We’re excited that the City of Boulder is gathering feedback from the community about how we use our yards, preferences for landscaping and interest in a citywide effort to create pollinator habitat patches and pathways. Pollinator pathways connect safe, pesticide-free native plant patches of habitat for bees, birds, butterflies, and other wildlife to provide food and nesting sites. Native pollinators are vital to our ecosystems and pathways support pollinator populations, as well as safe passage for movement across the city.
OLD-Blog
Take Time to Review Your 2021 Garden
‘Tis the season of mailboxes stuffed with seed and nursery catalogs, and we know all too well the temptations therein! Our gardens may be dormant, but our plant lust is not, and haven’t we all been sucked in by glossy photos of sexy new must-have plants, even though we haven’t a clue where we’ll put them? We recommend that you try to resist, at least long enough to evaluate your existing garden.
Winter is actually a great time to turn a critical eye to your garden and see what works and what doesn’t. What is the main purpose of your home landscape, and how can it be enhanced? [Read More]
Gifts for Foodies and other eaters
The Front Range is a hotbed of innovation and passion for quality food with real flavor and real nutritional value. Whether it’s the micro-brews, coffee, chocolate, heirloom vegetables, pasture-raised meats, or ancient grains, or the gluten-free, paleo, keto, or vegan diet, Front Range Coloradans have shown great support and enthusiasm for slow, locally-grown, organic, fair-trade and creative, locally hand-crafted foods.
You can pick up a mouth-full or a basket-full of some of our favorite locally crafted specialty foods this month at our Holiday Gift Market all of them will easily keep through the holidays and beyond. [Read More]
Easier Online Gift Certificate Giving!
We’ve just made it much easier to purchase a Harlequin’s Gardens Gift Certificate online!
Our Gift Certificates can be purchased online year-round, and at any time of the day. You can select from 15 thematic designs, customize the amount that you would like to give, and add your own personal message.
You can then choose to send it via email immediately or on a future date, or to print it out and hand-deliver or mail it yourself. Following receipt, your recipient will be able to research their balance at any time. [Read More]
New Seeds for Fall, Winter, & Early Spring Planting!
Sow Fall Crops and be ready for the 2022 growing season! We’re bringing in fresh seeds, packed for 2022, from our local Botanical Interests Seed Company, and should have them on display sometime this Thursday. Most of these seeds are certified organic.
Now is a great time to plant seeds for fall crops such as spinach, lettuce, mesclun, kale, swiss chard, arugula, mustard greens, and watermelon radish. Sow seeds this fall for mache, which will provide tasty salad greens in late winter, before the more conventional spring greens are ready. Fall sowing is also ideal for hardy, drought-tolerant annual flowers like borage, California poppies, cornflower, larkspur, love-in-a-mist, breadseed poppies, and Shirley poppies.[Read More]
Woody Plant Die-back and Pruning
October 2020 went from record high temperatures in the 80s to record lows, 19 degrees by October 25. May 2021 also made some shocking temperature changes. These rapid and dramatic changes can cause woody plants to die back, lose branches or die completely.
Mikl has been waiting and waiting before pruning this spring, because sometimes our woody plants can leaf out very late. Here is a way to tell when to prune: [Read More]
Our Best Selection of Plants for the 2021 Season is Here Now!
Our best selection of plants for the 2021 season is here now! Our selection of plants for shade and part shade has never been better, including Hosta (many kinds!), Ferns (5 kinds!), Bergenia, Hellebore, Foxglove, Geranium (many), Coral Bells (many), Monkshood, Persicaria, Pulmonaria, Golden Wood Poppy and Clematis (lots!), and some new selections, like Solomon’s Seal (2 kinds)!
The Ups & Downs of July
First, let’s count our blessings: the cool and wet spring has been great for plant growth (and of course, weeds galore!). The profusion of wildflowers this spring has been glorious, the foothills are still green going into July, and conditions for gardening are now quite pleasant. And we will have fruit on most of our fruit trees! Don’t forget to thin them to keep branches and trunks from breaking.
Colorado is well known for surprising weather events, but this year has been exceptional and, in some cases, record-breaking. [Read More]
MEMBERSHIP & WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTERS – 2025 Newsletter
HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
Join or renew now for benefits through December!
2025 Membership – Support and Celebrate 33 Years with us!
Choose the level of support that is right for you: the same benefits for all levels
CARNIVAL: $25 JAMBOREE: $50 GALA: $100 Fiesta: $250
In direct return for your support and generosity, Members will receive:
- 50% off their first Harlequin’s-hosted class (up to $11.50)
- 25% discount on books…All season (no discount if already discounted)
- Special Sales for Members only (announced in e-newsletter)
Your support helps us to:
- Continue our Staff Fund to help support and retain our valuable staff
- Invest in upgrading our Xeric Groundcovers Garden and other demo gardens
- Support customer education through our Regionally accurate Plant Descriptions and Plant Database
- Collect local seed to be able to provide plants genetically adapted to our region
- To be able to provide free plant and soil advice and help with pest questions
You can sign up to be a member on our website, at the nursery, or mail a check to Harlequin’s Gardens, 4795 North 26th St. Boulder, CO. 80301
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEMBERS!!!
E-NEWSLETTERS
Please, subscribe to receive our weekly newsletters by email!
Our e-newsletters have timely garden advice and reminders, as well as news of stock arrivals, upcoming classes, special events and sales, etc. This is the best way we can give you detailed and up-to-date information at the time when it is relevant. Subscribe here, and please remember to add us to your Contact List so your email server doesn’t throw us in the trash!
FACEBOOK – Please LOVE and follow us on Facebook and @harlequinsgardens on Instagram!
