardens plants you’ve grown can keep you well, and warm.
Wonderful Winter Squash Recipe
![Buttercup winter squash](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Buttercup-Squash-1-162x159.jpg)
Buttercup, one of the sweetest squash with dry, golden flesh.
This past season Harlequin’s offered several delicious varieties of pumpkin and winter squash, from arguably the finest tasting pie pumpkin, Winter Luxury, to Buttercup, Butternut and Kabocha.. With cold weather on the way, this week is the perfect time to try a nourishing recipe with your harvests (just in time for Thanksgiving!).
Here’s a recipe from Boulder’s Mitten Lowe and Journey to Wellness for Apple Cider-Glazed Butternut Squash. It’s sure to keep you warm from the inside out. [Read More]
POTATO, ONION and ASPARAGUS – 2024 Newsletter
POTATOES
German Butterball, Nicola, Purple Majesty, Harvest Moon, Sangre (all certified seed potatoes from the San Luis Valley).
Potatoes should be in soon! Call before you come to be sure we have them!
ONIONS – In Store Now!
In bundles – Patterson, Redwing, Walla Walla. In store now!
In pots – Ailsa Craig, Red Long of Tropea, Red Marble and Gold Coin cipollini, Rossa di Milano, Walla Walla. In store now!
LEEKS: King Richard, Blue Solaise.
SHALLOTS: Crème Brulee, Zebrune.
ASPARAGUS – in store now!
Jersey Knight – All-male hybrid with big spears, doesn’t produce seeds so doesn’t become weedy. Best selection for dense clay soils. Very productive & disease resistant. Cold-hardy to Zone 2 (5 crowns per bag)
Purple Passion – Beautiful deep burgundy spears with high sugar content and antioxidants. Delicious, tender, less fibrous, great raw, turns green when cooked (5 crowns per bag).
for more descriptions, click here and scroll down to Asparagus, Onions and Potatoes!
Q: Can I plant now?
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IMG_8222-194x194.jpg)
Spinach Start
Q: Can I plant now?
A: It depends!
Yay! Warm days remind us that the threat of frost will soon be gone! If you’re planting hardy perennials, shrubs, vines, grasses or trees, you’re good to go now (as long as your soil isn’t too wet to work). Our stock of seeds and starts for cool-season greens like arugula, spinach, chard, kale and lettuce are in and ready to plant. And you can get a head start on tomatoes!
GARDEN VEGGIES & HERBS – 2023 Newsletter
GARDEN VEGGIES & HERBS![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cool-Season-Veggie-Harvest-162x159.jpg)
We’re bringing you a fantastic selection this year!
ARTICHOKE: Imperial Star
ARUGULA: Wild, Astro (spring), Ice Bred (fall)
ASIAN GREENS: Tatsoi, Pak Choi, Mustards, Mizuna, Senposai, Shiso and more!
BROCCOLI: Fiesta, Nutribud, Aspabroc, Sorrento Broccoli Raab, Piracicaba
CAULIFLOWER: De Purple, Snow Crown
BRUSSEL SPROUTS: Speedia
CABBAGE: Red Acre, Red Express, All Seasons
CELERY: Ventura
CELERIAC: Brilliant
CUCUMBERS: Lemon, Marketmore 76, Armenian, Nat’l Pickling, Silver Slicer, Spacemaster 80, Shintokiwa, and more!
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dino-kale-162x159.jpg)
Lacinato Kale
KALE: True Siberian, Red Russian, Dinosaur/Lacinato, Dazzling Blue, White Russian, Baltisk Red, Dwarf Blue Curled, & more!
LETTUCE: Several varieties of each type – Leaf, Butterhead, Romaine, Oakleaf, Batavian, Dwarf, Mixed, Mesclun
RHUBARB: Glaskins Perpetual, Victoria, Canada Red
SPINACH: Caucasian Climbing Perennial (Hablitzia tamnoides), Bloomsdale, Giant Nobel, Lavewa, & more!
