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Harlequins Gardens

Harlequins Gardens

Boulder's specialist in well-adapted plants

We are open for the 2022 gardening season!

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Home | Plants

Plants

Self-sowing Hardy Annuals

Papaver ‘Lauren’s Grape’

Some customers wonder why we are selling starts of self-sowing hardy annuals like Larkspur, Rocky Mt. Beeplant, California Poppy, Peony-flowered Poppy, Pheasant’s Eye, Sweet Alyssum, Nodding Dragonshead, Bee’s Friend, and Desert Bluebell. Shouldn’t they be grown from seed sown directly in the garden? The answer is Yes, they certainly can be, and if you find a source for the seeds and sow them at the optimal time, usually in the fall, you can get great results. But some gardeners report having little or no success with direct sowing: their timing is off, the seeds are watered in and then dry up and are no longer viable, critters eat the seeds, etc. [Read More]

Solar Caps – A Cozy Sweater for your Veggies!

We’ve passed the average last frost date but know that unexpected cold snaps can still occur.  Just as we need to add another layer of clothing during cold snaps, our warm-season veggie starts also need additional insulation as the spring season and soil slowly begin to warm up.  This layering can come in several forms, each with their own advantages and applications: low-tech overturned plant pots, row cover anchored over wire or plastic pipe frame (as illustrated in the “Hardening-Off” portion of this article), and Solar Caps. 

Because of their versatility and re-usability, Solar Caps have been one of our favorite garden tools for over a decade. [Read More]

Tips for Root Vegetable Success

Some veggies seem to shy away from the limelight, flourishing underground to provide a surprising, beautiful, and nutritious surprise later in the season. Growing root vegetables is generally easy, and can be a fun way to engage children in gardening.  In addition, mountain gardeners often find that root veggies thrive in their cooler conditions.

Once planted, root veggies do not like to be disturbed and therefore are best planted by seed.  (We do sell Bull’s Blood Beets as a starts, but these are generally grown for their greens.)  We have Botanical Interests, Masa, and Seed Savers Exchange seeds for many root veggies including: [Read More]

Get your Plants Moving!

Do you have plants that you like, but that need to be moved to a different location in your garden? Or has your clump of Shasta Daisy, Daylily, Hardy Geranium, etc. become too wide and now needs to be divided? By dividing your mature perennials, you get free plants to expand your garden, to give to neighbors, or pot up and donate to a fund-raising event like KGNU FM Community Radio’s Spring Plant Sale! The next couple of weeks bring the very best opportunity to accomplish these moves without stressing your plants too much. Search the web for instructions from a trusted source for dividing the specific plant you’re working with.

[Read More]

TREES – 2022 Newsletter

The TREES we sell are smaller than ball & burlap trees that are dug in the field, leaving at least 75% of their roots in the ground. Ours are grown in a container so they have a complete root system and begin growing immediately and are not stressed. Here is a sample of some of our selection.

RUSSIAN HAWTHORN
Very tough and xeric, grows 15’ high and wide, white flowers and red berries, loves Colorado conditions!

ROCKY MT. MAPLE
Native to our foothills, likes to grow in the protection of other trees, red fall color, 10’-15’.

GAMBEL OAK and WAVYLEAF OAK
Both natives that grow 10’-15’, with little water and poor soil, support birds.

HACKBERRY
Good shade tree to replace an ash, a fast-growing hardwood, the most drought tolerant shade tree.

WHITE MULBERRY
The hardiest mulberry, 25-30’ tall and wide, very xeric, white fruit is tasty and does not stain. Brings Western Tanagers, Orioles to your garden!

GOLDEN RAIN TREE
25′ xeric tree with golden flowers in July, orange lantern-like pods, orange fall color, seeds abundantly.

CHOKECHERRY
Native, suckering tree to 15′-25′ with white flowers, edible fruit; great for birds and butterflies.

SUCKER PUNCH CHOKECHERRY
Leaves start green then turn red all season, non-suckering, white flowers, berries.

SILVER BUFFALOBERRY (Shepherdia)
10′ native small tree with edible red fruit on female plants,, silver leaves, very xeric, few thorns.