MEMBERSHIP & WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTERS – 2023 Newsletter
HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
Join or renew now for benefits through December!
Choose the level of support that is right for you: the same benefits for all levels
CARNIVAL: $22 FIESTA: $35
JAMBOREE: $50 GALA: $100
In direct return for your support and generosity, Members will receive:
- 50% off their first Harlequin’s-hosted class (up to $11)
- 25% discount on books…All season (no discount if already discounted)
- Special Sales for Members only (announced in e-newsletter)
- Special coupons for Members only
Your support helps us to:
1) Continue our Staff Fund to help support and retain our valuable staff
2) Invest in upgrading our Xeric Groundcovers Garden and other demo gardens
3) Support customer education through our Regionally accurate Plant Descriptions and Plant Database
4) Collect local seed to be able to provide plants genetically adapted to our region
5) Be able to provide free plant and soil advice and help with pest questions
You can sign up to be a member by clicking here, at the nursery, or mail a check to Harlequin’s Gardens, 4795 North 26th St. Boulder, CO. 80301..
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEMBERS!!!
E-NEWSLETTERS
Please, subscribe to receive our weekly newsletters by email!
Our e-newsletters have timely garden advice and reminders, as well as news of stock arrivals, upcoming classes, special events and sales, etc. This is the best way we can give you detailed and up-to-date information at the time when it is relevant. Subscribe here, and please remember to add us to your Contact List so your email server doesn’t throw us in the trash!
FACEBOOK – Please LOVE and follow us on Facebook and @harlequinsgardens on Instagram!
Nearly 200 coutries have agreed to a legally binding “high seas treaty”. Twenty years in the making, this treaty finally evaluates commercial activities like deep sea mining, industrial fishing and shipping in order to protect marine life and biodiversity in international waters.
CNN 2023
Spring Weather Protection Tools
We know Mother Nature teases Coloradans with delightful warm weather days in between snow and cold spells, and while they give us hope for the warm spring days ahead, this is a pattern that will continue through March, and into April.
If you’re eager to get your garden started here are tools that you can gather now, which will help your plants succeed during the turbulent early spring transition period. [Read More]
Bulb Tips from Eve
Species Crocus are the earliest Crocus to flower, at least two weeks before their Large Flowering siblings, and are the best for early spring lawn tapestries: hold off mowing the lawn until the foliage has died back. Drifts are also lovely in garden borders and rock gardens. Plant 4” deep and 3- 4” apart, about nine bulbs per square foot for a dense planting. (Crocus are also good for forcing indoors over the winter. Pot them up in mid-October and pre-cool them at a consistent, dark 38 to 45 degrees F for eight to ten weeks with moderate watering. Bring them into the house ~ they will bloom about four weeks later.)
Narcissus (Daffodil) Culture
Narcissus are easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best in organically rich, sandy to loams that drain well. Plant bulbs 4-6″ deep and 3-6” apart in fall. After the flowers have bloomed, the top portion of each flower stem may be removed, as practicable, to prevent seed formation, but foliage should not be cut back until it begins to yellow.
All daffodil flowers face the sunniest direction they can locate, so if planted along a wall or with shadow at their backs, they will always face outward. With daffodils, it is a good idea to ponder which way they are going to face before selecting their position, as a grouping that faces toward sunlight through a picket fence and away from the yard might seem to have been planted backwards, their heads bowed away from the garden’s viewer.
Best known for their wonderful scent, Jonquillas are floriferous, late blooming, and extremely durable, with slightly shorter, smaller blooms that look like miniature versions of many of the larger daffodil favorites. Typically, at least three flowers are borne on each stalk. Jonquilla Daffodils like hot, baking summer sun and naturalize well, creating beautiful sweeps of color.
Cold Snap Alert!
We were just getting comfy and confident in the progressing spring weather, when Mother Nature reminds us that She is in control!
According to the NOAA extended forecast for Boulder, CO, there is a Hazardous Weather Outlook for northeast and north central Colorado later this week. Our weather is expected to shift beginning Thursday night into Friday when a cooler and wetter pattern moves in. Night temperatures Thursday are forecast to drop to about 40˚F, and day temperatures will hover in the low 50s. Friday and Saturday could bring even lower temperatures, with highs of only 45 and lows of 33, possibly accompanied by strong winds, rain, snow and/or H_ _L! It appears that this weather pattern could continue through Sunday / Monday. Temperatures in your garden will depend on your elevation and exposure, and could drop below freezing.
What this means for your plant care, especially tender vegetables, and annuals, is that it’s time to prepare to bundle them up later in the week before the cold snap arrives. Here’s how you can best do so. [Read More]
SEEDS – 2022 Newsletter
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, microgreens and cover crops, and local BEAUTY BEYOND BELIEF (BBB) seeds for individual and mixed wildflowers. And from SEED SAVERS EXCHANGE, preserving and sharing heirloom varieties, we offer some of our favorite time-tested veggies and flowers.
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
– Howard Zinn
Earth Day 2021 – Thursday, April 22
We hope you will celebrate Earth Day, maybe all week. It is good to acknowledge that we have a planet and that it has been supportive of life and human life for a long time. Unfortunately, we humans have not treated Her well, Gaia, our Mother Earth. We were told the story that we humans are the masters of the earth and that all the creatures and resources are here for our use and glory. Not everybody believed that story. Chief Joseph told our ancestors: “The Earth does not belong to us; we belong to the Earth.” [Read More]
Boulder County’s First Botanic Garden!
