What a glorious spring! Having been blessed with generous snow and rain, the land is bursting with energy, greener than green, and flowering in kaleidoscopic exuberance! Migratory birds have been arriving or passing though our region this month, offering sightings of avian treasures like Lazuli Buntings and Western Tanagers, not to mention the hummingbirds. We do live in a wondrous world!
OLD-Blog
May Day 2024 Celebration!
Our Annual May Day Festivities and Spring Sale begin May 4th!
At Harlequin’s Gardens, we love to celebrate May Day. It is an ancient festival welcoming Spring and celebrating the beauty, fertility, and abundance of the earth. [Read More]
Opening March 3rd, 2022!
Like miniature iris emerging from the warming soil, March launches Harlequin’s Gardens early spring season, and our doors will re-open on Thursday, March 3rd. Our hours for the month of March are Thursday through Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Then beginning Tuesday, April 1st, our hours expand to six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday.
Beginning in March we will offer onion, potato, and asparagus starts. We will be stocked with seeds, seed starting kits, and potting soil. Our soil products (composts, mulches, fertilizers, etc.) will be available. And, as temperatures warm, we will stock our over-wintered perennials, shrubs, and trees, and best of all, our spring organic vegetable starts! In the meantime, you can always purchase a Gift Certificate or join our Membership from our website any time of day.
Stay tuned for our 2022 class listings, and as your spring-flowering bulbs emerge, refer to our Bulbs Page for timing and description details.
We’re getting excited for the 2022 gardening season and hope you are too!
Season of Gratitude
With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, we’d like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for another great year, our 30th!, at Harlequin’s Gardens.
We are grateful for all of you who support us by buying our plants, products, and memberships, and grateful that our customer base continues to increase as more and more people realize the pleasures, benefits and wisdom of growing plants without chemical warfare and for more than our own benefit. We are learning that a livable world can only be achieved or maintained through understanding, respecting and working with the intricate interdependency of all beings. [Read More]
Supporting our Colorado Trees
So they can support us!
Last Friday Denver Botanic Gardens hosted a day-long conference on Tree Diversity. This timely subject arises because of the importance of trees to the livability of our cities and suburbs and the degree to which the effects of Climate Change have already begun to affect our urban forest. Trees help cool everything from our gardens and patios and parking lots to our cities and our planet. With stresses like sudden, dramatic temperature changes, drought, and severe windstorms, plus the devastation wrought by the Emerald Ash Borer to our millions of Ash trees, it’s time to re-evaluate the limited palette of trees we’ve been planting for many decades, and investigate new, more resilient possibilities. [Read More]
Suggestions for Remediating Singed and Burned Gardens
(Durango Before and After Fire. Photo Credit: Colorado State Forest Service.)
After the Fire
We are so grateful that nearly all the folks in the Marshall Fire burn area were able to evacuate quickly and safely. The horror of all the lost homes and their contents, the pets trapped, and the gardens obliterated is outweighed by the survival of all but two residents.
Celebrating 30 Sustainable Years!
Harlequin’s Gardens in 2000 as painted by Eve Reshetnik Brawner
This year, 2022, Harlequin’s Gardens is celebrating 30 years in business! Thanks to you and the many folks who have bought our plants and products and taken our classes, and thanks to a great staff, we have succeeded in becoming a valuable resource for Boulder County and beyond.
We’ve been focusing on growing and providing plants that are well-adapted to Colorado conditions and will thrive without applications of chemicals or excessive amounts of water and fertilizers. [Read More]
Heartfelt Sorrow
Our hearts go out to the many people who suffered devastating losses in the Marshall wildfire. It may be possible to rebuild homes, but their contents may be irreplaceable and the sudden disruption to lives will present great challenges. Communities will also need to be rebuilt, and we are hoping the larger community will continue to step up to offer long-term support to all those in need. It takes a village! [Read More]
Fungus Gnats
Fungus Gnat. Credit CSU Extension Service
Houseplants, especially ones that we keep outdoors in the warm season and bring back inside when frosts threaten, are likely to harbor Fungus Gnats. These tiny black flying insects (about the size of a fruit fly) can be very annoying but are mostly harmless. Adults lay 75 to 200 eggs that hatch in a week in the top 1” of soil, and when the larvae hatch, they survive mostly on soil fungi, but also feed on tender root hairs. This life cycle lasts about five weeks, although the adults only live about five days. One plant infested with fungus gnats will easily and rapidly spread the insects to nearby plants. [Read More]
Cutting Back Ornamental Grasses
Historically February is one of Colorado’s snowiest months, and finally we’re beginning to see evidence of that this year! Additionally, the forecast indicates more to come. It remains to be seen how some of our marginally hardy garden plants have suffered from the below zero temperatures.