SWISS CHARD: Bright Lights, Seafoam, Fordhook Giant, Perpetual Spinach, Ruby Red Rhubarb, Rainbow
MELON: Minnesota Midget, Tuscany, Noir des Carmes
PUMPKIN: Casper, Cherokee Bush, Cinderella, Jarrahdale, Winter Luxury
SUMMER SQUASH: Black Beauty, Costata Romanesca, Dirani, Cocozelle, Jackpot, White Bush Lebanese, Tromboncino, Jaune et Verte Scallop, Yellow Summer
WATERMELON: Early Moonbeam, Golden Midget, Sweet Dakota Rose, Sugar Baby
WINTER SQUASH: Kabocha, Stella Blue, Spaghetti, Uncle David’s Buttercup, Tuffy Acorn, Table Queen Acorn, Honeyboat Delicata, Sweet Dumpling, Butter Baby Butternut and more!
PLUS: Amaranth, Bulbing Fennel, Collards, Endive, Escarole, Ground Cherry, Kohlrabi, Okra, Tomatillo, Radicchio, Watercress & more!
And LOTS of HERBS, both Culinary, Medicinal – Many varieties of THYME, LAVENDER, BASIL, MINT, ROSEMARY, SAGE, OREGANO, CHIVES, plus Parsley, French Tarragon, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Lemon Balm, Lemon Thyme, Lime Balm, Marjoram,, Lemon Grass, Vietnamese Coriander, Pineapple Sage, Lemon Verbena, Borage, Savory, Lovage, Cutting Celery, Catnip, Calendula, Aloe, Greek Mountain Tea, Comfrey, Echinacea , Feverfew, Lobelia, Valerian, Motherwort, Mullein, Sweet Leaf, Lomatium, Hyssop, Anise Hyssop, Plantain, Clary Sage, Skullcap, Arnica, Sheep Sorrel, Self-Heal, Rue, Mugwort, Wormwood, and more.
Go to www.HarlequinsGardens.com/Plants/edibles/Vegetables for excellent descriptions of the hundreds of varieties we offer!
We think we are so smart, in a clever way, but these plants have been breeding microbes for centuries which has resulted in wise evolutionary traits that they have developed.
Walter Goldstein, Mandaamin Institute
PERENNIALS – 2024 Spring Newsletter
Harlequin’s Huge Selection of pollinator-supporting Native Perennials-including:
Castilleja integra – Indian Paintbrush – Brilliant scarlet-orange early summer hummingbird magnet, challenging
Allium cernuum – Nodding Onion – 1’+ tall graceful, nodding scapes of light to deep pink flowers are bee-loved
Heterotheca pumila – Alpine Goldenaster – a rare Rocky Mt. subalpine/alpine wee mound dotted with golden daisies for the butterflies and bees
Hymenoxys argentea, H. scaposa – Perky Sue – Lemon yellow daisies dance above tight linear foliage clumps, xeric
Native Yarrow- clusters of white flowers for pollinators, strong spreading for natural lawn; herb-medicine, supports many native beneficials and pollinators
Lithospermum multiflorum – very pretty, small golden yellow trumpets on 18” shrublet for part shade; north or east exposure. Foothills native no other nursery carries
Scarlet Gilia- Ipomopsis aggregata- red trumpets on 2’-3’ stems call in the hummingbirds; very show in the garden
Native Campanula rotundifolia- sweet blue bells on 12”-16” stems for pollinators; tough in dry part shade
Sulfur Flower–Kannah Creek, Eriogonum umbellatum, E. jamesii: yellow pom-pom flowers are important to butterflies, best native ground cover
Asclepias incarnata & Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Weed, pretty flowers, 1’-2’ high, essential Monarch butterfly food
Native Bee-Balm –Monarda fistulosa: Showy purple blooms bring bees, hummers, butterflies; deer-resistant
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Penstemon-secundiflorus-1-162x159.jpg)
Penstemon secundiflorus (Sidebells Penstemon)
Many Penstemons including:
P. virens: 2”x 8”, short spikes of blue flowers; shiny, dark evergreen leaves
Penstemon secundiflorus: violet-pink flowers, silvery foliage, long lived local wildflower and dozens of other species!
Many Columbines including: Rocky Mt., Denver Gold, Western Red, Barneby’s, and more!
Purple Prairie Clover – long lived xeric native loved by many bee species, bright purple-pink, nitrogen-fixing.
