70-80 Days, Open Pollinated, Heirloom, Very Mild Heat
Also known as “Cuban pepper” and “Italian frying pepper”, Cubanelle is a variety of sweet pepper with just a touch of heat (-1000 on the Scoville scale), commonly used in Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisines. When unripe, the 6-8” fruit is light yellowish-green, but turns bright red if allowed to ripen. Prized for its sweet, mild flesh, rich flavor, and pretty colors. Cubanelle is thin-walled, especially suited for quick cooking and has a low water content. Best picked when yellow-green for use in roasting, stuffing, pizza topping, frying, a substitute for Anaheims, or in a yellow mole, and is one of the traditional ingredients in sofrito.
Plants
Harvest Guidelines for Vegetable Crops
Okay, you prepared your soil and planted your vegetable garden with all kinds of wonderfully flavorful, nutritious foods, you’re watering and watching them grow, and wondering ….. When can I start to eat them, how do I harvest them, and how do I get the most out of these plantings? Here are some tips on vegetable crops harvest timing and techniques that may not be self-evident. Even if you’re a seasoned gardener, you may not be aware of some of these procedures! [Read More]
Recipes for Health as the Season Changes
Our friend Mitten Lowe at Journey to Wellness is a fan of bone broth (with actual bones, as well as one that’s vegan) whenever the season changes. What’s more gratifying than taking fresh vegetables and herbs you’ve grown, or bought by supporting our local farmers, and simmering them for a fragrant, nutrient-dense health and spirit builder when the temperatures plummet?
photo courtesy: Garden in the Kitchen
Beet and Nettle Herbal Broth
This mineral-rich, vegan broth offers many of the benefits of traditional bone broth! As we slow down, herbs and plants you grow from Harlequin’s Gardens can nourish you this winter. Many thanks to Mitten Lowe at Journey to Wellness for the recipe.
COLLARD GREENS: Easy to Grow, Nutritious & Delicious
Though commonly associated with culinary traditions of the Southeastern US, collards originated in Europe, along with kale, cabbage etc., and are easy to grow in cooler climates, too.
Grow collards in full sun (for fastest growth), or part shade. Give them plenty of space, 18” apart. Collards appreciate moist, fertile soil with plenty of organic matter (compost) and applications of compost tea. [Read More]
Beloved Monarch Butterflies are now Endangered
Monarch butterflies previously considered Threatened, have now been classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s most comprehensive scientific authority on the status of species. Two major driving factors are habitat loss (and thus, food loss), and climate change.
“The numbers of Western monarchs, which live west of the Rocky Mountains, plummeted by an estimated 99.9 percent between the 1980s and 2021. While they rebounded somewhat this year, they remain in great peril. Eastern monarchs, who make up most of the population in North America, dropped by 84 percent from 1996 to 2014. The new designation of endangered covers both populations.” (New York Times.) [Read More]
Welcome New Gardeners!
We are here for you! You’re in the high desert/steppe now, with short growing seasons, sudden temperature changes, unpredictable precipitation, low humidity, drying winds, alkaline soils that are low in organic matter and nitrogen, hot summers and cold winters. Despite these challenges, gardens can thrive here, and be productive, rewarding and beautiful!
Our gardens can support us by providing beauty, nutrient-dense food and plant medicine, and shelter from temperature and weather extremes. At the same time, our gardens can give us an opportunity for nurturing that goes beyond our own garden plants, supporting our entire local ecosystem, including our essential insects, birds, native plants and other wildlife. [Read More]
The Tomatoes are Coming!
The bad news is that last week’s small delivery of tomato starts froze when the wind blew open the back door of our greenhouse in the middle of the night.
The good news is that the next 38 flats will be ready for sale on Friday! (and there will be many more becoming available through April and May). This week’s tomato starts include: [Read More]
Special Plants to buy now!
We propagate and grow a lot of great plants here at the nursery, which gives us (and you!) an advantage when the wholesale suppliers run short in mid and late summer. We’re very pleased to have beautiful stock of some highly desirable and hard-to-find shrubs and perennials right now, including some choice native plants, Plant Select® winners, and customer favorites.
Here are some brief profiles of some of our best current offerings. And this week, Harlequin’s Members can buy them for 20% off! [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]
Achnatherum calamagrostis UNDAUNTED® Alpine Plume Grass (Alpine Plume Grass) | Warm Season

(Photo and description credit: Plant Select.)