Many of us may have the tops of ornamental grasses and various perennials peeking out of the blanket of the snow, which provides habitat for overwintering beneficial insects and it helps to keep the plant roots and crowns warmer. But very soon it will be time to cut back Cool-Season ornamental grasses before their active growth begins, which will allow light to penetrate the entire clump. See Eve’s instructions, below. [Read More]
Gardening with your Values in Mind
Snowdrops in February (Galanthus), courtesy Bob Nold
Your landscape is not just something to look at. It is an opportunity to support your values by:
- Supporting global, local, and personal health
- Helping to reduce the impacts of the Climate Crisis
- Nourishing your family with organic, nutrient-dense food
- Partnering with Nature and learning from your garden
- Restoring habitat for our critically important beneficial insects, pollinators, birds, wildlife, and native plants
- Expressing your artistic vision while increasing biodiversity
- Experiencing the joy of sharing your goodness with the goodness of the natural world.
Beautiful Autumn Colors
We are all enjoying and appreciating the exceptional fall colors this year. The yellows are especially rich, and the reds are especially vivid. What is going on when the green leaves turn colors and why are the colors so spectacular this year?
We know that the green color of the leaves comes from the pigment chlorophyll that makes it possible for plants to capture energy from sunlight and use it to make the sugars that feed the whole planet. When the long days of summer get shorter and shorter, highlighted by the fall equinox this year on September 22, the plants get less and less sunlight and less and less energy to make chlorophyll. When leaves contain less chlorophyll, other pigments become more dominant. [Read More]
Winter Solstice 2021
This year the Winter Solstice will fall on Tuesday, December 21st. This astronomical event is the time of the year when the Earth’s north pole is tilted farthest from the sun, so that night is the longest and daylight is the shortest (in the northern hemisphere). This day has long been celebrated because it signals the lengthening of the days until Summer Solstice on June 21. Even though there is a lot of winter left, there will be more day light. It is the promise of Spring to come. [Read More]
2023 BULB LIST as of October 2023
NOW is THE TIME to buy spring-flowering bulbs! We have plenty of bulbs for beautiful long-lived spring blooms that will increase over the years. They are best planted from mid-October through November. This is our list from 2022 offerings of which we will be carrying many in 2023, plus additional bulbs not listed here. We will be updating our 2023 bulb list and descriptions as soon as possible. Our best advice is to come to the store and see what we have in stock. And while you are here, peruse our holiday market items that will be for sale from Sept 30 through Oct 29. We look forward to seeing you!
Allium ‘Fluffy Dreams’ Blend
ALLIUM ‘FLUFFY DREAMS’
ALLIUM ‘MIXED’
ALLIUM CAERULEUM ‘BLUE GLOBE ONION’
ALLIUM ROSENBACHIANUM ‘SHOWY PERSIAN ONION’
CROCUS ‘SPECIES BLEND’
CROCUS ‘VANGUARD’
Holiday Market New Arrivals
We’ve restocked our Holiday Market shelves with many new and popular items including
Semi-precious stone earrings from Kate Head, Pebble Art Jewelry
Amber Lights Candles in a stunning array of creative designs
Indigo Blues natural hand-dyed napkins, shawls, and clothing
Eve Weaves handwoven scarves, so beautiful and soft
Eve’s Gluten-free Pecan Shortbread Cookies; a fresh batch has just arrived!
Holiday Market Updates & Good News from the Old Guy
We are appreciative of the community support at our Holiday Market opening weekend! With the perfect autumnal weather, more people than ever were able to enjoy our local musicians, Sandra Wong & Jon Sousa’s world music, and Margot Krimmel’s traditional and original harp pieces.
This week we roll-out new artisan arrivals, with some photos below. [Read More]
Do your part to bring Mason Bees back!
Mason Bee populations plummeted throughout Boulder County due to harsh spring weather, so it’s especially important to coddle them this winter! Mason bees normally nest in holes in tree trunks, which offer stable temperature, moisture, and protection from predators. To provide extra assistance, bring your Mason and other native bee tubes/cocoons into a sheltered place with ambient (outdoor) temperatures, but with less fluctuation, like a garage or refrigerator. Cocooned bees are now adult and safe to handle in their cocoons. If you used liners or reeds, take them out of the guard tubes and shelters and store them in the fridge. Ideally, unwrap the liners/reeds and just overwinter the mason bee cocoons. Place them in a Humidi-bee chamber (in stock), and keep the lower pad moist. [Read More]
First Week of our Big Fall Sale – Start Saving Now!