MAYDAY TREE (Prunus padus)
20′-30′ with clusters of white flowers, then bird fruit, fast screen.

WESTERN CATALPA
40′-50′ with vertical habit, fragrant orchid-like flowers, huge heart-shaped leaves, 12″ beans, xeric and special.

ARIZONA CYPRESS
20′-30′ hardy evergreen, blue foliage is fragrant, not scratchy, quite fast growing, bird favorite.

 

Plus, Honeylocust, Crab Apples, Silver Maple, Bur Oak, Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn, Aspen, Ptelea, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Ohio Buckeye, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, Hot Wings Maple, Alder, Native Birch, Bigtooth Maple, and More!

 

We have to suck carbon out of the atmosphere naturally — by planting trillions of trees…

– Senior Climate Scientist Brenda Ekwurzel

PERENNIALS – 2022 Newsletter

Harlequin’s huge choice of pollinator-supporting Perennials. Including:

NATIVES

Eriogonum umbellatum var. aureum ‘Psdowns’ (Kannah Creek® buckwheat). Photo Credit: Plant Select

SULFUR FLOWER KANNAH CREEK
Mahogany fall color. Eriogonum allennii – 3′ wide, very xeric, yellow flowers, a winner. Eriogonum umbellatum – yellow blooms cover xeric native mat, feeds butterflies, bees.

ASCLEPIAS INCARNATA
1′-3′ Full Sun, Attracts butterflies, native and honeybees, hummingbirds.

ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA
Butterfly Weed, orange flowers, 1’-2’ high, essential Monarch food and nectar.

NATIVE PUSSYTOES, ASTER, Arnica, Skyrocket Ipomopsis, Blazing Star, Navajo Tea, Prairie Sundrops (Calylophus serrulatus)

NATIVE BEE-BALM
–Monarda fistulosa: Showy purple blooms bring bees, hummers, butterflies; deer-resistant.

MANY PENSTEMONS INCLUDING P. VIRENS
2”x 8”, short spikes of blue flowers; shiny, dark evergreen leaves.

MANY COLUMBINES INCLUDING
Rocky Mt., Denver Gold, Western Red, Barneby’s

Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)

PURPLE PRAIRIE CLOVER
Long lived xeric native loved by many bee species, bright purple-pink, nitrogen-fixing.

GAILLARDIA ARISTATE – BlanketFlower

LIATRIS PUNCTATA – Gayfeather

OENOTHERAS – Evening Primroses

CHOCOLATE FLOWER
12″ x 24″ wide, yellow daisies with chocolate fragrance, very xeric native.

SPHAERALCEA MUNROANA
Hardy, 18” vivid orange blooms all spring, bee-loved, low-water, silver leaves, rare.

ERYSIMUM WHEELERI/WHEELER’S WALLFLOWER
Tall, long-blooming biennial, vivid burnt-orange flowers, exclusive!

GEUM TRIFLORUM/PRAIRIE SMOKE
Colorado native, handsome foliage, reddish flowers, feathery seedheads, sun/part shade.

Engelmannia peristenia (Engelmann Daisy)

ENGELMANNIA PERISTENIA/ENGELMAN DAISY
Plant Select, neat golden daisies all summer, 18”h low water beauty

TOWNSENDIA HOOKERI & KIN
Native ‘Easter Daisies” grow dry, begin bloom super-early in neat little clumps.

ECHINACEA ANGUSTIFOLIA/NARROW-LEAF CONEFLOWER
Premier immune herb, large pink or white summer blooms.

 


PLUS, MANY GREAT NON-NATIVES INCLUDING:

MANY AGASTACHES
Blue Fortune, Coronado, Black Adder, A. rupestris.

SAGE
Culinary, Purple, Berggarten, Blue Hill, May Night, Caradonna, Furman’s Red, Mojave, S.azurea, S. argentea.

Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Firewitch’

DIANTHUS
Tuscan Honeymoon – grassy foliage, 2’-3’ stalks of pink flowers late summer D. gratianopolitanus – very tough groundcover. very fragrant pink flowers, durable. D. Blue Hills – the bluest foliage, fragrant flowers, 12” diam. D. Firewitch – fragrant; D. petraeus noeanus – Jasmine Dianthus, powerfully fragrant.