In mid-August, Mikl and Eve had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful, newly created and planted Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens in central Lyons, CO. Envisioned and designed by herbalist, botanist, and educator Garima Fairfax (a beloved former Harlequin’s staffer!) and brought to fruition with a team of dedicated volunteers and grant money, the non-profit botanic garden is a delightful and educational display of native annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines, and trees. It is easily accessed along popular walking and cycling trails. [Read More]
TREES – 2022 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. Here is a sample of some of our selection.
RUSSIAN HAWTHORN
Very tough and xeric, grows 15’ high and wide, white flowers and red berries, loves Colorado conditions!
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. Brings Western Tanagers, Orioles to your garden!
GOLDEN RAIN TREE
25′ xeric tree with golden flowers in July, orange lantern-like pods, orange fall color, 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 small tree with edible red fruit on female plants,, silver leaves, very xeric, few thorns.
MAYDAY TREE (Prunus padus)
20′-30′ with clusters of white flowers, then bird fruit, fast screen.
WESTERN CATALPA
40′-50′ with vertical habit, fragrant orchid-like flowers, huge heart-shaped leaves, 12″ beans, xeric and special.
ARIZONA CYPRESS
20′-30′ hardy evergreen, blue foliage is fragrant, not scratchy, quite fast growing, bird favorite.
Plus, Honeylocust, Crab Apples, Silver Maple, Bur Oak, Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn, Aspen, Ptelea, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Ohio Buckeye, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, Hot Wings Maple, Alder, Native Birch, Bigtooth Maple, and More!
We have to suck carbon out of the atmosphere naturally — by planting trillions of trees…
– Senior Climate Scientist Brenda Ekwurzel
TREES – 2021 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. 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.
Quercus turbinella
8’-12’ native oak with evergreen leaves that are leathery and sharp toothed, hardy.
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.
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, Crab Apples, Silver Maple, Bur Oak, Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn, Aspen, Ptelea.
Winter Watering Alert!
The weather’s wonderful, but a bit DRY! All this sun and wind, and little rain or 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. [Read More]
PERENNIALS – 2021 Newsletter
Harlequin’s huge choice of pollinator-supporting Perennials-including:
Sulfur Flower–Kannah Creek
Mahogany fall color. Eriogonum allennii – 3′ wide, very xeric, yellow flowers, a winner. 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 and honeybees, hummingbirds.
Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly Weed, orange flowers, 1’-2’ high, essential Monarch food and nectar.
Hairy Mountain Mint
Aromatic prairie native attracts all pollinators! White flowers. Zone 4.
Native Bee-Balm
Showy purple blooms bring bees, hummers, butterflies; deer resistant.
Penstemon palmeri
Large fragrant pink xeric native to 5’, bumblebees & hummingbirds. Many MORE Penstemons!
Ornamental Oregano
Kent’s Beauty, Amethyst Falls, Pilgrim etc., cascading groundcovers, long blooming, bee-loved.
Helianthemum Wisley Pink
1” wild rose-like flowers in pink with silver foliage, xeric. PLUS, Double Peach, Ben Heckla, Hartswood Ruby.
Purple Prairie Clover
Long lived xeric native loved by many bee species, bright purple-pink, nitrogen-fixing.
Many Agastaches
Anise Hyssop, Blue Fortune, Coronado, Black Adder, A. rupestris, Tutti Frutti.
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; D. petraeus noeanus – Jasmine Dianthus, powerfully fragrant.
Gaillardia-BlanketFlower
Native G. aristata, Arizona Sun, Arizona Apricot, Az. Red Shades, Amber Wheels
Chocolate Flower
12″ x 24″ wide, yellow daisies with chocolate fragrance, very xeric native.
Sage
Culinary, Purple, Tricolor, S. ictaria, Blue Hill, May Night, Caradonna, Furman’s Red, Mojave, S. azurea
Thymus citriodorus aureus
The best smelling lemon thyme, good for cooking too.
Scabiosa lucida
Fairy Pincushion. Sweet and tough, 12” plant 4” high, blooms long, xeric.
Hardy Geraniums
Biokovo, Splendens, St. Ola, Crystal Rose, Cambridge, G. macrorrhizum, Ballerina
Echinacea angustifolia
Strong medicinal Echinacea, narrow leaves, pink flowers, xeric. PLUS, E. purpurea, Magnus, E. paradoxa, E. pallida, E. tennesseensis.
Rosemary
Arp, Madeline Hill, Tuscan Blue, Prostrata.
Liatris
Gayfeathers: L. punctata-local native; L. ligulistylis, pycnostachya, spicata
Harlequin’s Silver Germander, T. rotundifolium, T. chamaedrys
Tough annuals
Snapdragon, Zinnia, Lauren’s Grape Poppy, Petunias, Datura, Pansies, and many more.
SHRUBS & VINES – 2022 Newsletter
We have a large selection of natives and non-natives Shrubs AND Vines
This includes Amorpha, Manzanitas, Mt. Mahoganies, Big Sage, Fringed Sage, Sand Sage, Lilacs, Butterfly Bushes, Pea Shrubs, Gambel Oak, Viburnums, Spireas, Potentillas, Sand Cherry, Rabbitbrush, Fernbush, Mountain Ninebark, Cliff Rose, Lewis Mockorange, Mikl’s Pick Mockorange, Boulder Raspberry, Boxwoods, Cotoneasters, Honeysuckles, New Mexican Privet, Flowering Quince, Ephedra, Euonymus, Sumacs, Currants, Yuccas, and many more!
VINES
Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine, Wisteria, Silver Lace, Clematis, Euonymus and MORE!