Our 2022 Fall Members-Only Sale has finished, and now our Big Fall Sale has begun, with 20% off for everyone! Plants included in this week’s sale are:
- Grasses
- Groundcovers
- Natives
- Perennials
- Shrubs
- Trees
- Vines
Good News from the Old Guy
I turned 75 this year so I get to give some perspective on the state of the world. Here is some of the good news that is not being reported these days. I should begin by acknowledging that, oh, yes, there are lots of things that are getting worse, but many things are getting better, too.
In 1976 when I was starting to manage a little apple orchard organically, the general consensus and what I was told, was that “there are two crops you cannot grow organically: apples and cotton”. Lesson: don’t believe everything the experts tell you about what we can’t do. [Read More]
2022 Holiday Gift Market Opens Saturday!
From your previous visits in the last ten years, many of you know that our Holiday Market is the most rewarding, enjoyable place to shop for your holiday gifts, relaxed and far from the madding crowd! But these are strange and challenging times, and the pandemic has altered just about every facet of our lives. So, for a while there, we wondered how we could present a holiday gift market under the current circumstances. We realized that the only way we could keep our customers (and staff) safe and happy while shopping our market was to move it up to October!
[Read More]
A Taste of some GREAT GIFT BOOKS COMING SOON!
Time to store this year’s bounty! The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest is a dependable classic source of instructions and recipes for drying, pickling, canning, and freezing the fruits of your labors. And after the garden has been put to bed for the winter, there will be time for reading! The most useful, practical, and enlightening books on gardening, nature and natural healing are on our shelves now, with more of the following titles arriving any day now! Don’t forget that one of the benefits of being a Harlequin’s Gardens Member is a 25% discount on all books, all season long! [Read More]
The SEED Situation
“The less biodiverse any system is, the greater the potential for its collapse.” Janisse Ray, from The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food.
We’ve been reading headlines stating that 93% of seed varieties available in the early 20th century had disappeared from commerce by 1980. The biggest factor in this drastic decline in diversity is consolidation of the industry. The big multi-national corporations have systematically bought up smaller companies and in so doing have ended production of vast numbers of time-tested open-pollinated and older hybrid varieties and prioritized the production of new patented proprietary hybrids. [Read More]
All about Basil
Basil is one of the great culinary pleasures of summer, and it’s definitely NOT TOO LATE to plant Basil and enjoy a good crop! Basil plants are beautiful, grow equally well in the ground or in pots, thrive in hot weather, provide a continuous, bounteous crop, and Basil’s many different flavors are essential to a variety of distinctive cuisines. It can be used fresh, dried, or frozen in oil or as pesto. Though basil leaves lose most of the aromatic oils when dried, we have still found that basil dried from your garden is so much more flavorful than commercial dried basil.
ALL of our Basil plants are organically grown! [Read More]
Pollinator Pathways: Rewilding Boulder Landscapes
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.
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.
Simple Ways we can Respect our Soil
Keep it Covered: Exposed soil is vulnerable to water loss, microbial die-off, erosion and degradation. Use mulch or cover crops to protect it.
Amend Responsibly: Improve soil quality by adding compost or decomposed organic matter, rather than relying solely on chemical fertilizers.
Minimize Disturbance (No-Till): Avoid unnecessary tilling or digging, which disrupts the soil microbiome and structure.
Avoid Compaction: Never walk on, drive on, or store items on garden beds. Compacted soil prevents air and water from reaching plant roots.
Harlequin’s has all your soil needs so that you can maintain and increase your soil’s health and potential.
Prepare your garden for a Cold Weekend!
Just as we were beginning to think that Spring was here to stay, a brief return to a winter that never was! It is always wise to prepare for a potential cold snap in the Front Range! According to BoulderCast weather, a strong cold front arrives Friday; a colder Canadian trough with potential for accumulating wet snow at ALL elevations.
A Friday night freeze is likely, with lows in the 20s for the Plains and teens in the Foothills. Another freeze may occur Saturday night. Since it is still early in the season, you have have not planted many tender plants yet, but Harlequin’s has both the protocol and the tools that you need to protect your plantings. From in-stock row covers to time-tested strategies, Harlequin’s can help.
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]