HARDY GERANIUMS
Biokovo, Splendens, St. Ola, Crystal Rose, Cambridge, Ballerina,G. macrorrhizum, G. sanguineum

ECHINACEA
purpurea, Magnus, White Swan, E. tennesseensis, E. pallida, E. paradoxa, Cherokee Sunset

ROSEMARY
Arp, Madeline Hill, Tuscan Blue, Prostrata.

HARLEQUIN’S SILVER GERMANDER, T. rotundifolium, T. chamaedrys

MANY LAVENDERS
Royal Velvet, Grosso, Twickle Purple, Munstead, Hidcote, Thumbalina Leigh, Vera, Wee One.

ORNAMENTAL OREGANO
Kent’s Beauty, Amethyst Falls, etc, cascading groundcovers, long blooming, bee-loved.

 

PLUS
Scabiosa Fama, Sedum nevii, Corsican Violet, Limonium gmelinii, Lallemantia canescens, Firefly Coralbells, Fancy Heucheras, many Hostas, and many, many more!


TOUGH ANNUALS

Datura meteloides

Snapdragons, Zinnia, Lauren’s Grape Poppy, Petunias, Datura, Pansies, California Poppy, Nicotiana, Salvias, Larkspurs, Peony-flowered Poppies, Swan River Daisy, Sweet Alyssum, Calendula, Kiwi Blue Honeywort, Cleome, Cuphia, Dahlia, Sacred Datura, Gomphrena, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Baby Blue-Eyes, Love-in-a-Mist, Sun Rose, California Bluebells, Wax Begonia, Blackeyed Susan Vine, Annual Periwinkle, Canterbury Bells, and more!

SHRUBS & VINES – 2022 Newsletter

We have a large selection of natives and non-natives Shrubs AND Vines

This includes Amorpha, Manzanitas, Mt. Mahoganies, Big Sage, Fringed Sage, Sand Sage, Lilacs, Butterfly Bushes, Pea Shrubs, Gambel Oak, Viburnums, Spireas, Potentillas, Sand Cherry, Rabbitbrush, Fernbush, Mountain Ninebark, Cliff Rose, Lewis Mockorange, Mikl’s Pick Mockorange, Boulder Raspberry, Boxwoods, Cotoneasters, Honeysuckles, New Mexican Privet, Flowering Quince, Ephedra, Euonymus, Sumacs, Currants, Yuccas, and many more!

 

 


VINES

Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine, Wisteria, Silver Lace, Clematis, Euonymus and MORE!

 

 

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

– The Lorax (Dr. Seuss)

ROSES – 2022 Newsletter

We are known far and wide for our selection of sustainable roses and for our expertise in helping people choose the best varieties for their gardens and landscapes. We sell roses on their own roots not grafted, which makes them more cold hardy, longer lived, with more flowers.

This year we will have more David Austin English roses in June/July; and more patio roses in May.

See our 2022 Rose List.

 

Monsanto-Bayer announced it will end US residential sales of glyphosate (RoundUp) in 2023.

– Center for Food Safety

HOME-GROWN FRUIT – 2022 Newsletter

CURRANTS, GOOSEBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, RASPBERRIES

One of our specialties is fruiting plants that are adapted to Colorado conditions. All the apples we carry are resistant to fireblight and good tasting. And the cherries we sell are all proven successful in Colorado. Our grapes are the hardiest of any you will find, delicious fresh, in juice and a few are good for wine. And we have productive & good tasting currants, gooseberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries including: [Read More]

FRUITING PLANTS – 2021 Newsletter

CURRANTS, GOOSEBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, RASPBERRIES

One of our specialties is fruiting plants that are adapted to Colorado conditions. All the apples we carry are resistant to fireblight and good tasting. And the cherries we sell are all proven successful in Colorado. Our grapes are the hardiest of any you will find, delicious fresh, in juice and a few are good for wine. And we have productive & good tasting currants, gooseberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries including:

Crandall Clove Currant and Gwen’s Buffalo Currant

Both are 5’x4’ with very fragrant yellow flowers in spring and annual bearing of sweet-tart berries full of healthy phytonutrients and reddish fall color; these are native currants selected for better fruit.

Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry

Late blooming so avoids late frosts, medium to large sweet berries, semi-trailing, best pruned to 8’.

Orient Nanking Cherry

Selected for flavor; it’s good; same 6’ height, xeric, red cherries.

Johns, York and Adams Elderberries

Larger berries, 8’, better edible elderberry, need two to pollinate, beautiful white flowers, berries are high in nutrition, loved by the birds.

Hinnomaki Red Gooseberry

Excellent flavor, tangy skin, sweet flesh, 3′, productive.

Invicta Gooseberry

Very large greenish white sweet fruit, very productive, vigorous.

Imperial White Currant

Clusters of white fruit with rich flavor, early ripening, from 1895.

Alagan Black Currant

Sweet and strong flavored European, culinary and medicinal, need 2.

Niwot primocane Black Raspberry

Bred in Longmont, fruits on new wood, excellent flavor.

Also, Anne yellow raspberry, and Heritage and Polana red raspberries.

Bali Cherry

Semi-sweet cherry, very hardy to -54F, good for fresh eating and baking.

North Star

A natural dwarf 6-8′, good tasting fruit, dependable, good ornamental too.

Also, Montmorency, Mesabi, Carmine Jewel, Juliet, Romeo, Crimson Passion.


STRAWBERRIES

 

We will have a wonderful selection of Colorado-adapted strawberries with REAL Strawberry Flavor.

Ogallala

Finally found this old-time favorite cross between wild Rocky Mt. strawberry and garden varieties. Okay with less-than-ideal soil, everbearing, productive.

Fort Laramie

Everbearing, large, sweet, aromatic fruits, heat & cold tolerant.

Mara des Bois

Intense flavor, June-October.

EarliGlow

June-bearing, some say THE best tasting.

Alexandria Alpine and Yellow Wonder Alpine

Runnerless, small intense fruit.


PLUMS

Mount Royal

Deep blue sweet, juicy flesh, mid-late Aug, self-fertile, tough.

Toka

Rosy-red, freestone, spicy & sweet, ripens Aug/Sept, very productive, needs pollinator.

Also, Stanley, Italian, Red Haven, Superior, Toka, Green Gage, Alderman.


PEACHES

Reliance, Contender, Red Haven.

 

 

 


APPLES

Cortland

Crisp, juicy, delicious fruit, for fresh eating, baking, cider; successful.

Sweet 16

Sweet and juicy, aromatic, stores well, Zone 3, successful.

Dakota Gold

Large, yellow fruit is good fresh, for sauce and pies. Zone 2-3, keeps for 1 week.

Also, Liberty, Haralson, Honeycrisp, Hazen, Macfree, Mandan, Zestar, Freedom, Honeygold, Red Baron, Zestar, Snow Sweet, Haralred, Rhuby, Sharon, etc.


PEARS

Summercrisp, Parker Pear, Nova and Loma.

 

 

 


GRAPES

St. Theresa

Zone 4, purple with excellent flavor, seedless, fresh eating & raisins.

Swenson’s Red

Zone 4, red, seeded grape, high sugar content, delicious flavor, superior.

Also, Swenson’s White, Trollhaugen, Valiant, Lacross, Concord, and Marquette.

CACTI & SUCCULENTS – 2022 Newsletter

Harlequin’s Gardens has many winter-hardy cacti: chollas, ball cacti and prickly pears.

 

Succulents: Hardy Agave, Yucca, Hesperaloe, Ice Plant, Sedum and more.

 

 

At least 14 countries have now given legal rights to rivers and other ecosystems.

– The Sierra Club

COOL SEASON VEGGIES & HERBS – 2022 Newsletter

COOL SEASON VEGGIES

We have a Fantastic Selection, too many to list!