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
– The Lorax (Dr. Seuss)
Self-sowing Hardy Annuals
Papaver ‘Lauren’s Grape’
Some customers wonder why we are selling starts of self-sowing hardy annuals like Larkspur, Rocky Mt. Beeplant, California Poppy, Peony-flowered Poppy, Pheasant’s Eye, Sweet Alyssum, Nodding Dragonshead, Bee’s Friend, 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]
SHRUBS & VINES – 2021 Newsletter
We have a large selection of natives and non-natives Shrubs AND Vines
Amorpha, Manzanitas, Mt. Mahoganies, Big Sage, Fringed Sage, Lilacs, Butterfly Bushes, Pea Shrub, Viburnams, Spireas, Potentillas, Sand Cherry, Rabbitbrush, Fernbush, Mountain Ninebark, Lewis Mockorange, Boulder Raspberry, Boxwoods, Cotoneasters, New Mexican Privet Flowering Quince, Ephedra, Euonymus, Sumacs, Currants, Yuccas and Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine, Wisteria, Clematis, and MORE!
In 2019, wind, solar and hydroelectric power produced more electricity than coal for the first time.
Union of Concerned Scientists
PERENNIALS – 2022 Newsletter
Harlequin’s huge choice of pollinator-supporting Perennials. Including:
NATIVES
Eriogonum umbellatum var. aureum ‘Psdowns’ (Kannah Creek® buckwheat). Photo Credit: Plant Select
SULFUR FLOWER KANNAH CREEK
Mahogany fall color. Eriogonum allennii – 3′ wide, very xeric, yellow flowers, a winner. Eriogonum umbellatum – yellow blooms cover xeric native mat, feeds butterflies, bees.
ASCLEPIAS INCARNATA
1′-3′ Full Sun, Attracts butterflies, native and honeybees, hummingbirds.
ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA
Butterfly Weed, orange flowers, 1’-2’ high, essential Monarch food and nectar.
NATIVE PUSSYTOES, ASTER, Arnica, Skyrocket Ipomopsis, Blazing Star, Navajo Tea, Prairie Sundrops (Calylophus serrulatus)
NATIVE BEE-BALM
–Monarda fistulosa: Showy purple blooms bring bees, hummers, butterflies; deer-resistant.
MANY PENSTEMONS INCLUDING P. VIRENS
2”x 8”, short spikes of blue flowers; shiny, dark evergreen leaves.
MANY COLUMBINES INCLUDING
Rocky Mt., Denver Gold, Western Red, Barneby’s
Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)
PURPLE PRAIRIE CLOVER
Long lived xeric native loved by many bee species, bright purple-pink, nitrogen-fixing.
GAILLARDIA ARISTATE – BlanketFlower
LIATRIS PUNCTATA – Gayfeather
OENOTHERAS – Evening Primroses
CHOCOLATE FLOWER
12″ x 24″ wide, yellow daisies with chocolate fragrance, very xeric native.
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, exclusive!
GEUM TRIFLORUM/PRAIRIE SMOKE
Colorado native, handsome foliage, reddish flowers, feathery seedheads, sun/part shade.
Engelmannia peristenia (Engelmann Daisy)
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.
PLUS, MANY GREAT NON-NATIVES INCLUDING:
MANY AGASTACHES
Blue Fortune, Coronado, Black Adder, A. rupestris.
SAGE
Culinary, Purple, Berggarten, Blue Hill, May Night, Caradonna, Furman’s Red, Mojave, S.azurea, S. argentea.
Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Firewitch’
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; D. petraeus noeanus – Jasmine Dianthus, powerfully fragrant.
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, Cherokee Sunset
ROSEMARY
Arp, Madeline Hill, Tuscan Blue, Prostrata.
HARLEQUIN’S SILVER GERMANDER, 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, Fancy Heucheras, many Hostas, and many, many more!
TOUGH ANNUALS
Datura meteloides
Snapdragons, Zinnia, Lauren’s Grape Poppy, Petunias, Datura, Pansies, California Poppy, Nicotiana, Salvias, Larkspurs, Peony-flowered Poppies, Swan River Daisy, Sweet Alyssum, Calendula, Kiwi Blue Honeywort, Cleome, Cuphia, Dahlia, Sacred Datura, Gomphrena, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Baby Blue-Eyes, Love-in-a-Mist, Sun Rose, California Bluebells, Wax Begonia, Blackeyed Susan Vine, Annual Periwinkle, Canterbury Bells, and more!
Tips for Root Vegetable Success
Some veggies seem to shy away from the limelight, flourishing underground to provide a surprising, beautiful, and nutritious surprise later in the season. Growing root vegetables is generally easy, and can be a fun way to engage children in gardening. In addition, mountain gardeners often find that root veggies thrive in their cooler conditions.
Once planted, root veggies do not like to be disturbed and therefore are best planted by seed. (We do sell Bull’s Blood Beets as a starts, but these are generally grown for their greens.) We have Botanical Interests, Masa, and Seed Savers Exchange seeds for many root veggies including: [Read More]
Mason bees are flying!
It’s official – Mason bees are flying! Make sure you have new, clean nesting materials for them and for the other bee species that follow throughout the summer. If you have overwintered cocoons, get them out now. You can use one of our release tubes (pictured left) that allow the bees to emerge but not to renest in the same old dirty straws.
Mason bees only fly from about mid-March to early June. If you don’t have plants blooming then, such as fruit trees or Mahonia, you won’t be able to support mason bees. Don’t worry though because there are many other cavity nesting species that are happy for a clean safe place to nest. [Read More]
Fruit for Colorado
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 hardiest 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: [Read More]
BEE BARN – 2021 Newsletter
Our BEE BARN has a great selection of Bee Equipment for Honeybees and Native Bees!
BUZZZZ ON BY TO CHECK IT OUT!
The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.
Winston Porter
CACTI & SUCCULENTS – 2022 Newsletter
Harlequin’s Gardens has many winter-hardy cacti: chollas, ball cacti and prickly pears.
