Harlequins Gardens

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2025 – Native Plants We Often Have For Sale

These are native plants that we often have for sale during the growing season. Availability does change every year, but we grow and buy a wide variety of natives because they are so successful in our gardens.

KEY: t = tree, s = shrub, v = vine, gr = grass, gc = ground cover, p = perennial, b = biennial, a = annual

 

Acer glabrum (Rocky Mt. Maple) (t)

Acer grandidentatum (Bigtooth Maple) (t)

Achillea lanulosa (Native White Yarrow) (p)

Agastache aurantiaca Coronado

Agastache cana (Hummingbird Mint) (p)

Agastache rupestris (Sunset Hyssop)

Agastache urticifolia

Agave parryi (Hardy Century Plant) (s)

Agave parryi ssp neomexicana (s)

Agave sp. Big Blue

Agave utahensis x parryi v couesii

Allium cernuum (Nodding Onion) (p)

Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon Serviceberry) (s/t)

Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Regent’ (Regent Serviceberry) (s)

Amorpha canescens (Leadplant) (s)

Amorpha fruticosa (False Indigo) (s)

Amorpha nana (Dwarf Leadplant) (s)

Amsonia jonesii (Jones’ Bluestar) (p)

Andropogon g. ‘Pawnee’ (Pawnee Big Blustem) (g)

Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem) (g)

Anemone (Pulsatilla) patens (Pasque Flower) (p)

Anemone multifida v. globosa (p)

Antennaria dioica (Pussytoes) (gc)

Antennaria dioica ‘Rubra’ (Red Pussytoes) (gc)

Antennaria parvifolia (Pussytoes) (gc)

Antennaria parvifolia ‘McClintock’ (gc)

Antennaria rosea (Pink Pussytoes) (gc)

Antennaria rubra (gc) (Pink Pussytoes) (gc)

Aquilegia barnebyi (p)

Aquilegia canadensis (p)

Aquilegia chrysantha (Southwest Yellow Columbine) (p)

Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Denver Gold’ (p)

Aquilegia coerulea (Rocky Mountain Columbine) (p)

Aquilegia desertorum (Arizona Columbine) (p)

Aquilegia elegantula (Rocky Mt. Red Columbine) (p)

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry, Kinnikinnick) (gc)

Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis ‘Chieftain’ (gc/s)

Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis ‘Mock Bearberry’ (gc)

Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis ‘Panchito’ (s)Argemone hispida (Rough Prickly Poppy) (p)

Argemone polyanthemos (Prickly Poppy) (p)

Artemisia cana (Silver Sage) (s)

Artemisia filifolia (Sand Sage) (s)

Artemisia frigida (Fringed Sage) (gc)

Artemisia ludoviciana (Prairie Sage) (p,gc)

Artemisia tridentata ssp nova (Black Sage) (s)

Artemisia tridentata (Western Big Sage) (s)

Asclepias arenaria (Western Sand Milkweed) (p)

Asclepias asperula (Antelope Horn Milkweed) (p)

Asclepias hirtella (Tall Green Milkweed) (p)

Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) (p)

Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed) (p)

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) (p)

Asclepias viridis (Green Antelope Horn)

Aster coloradoensis (see Xanthisma coloradoense) (Colorado Aster) (p)

Aster ericoides (See Symphyotrichum ericoides) (Wreath Aster) (p)

Aster laevis (see Symphyotrichum leave) (Smooth Aster) (p)

Aster oblongifolius (see Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) (Aromatic Aster) (p)

Aster oblongifolius ‘October Skies’ (see Sympyotrichum ob. ‘October Skies’ (p)

Aster oblongifolius ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ (see Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ (p)

Aster porteri (Symphyotrichum porteri) (Porter’s Aster) (p)

Atriplex canescens (Four-wing Saltbush) (s)

Atriplex confertifolia (Shadscale) (s)

Baileya multiradiata (Desert Marigold) (a)

Balsamorrhiza sagittate (Arrowleaf Balsamroot) (p)

Baptisia australis (False Indigo) (p)

Baptisia australis v minor (Dwf. False Indigo) (p)

Baptisia lactea (White False Indigo) (p)

Berlandiera lyrata (Chocolate Flower) (p)

Blepharoneuron tricholepis (Pine Dropseed) (gr)

Bouteloua curtipendula (Side Oats Grama) (gr)

Bouteloua curtipendula ‘Trailway’ (gr)

Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama) (gr)

Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ (gr)

Callirhoe involucrata (Poppy Mallow, Wine Cups) (p,gc)

Calylophus hartw. lavandulifolius (see Oenothera lavandulifolia) (Lavender-leaf Sundrops) (p)

Calylophus (see Oenothera) hartwegii v fendleri (Fendler’s Sundrops) (p)

Calylophus serrulatus (Dwarf Sundrops) (p)

Calylophus serrulatus “Prairie Lode” (Dwarf Sundrops) (p)

Campanula rotundifolia (Mountain Harebell) (p)

Castilleja integra (Indian Paintbrush) (p)

Ceanothus ovatus (Prairie Redroot) (s)

Celtis occidentalis (Western Hackberry) (t)

Celtis reticulata (Netleaf Hackberry) (t)

Ceratoides (see Krascheninnikovia, Erotia) lanata (Winterfat) (s)

Cercocarpus intricatus (Little-leaf Mt. Mahogany) (s)

Cercocarpus ledifolius (Curl-leaf Mt. Mahogany) (s/t)

Cercocarpus montanus (True Leaf Mt. Mahogany) (s)

Chamaebateria millefolium (Fernbush) (s)

Chilopsis linearis (Desert Willow) (t)

Cholla Cactus, hardy species (See Cylindropuntia) (s)

Ericameria (Chrysothamnus) nauseosus albicaulis (Tall Blue Rabbitbrush) (s)

Ericameria (Chrysothamnus) nauseosus nauseosus (Dwf. Blue Rabbitbrush) (s)

Ericameria (Chrysothamnus) viscidiflorus (Tall Green Rabbitbrush) (s)

Clematis hirsutissima (Sugar Bowls) (p)

Clematis ligusticifolia (Western Virgins Bower) (v)

Clematis scottii (Scott’s Sugarbowls) (p)

Cornus sericea (Red-twig Dogwood) (s)

Coryphantha missouriensis (Nipple Cactus)

Coryphantha vivipara (Ball Cactus)

Crataegus erythropoda (Red-stemmed Hawthorn) (s)

Cupressus arizonica (see Hesperocyparis arizonica) (Arizona Cypress) (t)

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa (Silver Cholla) (s)

Cylindropuntia imbricata (Hardy Cholla Cactus) (s)

Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover) (p)

Dalea Purpurea ‘Stephanie’ (Purple Prairies Clover) (p)

Datura wrightii (meteloides, inoxia) (Angel’s Trumpet, Sacred Datura) (a,p)

Deschampsia caespitosa (Tufted Hair Grass) (gr)

Draba oligosperma (Few-Seeded Draba) (p)

Echinacea angustifolia (Narrow-leaf Coneflower) (p)

Echinacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower) (p)

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) (p)

Echinocereus coccineus (Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus) (p)

Echinocereus fendleri (Sitting Cactus) (p)

Echunocereus x lloyii (Lloyd’s Hedgehog cactus) (p)

Echinocereus reichenbachii (Purple Candle Cactus) (p)

Echinocereus triglochidiatus (Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus) (p)

Echinocereus trigloch. inermis (Spineless Claret Cup Cactus) (p)

Echinocereus viridiflorus (Green Pitaya Cactus)

Ephedra viridis (Mormon Tea) (s)

Eragrostis trichodes (Sand Love Grass) (gr)

Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple Love Grass) (gr)

Erigeron caespitosa (Tufted Fleabane) (p)

Erigeron compositus (Cutleaf Daisy) (p)

Erigeron formosissimus (Beautiful Fleabane) (p)

Erigeron linearis (Yellow Fleabane) (p)

Erigeron pumilus (Shaggy Fleabane) (p)

Erigeron speciosus (Aspen or Showy Fleabane) (p)

Eriogonum flavum flavum (p)

Eriogonum jamesii (Antelope Sage) (p)

Eriogonum niveum (White Buckwheat) (p)

Eriogonum ovalifolium (Cushion Buckwheat) (p)

Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur Flower) (p)

Eriogonum umbellatum v aureum ‘Kannah Creek’ (Kannah Creek Sulphur Flower) (p,gc)

Eriogonum umbellatum v aureum (Sulphur Buckwheat) (p, gc)

Eriogonum umbellatum v majus (Subalpine Buckwheat) (p, gc)

Eriogonum umbellatum v porteri

Eriogonum wrightii v wrightii (Snow Mesa Buckwheat)

Krascheninnikovia lanata (Winterfat) (s)

Erysimum capitatum (Western Wallflower) (bi)

Erysimum wheeleri (Wheeler’s Wallflower) (bi)

Fallugia paradoxa (Apache Plume) (s)

Fendlera rupicola (Cliff Fendlerbush) (s)

Forestiera neomexicana (New Mexico Privet) (s)

Fragaria vesca v americana (Wild Strawberry) (p, gc)

Gaillardia aristata (Indian Blanket, Firewheel) (p)

Gaillardia aristata BldrCo (Golden Blanketflower) (p)

Gentiana bigelovii (Bigelow’s Gentian) (p)

Geranium caespitosum (p)

Geranium fremontii (p)

Geranium richardsonii (Richardson’s Geranium) (p)

Geranium viscosissimum (Sticky Cranesbill) (p)

Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke) (p)

Grindellia squarrosa (Rosinweed, Gumweed) (p)

Ipomopsis aggregata (Skyrocket, Scarlet Trumpet) (bi)

Ipomopsis rubra (Scarlet Gilia, Standing Cypress) (bi)

Gutierrezia sarothrae (Snakeweed) (p)

Helianthus maximilliani (Maximillian Sunflower)

Helianthus pumilus (Dwarf Sunflower) (p)

Helianthus salicifolius (Willow-leaf Sunflower) (p)

Hesperaloe parviflora (Red Yucca) (s)

Heterotheca jonesii (p) (Jones’ Goldenaster) (p)

Heterotheca pumila (Alpine Goldenaster) (p)

Holodiscus discolor (Creambush) (s)

Holodiscus dumosus (Rock Spirea, Ocean-spray) (s)

Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ (Golden Hops) (v)

Humulus lupulus v neomexicanus (New Mexico Hops) (v)

Hymenopappus filifolius (Threadleaf Sunflower) (p)

Hymenoxys (Tetraneuris) acaulis (Sundancer Daisy) (p)