 

ARUGULA
Wild Arugula, Astro, (spring), Ice-Bred (fall)

BROCCOLI
Fiesta, Nutribud, Leaf Broccoli, Spigariello di Liscia Leaf Broccoli, Aspabroc

[Read More]

OTHER VEGGIE STARTS – 2022 Newsletter

Purple Majesty when cooked

POTATOES

Yellow Finn, Purple Majesty, Harvest Moon, and Norland Dark Red.

 

 

 

 

Heirloom Tohono O’odham Multiplier Onion plants

ONIONS

Patterson Red, Redwing, Walla Walla, Ailsa Craig, Red Long of Tropea, Red Geneva, Gladstone, Borrettano, Dakota Tears, Bianco di Maggio.

ALSO, Leeks and Shallots.

 

 

 

ASPARAGUS

JERSEY KNIGHT  (roots, 5 per bundle)

All male hybrid with big spears. Does not make seed, so doesn’t become weedy.  Best selection for dense clay soils.  Very productive and disease resistant.  Hardy to Zone 2.

PURPLE PASSION  (roots, 5 per bundle)

Beautiful deep burgundy-colored spears with high sugar content, delicious, tender, less fibrous, great in raw salads.

EGGPLANT OFFERINGS – 2022 Newsletter

EGGPLANTS

GALINE
72 days, F-1 hybrid
Early, dependable Italian-style eggplant, mild, creamy-fleshed fruits averaging 1 lb., with glossy black skin.

[Read More]

TOMATO OFFERINGS – 2022 Newsletter

TOMATO OFFERINGS

A FEW of our NEW TOMATOES: offering 75+ varieties in 2022. 

TIDY TREATS
50-60 days, Hybrid, Dwarf Indeterminate
Bred specifically for container growing, this dwarf vining tomato is quite early, high-yielding and, best of all – the 1” fruits are sweet and tasty. Johnny’s Seeds considers it the best cherry tomato for patio containers. Dwarf plants stay a manageable size, to 3-4’ tall, with healthy green foliage, and are easily tamed with a tomato cage or trellis. [Read More]

Ready, Set, Plant!

Even though we are about to receive our biggest snowstorm of this winter thus far, you can still make great progress on your garden by starting seeds indoors or even outside if your garden is prepared and you’re quick and can sow them tomorrow morning! You can also plant our hardy perennials, vines, shrubs and trees that have overwintered outdoors ahead of the storm. And our Onion plants – they’re very cold-hardy, and the earlier they’re planted, the larger their bulbs at harvest time! And, if you can plant in a cold-frame, or under a low tunnel of sheet plastic or Row Cover Fabric, you can plant our spring vegetable starts! Heading varieties like Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower will give you [Read More]

Sporobolis heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed) | Warm Season

Native! A lovely small grass found here in the foothills and eastward across the Western prairies. Growing to 1-2’ tall and wide, it makes an elegant, fine-textured, emerald green fountain, suitable in many garden styles. The fine-textured plumes that rise above the foliage clump are attractive in bloom and in seed, and are favored by songbirds. The inflorescences are pleasantly fragrant – some say they smell like burnt buttered popcorn. Plains Indian tribes ground the seeds to make a tasty flour.

Prairie Dropseed is also drought tolerant and turns a nice russet brown in fall. Hardy to Zone 4.

Sporobolis wrightii (Giant Sacaton, Wright’s Sacaton) | Warm Season

Sporobolis wrightii (Giant Sacaton, Wright’s Sacaton)

Photo Credit: Plant Select

Native!  Comes up earlier in spring than most other warm season grasses. It also flowers earlier than most other warm-season grasses. This huge S.W. native grass grows to 6-10’ tall and 4-6’ wide, tolerates most soils and is very drought-tolerant. Huge airy flower/seed panicles are ornamental well into winter.

Hardy to Zone 5. Cut back to 2-3” in late winter.

Clematis Pruning Groups

Despite the access we have right now to our snow-free gardens, in general it’s not time to begin garden clean up. Undoubtedly (hopefully!) we will receive more snowfall in February and March and it is beneficial to keep leaves on the ground and last-year’s stalks on our perennials because this cover provides habitat for overwintering beneficial insects and it helps to keep the plant roots and crowns warmer.