Alpine plume grass is a spectacular long-lived grass from high mountain meadows in central and southern Europe. A mature plant makes a dramatic specimen, with several dozen flower heads waving above a graceful fountain of fresh green foliage. The flowers persist from summer until the following spring when the entire plant should be cut back to make room for the new season’s growth. Unlike many other ornamental grasses, the foliage doesn’t die out in the clump’s center over time.
Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem) | Warm Season
Native! Big Bluestem is taller and has a wider blade than Little Bluestem and is somewhat upright but also arching. It also has attractive reddish and purple fall colors. Big Bluestem is one of the dominant components of the Tallgrass Prairies across the Great Plains, where it can reach 8’ in height. Here it can range from 2 to 5’ tall, depending on water and nutrients available. In late summer, Big Bluestem’s purplish red flowers appear in groups of three or six, which look like a turkey foot – hence the nickname: “Turkey Foot Grass”. The root system can extend down more than 10 feet. Each year, a third of these roots die, feeding soil microorganisms and opening up channels for water. This plant is drought tolerant once it’s established. Attracts birds and butterfly larvae.
Plant in Full Sun. Hardy to Zone 4.
Andropogon (Schizachyrium) scoparium (Little Bluestem) | Warm Season

(Photo credit: High Country Gardens.)
Native! Little Bluestem is very erect to 24”-30” with fine foliage and blooms in late summer-early fall. Blooms turn white and catch the early morning and late afternoon sun beautifully when back-lit. The foliage turns copper and looks good for a long time. Very drought-tolerant. Selections ‘The Blues’ and ‘Prairie Blues’ have very blue foliage during the growing season. ‘Blaze’ is a colorful selection of the common native in this region.
Hardy to Zone 3.
Bouteloua curtipendula (Side-Oats Grama) | Warm Season
Side-Oats Grama is a smaller meadow grass than Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama). It’s seed heads and foliage turn a beautiful dark purple-red in fall.
Hardy to Zone 3
Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ PP 22,048 | Warm Season

(Photo Credit: Plant Select)
‘Blonde Ambition’ was discovered in 2007 by David Salman of Santa Fe Greenhouses, who noticed an outstanding specimen growing within a stand of robust Hachita blue grama. At 28-32” it was taller and wider than the standard, its leaves were a bright blue-green and it was topped with a multitude of its distinctive flag-like flowers, although these were chartreuse rather than the usual black or brown and they were held appealingly at a 90 degree angle to the leaves. It was apparent this was a plant that could stand on its own as an ornamental.
This exceptional plant was found to have chartreuse flowers that turned blonde as the season progressed and the rigid stems popped back up after snowstorms, rather than remaining prostrate, so its season of attractiveness lasted well into the winter. Grow ‘Blonde Ambition’ in clay, loam, or sandy soils, with full sun and moderate to very low H2O.
Hardy to Zone 4, 8,000’ elevation.
Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’s’ (Karl Foerster’s Feather Reed Grass) | Cool Season
The most popular and over-used ornamental grass, for good reason. Medium sized (to 4’ tall), very erect form, easy to grow and highly adaptable to everything but shade, very durable flower/seed heads remain attractive all summer, fall and winter. No fall foliage color. Cut down in early February. Try to avoid plantings that look like rows of soldiers standing at attention!
Hardy to Zone 4.
Calamagrostis brachytricha (Korean Feather Reed Grass) | Cool Season
To 3’ or 4’ tall, with a graceful fountain-like or mounded shape, and waits until the end of the summer to flower. Can take some shade. Very pretty, with pinkish plumes that dry tan. No fall color. Plant Select. Should be used more.
Hardy to Zone 4.
Carex appalachica (Appalachian Sedge) | Cool Season
A small fountain-like clumping sedge, 6-10”h x 10-12” w, very fine-textured, bright light green and very attractive. Native to woods in Eastern N. America, it grows well in dry shade or part shade. It mixes well with perennials and serves as a neat groundcover or edger. Its tenacious roots will prevent erosion on shady slopes, and it can grow among tree roots. Very small, attractive blooms occur in spring, supporting beneficial insects.
Hardy to Zone 4.
Carex caryophllea ‘Beatlemania’ (‘Beatlemania’ Variegated Vernal Sedge) | Cool Season
This petite sedge is rhizomatous and spreads. Its long glossy blades are slightly variegated yellow and green, and curve to the ground, giving it a mop-headed look. Makes an excellent groundcover or small ‘lawn’ (just to look at, not to step on) in shady gardens, especially Asian-styled gardens. Almost evergreen.