Hymenoxys (Tetraneuris) argentea (Bitterweed) (p)

Hymenoxys (Tetraneuris) grandiflora (Old Man of the Mountain, Alpine Sunflower) (p)

Hymenoxys (Helenium) hoopesii (Owl’s Claw) p

Hymenoxys (Tetraneuris) scaposa ‘Prairie Sunshine’ (Perky Sue) (p)

Ipomoea leptophylla (Bush Morning Glory) (p)

Iris missouriensis (Native Wild Iris) (p)

Jamesia americana (Wax Flower) (s)

Juniperus communis (Common Juniper) (s, gc)

Juniperus monosperma (One-Seed Juniper) (t)

Liatris aspera (Rough Gayfeather) (p)

Liatris ligulistylis (Rocky Mountain Gayfeather) (p)

Liatris punctata (Spotted Gayfeather, Blazing Star) (p)

Lilium philadelphicum (Wood Lily) (p)

Linum lewisii (Native Blue Flax) (p)

Lithospermum multiflorum (Many-flowered Puccoon) (p)

Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia) (p)

Machaeranthera bigelovii (Bigelow’s Tansyaster) (bi)

Machaeranthera pattersonii (syn. M. bigelovii) (bi)

Machaeranthera tanacetifolia (Tahoka Daisy) (bi)

Mahonia fremontii (Fremont’s Desert Holly) (s)

Mahonia haematocarpa (Desert Holly) (s)

Mahonia repens (Creeping Mahonia) (gc)

Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot Daisy) (p)

Mentzelia decapetala (Blazing Star) (b/p)

Mentzelia nuda (Bractless Blazing Star) (p)

Mirabilis multiflora (Desert Four O’Clock) (p)

Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot, Bee-balm) (p)

Monarda fistulosa v. menthifolia (Wild Bergamot, Native Bee-balm) (p)

Monardella macrantha ‘Marion Sampson’ (Scarlet Coyote Mint) (p)

Muhlenbergia rigens (Deergrass) (gr)

Nolina microcarpa (Beargrass) (s)

Oenothera caespitosa  (Tufted Evening Primrose, Gumbo Lily) (p)

Oenothera howardii (Boulder Native Evening Primrose) (p)

Oenothera macrocarpa incana “Comanche Campfire’ (Comanche Campfire Evening Primrose) (p)

Oenothera macrocarpa incana “Silver Blade” (Silver Blade Evening Primrose) (p)

Opuntia fragilis (Brittle Prickly Pear cactus) (p)

Opuntia basilaris (Beavertail Cactus) (p)

Opuntia polyacantha ‘Peter Pan’ (Peter Pan Dwf. Prickly Pear Cactus) (p,gc)

Opuntia hybrids (Hybrid Prickly Pear cacti) (p)

Oryzopsis (Acnatherum) hymenoides (Indian Rice Grass) (gr)

Oxytropis besseyi (Bessey’s Locoweed) (p)

Oxytropis lambertii (Lambert’s Loco Weed) (p)

Oxytropis multiceps (p)

Oxytropis sericea (Silky Locoweed) (p)

Oxytropis splendens (Showy Locoweed) (p)

Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) (gr)

Panicum virgatum ‘Prairie Sky’ (Blue Prairie Switchgrass) (gr)

Panicum v. ‘Shenandoah’ (gr)

Paxistima canbyi (Mountain-lover) (s,gc)

Pediocactus simpsonii (Mountain Ball Cactus)

Penstemon alamosensis (p)

Penstemon alpinus (p)

Penstemon ambiguus (Sand Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon angustifolius (Pagoda Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon arenicola (Sand Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon barbatus (Scarlet Bugler) (p)

Penstemon brandegeei (Brandege’s Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon caespitosus (Bluemat Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon cardinalis (Cardinal Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon clutei (Sunset Crater Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon crandallii  (Crandall’s Mat Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon cyananthus (Wasatch Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon eatonii (Firecracker Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon glaber (Smooth Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon grandiflorus (Shell-leaf Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon grandiflorus ‘Prairie Jewel’ (p)

Penstemon hallii (p)

Penstemon jamesii (James’ Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon lin. ssp coloradoensis ‘Silverton’ (Silverton Mat Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon lin. ssp sileri (Siler’s Mat Penstemon (p)

Penstemon linarioides (Mat Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon mensarum (Grand Mesa Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon palmeri (Fragrant Beardtongue) (p)

Penstemon pin. ‘Mersea’s Yellow’ (Yellow Pineleaf Penstemon) (p,gc)

Penstemon pin. v. ‘Compactum’ (dwf. Pineleaf Penstemon) (p,gc)

Penstemon pinifolius (Pineleaf Penstemon) (p,gc)

Penstemon pinifolius ‘Sunset Glow’ (Sunset Glow Penstemon) (p,gc)

Penstemon procerus (Smallflowered Penstemon)

Penstemon pseudospectabilis (Desert Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon rostriflorus (Bridges’ Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon rydbergii (Rydberg’s Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon secundiflorus (Sidebells Penstemon, Orchid Beardtongue,) (p)

Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mt. Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon strictus ‘Bandera’ (p)

Penstemon superbus (Coral Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon teucroides (Pine-mat Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon virens (Blue Mist/Foothills Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon virgatus (Wandbloom Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon virgatus ssp.asa-grayi (Wandbloom Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon whippleanus (Dusky Penstemon) (p)

Penstemon xylus (Tushar Mt. Penstemon) (p)

Petalostemon (Dalea) purpureum (Purple Prairie Clover) (p)

Philadelphus lewisii “Cheyenne” (Cheyenne Mockorange) (s)

Philadelphus microphyllus (Littleleaf Mockorange) (s)

Physaria bellii (Bell’s Twinpod) (p)

Physocarpus monogynus (Mountain Ninebark) (s)

Physocarpus monogynus ‘Grey Rock’ (Grey Rock Mountain Ninebark) (s)

Picea pungens (Blue Spruce) (t)

Pinus aristata (Bristlecone Pine) (t)

Pinus cembroides var. edulis (Pinyon Pine) (t)

Pinus cembroides var. edulis, dwf. (Dwarf Pinyon Pine) (s)

Pinus flexilis, dwarf (Limber Pine (s)

Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa Pine) (t)

Polemonium foliosissimum (Towering Jacob’s Ladder) (p)

Polemonium reptans (Creeping Jacob’s Ladder) (p)

Populus tremuloides (Quaking Aspen) (t)

Prunus americana (Wild Plum) (s/t)

Prunus besseyi (Western Sand Cherry) (s)

Prunus besseyi ‘Boulder Weeping’ (Weeping Western Sandcherry) (s, gc)

Prunus besseyi “Pawnee Buttes” (Dwf. Western Sandcherry) (s)

Prunus virginiana (Western Sandcherry) (s/t)

Psilostrophe tagetina (Paperflower) (monocarpic)

Pulsatilla patens (Pasqueflower) (p)

Purshia stansburyana (syn. Cowania Mexicana) (Cliffrose) (s)

Purshia tridentata (Antelope Bitterbrush) (s)

Quercus gambelii (Gambel Oak) (t)

Quercus gambelii ‘Gila Monster’ (t)

Quercus turbinella (Shrub Live Oak) (t)

Quercus undulata (Wavyleaf Oak) (t)

Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat Coneflower)(p)

Ratibida columnifera var. pulcherrima (Red Mexican Hat) (p)

Rhus glabra cismontana (Rocky Mt. Sumac) (s)

Rhus glabra laciniata (Cutleaf Rocky Mt. Sumac) (s)

Rhus trilobata (Three-leaf Sumac, Skunkbush) (s)

Rhus trilobata ‘Autumn Amber’ (Autumn Amber Creeping Three-leaf Sumac) (s, gc)

Ribes aureum (Golden Currant) (s)

Ribes aureum ‘Gwen’s Buffalo’ (Gwen’s Buffalo Currant) (s)

Ribes cereum (Wax Currant) (s)

Ribes odoratum “Crandall” (Crandall Clove Currant) (s)

Robinia neomexicana (New Mexico Locust) (s)

Rosa arkansana (Prairie Rose) (s)

Rosa woodsii (Woods’ Rose) (s)

Rubus deliciosus (Boulder Raspberry) (s)

Rudbeckia hirta (Blackeyed Susan) (p)

Rudbeckia laciniata (p)

Rudbeckia missouriensis (p)

Rudbeckia subtomentosa (Sweet Coneflower) (p)

Rudbeckia tomentosa (short-lived perenn.)

Salix irrorata (Bluestem Willow) (s)

Salvia azurea ssp grandiflora (p)

Salvia dorrii (Purple Sage) (p)

Salvia pitcheri (Pitcher Sage) (p)

Salvia reptans (Sand Sage) (p)

Sambucus racemosa (syn. S. pubens) (Red Elderberry) (s)

Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) (gr)

Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Blaze’ (gr)

Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Prairie Blues’ (gr)

Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’ (gr)

Scutellaria resinosa (Prairie Skullcap) (p)

Scutellaria resinosa ‘Smoky Hills’ (Smoky Hills Prairie Skullcap)

Sedum lanceolatum (Stonecrop) (p,gc)

Senecio fendleri (p)

Senecio plattenensis (p)

Shepherdia argentea (Silver Buffaloberry) (s)

Shepherdia argentea ‘Silver Totem’ (Silver Totem Buffaloberry) (s)

Shepherdia argentea x rotundifolia (s)

Silene laciniata ((Fringed Indian Pink) p)

Silene regia (Royal Catchfly) (p)

Sisyrinchium angustifolium (Blue-eyed Grass) (p)

Sisyrinchium montanum (Blue-eyed Grass) (p)

Sisyrinchium campestre (Blue-eyed Grass) (p)

Solidago nana (Dwarf Goldenrod) (p)

Solidago ptarmicoides (Upland White Goldenrod) (p)

Solidago rigida (Stiff Goldenrod) (p)

Solidago speciosa (Showy Goldenrod) (p)

Solidago speciosa ‘Wichita Mountains’ (p)

Solidago petiolaris (Downy Goldenrod) (p)

Sorbus scopulina (Native Mountain Ash) (t)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indian Grass) (gr)

Sorghastrum nutans ‘Pawnee’ (‘Pawnee’ Indian Grass) (gr)

Sphaeralcea fendleri (fender’s Globemallow) (p)

Sphaeralcea coccinea (Cowboy’s Delight) (p)

Sphaeralcea munroana (Orange Globe Mallow) (p)

Sporobolis airoides (Alkali Sacaton) (gr)

Sporobolis wrightii (Giant, Wright’s Sacaton) (gr)

Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed) (gr)

Stanleya pinnata (Prince’s Plume) (p)