Succulents: Hardy Agave, Yucca, Hesperaloe, Ice Plant, Sedum and more.
At least 14 countries have now given legal rights to rivers and other ecosystems.
– The Sierra Club
FRUITING PLANTS – 2025 Newsletter
One of our specialties is fruiting plants that are adapted to Colorado conditions. All the apples we carry are resistant to fireblight, good tasting, and will ripen in our short season. And the cherries we sell are all proven successful in Colorado. Our grapes are the most cold-hardy you will find, delicious fresh, in juice, and a few are good for wine. Here is a small selection of our many great fruits for Colorado:
CURRANT – 6 Varieties, 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
Imperial White Currant – Clusters of white fruit with rich flavor, early ripening, from 1895
Alagan Black Currant – Sweet and strong flavored European, culinary and medicinal, need 2
BLACKBERRY – Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry, Prime Ark Freedom – Late blooming so avoids late frosts, medium to large sweet berries, semi-trailing, best pruned to 8’
CHERRIES – 8 Varieties!
Bali Cherry – semi-sweet cherry, very hardy to -54F, good for fresh eating and baking
North Star Cherry – a natural dwarf 6′-8′, good tasting fruit, dependable, good ornamental too
Orient Nanking Cherry –Selected for flavor; it’s good; same 6’ height, xeric, red cherries
Other cherries: Montmorency, Mesabi, Carmine Jewel, Juliet, Romeo
7 ELDERBERRIES, including:
Johns, York and Adams Elderberries – Larger berries, 8’, better edible elderberry, need two to pollinate, beautiful white flowers, berries are high in nutrition, loved by the birds
Sambucus canadensis – selected for cooking & wine
Sambucus nigra- European variety, bigger, favored for medicinal value
Plus, Marge, Mikl’s, Thudercloud, Black Lace
Hinnomaki Red Gooseberry –Excellent flavor, tangy skin, sweet flesh, 3′, productive
Invicta Gooseberry – Very large greenish white sweet fruit, very productive, vigorous
Niwot primocane Black Raspberry
Bred in Longmont, fruits on new wood, excellent flavor
Also, Caroline, Heritage and Polana red raspberries
STRAWBERRIES
We will have a wonderful selection of Colorado-adapted strawberries with REAL Strawberry Flavor
Ogallala – Old-time favorite cross between wild Rocky Mt. strawberry and garden varieties. Okay with less-than-ideal soil, everbearing, productive
Fort Laramie – Everbearing, large, sweet, aromatic fruits, heat & cold tolerant
EarliGlow – June-bearing, some say THE best tasting
Alexandria Alpine and Yellow Wonder Alpine – Runnerless, small intense fruit
Ozark Beauty – very productive, vigorous, hardy, everbearing, large fruit, sweet flavor
PLUMS
Mount Royal – Deep blue sweet, juicy flesh, mid-late Aug, self-fertile, tough
Toka – Rosy-red, freestone, spicy & sweet, ripens Aug/Sept, very productive, requires a pollinator
Also, Stanley, Italian, Superior, Toka, Alderman
PEACHES
We may not be able to offer peaches this year, check back later in the season
APPLES
Cortland – crisp, juicy, delicious fruit, for fresh eating, baking, cider
Sweet 16 – sweet & juicy, aromatic, stores well, zone 3, successful
Dakota Gold – large, yellow fruit is good fresh, for sauce and pies. Zone 2-3, keeps for 1 wk
Also, Liberty, Haralson, Honeycrisp, Hazen, Macfree, Mandan, Zestar, Freedom, Honeygold, Red Baron, Snow Sweet, Haralred, Sharon
PEARS
Summercrisp, Parker Pear, Nova, Manning-Miller, Hudar and Loma
GRAPES
Swenson’s Red – large red grape, high sugar content, delicious flavor, good for wine, seeded grape
St. Theresa – purple seedless grape, excellent flavor for fresh eating, juice, raisins, vigorous
Flambeau– pink to red seedless, very sweet, not a big vine for an arbor
Trollhaugen – blue seedless, sweet Concord-like flavor, ripens early, very hardy
Valiant – hardy to zone 3, semi-sweet, seeded grape, best for mountain growers, good for an arbor
Marquette – very hardy wine grape, zone 3, dark blue seeded with high sugar content, notes of cherry, spice
Concord Seedless – same Concord flavor, sweet, vigorous, productive, very good for juice, table, jellies, pies
Our 2021 Fall Sale is in Full Swing
We’ve been in high-gear this season, propagating more plants and stocking more soil products than ever so we wouldn’t be vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and extreme weather events. So now we have a wonderful selection, and most of them are on sale!
In our experience, fall is the most successful time establish most plants, especially when mycorrhizae are applied to the roots during planting (and we’re well stocked with soluble mycorrhizae, too!).
We have increased the discount on our 2021 seeds to 60% off! [Read More]
MEMBERSHIP & WEEKELY E-NEWSLETTERS – 2022 Newsletter
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 $22 or more for a one-year membership and in direct return will receive these 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 (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 $22 or more to Harlequin’s Gardens (4795 North 26th St. Boulder, CO. 80301) or CLICK HERE.
With our new system, memberships are good for one year from the purchase date.
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEMBERS!!!
A significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided from composting all organic waste…Taking your food scraps out of the garbage is about the same as purchasing an electric vehicle. It starts to add up. It’s not small potatoes.
– Monique Di Giorgio, Table to Farm
E-NEWSLETTERS
Please, subscribe to receive our weekly newsletters by email!