In late February and early March it will be time to cut back certain Clematis vines, depending on their category. Here is an in-depth guide to the three Clematis Pruning Groups.  [Read More]

Solstice Cheer from the Garden

Attractive Evergreens for Colorado Gardens

At the time of the Winter Solstice, we can be grateful for the evergreens in our Colorado gardens. Not every region of the temperate northern hemisphere can grow so many different beautiful plants with year-round presence.

There are so many evergreen (and eversilver, everblue, red and purple) hardy perennials, groundcovers, shrubs, herbs, and trees (and not just conifers!) we can grow here. They go above and beyond in their service as ornamental plants in all four seasons. [Read More]

Allium Red Giant ‘Red Giant’ – SOLD OUT!

Allium Red Giant

Description coming soon!

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.

Camas quamash ‘Blue Melody’ – NEW!

Description coming soon!

Chionodoxa forbesii – SOLD OUT!

Blue Glory of the Snow is a deer proof bulb with compact 6-8” spikes of cheerful, white eyed, bright blue flowers in early spring. Chionodoxa is very attractive when planted in large drifts of many bulbs, and naturalizes readily.

Plant in full sun or morning sun, 2-4” deep, 16 bulbs per sq. ft. or 4” apart. Cold hardy to Zone 3.

 

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Fuscotinctus’ – SOLD OUT!

This wild “snow” crocus bears sweetly fragrant, bright golden yellow goblet-formed flowers with striking deep purple stripes on the outer petals. The blooms appear in February/March. Fuscotinctus grows well in gritty, poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil, dry to moderately moist. Perfect for naturalizing in any sunny or partly sunny location or lawn, and are also charming in pots. 3-4″ tall. Plant 4″ deep. Hardy to Zone 3.

Crocus chrysanthus Mixed – SOLD OUT!

A cheerful mix of many colors and forms of super-early ‘snow crocus’!

Hardy to Zone 3.

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snowbunting’ – SOLD OUT!

Photo and description coming soon!

Crocus Specie Blend – SOLD OUT!

Photo and description coming soon!

Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’ – SOLD OUT!

Crocus tommasinianus Ruby Giant

Description coming soon!

Crocus Giant Blend/Mixed – SOLD OUT!

Description coming soon!

Crocus isauricus (or biflorus ssp isauricus) ‘Spring Beauty’ – SOLD OUT!

Spring Beauty is an elegant and hard-to-find variety with bright lavender blue flowers marked with striking deep violet flames on the outer petals, a paler lavender-purple interior, pale yellow anthers and grass-like foliage with narrow, median silvery stripes.

Outstanding whether planted in large drifts or small clumps in the rockery. Late winter/early spring blooming. A bit shorter than other Species Crocus, Spring Beauty stands about 3-4″ tall with graceful six-petaled flowers that open and close on sunny days.

Deer-resistant, they naturalize readily in well-draining soil and in full to partial sunlight. Hardy to Zone 4

Crocus sativus (Saffron Crocus, fall flowering) – SOLD OUT!

This fall-blooming crocus emerges as a cheery surprise in October or November with bright violet-purple open cupped petals and brilliant orange stigmas, the source of the precious spice, saffron. The blooms are accompanied by short blades of dark green, grass-like foliage which elongates after the flowers have finished and may re-appear in spring.

Wonderful in the sunny rock garden, and among low, xeric groundcovers such as Turkish Veronica or ‘Tough-as-Nails’ (Paronychia kapela). Saffron Crocus prefers a location that is warm, sunny and dry, with very good drainage and only wants moisture when it is in flower and active growth.

PLANT THESE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE to enjoy flowers this fall! Plant 2-4″ deep, 3″ apart. Zone 6.   4”-5” tall

Crocus speciosus (Autumn Crocus) – SOLD OUT!

The superb blue Autumn Crocus, blooms in early to mid-autumn, arriving to brighten the garden at a time when many other plants have finished blooming.  Autumn Crocus has large, sky-blue to purple flowers with golden-orange stigmas and anthers. They stand 4” tall and emerge without the narrow grassy foliage that will follow bloom. They will naturalize, and over the years, the clumps increase in size and duration of bloom.