Symphoricarpus oreophyllus (Mountain Snowberry) (s)

Symphoricarpus occidentalis (Wolfberry) (s)

Symphoricarpus albus (Western Snowberry) (s)

Symphoricarpus rotundifolius) (see S. oreophyllus) (s)

Talinum calycinum (Rock Rose) (a/p)

Thermopsis divaricarpa (Native Golden Banner) (p)

Thermopsis montana (Mountain Golden Banner) (p)

Townsendia grandiflora (showy Townsendia) ()

Townsendia eximia (Rocky Mt.Townsend Daisy) (bi)

Townsendia hookeri (Hooker’s Townsend Daisy) (p)

Tradescantia occidentalis (Western Spiderwort) (p)

Verbena (Glandularia) bipinnatifida (Prairie Verbena) (p)

Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain) (p)

Verbena stricta (Hoary Vervain) (p)

Verbena (Glandularia) wrightii (Davis Mts. Mock Vervain) (p)

Vitis riparia (Riverbank Grape) (v)

Wyethia (Scabrethia) scabra (Badlands Mule Ears) (p)

Wyethia helianthoides (White Mule Ears) (p)

Yucca baccata (Broadleaf Yucca, Banana Yucca) (s)

Yucca elata (Soap Tree Yucca) (s)

Yucca nana (Dwarf Yucca) (s)

Yucca glauca (Soapweed Yucca) (s)

Yucca harrimaniae (Dollhouse Yucca) (s)

Zinnia grandiflora (Prairie Zinnia) (p)

Zizia aptera (Heart-leaf Golden Alexanders (p)

 

Hawthorn and Tulsi to ease your Gut

Sometimes we overdo heavier food and drink during the holidays, and our stomach suffers. Mitten Lowe (our friend and frequent teacher at Harlequin’s Gardens) suggests this easy-to-make Hawthorn and Tulsi vinegar and honey mixture (an oxymel).

We had an abundant harvest of Hawthorn berries at the nursery this fall.   If you have room consider adding a Hawthorn tree to your garden this spring.  [Read More]

Time to Dig the Dahlias!

We cut, dig and store our dahlia tubers just after the first frost – so we know what we’ll be doing this weekend!  Our friends at Arrowhead Dahlias have easy instructions.

Dahlia tubers will not survive if they freeze, so they must be dug in cold climates like ours.

You can divide in spring or fall – it takes practice and patience, but it is well worth the trouble.[Read More]

Fall is for Seeding Meadows!

One of the beautiful alternatives to a standard, water-thirsty, solid green, mowed Kentucky Bluegrass lawn is a naturalistic meadow composed of low-water clumping grasses and wildflowers.

This approach offers plant diversity, an ever-changing, dynamic sequence of colors and textures throughout the seasons, and provides sustenance and habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators, birds and other small critters. If this sounds good to you, now is the time to plan and prepare, and buy grass seed mixes on sale for 15% off! We also have lots of wildflower seeds to add to the grasses – mixes for specific pollinators and situations, as well as individual species.[Read More]

Fragrant Lavender and Rosemary, to Plant Now – or to Pot Up!

We still have Lavender (Munstead, Buena Vista, Hidcote and Grosso), and if you want to plant them this season, get them this week on sale for 20% off! Any plants left after that will be potted up for next year. Because it is evergreen, newly planted lavender is more sensitive to hard frost than many other hardy perennials, so to give them a chance to establish before very cold weather arrives, plant them NOW. If you garden at an elevation higher than 6,000’, we recommend waiting to plant lavender next spring.

Rosemary ‘Madeline Hill’ is still in stock, and on sale! [Read More]

Plant Now for Your Fall Veggie Garden

Your Fall Vegetable Garden Starts Here!

Hard to believe we’re just over 60 days from the average first frost in Boulder County! It’s the perfect time to get your fall vegetable garden in. We have the seeds, and seedlings you’ll need (seedlings expected to be available this weekend or early next week).

Choose from Botanical Interest seeds like beets, radish, greens, and more. Choose plants with 45 – 50 ‘days to harvest’ to ensure a harvest before the first hard frost. Or, be prepared to extend the season with ‘Ensulate’ row-cover fabric.

[Read More]

High Spring Walks on the Wild Side

Yesterday we managed to sneak away from work and visit a couple of the fabulous Open Space parks in the foothills. We were too late to see the Pasque Flowers in bloom, but we were surrounded by botanical treasures, nonetheless. A picture is worth a thousand words, so this will be mostly a photo essay of most of the species we encountered. However, you might want to know that in spite of being difficult or impossible to find in nursery production, quite a few of these native treasures have been offered or are currently offered at Harlequin’s Gardens this year.

[Read More]

Great Selection of Dwarf Native Conifers

We finally got a chance to bring out our excellent and unique selection of Native Conifers! Most of them are special dwarf forms that can easily fit in a home garden. These accent plants can give structure and winter interest to elevate your garden design in all seasons.

What’s special about our dwarf conifers? First of all, most of them are Colorado and regional (CO, UT, NM) native species. This makes them easy to grow in Colorado gardens.

Second, most are selections made by the late, great plantsman Jerry Morris, who devoted his career to searching out the dwarf forms of conifers in our forests.

[Read More]

Successful Container Gardening

We know that not all of customers live in a house with a yard. Many of you live in apartments or condominiums or townhomes and have only a balcony or a very small patio on which to grow anything outdoors. We would love to help you make the most of your outdoor space, even if it’s tiny.

Many vegetables, ornamental annuals, and most culinary herbs can be planted in almost any kind of container as long as there’s sufficient width and depth to accommodate the roots and enough soil mass to hold sufficient water. That means that you should be sure the pot is big enough to hold the roots and potting soil. There should be enough room for potting soil so that when you water, it can be absorbed into the soil around the roots. Make sure your container has at least one drainage hole, and won’t require watering more than once a day. DO NOT fill the base of the pot with gravel, rocks, Styrofoam, or any material other than soil. This creates a perched water table and will be harmful to plant roots.

Sungold Tomato

Best Vegetables for Containers

The following types and varieties of vegetables that we offer this year can do very well grown in pots. Varieties requiring extra- large or specialty containers are listed with an (L) after the name. Read their descriptions in the PLANTS section of our website.

GREENS: Arugula, Sorrel, Kale, Mizuna, Shiso, Mustards, Lettuce (especially when heavily seeded and treated as cut-and-come-again through spring), Watercress, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Scallions, Endive

POTATOES: In large fabric grow-bags or half-barrels (plant tubers by end of April)

PEAS: Dwarf varieties (plant seeds of this cool-season veggie early in the spring, or in August for fall peapods)

CUCUMBERS: Spacemaster, Bush Champion, and Mexican Gherkin are successful in containers. Provide stakes for the relatively short vines, or allow the Mexican Gherkin to hang down from a container atop a wall.

TOMATOES:
Dwarf and micro-dwarf varieties: Jochalos, Pinocchio Orange, Tasmanian Chocolate, Vilma.
Cascading varieties: Hundreds and Thousands or Rosy Falls.
Determinate varieties: Black Sea Man, Burrell’s Special, Bush Early Girl, Glacier, Gold Nugget, Healani, Juliet, Lemon Drop, Martino’s Roma, Mountain Delight, Native Sun, Orange King, Red Robin (in shade or indoors), Stupice, Sunrise Sauce, Super Sioux, Taxi, Tidy Treats, Tumbling Tom.

Note: Larger indeterminate varieties can be grown in Earth Box self-watering planters or other large containers if support trellising is provided. Transplant by June 15 to ensure a crop from these long-season vegetables.

PEPPERS: All peppers can be grown in containers, but varieties over 16” tall should have support. Peppers appreciate a bit of shade, especially in the afternoon, to prevent sunscald. Especially well suited to containers are Shishito, Jalapeno, Adaptive Early Thai, Aurora, Mini Bell, Purple Cayenne, Fish, Lanterna Piccante (L), Cambucci (L), Bishop’s Hat (L), Gypsy Queens. Transplant by June 15 to ensure a crop from these long-season vegetables.

EGGPLANTS: Asian varieties like Orient Express, Pingtung Long Purple Comet, and shorter classic varieties like Morden Midget do very well. And all eggplants do well in containers with rich soil and consistent watering. Provide support, specially for heavy-fruited varieties. Eggplants like heat, so dark pots in a sunny location work well. Transplant by June 15 to ensure a crop from these long-season vegetables.

STRAWBERRIES: Most Strawberry varieties can grow well in containers, especially if protected from critters. If the container is large enough, like a wooden half-barrel, they should overwinter successfully. We do not recommend using ‘strawberry pots’ with multiple side ‘pockets’ because they are difficult to keep watered in our climate conditions.

CARROTS: Most carrots are not good candidates for container growing. The exceptions are varieties ‘Little Fingers’ and ‘Tonda di Parigi’ (Round of Paris). These are meant to be harvested small and are fairly quick to mature, leaving room for a late crop, like basil or kale.

VEGETABLES NOT SUITED TO CONTAINER GROWING
The following are less likely to grow well in containers: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Celery, Celery Root, Artichoke, Asparagus, full-sized Carrot, Beet, Turnip, Rutabaga, Parsnip, Squash, Melon, Watermelon, most Cucumber, Onion, Leek, Garlic, Shallot, Bean, Corn.

ANNUALS IN CONTAINERS

Nasturtium, ‘Orchid Flame’

Nearly all annual flowers can be grown in containers. If you want to grow it in a pot, give it a try! If you are planning to mix annuals in a pot, be sure to do a little homework to find out what each variety’s soil, fertilizer, light and water needs are, and group them accordingly. For example: In rich soil, Nasturtiums grow lots of leaves and few flowers, while Petunias bloom well.

You can crowd plants closer together in a container of Annuals, but don’t overdo it. We usually plant them 4” apart. Some annuals can grow exceptionally tall, like Lion’s Mane (Leonotis nepetifolia or L. leonurus) and could be vulnerable to breaking and spoiling the display. If you are using trailing plants, choose a pot that is tall enough to let the trailing plants trail.

Ocean Forest Potting Soil

POTTING SOILS: We recommend Ocean Forest and Coco Loco potting soils for most container plantings. See product descriptions here.   We add Harlequin’s Fertility Mix or Age Old ‘Grow’ or one of Thompson’s Organic Fertilizers to most vegetable and ornamental containers. When transplanting into the container, we use a mycorrhizal inoculant product.

A valuable product to add to you potting soil is Hydrosource. It can save you a lot of time and worry by holding more water and holding it longer, making it available to you plants throughout the day. This can be especially helpful when you are growing multiple plants together in a pot. Don’t use more than the recommended amount (too much of a good thing can be very bad!).