You can get both hardcopy and emails by letting us know at 303-939-9403, or you can pick up a hard copy when you visit the nursery. Our e-newsletters have timely garden advice and reminders, as well as news of stock arrivals, upcoming classes, special events and sales, etc. This is the best way we can give you detailed and up-to-date information at the time when it is relevant. Subscribe here, and please remember to add us to your Contact List so your email server doesn’t throw us in the trash!
Please LOVE and follow us on Facebook!
The rate of hunger in Colorado has tripled since the start of the pandemic. Denver Urban Gardens is now the largest urban garden network in the nation supporting more than 180 community gardens and 17,000 gardeners on 31-acres of land, donating 60,000 lb. of organic veggies, distributing seeds and seedlings, and teaching empowering classes. Support them!
Get your Plants Moving!
Do you have plants that you like, but that need to be moved to a different location in your garden? Or has your clump of Shasta Daisy, Daylily, Hardy Geranium, etc. become too wide and now needs to be divided? By dividing your mature perennials, you get free plants to expand your garden, to give to neighbors, or pot up and donate to a fund-raising event like KGNU FM Community Radio’s Spring Plant Sale! The next couple of weeks bring the very best opportunity to accomplish these moves without stressing your plants too much. Search the web for instructions from a trusted source for dividing the specific plant you’re working with.
Solar Caps – A Cozy Sweater for your Veggies!
Unexpected cold snaps can still occur even after the last average frost date (around May 9). Just as we need to add another layer of clothing during cold snaps, our warm-season veggie starts also need additional insulation as the spring season and soil slowly begin to warm up. This layering can come in several forms, each with their own advantages and applications: low-tech overturned plant pots, row cover anchored over wire or plastic pipe frame (as illustrated in the “Hardening-Off” portion of this article), and Solar Caps.
Because of their versatility and re-usability, Solar Caps have been one of our favorite garden tools for over a decade. [Read More]
MEMBERSHIP & WEEKELY E-NEWSLETTERS – 2021 Newsletter
MEMBERSHIP IN HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS
If you paid for a membership in 2020, you are already a member for 2021!
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.
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 North 26th St. Boulder, CO. 80301) or click here. We will put you in our Membership file, and a membership is valid until the end of the 2021calendar year.
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEMBERS!!!
Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.
Anna Lappe
E-NEWSLETTERS
Please, subscribe to receive our weekly newsletters by email!
You can get both hardcopy and emails by letting us know at 303-939-9403, or you can pick up a hard copy when you visit the nursery. Our e-newsletters have timely garden advice and reminders, as well as news of stock arrivals, upcoming classes, special events and sales, etc. This is the best way we can give you detailed and up-to-date information at the time when it is relevant. Subscribe here, and please remember to add us to your Contact List so your email server doesn’t throw us in the trash!
FACEBOOK – Please LOVE and follow us on Facebook!
It’s not drought that causes bare ground; it’s bare ground that causes drought.
Alan Savory
THE HARLEQUIN EFFECT – 2021 Newsletter
THE HARLEQUIN EFFECT
Little Harlequin’s Gardens has always taken on the planet’s problems at the human level and at the earth level. We are growing plants without poisons so the bees, birds and bacteria will not be poisoned. We source many of our plants and products locally to support our local economy, local composting and to reduce carbon emissions from shipping. Our greenhouses and our production methods use almost no fossil fuels and very little electricity. We reuse clean plastic jugs for our compost tea and our Harlequin-bagged soils come in plastic bags that can be returned for reuse. We provide the organic plants, the products, and the education for people to grow their own fresh organic food, herbs and gardens. And more!
In the big scheme of things, what we do is small. But the Harlequin Effect is that because these things are multiplied by 9000 of you, the effect on our ecology and health is significant. This is the synergy of our vision and commitment with your vision and action.
Climate change may seem to be taking place up there in the sky, but many of its causes are right down here on the earth in human hands.
The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje
Q: Can I plant now?
Q: Can I plant now?
A: It depends!
Yay! For those of us gardening at about a mile high, the threat of frost is nearly 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), and we have a remarkable selection! Our stock of seeds and starts for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, summer & winter squash, melons, pumpkins, and watermelons are excellent. We also have plenty of seeds for beans – bush, pole, runner, and dry. A hint about bean seeds: white-seeded beans are more tolerant of cool soils, so they can be planted sooner. [Read More]
COOL SEASON VEGGIES & HERBS – 2022 Newsletter
COOL SEASON VEGGIES
We have a Fantastic Selection, too many to list!
ARUGULA
Wild Arugula, Astro, (spring), Ice-Bred (fall)
BROCCOLI
Fiesta, Nutribud, Leaf Broccoli, Spigariello di Liscia Leaf Broccoli, Aspabroc
OTHER VEGGIE STARTS – 2022 Newsletter
Purple Majesty when cooked
POTATOES
Yellow Finn, Purple Majesty, Harvest Moon, and Norland Dark Red.
Heirloom Tohono O’odham Multiplier Onion plants
ONIONS
Patterson Red, Redwing, Walla Walla, Ailsa Craig, Red Long of Tropea, Red Geneva, Gladstone, Borrettano, Dakota Tears, Bianco di Maggio.
ALSO, Leeks and Shallots.
ASPARAGUS
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.
HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS 2023 SPRING NEWSLETTER
Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,
Welcome to Spring, to Harlequin’s Gardens and to another opportunity to mix your molecules with soil biology and partner with nature. Those of us who garden reap tremendous benefits, no matter how experienced or inexperienced we are. It’s no wonder gardeners are healthier and more cheerful.