Autumn Crocus provides a stunning surprise rising out of a mass of perennial groundcover such as Plumbago, Evergreen Candytuft, ‘Harlequin’s Silver’ Teucrium, or any of the Geranium x cantabrigiense selections!

Average soil and moisture, full to part sun, most soils except heavy clay, cold hardy to Zone 4.

PLANT THESE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE to enjoy flowers this fall! For drifts, plant 10 bulbs per square foot.

Crocus tomasinianus ‘Yalta’

A natural hybrid between C. tomasinianus (usually tiny) and a cultivar of C. vernus (the largest blooms), Yalta readily pushes its large, striking bicolor blooms up through snow to decorate the landscape as early as February. Grown in sunny or partly-shaded sites, its silvery outer petals shimmer and shine when the sun hits them. Inside, rich blue-violet petals give the blooms a dynamic appearance that really pops when planted in groups or mass plantings. As with other crocus cultivars, ‘Yalta’ looks great as an early-season border, walkway accent or between evergreen shrubs and deciduous trees, and in bulb-lawns. For an informal, carefree look, gently toss handfuls of bulbs and plant them where they lay. Spring blooming. 4-5” tall, hardy to zone 4.

Crocus ‘Vanguard’ – NEW!

Crocus vernus Vanguard

Description coming soon!

Crocus vernus Giant Mixed/Blend (Large-flowered ‘Dutch’ Crocus, mixed colors) – SOLD OUT!

Crocus vernus varieties bloom later and have larger flowers than ‘botanical’ crocus.  They create a big, cheerful splash of color in the spring garden that few hardy plants can achieve. This mix contains a compatible blend of purple, yellow, white and striped varieties that will all bloom at the same time.

Grow in masses or drifts for the best effect.  The display will grow more spectacular every year, and is sure to cure your winter blues!

Plant 8 to 10 bulbs per square foot.

EREMURUS isabellinus ‘Pinokkio’ – SOLD OUT!

Description coming soon!

Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop) – SOLD OUT!

Pendant, bell-shaped white flowers with green-tipped petals are a classic harbinger of spring. They look wonderful planted in groups and may bloom as early as February. Commonly called snowdrop, this bulbous perennial is native to Europe and southwestern Asia.

Snowdrops will naturalize where happy. thrives in rich garden loam in part shade, making it perfect under deciduous trees and shrubs.

Zone 3,  3” tall.

Hyacinth ‘Aiolos’ – SOLD OUT!

 Dense columns of waxy, pure white florets appear in mid-spring on sturdy stems. Aiolos has an intense, sweet fragrance and is a long-lasting cut flower.

Grows 10” tall. Plant 6” deep and 6” apart. Hardy to zone 3.

Hyacinth ‘Delft Blue’ – SOLD OUT!

All these highly fragrant Dutch Hyacinth varieties are perfect for spring gardens and for forcing indoors in pots or hyacinth glasses. They are long-lived in the garden if fertilized after blooming, and after the first year they will produce more flower spikes that are less densely packed and more natural-looking. Hyacinths are quite easy to grow in a sunny or partly shaded spot.

Hyacinth ‘Peter Stuyvesant’ – SOLD OUT!

All these highly fragrant Dutch Hyacinth varieties are perfect for spring gardens and for forcing indoors in pots or hyacinth glasses. They are long-lived in the garden if fertilized after blooming, and after the first year they will produce more flower spikes that are less densely packed and more natural-looking. Hyacinths are quite easy to grow in a sunny or partly shaded spot.

Iris ‘Katharines Gold’

Description coming soon!

Mother Nature’s Dryland Natives

On our hikes, it seems we’re often exclaiming, “What a beautiful plant combination!”.  Mother Nature’s inherent beauty and functional placement provide an amazing guide and inspiration for what we can create in our home garden or ecosystem. Mother Nature also helps guide us on how we can best support our pollinators.

In the new Harvest 2020 issue of Colorado Gardener (with a striking mushroom cover photo!), Mikl writes in ‘Blooming Without a Care’ about a selection of wonderful lesser-known dryland native wildflowers that can also be very successful garden plants in our semi-arid climate. [Read More]

Garlic – Inchelium Red (organic, soft-neck) – SOLD OUT!