Annual Culinary Herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, Mexican Oregano, Chives, and Vietnamese Coriander appreciate rich soil.

Perennial Herbs like Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Savory and Thyme do better with Yum Yum Mix fertilizer, which offers trace minerals, phosphorus and potassium but not much nitrogen.

Succulents and Cacti are better grown in a mix that is composed of about two-thirds granular material (gravel, scoria, tufa, coarse sand) and the remainder organic material (conventional potting mix of peat moss and perlite. Our Crump’s Cactus Succulent Potting Mix does well. Do not add compost or worm castings.

YEAR-ROUND PLANTINGS IN OUTDOOR POTS

A good rule of thumb: If you are planning to grow perennials, roses, shrubs or trees in them year-round, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens recommend that your plants should be cold-hardy to three USDA zones colder than the zone where you are gardening. This is because the roots are above the ground, exposed to much more cold than if they were planted in the earth. When looking at USDA hardiness zone ratings, the lower the number, the colder the winter temperature the plant can withstand. In the cities of Boulder and Denver, our USDA hardiness zone changed several years ago from Zone 5 to Zone 6 because our low temperatures in winter have been less cold than they used to be. So here in Zone 6, plantings in pots that remain outdoors all year should be rated as hardy to USDA zone 3, 2 or 1. Most outdoor pots or planters offer little or no insulation from cold air temperatures. If it is possible to move the container for winter against a north-facing wall and pack sealed bags of loosely-packed leaves around them, the insulation can add an extra zone or two. Against a north wall, temperatures will fluctuate less and snow, which is a very good insulator, will stay on and around the pots much longer. If there isn’t consistent snow-cover, be sure to water pots a couple of times per month.

Our personal experience: At Harlequin’s, we have successfully grown some shrubs and small trees in very large pots. A small ‘character’ Russian Hawthorn, which is hardy to Zone 2, has lived for about 10 years in a big, thick stoneware pot. We move it every winter and pack shredded leaves all around it. A ‘Walker’ Weeping Peashrub, hardy to Zone 3, lived in a 24” diameter foam pot at the nursery for about 5 years, but died from lack of winter watering. Eve used to successfully grow a few roses in wooden pots, moving them to a sheltered north wall and packing bags of leaves around them until mid-April.

There are other factors to be considered, namely your micro-climate, and the size, material and thickness of your container. If your pot is very large, say at least 24” diameter, and at least 18” deep (unlikely on a balcony!), you can plant in the center and the surrounding mass of soil will give the plant roots extra insulation. As for materials, ceramic, metal, concrete, resin and plastic conduct cold readily. Wood and double-walled plastic or resin pots do not conduct cold so they offer some insulation. Fabric pots are too thin to function as insulators.

TERRACOTTA (unglazed, low-fire clay)
Terracotta pots are the classic flower pot. They look great. They work very well in places like England, southern Europe, the Middle East, Southern California and Mexico. But because the humidity here is usually very low and the wind is so often present, unglazed terracotta clay pots, which are fired at low temperatures and are quite porous, dry out quickly and draw moisture out of the potting soil within. So they are only suitable for desert plants. Even cacti and desert succulents will need more frequent watering if placed outdoors in a terracotta pot. Large terracotta pots are fairly heavy, are easily broken or cracked, and cannot withstand the freezing and thawing of winter weather. They will need to be brought indoors to a frost-free space for the winter.

STONEWARE (high-fired clay, unglazed or glazed)
Stoneware pots can usually be left outdoors year-round if the plantings in them are very hardy. The glazed stoneware pots we carry are considered ‘frost-resistant’. Pots with soil in them should be covered (with an overturned saucer or similar) or brought indoors for winter, and empty pots should be overturned or covered.

 PLASTIC or RESIN
These cast pots have the advantage of being very light-weight, but they can differ widely in their durability. Try to assess the outside finish, whether it will chip or scratch easily. Thin plastic can crack, but Resin seems stronger. Make sure the pot has drain holes or that holes can be drilled in the bottom of the pot. We offer used large black plastic nursery pots (#7 and #10) for sale a t very reasonable prices. These are economical, perform very well, but are not ornamental or stylish. We used to have a source for wonderful, clay-toned double-walled cast resin pots The 3/8” air space between the inner and outer walls provided excellent insulation and the finishes held up for many years. Covid put an end to our supply, and we haven’t been able to find any since. Keep an eye out for them at yard sales!!

FABRIC
We are carrying a very economical fabric pot by Root Pouch. These are practically weightless, the color of the felt-like fabric is a neutral gray. They have two well-attached handles for ease of moving the pot. And under normal use, they will last for three or four years. The dimensions are 12” high and 14” diameter, making them large enough for growing a tomato, pepper or eggplant. At only $7.50 each, they are a great bargain and a very practical choice for growing plants on a balcony.

WOOD
Wooden planters are usually not as heavy as ceramic, have some insulation value and hold moisture in. They will usually fall apart within about 10 years, depending on how well they are made. Half-barrels from whiskey distilleries are heavy-duty (and heavy!) and can last longer. They are some of the best containers for planting shrubs or trees.

CONCRETE & HYPERTUFA
Concrete containers are expensive, extremely heavy and difficult to move. They conduct cold and heat. However, if they are large enough and you get help placing them, they can be very durable and have good potential for long-term plantings.

Echinocereus viridiflorus in trough garden

HyperTufa is made from a concrete mix with peatmoss, and often perlite and fiberglass added. They are thick-walled and insulating, and are durable if made well and are not as heavy as concrete. One of the best things about them is that they look a lot like stone. Hypertufa containers are usually called ‘troughs’ because they imitate ancient stone troughs from Europe. Because they are made with concrete, they offer an environment that is perfect for rockery plants that grow in limestone formations.

A Penstemon Primer, by Mike Kintgen

Penstemon virgatus

Few genera are as synonymous with Western North America as penstemons or beardtongues. The genus is almost entirely native only to North America with the center of diversity falling west of the 100th meridian. Over 250 species are found in North America with one outlier in
Japan. The outlier is often placed in its own genus. Penstemons are native to every state in the union except Hawaii and almost every Canadian province besides Nunavut.

[Read More]

A Few Sought-After Native Plants

Right now, we have our biggest selection of highly desirable plants for the season. Some of them are unusual and available in limited quantities. This includes a number of very choice native perennials that are very hard to find and will sell out fast, like:

Scrophularia macrantha (Red Birds In A Tree) – This rare New Mexico wildflower was first brought into cultivation, and given its delightful common name, by the late, great plantsman David Salman, only a couple of decades ago. Subsequently promoted by the Plant Select program, it won the hearts of native plant gardeners and pollinator gardeners, and is a great favorite of hummingbirds. [Read More]

2024 Roses are In!

Fairmount Proserpine, courtesy High Country Roses

This is the week we begin to bring you the Roses! From healthy over-wintered Harlequin’s roses in gallon pots, to beauties in ‘quart’ pots like the ‘Fairmount’ Proserpine pictured here – we have a selection like no other nursery –  with 99% of our roses being own-root and able to take the Colorado weather.

Here’s the ‘big list’ of what we’ll have for you this season – many of them will be available for the May Day Celebration!

Rosa eglanteria (rubiginosa)

Rosa foet. Bicolor (Austrian Copper)

Scarlet meidiland

Sunbeam Veranda

The Gift

Victorian Memory

Westerland

White Dawn, Climbing

White Meidiland

Winner’s Circle

Gourmet Popcorn

Harrison’s ellow

Henry Kelsey

Iceberg (climbing)

Jeanne Lajoie

JoAn’s Pink Perpetual

Lady in Red

Lavender Jewel

Lemon Fizz Kolorscape

Mandarin Sunblaze

Millie Walters

Mountain Mignonette

Petite Peach

Polka

Red Ribbons

Carefree WonderCelestial Night

Champlain

Cinco de Mayo

Complicata

Cream eranda

Denvers Dream

Desiree Parmentier

Dortmund

Ebb Tide

Emily Carr

Fairmount Proserpine

Fire Meidiland

Firecracker Kolorscape

Flamingo Kolorscape

Fred Loads

Golden Opportunity

Adelaide Hoodless

AUSblush

AUSbord

AUScat

AUScot

AUSlot

AUSmary

AUSmound – Lilian Austin

AUSpeet

Autumn Sunblaze

Awakening

Ridal Sunblaze

Brilliant Veranda

Burgundy Iceberg

Canyon Road

Carefree Delight

Carefree Spirit

 

Water-Wise Trees and Shrubs for Sunny Locations

XERISCAPE   TREES AND SHRUBS  for  SUN

Harlequin’s Gardens    303-939-9403  www.harlequinsgardens.com

 

Note: plants listed in bold are native to our region

TREES

Acer ginnala / Amur maple

Acer ginnala ‘Compacta’ / Dwf. Amur Maple

Acer grandidentatum / Bigtooth Maple

Acer negundo / Boxelder

Acer negundo ‘Sensation’ / ‘Sensation’ Boxelder, male selection

Acer tataricum ‘Hot Wings’ / Hot Wings Tatarian Maple

Aesculus glabra / Ohio Buckeye

Amelanchier utahensis / Utah Serviceberry

Catalpa speciosa / Western Catalpa

Celtis occidentalis / Western Hackberry

Celtis reticulata / Netleaf Hackberry

Crataegus ambigua / Russian Hawthorn

Crataegus crus-galli / Cockspur Hawthorn

Crataegus mollis / Downy Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna / Singleseed Hawthorn

Crataegus phaenopyrum / Washington Hawthorn

Cupressus arizonica / Arizona Cypress

Gleditsia triacanthos inermis / Honeylocust

Gymnocladus dioica / Kentucky Coffeetree

Juniperus monosperma / One-seed Juniper

Juniperus scopulorum & selections / Rocky Mt. Juniper

Koelreuteria paniculata / Goldenrain Tree

Malus species / Flowering Crabapple selections

Morus alba / White Mulberry

Pinus aristata / Bristlecone Pine

Pinus cembroides edulis / Pinyon Pine

Pinus contorta v. latifolia / Lodgepole Pine

Pinus flexilis / Limber Pine

Pinus ponderosa / Ponderosa Pine

Prunus americana / American Wild Plum

Prunus padus / Mayday Tree, Bird Cherry

Prunus virginiana / Native Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana ‘Shubert’ / Canada Red Chokecherry