The 21st Century is an exciting time to be gardening because we are outgrowing the petroleum mentality of solving food and landscaping problems with chemicals and poisons. We are learning how to support Life with biological solutions. It is said that we are now in the Age of Biology because our biggest problems are biological and our most successful solutions are biological. And the United Nations has designated 2021-2030 the “Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.” Some people aren’t paying attention, but a lot of us have already assumed the job of helping to heal our environment, our people and our planet. Every act of kindness, of support, of nurturing and sharing, helps to uplift some pollinator, some frog, some bird, some microbe, some child, some hungry person, or somebody just like you.
EGGPLANT OFFERINGS – 2022 Newsletter
EGGPLANTS
GALINE
72 days, F-1 hybrid
Early, dependable Italian-style eggplant, mild, creamy-fleshed fruits averaging 1 lb., with glossy black skin.
SOIL LIFE PRODUCTS – 2022 Newsletter
VERY SPECIAL PRODUCTS TO BENEFIT YOUR SOIL LIFE & YOUR PLANT LIFE
The Garden Center at Harlequin’s Gardens is stocked with the best products to enhance your garden and allow you to grow organically. These include local bagged composts, mulches, garden tools, fertilizers and minerals, seeds, organic pest repellents, pots, compost tea and so much more! Below are descriptions of many of the products we have available only at our store.
2025 Fall Plant Sale and Events!
Come Shop and Enjoy our Annual
FALL CELEBRATION & PLANT SALE!
August 16th through October 31st
MEMBER’s FALL PLANT SALE – Sat. August 16 – Fri. Aug 22nd –
Hundreds of Healthy, unusual hard-to-find plants – Perennials, Ground-covers, Herbs, Vines, Grasses, Shrubs & Trees! 20% off most plants, 25% off books
Sat. August 23rd – October – Harlequin’s Annual FALL PLANT SALE begins for EVERYONE!
Our sale continues through August and every week in September and October, and discounts and special offers increase every week!
Aug 23-29: 20% off most plants, and on Saturday, LIVE music to lift our spirits!
Aug 30-Sept 5: 20% off most plants, plus 10% off houseplants, Deep Discount Area Opens
Sept 6-12: 25% off most plants, plus 10% off compost tea, 10% off houseplants
Sept 13-19: 25% off most plants, plus ongoing Deep Discount on Trees and Shrubs
Sept 20-26: 30% off most plants, 25% off Eco-Compost
Sept 27 through Oct: 30% off most plants, plus special deals
Please note: Plants with BLUE TAGS are NOT discounted!
We will reopen Nov. 20 (closed on Thanksgiving) and be open Thursdays through Sunday 10-4 through the Holiday Market.
LIVE MUSIC AND DEMONSTRATIONS AT THE SALE
For a lively start to our Fall Sale, we’ve invited some of our favorite local musicians to play for us on Saturday, August 23rd! Bop while you shop, or have a seat for a while at our free concerts!
Cora Weise Moore
10:30am – 12:30pm – ‘Tea at Six’ Irish Music Trio, with Cora Wiese Moore on Irish harp, with friends Dylan on guitar and banjo, and Adam on fiddle
Tina Gugeler
1:00pm – 3:00pm Tina Gugeler – longtime Hammered Dulcimer champion will rock the nursery with spirited Celtic and other dance tunes!
Eve Reshetnik Brawner will offer two FREE DEMONSTRATIONS: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7that 11:00am and 1:00pm
Saving Seeds from your Favorite Tomatoes – Got a favorite open-pollinated or heirloom tomato variety in your garden? Or a fabulous discovery from a friend, farmstand or farmers market? In 15 minutes, you can watch and learn how to successfully save seeds from tomatoes so you can get great germination, grow your own starts and share seeds with others. Great for visual learners!
14th ANNUAL HOLIDAY GIFT MARKET!
Every Thursday through Sunday*, Nov 20th-Dec 21st, 10am-5pm
Featuring the best local artisan creations. Browse in our charming, relaxed atmosphere for carefully curated unique, affordable, high-quality gifts you won’t find elsewhere, including:
Sustainable Home & Garden Goods
Books, Puzzles & Toys
Organic Personal Care Products
Jewelry, Accessories & Clothing
Delectable Specialty Foods
See our e-newsletters and website for photos and descriptions later this Fall.
*closed Thanksgiving Day
Nursery CLOSED Dec 22-Jan 1
OPEN this Winter: Jan 2 through February; Thursday, Fri and Sat 10-4 for houseplants, seeds, seed-starting supplies, fertilizers, garden consultations and some gift items.
2025 May Day Celebration, Plant Sales and Events!
Come Shop and Enjoy our Annual
MAY DAY CELEBRATION & PLANT SALE!
May 1st through May 7th
Saturday, May 3rd
10 am – don’t miss the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers, who will bring us fertility and merriment!
Sandra Wong
1pm – Sandra Wong plays international music on fiddle and nykelharpa with breathtaking skill, passion, energy and heart.
Sunday May 4th
Noon – Margot Krimmel–splendid traditional and original harp and vocals, always a favorite
Laughing Wood Marimba Band
2pm – Laughing Wood Marimba Band – Rockin’ rhythmic Zimbabwean traditional music on four marimbas, voices and drums!
Our MAY DAY PLANT SALE will begin on Thursday, May 1st and continue through Wednesday May 7th.
The main sale consists of a DEEP DISCOUNT SALE SECTION, consisting of a large selection of beautiful perennials, all very significantly marked down. And they are ALL neonic-free! In addition, there will be an assortment of shrubs, trees and miscellaneous plants, also deeply discounted.
MAY DAY Benefit for MEMBERS ONLY
As a ‘thank you’ to our members, we are offering an additional benefit of $10 off a one-time purchase of full-price plants totaling $50 or more. Roses, Fruit Trees, Dahlia Tubers and Houseplants are excluded from the sale.