Gaillardia aristata- BlanketFlower – beautiful 2″ yellow daisies with notched petals, red centers, can bloom all summer, drought-tolerant. We have the local genotype
Liatris punctata-Gayfeather – butterfly essential late summer/fall, 1′ tall purple spikes, xeric
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Oenothera-caespitosa-1-162x159.jpg)
Oenothera caespitosa
Oenotheras-Evening Primroses – O. caespitosa (Tufted Evening Primrose) – gorgeous big fragrant white blossoms age pink
Chocolate Flower – 12″ x 24″ wide, yellow daisies with chocolate fragrance, very xeric, blooms all summer
Sphaeralcea munroana: Hardy, 18” vivid orange blooms all spring, bee-loved, low-water, silver leaves, rare
Erysimum wheeleri/Wheeler’s Wallflower: Tall, long-blooming biennial, vivid burnt-orange flowers, HG exclusive!
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Geum-triflorum-Prairie-Smoke-1-162x159.jpg)
Geum triflorum, Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum/Prairie Smoke: CO native, handsome foliage, reddish flowers, feathery seedheads, sun/pt shade
Engelmannia peristenia/Engelman Daisy: Plant Select, neat golden daisies all summer, 18”h low-water beauty
Townsendia hookeri & kin: Native ‘Easter Daisies” grow dry, begin bloom super-early in neat little clumps
Echinacea angustifolia/Narrow-leaf Coneflower: premier immune herb, large pink or white summer blooms on tall stems bring butterflies, finches
Agave Neomexicana ‘Big Blue’-bold, often blue broad blades with sharp spine at the end, evergreen, showy
Native Pussytoes, Aster, Skyrocket Ipomopsis, Blazing Star, Navajo Tea, Prairie Sundrops (Calylophus serrulatus) and many more!
PLUS many great non-Natives including:
Many Agastaches –Blue Fortune, A. rupestris, A. foeniculum and ‘Ava’
Sage: culinary, Purple, Berggarten, Blue Hill, May Night, Caradonna, Furman’s Red, Mojave, S. azurea, S. argentea
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” diameter; D. Petraeus noeanus – Jasmine Dianthus, powerfully fragrant
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Geranium-Rozanne-162x159.jpg)
Geranium ‘Rozanne’
Hardy Geraniums – Biokovo, Splendens, St. Ola, Crystal Rose, Cambridge, Ballerina, G. macrorrhizum, G.sanguineum
Echinacea purpurea, Magnus, White Swan, E. tennesseensis, E. pallida, E. paradoxa, E. angustifolia
Rosemary – Arp, Madeline Hill, Tuscan Blue, Prostrata
Harlequin’s Silver Germander (2024 Plant Select!) T. rotundifolium, T. chamaedrys
Many Lavenders – Royal Velvet, Grosso, Twickle Purple, Munstead, Hidcote, Thumbalina Leigh, Vera, Wee One
Ornamental Oregano – Kent’s Beauty, Amethyst Falls, etc, cascading groundcovers, long blooming, bee-loved.
Plus: Scabiosa Fama, Sedum nevii, Corsican Violet, Limonium gmelinii, Lallemantia canescens, Firefly Coralbells, various Iris, many sedums, several creeping Veronicas, Liatris, Plumbago, Amsonia and even Daphnes
Rock Garden and Crevice Plants:
Campanulas, Townsendias, Delospermas, , Physaria, Daphnes, Asphodeline, Aethionema, Hosta Venusta, Dwarf Iris, Erigerons, Erodiums and more
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Papaver-Laurens-Grape-3-162x159.jpg)
Papaver ‘Lauren’s Grape’
Tough Annuals:
Snapdragon, Zinnia, Lauren’s Grape Poppy, Petunias, Datura, Pansies, Calif. Poppy, Nicotiana, Salvia, Honeywort, Cleome, Sweet Alyssum, Marigold, Larkspur, Calendula, Cosmos, Dahlia, Bachelor’s Button, Summer Geranium, Nasturtium, Four O’clock, Peony-flowered Poppy, Verbena, Black-eyed Susan, Mexican Sunflower, Hyacinth Bean, and lots more!