Prunus x virginiana ‘Sucker Punch’ / Non-suckering Chokecherry

Pseudotsuga menziesii v. glauca / Rocky Mt. Douglas Fir

Ptelea trifoliata / Wafer Ash, Hop Tree

Pyrus ussuriensis / Ussurian Pear

Quercus bicolor / Swamp White Oak

Quercus gambelii / Gambel Oak

Quercus macrocarpa / Bur Oak

Quercus muehlenbergii / Chinkapin Oak

Quercus undulata / Rocky Mt. Scrub Oak

Robinia neomexicana / New Mexico Locust

SHRUBS

Agave parryi ssp. neomexicana

Amelanchier alnifolia / Saskatoon Serviceberry

Amelanchier aln. ‘Regent’ / Regent Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis / Shadblow Serviceberry

Amelanchier laevis / Allegheny Serviceberry

Amorpha canescens / Great Plains Leadplant

Amorpha nana / Dwarf Leadplant

Artemisia cana / Silver Sagebrush

Artemisia filifolia / Sand Sagebrush

Artemisia tridentata / Tall Western Sagebrush

Artemisia versicolor (canescens) / Seafoam Sage

Atriplex canescens / Four Wing Saltbush

Atriplex confertifolia / Spiny Saltbush

Buddleia alternifolia ‘Argentea” / Silver Butterfly Bush

Buddleia dav. nanhoensis cultivars / Compact Butterfly Bush

Buddleia davidii cultivars / Butterfly Bush

Caragana arborescens / Siberian Peashrub

Caragana pygmaea / Pygmy Peashrub

Caryopteris x clandonensis cultivars / Blue Mist Spirea

Ceanothus fendleri / Mountain Lilac

Ceratoides lantana / Winterfat

Cercocarpus brevifolius / Little-flowered Mt. Mahogany

Cercocarpus intricatus / Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus ledifolius / Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus montanus / Common Mountain Mahogany

Chamaebatieria millefolium / Fernbush

Chrysothamnus n. ssp. graveolens / Tall Grn. Rabbitbrush

Chrysothamnus naus. ssp. albicaulis / Tall Blue Rabbitbrush

Chrysothamnus naus. ssp. nauseosus / Dwf. Blue Rabbitbrush

Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus / Dwf. Grn. Rabbitbrush

Cotinus coggygria / Smoke Tree

Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ / Royal Purple Smoke Tree

Cotinus x ‘Grace / ‘Grace’ Smoketree

Cotoneaster divaricatus / Spreading Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster lucidus / Peking Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster multiflora / Big-flowered Cotoneaster

Cowania mexicana (Purshia stansburyana)  / Cliffrose

Cytissus purgans ‘Spanish Gold’ / Andora Broom

Cytissus scoparius ‘Moonlight’ / Moonlight Broom

Ephedra americana / American Ephedra

Ephedra viridis / Mormon Tea

Fallugia paradoxa / Apache Plume

Forestiera neomexicana / New Mexico Privet

Genista lydia / Lydian Broom, Dwarf Broom

Genista tinctoria / Woadwaxen

Hesperaloe parviflora / Red Yucca

Hippophae rhamnoides / Sea Buckthorn

Holodiscus dumosus / Rock Spirea

Ligustrum vulgare ‘Cheyenne’ / ‘Cheyenne’ Privet

Ligustrum vulgare ‘Lodense’ / Lodense Privet

Lonicera k. v. floribunda ‘Blue Velvet’ / Blue Velvet Honeysuckle

Lonicera syringantha v. wolfii / Tiny Trumpet Honeysuckle

Lonicera tatarica selections / Shrub Honeysuckle

Mahonia aqu. Compactum / Compact Oregon Grapeholly

Mahonia aquifolium / Oregon Grapeholly

Mahonia fremontii / Fremont’s Mahonia

Mahonia haematocarpa / Desert Holly

Opuntia species / Cholla Cactus

Perovskia atriplicifolia / Russian Sage

Philadelphus lewisii / Lewis Mockorange

Physocarpus opulifolius cultivars / Ninebark

Juniperus communus/Common Juniper selections

Prunus besseyi / Western Sandcherry

Prunus besseyi ‘Pawnee Buttes’ / Pawnee Buttes Sandcherry

Prunus besseyi ‘Boulder Weeping’ / Boulder Weeping Sandcherry

Prunus tenella / Dwarf Russian Almond

Purshia tridentata / Antelope Bitterbrush

Pyracantha coccinea / Firethorn

Rhamnus smithii / Smith’s Buckthorn

Rhus aromatica / Fragrant Sumac

Rhus glabra / Smooth Sumac

Rhus glabra v. cismontana / Rocky Mt. Sumac

Rhus trilobata / Threeleaf Sumac

Rhus typhina / Staghorn Sumac

Rhus typhina laciniata / Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac

Ribes aureum / Native Golden Currant

Ribes cereum / Wax Currant

Ribes odoratum / Golden Currant

Robinia neomexicana / New Mexico Locust

Rosa ‘Alba Maxima’

Rosa ‘Alba semi-plena’

Rosa ‘Alba Suaveolens’

Rosa ‘Felicite Parmentier’

Rosa ‘Fruhlingsgold’

Rosa ‘Golden Wings’

Rosa ‘Harison’s Yellow

Rosa ‘Henry Kelsey’

Rosa ‘John Cabot’

Rosa ‘John Davis’

Rosa ‘Konigen von Danemark’

Rosa ‘Lawrence Johnston’

Rosa ‘Maiden’s Blush’

Rosa “Banshee”

Rosa arvensis

Rosa ‘Complicata’

Rosa eglanteria / Sweetbriar

Rosa foet. Persiana / Persian Yellow Rose

Rosa foetida bicolor / Austrian Copper Rose

Rosa glauca (rubrifolia) / Redleaf Rose

Rosa hugonis / Father Hugo’s Rose

Rosa woodsii / Wood’s Rose

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Arp’ / Arp Rosemary

Shepherdia argentea / Silver Buffaloberry

Robinia neomexicana / New Mexico Locust

Spiraea ‘Cheyenne Snowmound’

Spiraea jap. ‘Goldflame’ / Goldflame Spirea

Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ / Miss Kim Dwf. Korean Lilac

Syringa prestoniae cultivars / Canadian Lilacs

Syringa vulgaris cultivars / Common Lilacs

Yucca baccata / Banana Yucca

Yucca filamentosa / Adam’s Needle

Yucca glauca / Native Soapweed, Narrowleaf Yucca

Yucca harrimanii / Harriman’s Dwf. Yucca

Water-Wise Perennials and Biennials for Sun

XERISCAPE   PERENNIALS & BIENNIALS  for  SUN

Harlequin’s Gardens    303-939-9403  www.harlequinsgardens.com

 

Note: plants listed in bold are native to our region

Acantholimon (hohenackeri, glumaceum, etc.)

Achillea ageratifolia

Achillea filipendula ‘Moonshine’

Achillea lanulosa

Achillea millefolium ‘Cerise Queen’

Achillea millefolium ‘Paprika’

Achillea serbica

Aethionema grandiflora

Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado’

Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’

Agastache cana

 Agastache foeniculum

Agastache neomexicana

Agastache rupestris

Agastache urticifolia

Agastache x ‘Ava’

Agave parryi selections

Alcea rosea

Alcea rugosa

Allium altaicum

Allium cernuum

Allium flavum

Allium geyeri

Allium ‘Millenium’

Allium senescens

Allium senescens ‘Glaucum’

Allium tuberosum

Alyssum oxycarpum

Anacyclus depressus

Anchusa azurea

Antennaria ‘McClintock’

Antennaria parviflora

Antennaria rosea

Argemone hispida

Argemone polyanthemos

Artemisia frigida

Artemisia ludoviciana

Artemisia ludoviciana‘Powis Castle’

Artemisia ‘Silver Frost’

Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Valerie Finnis’

Artemisia stelleriana ‘Silver Brocade’

Artemisia ’Leprechaun’

Asclepias tuberosa

Asphodeline demascena

Asphodelus albus

Aster ericoides

Aster porteri

Aster (Symphiotrichon) laevis

Aster (Symphiotrichon) sericeus

Astragalus sps.

Aurinia saxatilis

Baptisia australis

Baptisia minor

Berlandiera lyrata

Betonica foliosa

Cacti, various hardy

Callirhoe involucrata

Calylophus hartwegii

Calylophus serrulatus

Calylophus serrulatus ‘Prairie Lode’

Catananche caerulea

Centranthus ruber

Cerastium candidissimum

Cerastium tomentosum

Clematis scottii

Coreopsis lanceolata

Coreopsis lanceoplata ‘Sterntaler’ 

Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’

Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’

Crambe cordifolia

Crambe maritima

Dalea (Petalostemon) purpureum                      

Delosperma ‘John Proffitt’(‘Table Mountain’)

Delosperma ‘Kelaidis’ (Mesa Verde)

Delosperma cooperi

Delopserma dyeri

Delosperma ‘Firespinner’

Delosperma ‘Granita Orange’

Delosperma ‘Granita Raspberry’

Delosperma ‘Lavender Ice’

Delosperma ‘Red Mountain Flame’

Delosperma nubigenum

Dianthus barbatus

Dianthus ‘Blue Hill’

Dianthus deltoides varieties

Dianthus gratianapolitanus

Dianthus gratianapolitanus varieties

Dianthus nardiformus

Dianthus petraeus noeanus

Dianthus ‘Tuscan Honeymoon’

Dianthus ‘Tiny Rubies’

Dictamnus albus purpureus

Dracocephalum ruyschianum

Ephedra minuta

Erigeron compositus

Erigeron linearis

Erigeron speciosus

Erigeron caespitosa

Eriogonum jamesii

Eriogonum ovalifolium

Eriogonum umbellatum

Eriogonum umb. v ‘Kannah Creek’

Eriogonum umb. v majus

Eriogonum umb. v porteri

Erodium chrysanthum

Erodium manescavii

Erodium petraeum hybrids

Euphorbia polychroma

Foeniculum vulgare

Foeniculum vulgare ‘Bronze’

Gaillardia aristata

Gaillardia aristata ‘Meriwether’

Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Goblin’

Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Burgundy’

Gaura lindheimeri

Gaura lindheimeri ‘Summer Breeze’

Geranium sanguineum

Glaucium acutidentatum

Globularia cordifolia

Goniolimon tataricum

Gutierrezia sarothrae

Gypsophila paniculata

Gypsophila repens

Helianthemum nummularium varieties

Herniaria glabra

Heterotheca pumila

Heterotheca ‘Gold Hill’

Hymenoxys (tetraneuris)acaulis

Hymenoxys (Tetraneuris)argenteus

Hymenoxys (Tetraneuris)scaposa

Iberis sempervirens

Iberis sempervirens ‘Little Gem’