Hardy to Zone 5.
Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats, River Oats) | Warm Season
A US native, though not native here, this grass grows well in part shade. The wide, bright green blades emerge from the stems at many heights, giving it a slightly bamboo-like look. The pendulous seed clusters in late summer are composed of very attractive flat, plaited spikelets, starting out pale green, later turning tan. Foliage stays green until fall, when it turns yellow. It will self-sow but is not difficult to control.
Hardy to Zone 3.
Eragrostis trichodes (Sand Love Grass) | Warm Season
Native! This medium-sized grass, to 2-3’ x 2-3’, loves to grow in sandy soil as its name suggests, but adapts to many soils with low to moderate moisture. It is effective in masses and can be an excellent component of a meadow. Reddish tones begin to show in late summer, and the haze of tiny purple-pink seeds in late summer are beautiful. Sand Love Grass tends to rot in the center as it gets older, and self-sows readily.
Plant in full sun. Hardy to Zone 5.
Festuca glauca, F. thurberi (Blue Fescue) | Cool Season

(Photo credit: High Country Gardens.)
Evergreen. This year we carry F. glauca ‘Boulder Blue’, a 10”-tall selection with very blue foliage, good form, hardiness, longevity and drought-tolerance. We also have F. ovina “Sea Urchin”, smaller, finer texture, good for rock gardens or Asian-style gardens, and Festuca thurberi, which is native from 5,000’ to 10,000’ elevation and is nearly evergreen, to 12” tall.
Hardy to Zone 4.
Helictotrichon sempervirens (Blue Oat or Avena Grass) | Evergreen
A much sought-after modest-sized evergreen grass with powder-blue blades, and that has some shade tolerance. It forms an open, symmetrical mound of foliage from 12” to 24” high, and a bit wider, looking like the ‘big brother’ of Blue Fescue. Bloom stalks add another 12 to 18”, and provide interest for several months.
Hardy to Zone 4.
Hierochloe odorata (Vanilla Sweetgrass, Fragrant Holy Grass) | Cool Season
Vanilla Sweet Grass is an aromatic, cool-season perennial growing 10-24” tall, blooming in June to July, and spreading about 2 feet per year by underground rhizomes. The natural range of Sweet Grass is Greenland to Alaska, south to New Jersey, the Midwest, and Arizona, in zones 3 to 7. Its natural habitat is wetlands, prairies, and savannas in wet to medium moisture soils.
A sacred grass in Native American ceremonies, Sweet Grass is braided and burned as a ‘smudge’ to purify body and soul and invite the presence of good spirits. The glossy green leaves have a pleasant vanilla fragrance. Because of its aggressive, rhizomatous nature it can be difficult to eliminate if it has spread to areas where it is not wanted.
Though Sweet Grass prefers rich, moist soils, it will grow in almost any soil that receives a minimum of a half day of sun. Sandy, well-drained sites will require mulch and watering during times of low rainfall. Add compost to sand or clay soils. The preferred pH range is 6 to 8.
Koeleria macrantha (June Grass) | Cool Season

(Photo credit: Prairie Moon Nursery)
Native! This lovely small green clump grass has attractive dense, compact seed heads starting in, you guessed it, June. Good for prairie and foothills gardens.
Hardy to Zone 3 to 4 and tolerant of full sun or part shade, low to moderate watering.
Muhlenbergia reverchonii ‘Undaunted’ (‘Undaunted’ Ruby Muhly Grass) | Warm Season

(Photo Credit: Plant Select.)
A Plant Select winner that is hardy here, but not at higher elevations. It is native to Oklahoma and Texas and is said to grow where there’s water (one common name is ‘Seep Muhly’), yet some horticulturists here recommend growing it pretty dry. When well-grown, it makes a beautiful and graceful 2’ x 3’ mound of fine mid-green blades covered in late summer by a shimmering haze of tiny pink/red flowers, then reddish seeds.
Hardy to Zone 5.
We also offer the native Muhlenbergia montana (Mountain Muhly), which will grow in moderate to dry conditions, with a less dense display of seedheads than Ruby Muhly Grass. Mountain muhly is a strongly tufted perennial grass, 8-20 in. tall, with loose, narrow panicles and light-green. leaves.
Nasella (Stipa) tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass) | Evergreen
Also known as Ponytail Grass, this small grass, to 14” tall, has very fine-textured blades that make a ‘fountain’ of green. It can sometimes be evergreen. This grass may not be very long-lived, but will replace itself with seedlings, which can be relocated when small.