MEMBER’s FALL PLANT SALE – August 19 – 24th
AUGUST 26 – October – Harlequin’s Annual Fall Plant Sale begins for everyone. This sale continues through August and every week in September and October.
OCTOBER – Open Tuesday through Sunday 9 – 5, the Sale continues.
Closed for the season October 31? We will reopen Nov. 6 and Thursdays thru Sunday 10-4 Through the Holiday Market. Stay tuned for our late-fall and winter schedule!
HARLEQUIN’s 2025 13th ANNUAL HOLIDAY MARKET!
Nov 20 thru Dec. 21
Holiday Market
WINTER HOURS
January 8-Feb 28 Thurs, Fri., Saturday 10—4
For houseplants, gifts, tools, fertilizers, books, potting soil, seeds and questions
PEPPER OFFERINGS – 2025 Spring Newsletter
PEPPERS
A few of our NEW and “NEW AGAIN” PEPPERS: Offering 44 varieties!
Chimayo, courtesy Adaptive Seeds
CHIMAYO – 65 days, Open-pollinated, 4,000 – 6000 SHU, Capsicum anuum
A famous heirloom New Mexico chile. Medium hot, thin skinned and easy to dry 3-5” long fruit are probably the earliest Southwestern chile to ripen to red; makes some of the best tasting chile powder. Since it is not too hot, you can use it in large quantities and achieve flavor nirvana without running for the fire extinguisher; on the Slow Foods Ark of Taste
Welcome to Spring and to our Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Harlequin’s Gardens – 2022 Newsletter
How did we possibly get this far? When we first opened in 1992, we had 2 acres a half mile down a dead-end gravel road, a dry well, a barn and a little greenhouse, and a few tables with plants. But we had a vision of a plant nursery that could serve Colorado’s Front Range and do it ecologically. We did have a country atmosphere and a great view. We had a lot of heart, but we only succeeded because an ever-increasing number of you found us and told your friends. [Read More]
ONE HEALTH – 2021 Newsletter
Can we have human health if our domesticated animals, wildlife, plants, and all nature are unhealthy, polluted, poisoned, weak and struggling? The answer seems to be NO. Climate Change “…coupled with a species-extinction crisis, habitat and soil degradation, pollution, extensive destruction of forests and coral reefs…” are all leading to our current health crisis.
These views emerged in a conference in October 2019, attended by 200 experts, which generated a call to action called The Berlin Principles. These 10 principles say basically that if we are to prevent future and worse pandemics, we must recognize and support the essential health links between humans, all other beings including microbes and our entire planet. We must support biodiversity which is critical to the infrastructure of life, health, and well-being on our planet. And this understanding must develop into strong institutions based on robust science and into policy and action. We must recognize that our decisions about our use of land, air, sea, and fresh water directly impact the health of humans, animals and ecosystems. When ecosystems are altered, becoming less resilient, we become vulnerable to more diseases.
Therefore, we must invest in a healthy natural infrastructure and fund the surveillance and protection of healthy ecosystems. (See One World One Health and Science Direct.)
COVID-19 has shown us the huge cost of inaction caused by the disconnect between science, economics, and politics. Taking the perspective of One Health gives us humans both the power and the responsibility to take on this huge problem at the root level.
We might ask ourselves: Why does the USA, the richest country in the world, lead the world in coronavirus cases and deaths? With only 4% of the world’s population, we have 25% of all cases and 20% of all deaths. This cannot be blamed on mismanagement alone. Our government has for years favored business profits over public health and environmental health. For example, the EPA website warns that glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup) at 700 parts per billion can cause “problems with kidneys or reproductive difficulties” and yet 700 ppb is the permitted level in U.S. tap water. Only .1 ppb is allowed in European Union tap water. Roundup also causes many problems with fungi, bacteria (like in our guts), kills insects, birds and in general undermines the health of our planet. It shows up in baby food and beer. This is one example of a poison in our ecosystem that is leading to the poor health in our nation and in our world.
Bayer says it will pay more than $10 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits from people alleging that their cancers were cause by Roundup, the company’s glyphosate-based herbicide.
The Sierra Club
Snow and Soil!
Wow! That was an impressive snowstorm, even if it did arrive several days later than predicted. We know how hard many of us have had to work to clear paths through it. And we hope everyone stayed safe, warm, healthy, and well-fed throughout. Colorado has been experiencing a long-term regional drought, so this addition to our mountain snowpack couldn’t be more welcome. Just think what a difference all this snow can make for Colorado’s farmers, many of whom have seen their ditch water allotments disappear in early July for the past several years.
Ready, Set, Plant!
Even though we are about to receive our biggest snowstorm of this winter thus far, you can still make great progress on your garden by starting seeds indoors or even outside if your garden is prepared and you’re quick and can sow them tomorrow morning! You can also plant our hardy perennials, vines, shrubs and trees that have overwintered outdoors ahead of the storm. And our Onion plants – they’re very cold-hardy, and the earlier they’re planted, the larger their bulbs at harvest time! And, if you can plant in a cold-frame, or under a low tunnel of sheet plastic or Row Cover Fabric, you can plant our spring vegetable starts! Heading varieties like Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower will give you [Read More]
Clematis Pruning Groups
Despite the access we have right now to our snow-free gardens, in general it’s not time to begin garden clean up. Undoubtedly (hopefully!) we will receive more snowfall in February and March and it is beneficial to keep leaves on the ground and last-year’s stalks on our perennials because this cover provides habitat for overwintering beneficial insects and it helps to keep the plant roots and crowns warmer.
In late February and early March it will be time to cut back certain Clematis vines, depending on their category. Here is an in-depth guide to the three Clematis Pruning Groups. [Read More]