Ipomopsis (Gilia) aggregate

Ipomopsis rubra

Iris (tall, medium and miniature) Bearded

Iris pallida ‘Variegata’

Lavandula ‘Provence’

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead Strain’

Liatris punctata

Limonium latifolium

Limonium gmellinii

Linum flavum compactum

Linum lewisii

Linum narbonense

Linum perenne

Lithospermum multiflorum

Lychnis chalcedonica

Lychnis coronaria

Malva alcea fastigiata

Malva sylvestris mauritania

Marrubium globosum

Marrubium rotundifolium

Melampodium leucanthum

Mentzelia decapetala

Mentzelia nuda

Mirabilis multiflora

Nepeta x  faassenii

Nepeta x f. ‘Six Hills Giant’

Nepeta x f. ‘Walker’s Low’

Nepeta ‘Little Trudy’

Nolina microcarpa

Oenothera howardii

Oenothera berlandieri ‘Siskyou’

Oenothera caespitosa

Oenothera caespitosa ‘Marginata’

Oenothera fremontii

Oenothera fremontii ‘Shimmer’

Oenothera macrocarpa

Oenothera m. incana ‘Comanche Campfire’

Oenothera fremontii

Oenothera macro. incana ‘Silver  Blade’

Oenothera pallida

Oxytropis lambertii

 Oxytropis sericea

Oxytropis splendens

Papaver orientale varieties

Papaver pilosum

Papaver triniifolium (biennial)

Penstemon ambiguus

Penstemon arenicola

Penstemon auriberbis

Penstemon barbatus

Penstemon brandegei

Penstemon cardinalis

Penstemon caespitosus

Penstemon clutei

Penstemon crandallii

Penstemon cyananthus

Penstemon eatonii

Penstemon grandifloras

Penstemon hallii

Penstemon linarioides

Penstemon linarioides coloradoensis

Penstemon mensarum

Penstemon x mexicale hybrids

Penstemon palmeri

Penstemon pinifolius and selections

Penstemon pinifolius compactus

Penstemon pseudospectabilis

Penstemon richardsonii

Penstemon rostriflorus

Penstemon secundiflorus

Penstemon strictus

Penstemon strictus ‘Bandera’

Penstemon superbus

Penstemon teucroides

Penstemon virens

Penstemon virgatus

Penstemon xylus (tusharensis)

Perovskia atriplicifolia

Petalostemon (Dalea) purpurea

Phlomis russeliana

Physaria bellii

Physostegia virginiana ‘Summer Snow’

Platycodon grandiflorus

Potentilla neumanniana ‘nana’

Ratibida columnifera

Ratibida column. pulchella

Ratibida pinnata

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Arp’

Rosmarinus off. ‘Madeline Hill’

Rosularia sp.

Rudbeckia hirta

Rudbeckia triloba

Rudbeckia maxima

Rudbeckia missouriensis

Rudbeckia fulgida’Goldsturm’

Ruellia humilis

Ruta graveolens

Salvia argentea

Salvia azurea grandiflora (S. pitcheri)

Salvia nemorosa ‘Blue Queen’

Salvia nemorosa ‘May Night’

Salvia nemorosa ‘Rose Queen’

Salvia officinalis

Salvia officinalis ‘Purpureus’

Salvia officinalis ‘nana’

Salvia sclarea

Salvia transylvanica

Santolina chamaecyparissus’

Saponaria lempergii ‘Max Frei’

Saponaria ocymoides

Satureja montana

Satureja montana ssp illyrica

Scabiosa caucasica

Scabiosa lucida

Scutellaria resinosa

Scrophularia macrantha

Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

Sedum ‘Matrona’

Sedum ‘Lidakense’

Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’

Sedum ‘Vera Jameson’

Sedum album

Sedum hybridum

Sedum lanceolatum

Sedum sexangulare

Sedum spurium varieties

Sedum tatarowinii

Sempervivum sps.

Sphaeralcea fendleri

Sphaeralcea coccinea

Sphaeralcea munroana

Stachys byzantine ‘Helene Von Stein’

Stachys byzantine ‘Silver Carpet’

Stanleya pinnata

Talinum calycinum

Tanacetum densum ‘Amani’

Tanacetum niveum

Teucrium chamaedys

Teucrium cossonii

Teucrium ‘Harlequin’s Silver’

Teucrium rotundifolium

Thelesperma filifolia

Thermopsis lupinoides

Thymus ‘Back Wall’

Thymus ‘Clear Gold’

Thymus ‘Elfin’

Thymus ‘Minus’

Thymus ‘Reiter’

Thymus ‘Pink Chintz’

Thymus ‘Ohme Garden’

Thymus baeticus

Thymus citriodorus ‘Argentea’

Thymus pseudolanguinosus

Thymus ‘Magic Carpet’

Thymus nieceffii

Thymus praecox ‘Albiflorus’

Thymus praecox ‘Coccineus’

Thymus praecox ‘Pink Chintz’

Thymus praecox “Minus’

Thymus praecox pseudolanguinosus

Thymus serphyllum varieties

Townsendia hookeri

Tradescantia occidentalis

Verbascum bombyciferum

Verbascum olympica

Verbascum wiedemannianum

Verbena bipinnatifida

Verbena wrightii

Veronica allionii

Veronica ‘Crystal Rivers’

Veronica cuneifolia

Veronica liwanensis

Veronica macrostachya

Veronica oltensis

Veronica pectinata

Veronica prostrata

Veronica tauricola

Viola cornuta

Zauschneria garrettii ‘Orange Carpet’

Zauschneria californica ‘Etteri’

Zinnia grandiflora 

Note:  Plants listed in bold type are native to our region.

 

 

2024 Harlequin’s Gardens’ Roses

 

 

2024 Rose Availability List 

  • Austrian Copper

    Above and Beyond

  • Austrian Copper – (f. bicolor)
  • Autumn Damask
  • Autumn Sunblaze
  • Banshee
  • Bridal Sunblaze
  • Brilliant Veranda
  • Burgundy Ice
  • Campfire
  • Carefree Delight
  • Carefree Spirit
  • Carefree Wonder
  • Celestial Night
  • Champlain
  • Charles Darwin
  • Coral Cove

  • Darlow’s Enigma

    Cream Veranda

  • Darlow’s Enigma
  • Denver’s Dream
  • Dortmond
  • Double Knockout
  • Earth Angel
  • Emily Carr
  • Fairmount Proserpine
  • Felix Leclerc
  • Fire Meidiland
  • Firecracker Kolorscape

  • Golden Wings

    Fred’s Loads

  • Gertrude Jekyll
  • The Gift
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Golden Wings
  • Gourmet Popcorn
  • Henry Kelsey
  • Heritage
  • Hope for Humanity
  • Iceberg
  • Jeanne Lajoie
  • JoAn’s Pink Perpetual 
  • John Davis
  • Lady In Red
  • Laguna
  • Lemon Fizz Kolorscape

  • Morden Sunrise

    Lilian Austin

  • Mandarin Sunblaze
  • Mary Rose
  • Millie Walters
  • Morden Sunrise
  • Mountain Mignonette
  • Petite Peach
  • Quadra
  • Red Ribbons
  • Robusta
  • Scarlet Meidiland
  • Sophy’s Rose
  • Sunbeam Veranda
  • Sweetbriar Rose
  • Sweet Chariot

  • Victorian Memory

    Tess of the d’Urbervilles

  • Valentine’s Day
  • Victorian Memory
  • White Meidiland
  • William Baffin
  • Winchester Cathedral
  • Winner’s Circle
  • Zephirine Drouhin

 

Tomato Starts – 2024

HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS 2024 TOMATO STARTS

for descriptions, click here

 

“Anasazi”
Aunt Ruby’s German Green
Beam’s Yellow Pear
Better Boy hyb.
Big Rainbow
Black from Tula
Black Krim
Brown Sugar
Black Sea Man
Blush
Burrell’s Special
Bush Early Girl
Carbon
Carmello hyb.
Cascade Village Blue
Cherokee Purple
Chianti Rose
Chocolate Cherry
Cosmonaut Volkov
Early Girl Hyb.
Flaming Burst
Floradade
Garden Peach
Glacier
Gold Medal
Gold Nugget
Green Zebra
Isis Candy cherry
Japanese Blk Trifele/Black Truffle
Jaune Flamme

Juliet hyb

Large Red Cherry
Maglia Rosa
Martino’s Roma
Matt’s Wild Cherry
Mexico Midget
Moskvitch
Mountain Delight Hyb
Native Sun
Orange King
Paul Robeson
Peacevine cherry
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye
Pink Brandywine, Sudduth Strain
Pink Bumblebee
Principe Borghese
Pruden’s Purple
Red Robin
San Marzano  II
Sasha’s Altai
Striped German
Stupice
Sun Gold hyb
Sunrise Sauce
Super Sioux
SuperSweet 100  hyb
Sweetie
Tasmanian Chocolate
Taxi
Thessaloniki
Tidy Treats hyb

Custom Grass Seed Mixes!

Sorghastrum nutans

Instead of maintaining a Kentucky Bluegrass lawn, why not try an area of Natural Meadow, combining well-adapted grasses, wildflowers and perhaps some shrubs too. Such a Meadow can conserve water and fertilizers and should not require pesticides or herbicides. Like all gardens, the first 2-3 years will require more weeding, then less after plants grow together. It can be beautiful, provide habitat for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects, while taking water into the ground, preventing erosion and capturing carbon. [Read More]

POTATO, ONION & ASPARAGUS STARTS – 2024 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.

This Week’s Featured Plants

Viola corsica, courtesy D. Johnson

You’ll be delighted with this week’s featured plants – water-wise, regionally-adapted and beautiful.