Hardy to Zone 5.
Oryzopsis hymenoides (Indian Rice Grass) | Cool Season
Native! Up to 2’ tall. Native to Boulder County and much of the interior West. Grows in very dry areas, in full sun. Graceful, open clumps of very narrow blades, and delicately branched flowering stalks in June. Small pearl-like white seeds are held individually on the much-branched stalks and were collected by Native Americans for use as a grain. Also, an important food source for wildlife. Old seed germinates better than new seed. Needs supplemental summer watering if you want to keep it from going dormant. Excellent meadow grass, perfect in native xeriscapes.
Hardy to Zone 3.
Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass) | Warm Season
Native! Switchgrass was an important component of the Tallgrass Prairie. It tolerates a wide range of soils, including dry ones, but prefers moist soils that are not too rich in nitrogen, and grows best in full sun. Here it grows to about 3’ tall and wide, topped in midsummer by finely-textured pinkish flower panicles that hover over the foliage like an airy cloud. Seed plumes turn beige and persist well into winter, providing an excellent seed source for songbirds. Fall foliage color is yellow, but selections like ‘Shenandoah’ develop beautiful deep red and purple foliage color in late summer.
Salt-tolerant. Hardy to Zone 2.
Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ (Hameln Dwarf Fountain Grass) | Warm Season
‘Hameln’ is a smaller and hardier variety of fountain grass with three distinctive seasons of attractive displays. Green, fine-textured grass blades up to 2 feet tall are tipped with soft, foxtail-shaped seed heads. Foliage turns rust gold in autumn and pale blonde in winter, and is a favorite stopover for birds. Taking moderate watering, it’s great match for late-season perennials and colorful shrubs in the sunny mixed border.
Hardy to Zone 5.
Schizachyrium (Andropogon) scoparium (Little Bluestem) | Warm Season
Native! Little Bluestem is very erect to 24”-30” with fine foliage and blooms in late summer-early fall. Blooms turn white and catch the early morning and late afternoon sun beautifully when back-lit. The foliage turns copper and looks good for a long time. Very drought-tolerant. Selections ‘The Blues’ and ‘Prairie Blues’ have very blue foliage during the growing season. ‘Blaze’ is a colorful selection of the common native in this region.
Hardy to Zone 3.
Sporobolis airoides (Alkali Sacaton) | Warm Season
Native! The ‘little brother’ of Giant Sacaton. The foliage mass is about 2’x2’, with the large, pinkish airy bloom/seed plumes rising to 40-48″ tall. For a ‘warm-season’ grass, Alkali Sacaton gets growing quite early in spring, so prune it back in February. A robust native, Alkali Sacaton flowers for many months, beginning in June. Deep rooted, this grass grows well in all soil types including sand, loam and clay as well as alkaline and salty soils, and prefers moderate to low moisture. On the prairie Sporobolus is used by animals for forage, cover and nesting. Its seeds are relished by birds.
Hardy to Zone 4.
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]
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]
Bothriochloa scoparium, syn. B. laguroides (Silver Beard Grass) | Warm Season
Native! Silver Beardgrass is a native perennial clump-grass with fuzzy, light-gathering, white fruiting heads atop tall, slender, stiff stems and narrow blades. At first glance it looks like foxtail grass, but up close you see that instead of the flower head being compact and spike-like, as in the foxtails, it’s a narrow, branched panicle. It occurs along roads, in spots in fields of Big Bluestem, on the rocky slopes of hills, and it’s a very tough grass specializing in dry, open places from South America to Colorado. It’s not flamboyant-looking until those slender, white heads catch the back-lighting sun in late summer; then they are very eye-catching.
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
Allium caeruleum (aka A. azureum) Blue-flowered Ornamental Onion
Allium caeruleum (syn. A. azureum) (Blue Globe Onion)
Found on dry slopes, plains, and steppes of Central Asia, this Allium offers 1.5” spherical clusters of tiny flowers of a startling true sky blue in late spring and early summer and complement all of the warm colors perfectly. Tuck them among clumps of summer-flowering perennials where the Alliums’ withering foliage will be hidden by the expanding perennials, or plant a mass of them in a larger garden. Long-lived, drought tolerant and deer and rodent resistant, this species is hardy to Zone 4 and attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Allium christophii (syn. Allium albopilosum) (Star of Persia)
A most surprising, outrageous flower for xeriscapes! The giant globes, to 10” diameter or more, are held on fairly short stems, 8”-18” tall, blooming in mid-spring. The hundreds of starry, silver-lavender florets each have a green ‘eye’ are arranged so that their petal-tips touch to form a perfect sphere. This easy naturalizer has been highly successful in our xeriscape display gardens, eliciting lots of interest. Also spectacular in large flower arrangements, fresh or dried.