2023 Membership and Gift Certificates – Perfect Gifts
Still looking for the Perfect Gifts for Gardeners?
Gift Certificates and 2023 Memberships are sure to please this holiday season! We want to express our thanks and gratitude to all 2022 members, and to invite you to become a 2023 Member today.[Read More]
SOIL LIFE PRODUCTS – 2024 Newsletter
VERY SPECIAL PRODUCTS TO BENEFIT YOUR SOIL LIFE & YOUR PLANT LIFE
SOIL BIOLOGY
Big Foot Mycorrhizae – 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. NEW
Endo Mycorrhizae – water soluble symbiotic fungus, inoculate roots to bring water and nutrients. Easy to use and very effective. Good for shrubs and trees, veggies too; dissolve in water, wet roots.
Myke Vegetable and Herb–enhances growth, development & production; wet roots and dust on the powder or sprinkle in seed row to improve germination.
Hold off on Spring Cleanup and Build a Strong Backyard Ecosystem
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Praying-Mantis-egg-case-early-March-cropped-194x194.jpg)
Praying Mantis Egg Case
It’s the time of year when we’re itching to begin planting for the season and preparing for this year’s growth. But hold onto those shears! We know that regeneration is occurring in our soil, with microbes and overwintering insects. Delaying Spring cleanup for another few weeks will ensure a healthy, vibrant ecosystem that best supports your plants. Here are tips for you to best help this process take place, while still having an aesthetically pleasing garden. [Read More]
Final Week of our 30th Season!
We are coming to the end of Harlequin’s 30th year in business and in service to the community. We are so grateful that you have supported us all these years. You have found us in our hidden location, told your friends about us, planted our native flora, xeriscape and pollinator-supporting selections and organic veggie starts, and supported your soil life with our help. This partnership over 30 years has made a difference in our local ecology and in people’s individual lives. Our dedication to organic gardening has been multiplied by thousands of you. [Read More]
Fall Sale 2022 Final Week!
In tandem with the close of October, our 2022 Fall Sale will end this Sunday at 5pm. Before then, be sure to take advantage of our Fall Sale Discounts, which can help you achieve your end-of-season gardening goals with plants and soil products that are 30% off! (Sale exceptions listed below.)
TREES – 2024 Spring Newsletter
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. Selected for resilience and success in Colorado and global warming and difficult conditions. 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 Colorado
Rocky Mt. Maple
Native to 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
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 and wide, very xeric, white fruit is tasty and does not stain
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Prunus-virginiana-Chokecherry.-Credit-CO-Springs-Utilities-Xeriscaping-162x159.jpg)
Chokecherry. Credit: CO Springs Utilities Xeriscaping
Golden Rain Tree
25′ xeric tree with golden flowers in July, lantern-like pods, seeds abundantly
Chokecherry
Native, suckering tree to 15′-25′ with white flowers, edible fruit; great for birds and butterflies
Sucker Punch Chokecherry
Leaves start green then turn red all season, non-suckering, white flowers, berries
Silver Buffaloberry (Shepherdia)
10′ native tree with edible red fruit, silver leaves, very xeric, few thorns
Mayday Tree (Prunus padus)
20′-30′ with clusters of white flowers, then bird fruit, fast screen
![](https://harlequinsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Western-Catalpa-162x159.jpg)
Catalpa speciosa
Catalpa
40′-50′ with vertical habit, orchid-like flowers, huge round leaves, 12″ beans, xeric and special
Arizona Cypress
20′-30′ evergreen, blue foliage is fragrant, not scratchy, quite fast growing, bird favorite
Plus, Honeylocust, Flowering Crab Apples, Silver Maple, Bur Oak, Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn, Aspen, Ptelea (Wafer Ash), Kentucky Coffee Tree, Ohio Buckeye, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, Hot Wings Maple, Native Birch, and many more.
Fall Sale in Full Swing!
This is such a nice time of the year to putter in the garden! It’s also a good opportunity to look ahead and amend your planting beds and lawn for Spring 2023. Our Fall Sale Discounts can help you achieve your end-of-season gardening goals with plants and soil products that are 30% off! (Sale exceptions listed below.)