Choose among Corsican Violets (pictured), Tansy, Rosemary, native Prairie Winecups, and more![Read More]

2024 Vegetable Starts

HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS 2024 TOMATO STARTS

“Anasazi”
Aunt Ruby’s German Green
Beam’s Yellow Pear
Better Boy hyb.
Big Rainbow
Black from Tula
Black Krim
Brown Sugar
Black Sea Man
Blush
Burrell’s Special
Bush Early Girl
Carbon
Carmello hyb.
Cascade Village Blue
Cherokee Purple
Chianti Rose
Chocolate Cherry
Cosmonaut Volkov
Early Girl Hyb.
Flaming Burst
Floradade
Garden Peach
Glacier
Gold Medal
Gold Nugget
Green Zebra
Isis Candy cherry
Japanese Blk Trifele/Black Truffle
Jaune Flamme
Juliet hyb
Large Red Cherry
Maglia Rosa
Martino’s Roma
Matt’s Wild Cherry
Mexico Midget
Moskvitch
Mountain Delight Hyb
Native Sun
Orange King
Paul Robeson
Peacevine cherry
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye
Pink Brandywine, Sudduth Strain
Pink Bumblebee
Principe Borghese
Pruden’s Purple
Red Robin
San Marzano  II
Sasha’s Altai
Striped German
Stupice
Sun Gold hyb
Sunrise Sauce
Super Sioux
SuperSweet 100  hyb
Sweetie
Tasmanian Chocolate
Taxi
Thessaloniki
Tidy Treats hyb

HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS  2024  PEPPER STARTS

SPICY PEPPERS

Anaheim
Adaptive Early Thai
Aji Cristal
Ancho Poblano ‘Bastan F1’
Big Jim Anaheim
Chimayo
Czech Black OG
Early Jalapeno
Fish
Hot Red Cherry
Hungarian Hot Wax
Jalapeno TAM (milder)
Korean
Lemon Spice Jalapeno
Long Red Narrow Cayenne
Caribbean Red Habanero
NuMex 6-4 (milder Anaheim)
NuMex Sandia
Pasilla Bajio
Mosco (Pueblo) Mirasol
Purple Tiger
Santa Fe Grande
Serrano Tampiqueno
SWEET and MILD PEPPERS

 

Aurora
Biquinho, red
Italian Pepperoncini
Lanterna Piccante
Shishito
Aconcagua
Buran
California Wonder
Cambuci
Cubanelle
Golden Treasure
Gypsy Queens
Habanada
Healthy
Jimmy Nardello’s
King of the North
Carmen F-1
Marconi Red
Mini Belle
Purple Beauty
Sheepnose Pimento
Sweet Chocolate
Sweet Pickle
Sweet Red Cherry
Yankee Bell

Onions on the Way!

We just received word that our onion plants were shipped today and should arrive and be ready for sale by Friday or Saturday! We’ll be offering onion plants in bundles of approximately 60 to 70 plants, and half-bundles of approximately 30-35 plants.

[Read More]

Save the Date – Opening Day March 1st!

Helleborus niger

February is always an exciting time for me. The snow is melting in my south-facing front yard, revealing the first few spring blooms and rekindling my passion for gardening. In my garden, the Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger) and Crocus ‘Firefly’ and our tiny but hardy and tough native treasure Townsendia hookeri are the earliest flowers this year. And at the warmest part of the day, I’ve also seen a few honeybees visiting them. They are the unmistakable, irrepressible signs of spring!

In just a couple of weeks, there will be a lot more flowers blooming , and Harlequin’s Gardens will be open for the 2024 season! We’ll be opening through March in Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning on Friday, March 1st. Classes, soil products, seeds, seed-starting supplies, tools and houseplants await you![Read More]

Strawberry Fields Forever!

We’re pleased to bring you a wonderful selection of Colorado-adapted strawberries with real strawberry flavor! You can choose Ogallala, Earliglow, Ft. Laramie, and Yellow Wonder Alpine. March is the perfect time to prepare your bed for planting these delicious fruits that will come back for several years. [Read More]

The Path to your Summer Garden Begins Here

With some deeply chilling temperatures on the near horizon, gardeners can gain a little comfort by fast-forwarding to spring in our minds as we plan for our 2024 gardens. The predictable and unpredictable consequences of climate change call upon us to observe our gardens more closely, revise our expectations of our gardens, broaden our vision of what makes a garden, and make our gardens more resilient and less dependent on uncertain resources.

We have been absorbed in seed catalogs; the past couple of nights my bedtime companion has been has the always-fascinating J.L.Hudson Seed Catalog, which is much more interesting in print than it is online. Our seed orders have been arriving and our propagators have been cleaning our precious wild-collected seeds, applying treatments to break dormancy (mostly hot water, physical scarification, and refrigeration), and making new plants from old by division and cuttings.[Read More]

Late Fall Musings

Agave seed stalk

The day before Thanksgiving in the Reshetnik-Brawer home was largely spent cleaning the house, but we also decided it was time to cut down the towering inflorescence of our Century Plant (Agave utahensis x parryi v. couesii). I held the 3”- thick stalk while Mikl cut through it with his folding hand-saw (a great tool!), then we laid it down on a ground-cloth to catch the copious seeds that fell out of the hundreds of pods. To me it felt as if we had just felled a large and noble animal or tree, and there were several quiet minutes of awe and reverence. Now that it was horizontal, we were able to get an accurate measurement of the bloom stalk’s height, 14.5 feet, and I counted 34 branches! We will be planting the hundreds (or thousands?) of seeds to produce new plants for you.

[Read More]

Our 32nd Gardening Season Begins March 1st!

As I write, the ground and rooftops are blanketed in snow, and the sun is streaming in the windows. Gotta love the Colorado winter! In less than a month, we’ll be open for our 32nd year as a nursery and garden center, and we are quite excited!

I don’t think we’ve ever had an easy year, but ‘easy’ isn’t an option in this business. So many aspects of running a nursery have never been predictable, and we’re always relating with thousands of details and challenges.

BUT we have a great crew and there are many things you can always count on finding when you visit Harlequin’s Gardens, and we hope you will appreciate the value you receive when you shop at our big little nursery.

For 31 years, we have always been committed to non-aggression, health and environmental stewardship in horticulture and all other spheres of Life. And this commitment will always continue!

We’ll never use toxic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers.

We are the best source for Colorado and regional Native Plants on the Front Range.

We have and will always specialize in Water-Thrifty plants, Native and Colorado-adapted plants and Pollinator-Supporting plants.

We are always broadening our plant offerings, often bringing into cultivation wonderful local wild plants that were previously unavailable in commerce. (*see below for examples)

Our staff, e-newsletters, classes, and hand-outs offer empowering, cutting-edge organic and environmental gardening advice and education gained from our 31 years of research and experience.

Our customer service team is exceptionally knowledgeable, helpful and accessible.

We grow most of our own plants and supplement with plants from other local and regional growers that never use neonicotinoids.

We grow our plants in our own carefully formulated potting soils that grow healthier, stronger, more resilient plants that will establish successfully into your garden.

Our pest management products are always non-toxic, child-safe and pollinator safe.

We compost and make our own powerful Compost Tea.

We aim to be a zero-waste business: we bag compost and mulches in returnable plastic bags that we reuse to reduce plastic in the environment. We also reuse nursery pots, and sell our compost tea in returnable/reusable jugs.

We offer superior, CO-specific resources and advice for supporting bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators and beneficial insects.

We test and evaluate our soil products (composts, organic fertilizers, mulches and other amendments), and most of them are sourced locally.

We recycle and use recycled materials for our building projects.

Our greenhouses don’t use fossil fuels; our heat and energy come mostly from the Sun, with a little electricity from renewables. And this year we are installing a heat-pump system for our store!

We are located in unincorporated Boulder County, where sales taxes are only about half the rate of those in Front Range cities.

We support local growers, artists, artisans and musicians as well as non-profit environmental efforts.

We connect our customers with events and other educational and activist opportunities related to environmental, agricultural and horticultural issues.

———————————————————————————————————————————

Wild Plants we are Propagating in 2024.  We have our fingers crossed that good germination and growth on the unique native plants described below will allow us to bring them to you this season.

The plants we offer will contribute to a beautiful, thriving garden that will be a joy to behold, but they can also provide so much more than a pretty picture to look at. The ecosystem services that our plants provide add much more value to your gardens.

Celtis reticulata, courtesy Oregon State University

Celtis reticulata, Netleaf Hackberry
You may be familiar with the larger Celtis occidentalis or Western Hackberry, which makes an excellent long-lived, water-wise deciduous shade tree. Netleaf Hackberry is substantially smaller, fairly slow-growing to 15’ to 25’ with a spreading canopy, interesting sculpted bark, an attractive twisting branch pattern, rough green leaves and reddish brown or purple berries. The leaves support the caterpillars of Mourning Cloak and Hackberry Emperor butterflies and a number of moths, which in turn, along with the sweet berries, attract and feed many birds. In Colorado, Netleaf Hackberry occurs in the wild in the Front Range foothills and on the western edge of the plains. It is rarely available in nurseries. We’ve seen some handsome specimens growing around Lyons. Cold hardy and highly adaptable to many soils, moisture levels and exposures, it can be grown as a small to medium-sized tree that will not require any supplemental watering after initial establishment.

Mertensia lanceolata

Mertensia lanceolata, Prairie Bluebell, Languid Lady
Dropping way down in scale, we are hoping for good germination on this lovely local spring wildflower that inhabits a wide range of Rocky Mountain habitats and elevations, from the plains to alpine habitats, in dry partial shade under deciduous shrubs and trees, on north-facing slopes, near rock outcroppings and in sunny meadows. In mid to late spring (May and June in Boulder) the delicate bell-shaped flowers nod from slender stems, opening from plum-colored buds and maturing to blue. The leaves are blue-green due to a waxy coating, with a prominent center vein. Prairie Bluebells are in the Borage family, prized for its many striking blue-flowered constituents. The plants can produce sizeable colonies, several feet across and can range from 6 ” to 14” tall. Prairie Bluebell goes dormant by early summer, dying back to its substantial roots.

Argemone hispida, courtesy Mik Kintgen

Argemone hispida, Rough Prickly Poppy
This is one of my favorite local wildflowers. It took me awhile to notice that it was different from the Prickly Poppies I had met before (Argemone polyanthemos), being more stout and shrubby, with grey-green foliage and much more dense, numerous and slender golden prickles on all parts, from stem to bud to seed-pod. The fabulous silky white flowers are just as big (4” wide) and just as stunning as the more commonly found Argemones, but the plant is more compact, up to perhaps 15” tall where I’ve seen it growing. They both grow in the same habitat, so Rough Prickly Poppy is also happy growing dry and hot, and blooms at the same time – May to August. Found in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming.

 

Astragalus utahensis, courtesy James L. Reveal and the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center

Astragalus utahensis, Utah Milkvetch
Utah milkvetch is in the legume family (Fabaceae). One finds quite a few plants in this family in the arid west. They are probably making life better for themselves and the plants around them by fixing nitrogen from the air and transferring it to their roots and the soil. Native to Utah and several adjacent states, this very pretty spring-blooming milkvetch is particularly abundant in the Wasatch Mountains. Its typical habitats include rocky hillsides, sagebrush openings, and pinyon-juniper areas. A rock garden, crevice garden, or the front of a Xeriscape garden with excellent drainage will suit it well. The plant is lovely even after bloom, with its wavy silvery pinnate leaves.