Deer and rabbit resistant, and very drought-tolerant. If you don’t want it to naturalize, dead-head before the seeds mature.
Zone 4. 14”- 24” tall. Plant 6”-8” deep and 8”-10” apart.
Allium “Mixed”
Allium
A lovely mix of purple, lavender and white tall, hardy, medium-sized, globe-shaped ornamental onions that bloom together in mid-spring.
Allium ‘New York’ – New!

Allium New York
Allium ‘New York’
This delightful new flowering onion presents lilac-pink flattened globes of star-shaped florets dotted with green eyes floating above the foliage on strong stems 20” to 28” tall. Plant Allium ‘New York’ with some of the classic blue Alliums for sparkling color contrast. Blooming just when spring Daffodil and Tulip bulbs are finished for the season, their beauty supplies color with interesting flower shapes to create a garden design with texture and depth. They are equally lovely when they dry on the stems and go to seed. Even smaller gardens can accommodate their vertical presence. Flowering Onions provide loads of nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies. Cold-hardy to Zone 4.
Allium rosenbachianum (Showy Persian Flowering Onion)
Allium rosenbachianum (Showy Persian Onion)
A hard-to-find heritage species of ornamental onion found in the Himalayas of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Showy Persian Onion blooms in late spring, about 2 weeks earlier than other large-flowered onions, atop strong 24-30” stems. The 4” diameter dark violet spheres are packed with florets that are rich in nectar and pollen, making them favorites of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. They work well planted in a perennial bed where the perennials will grow in and cover the allium’s aging foliage. Plant 6 to 8” deep and 6” apart in groups of 3 or 5 in sunny or part-shade locations in enriched, well-drained soil. Hardy to Zone 4.
Anemone blanda ‘Blue Shades’ (Blue Grecian Windflower)
An enchanting, early-blooming member of the Buttercup family that grows from a tuber. Where happy, it spreads to form a carpet-like groundcover with ferny deep green foliage and 1”- wide open-faced sky-blue daisy flowers with yellow eyes. Provides a long-lasting display in early spring.
Works well under daffodils and tulips, in rock gardens, or in masses under deciduous shrubs and trees. Prefers a humus-rich soil, average moisture and good drainage in a sunny or partly shaded location.
Hardy to Zone 5, 3-4” tall.
Camassia quamash ‘Blue Melody’
Blue Melody Camassia
Bulb. Z4. 12-18” tall. Blooms late spring to early summer. Compost-improved soil.
Blue Melody camassia is native to the Pacific Northwest and appreciates fertile, moist soil in full sun or part shade. Place in a low spot in your garden or near a downspout’s output to provide sufficient moisture without needing to water frequently. Excellent cut flower. Deer and rabbit resistant. These incredibly showy, lapis-colored blooms open sequentially from the bottom of the stem up to the top. Naturalizes well and fills in the gap between the bloom of Daffodils and Tulips. Looks terrific interplanted with candytuft and snow in summer.
Colchicum ‘Double Waterlily’
Waterlily Autumn Crocus
Bulb. Z5. 6-8” tall. Blooms mid-autumn. Compost-improved soil. Heirloom.
Adds plentiful, brilliant color to your fall garden. Large 3” silky, lilac-pink flowers will naturalize in your garden over the years. 1-6 flowers rise from each corm. Very hardy plant. Foliage appears in early summer, and flowers in the autumn. Toxic to dogs and cats. Wash hands after handling. Deer and rabbit resistant. Beautiful in front of shrubs, along pathways and patios and around low-growing perennials.
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.
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]
Hot Summer Sale!
Yes, you can still plant many vegetables and annual flowers, now at greatly reduced prices! If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse, you can grow most peppers, eggplants and tomatoes year-round. In the open garden, look for vegetable varieties that mature the fastest – cucumbers and summer squash, tomatoes, and peppers at 75 days or less. And Kale can still be planted in locations with afternoon shade.
Vegetable Starts 50% off!
Annual Flower Starts 30% off!
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)!