 

Yours in support of abundant Life,
Eve Reshetnik Brawner & Mikl Brawner

The Beauty of Winter Gardens

As the year is drawing toward a close and much of the garden and natural landscape is dormant, we can still appreciate the beauty and interest of plants: the silhouetted structure of our leafless trees and shrubs, the textures and colors of their bark, the berries and seedpods ornamenting their branches, and likewise the colors and textures of dry grasses, cattails and sedges. We can also admire the color and form of our evergreen trees and shrubs, and realize how many of our favorite perennial flowering plants and groundcovers provide evergreen (or red, or silver, or purple) foliage through the winter!

The Winter Solstice season is a time for celebrating the return of the light, both literally and figuratively, and as our daylight hours increase in the outer world, we will also try to keep our inner light burning for love, justice, and compassion for all life on earth. It’s a time for generosity, opening hearts, kindness, sharing, and spreading good news. Here are a couple of our suggestions for valuable gifts you can share:
[Read More]

Patio Trees

Purple Smokebush

MIKL’s ‘MACRO BONSAI’ PATIO TREES FOR YOURSELF!

Every so often, one of the trees or shrubs we’ve grown or received from a grower displays interesting twists, bends, curves or dwarfing that suggest the character of Bonsai specimens, but much bigger. Mikl has been collecting and cultivating these ‘Macro Bonsai’ for quite a few years. We have some available for sale right now.

[Read More]

Help Fall Plantings Beat the Heat

Fall is among the best times to plant perennials. While we may begin to wilt from late summer heat, many plants rise to the occasion and burst into bloom!  As days begin to grow shorter, perennials spend the next few months developing root systems or taproots that delve well below the hot, dry surface soil. Pollinators depend on finding pollen and nectar sources through the entire summer, so it’s important to include late-summer and autumn bloomers in your garden. 

Here are a few suggestions for successful planting.

[Read More]

Versatile Vines for Colorado Gardens

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Vines are very valuable for their versatility, variety and vigor, especially in the vertical plane. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Many of us live in urban environments full of walls and fences, and closely packed homes with narrow side-yards. Those of us in townhomes, condos or apartments have only tiny patio gardens or balconies offering little opportunity for greening our outdoor spaces. Or, we live in new developments built on open farmland without mature trees and shrubs for shade or screening. In all of these situations, vines can quickly provide short-term or long-term solutions to provide privacy or shade, maximize our connection to the earth, block unpleasant views, cover ugly surfaces, or add a vertical dimension to the garden. And some vines can also work as groundcovers in tough situations, like under evergreen trees.

[Read More]

More About Vines

We’ve got a wonderful selection of vines right now! Last week we gave you an overview of vines and how to use them, based on their mechanisms for climbing. This week, let’s get into the details of some individual varieties.

 

[Read More]

Summer Garden Beet Salad Recipe

from Mitten Lowe at Journey to Wellness

I love beets and beet greens for how grounding and nutritious they are – providing folate, dietary fiber, manganese, potassium, iron, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and more! This wonderful garden beet salad is a perfect way to utilize all parts of the beet plus it’s versatile and so incredibly satisfying.

 

[Read More]

Ready Now

Geranium x cantabrigiense

Remember Spring of 2023? Cool, rainy and cloudy? We had many thousands of plants coming along from seed, cuttings and plugs. And under these challenging conditions, some of them took a very long time to reach the point when they became ready for sale. But they’re ready now! And some of our best groundcover plants for dry shade or part sun, Plumbago and hardy Geraniums (Cranesbills) are among them!

 

Here’s a list of some of the great plants, including many native plants (noted with an asterisk), we now have in stock.

[Read More]

Time to Sow for Fall Harvests

The next few weeks are the perfect time to sow arugula, beets, small carrots, lettuce, kale, radish, and more!

You’re looking to sow veggies that will be harvestable before our first big frosts – often in early October.

We’re proud to bring you seeds from Botanical Interests. They say, “Nurturing seeds in the garden slows us down to reconnect to nature and earth, develops bonds in a community, and creates family traditions and memories. We’re so happy to be a part of that!” And we are, too!

[Read More]

Another Spring Wildflower Ramble

Mertensia lanceolata

In spite of cloudy skies and not-so-distant rumblings of thunder, Mikl and I had another opportunity to ramble among the wildflowers last week. This time, we chose the easy Lichen Loop trail at Heil Ranch, just off Lefhand Canyon Road. It’s amazing how long we can take to walk a mere 1.3 miles! Our excuse was the amazingly rich floristic display brought on by the combination of copious rain and wood ash from the Calwood Fire.
[Read More]

Lovely Lilacs: A Few Recipes

Lilac time is a very special and very short sweet time for us here in Colorado.  Here are a few ways to use these flowers for health and well-being, from Mitten Lowe at Journey to Wellness.

We recommend harvesting lilac flowers while they are in full bloom, and making delicious medicine to enjoy through the rest of the year.
[Read More]

Fruit Trees for Your Yard

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW.” While this ancient Chinese proverb still rings true, fruit trees can begin to bear at a pretty young age, bringing satisfaction much sooner than a tree planted for shade or major presence in the landscape. We carry a wide selection of fruit trees proven to thrive and produce here in Colorado and taste great,  and the apples, pears, cherries and plums on the list in the link below are in stock right now so that you can plant your own for years of enjoyment. (We don’t have peaches out at the moment – ask when you come in).

[Read More]

Beautiful, Bountiful Biennials

Digitalis purpurea – photo courtesy First Nature

Does everyone know what a biennial plant is? It’s a plant that spends its first year of life building a substantial root system and a basal rosette of foliage.  In its second year, it will have the resources to support a season of massive blooming and seeding. After having done its job, it dies away, leaving the future of its kind to the new generation of seedlings it has created.[Read More]

Benefits of the Beautiful Dandelion

Thinking this cheery yellow-flowered plant is a weed? Think again.

First of all, dandelions provide much needed early-season nutrition for the bees. If that wasn’t enough of a reason to let them into your garden,  every part of this plant is good for you. Since ancient times dandelion has been used as a spring tonic. (That’s right, we’re suggesting eating the weeds!).

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Blooming Without a Care

Argemone polyanthemos

by Mikl Brawner

DitchWeeds, Wildflowers, Native Forbs

Call them what you will:  when Nature chooses, She knows what She’s doing. And She doesn’t need a human audience. Nature is happy playing to the bees, wasps, butterflies, moths and beetles. We humans can learn a thing or two just by noticing and appreciating Nature’s perfect performance.  And that’s just what we gardeners do.
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Own-Root Roses

Did your roses take a hit from the winter cold and strong winds we just experienced? Perhaps they look as though they didn’t make it, showing brown, shriveled canes and no new growth above the ground. Or maybe there are no signs of life on the canes, but there is new growth just coming up from the ground. Either way, if your roses are growing on their own roots, you’re in luck. If they were grafted onto a rootstock, the prospects are not so good.[Read More]

Trees for a Changing Climate and a Resilient Urban Forest

Serviceberry

by Mikl Brawner

If you look at old photos of Colorado Front Range cities, you won’t see many trees. And if you look up native trees of Colorado, you will find a lot of mountain-growing conifers and just a few deciduous trees that grow natively along streams. And yet the quality of life for us humans depends on trees. 

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Thanks, Volunteers!

Gary Meis teaching

Gary Meis teaching

Last Saturday a group of dedicated plantspeople came in from the cold to learn and volunteer with Harlequin’s Gardens’ expert propagator Gary Meis. We’re passing a few of his native plant seeding and propagation tips along to you.

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Warming Herbal Tea Recipe

Herbal Tea

Herbal Teas are some of the best home-grown medicines! This time of year infusions of herbs from Harlequin’s Gardens plants you’ve grown can keep you well, and warm.

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Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’ (Giant Purple-flowered Onion)

Purple Sensation Allium

Bulb. Z3. 24-36” tall. Blooms late spring to early summer. Compost-improved soil.

Really a garden standout. It’s the statuesque spring blooming bulb that your neighbors always admire and ask about.  4-5” spherical flowerheads are deep purple and attractive to pollinators including bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Deer and rabbit resistant.  Gorgeous in flower arrangements cut fresh or dried. Easily naturalizes throughout your garden. Wonderful planted with Moonshine yarrow, artemisias with grey foliage, and orange-flowering geums like ‘Mrs. Bradshaw’.

Q: Can I plant now?

Spinach Start

Q:  Can I plant now?

A:  It depends!

Yay! Warm days remind us that the threat of frost will soon be gone! If you’re planting hardy perennials, shrubs, vines, grasses or trees, you’re good to go now (as long as your soil isn’t too wet to work). Our stock of seeds and starts for cool-season greens like arugula, spinach, chard, kale and lettuce are in and ready to plant. And you can get a head start on tomatoes!

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Allium amplectens ‘Graceful Beauty’

Circa 1857, this delicate-looking yet easy-growing North American native has composite 3″ globes of star-shaped, sparkling white flowers with pale lavender stamens tipped with purple anthers and sturdy stems.

Bloom time: May/June. 12″ to 16″ tall. Zone 4-8.

Garlic – Chesnok Red (organic, hard-neck)

Photo Credit: Irish Eyes Garden Seeds

Regularly wins acclaim and awards as one of the best tasting baking/roasting garlics!

Collected in 1985 in the Rep. of Georgia, this highly productive, easy-to-grow ‘Purple-Striped’ garlic makes beautiful, large deep-purple bulbs. Eaten raw, its intense heat quickly dissipates, but cooking and baking truly bring out its earthy, rich garlic complexities, very aromatic with a rich, smooth sweetness and just a touch of heat.

The cloves are more numerous (~8-20) and elongated than most hard-neck types and are initially hard to peel, allowing Chesnok Red to store much longer than other hard-necks – up to a year! But cloves become easier to peel the longer they store. Like other hard-neck varieties, it also produces curling, edible ‘scapes’ in June. Garlic is a  heavy feeder, so feed your soil well!

Plants are vigorous and upright, can handle a little neglect, an are great multipliers, growing large bulbs from even medium-sized cloves.

Garlic planting instructions

Second Chance Shrubs

Photo credit: Plant Select®

Our shrubs are all given great care here at the nursery, but occasionally we find some that have a little damage or are sulking because they really want to get out of the pot and into the ground. To help them all find good homes where they will grow and prosper, we are bringing out these ‘seconds’ at substantially discounted prices. We will continue to bring out more as they sell.

Right now, we are offering:  [Read More]