Photo Credit, Irish Eyes Garden Seed

Large 3″ + bulbs produce 8-20 cloves of good size. Mild, but lasting flavor, with a hint of hot! Dense cloves store extremely well. Flavor can get stronger in storage. This vigorous soft-necked variety won a Rodale taste test of 20 garlic strains – named “Very Best of the Soft-Necks”. Inchelium Red is also exceptionally healthy, easy to peel, and easy to grow!

Garlic planting instructions

Wake up and smell the garlic!

It’s time to buy your ‘seed’ garlic, which you should store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place until planting time, from mid-October to mid-November. Seed garlic bulbs are specifically chosen for planting because they are the healthiest bulbs with the largest cloves, and they are intact. By planting the largest cloves, you’ll be rewarded with a harvest of big, juicy bulbs.

Garlic has been cultivated since very ancient times. The varieties that developed in different areas express the terroir of their locale, greatly influencing the local cuisines.[Read More]

Ornamental Grasses – the flexible plant!

We often recognize grasses for their ornamental attributes – dynamic, flowing movement in the breeze, reflecting the dancing light, screening of unsightly areas, as well as their value in providing food and habitat for wildlife.  But the grasses are the plant family with the greatest economic value, and it’s interesting to think about grass-based agriculture, the oils derived from grasses, their role in making beverages such as sake, wine, beer, and whiskey, their importance in construction (think thatch roofs, basketry, furniture, fencing, bamboo framing, scaffolding), and of their use in reed instruments.[Read More]

Great Hummingbird Plants for Your Garden

Hummingbirds are zipping and humming and sipping around our gardens, partaking of the summer’s bounty of nectar-rich flowers, many of which are ‘color-coded’ specifically to attract them. And you’ll want hummers in your garden, not only because they’re beautiful, not only because some plants depend on them for pollination, not only because migratory birds are imperiled, but also because they eat prodigious numbers of small flying insects like mosquitoes!  And did you know, some hummingbird have been known to live up to 25 years!

Here are some of the plants we sell that attract and support these flying jewels. [Read More]

Prime Time for Selecting Roses

The shelves in our Rose section are ablaze with colorful and fragrant blooms, which you can smell, see, touch, select and plant now!

Hardy roses are a long-standing specialty of our nursery, which provides the region’s largest selection of roses grown on their own roots.  You may have thought all roses were difficult to grow and ‘high maintenance’, but we’d like to show you that roses can be very successful in Colorado with very little maintenance. An important key to rose survival lies in growing them on their own roots. This means that instead of being grafted onto a standard ‘root-stock’, the roses are grown from cuttings that are allowed to grow their own roots.  Why is this important? [Read More]

Edible Flowers

Incorporating edible flowers in your cuisine not only adds visual appeal, but also can offer high nutritional value and great flavors. Edible flowers have been used for millennia in many cultures to enhance everything from salad to beer and wine. A quick internet query on “ancient edible flower recipes” revealed many results.  It could be a fun family event to recreate a heritage recipe!

The flavor of many flowers is improved by removing the sexual parts – stamens, anthers and pistils. And, you will notice how a flowers’ flavor can vary as the plant ages throughout the season, and with variations in the soil, and climate (think terroir!) [Read More]

AMISH PASTE

80 days, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate
A consistently great sauce tomato. This heirloom variety from Wisconsin’s Amish community produces large, long, meaty, and juicy 8-12 oz. red fruits on vigorous plants and is one of the few paste tomatoes that also taste great fresh. The juiciness makes a thinner sauce – cook down for a thicker, super-sweet sauce. Excellent for use for salads, canning, pastes, sauces, drying and roasting! Water evenly and add bio-available calcium to prevent blossom-end rot. Amish Paste is part of Slow Foods US Ark of Taste, a catalog of over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction. By growing Ark varieties, you help ensure they remain in production and on our plates.

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Our plants are for sale ONLY at our Boulder location. We DO NOT ship plants. Come visit us!

Hours by Season

MARCH HOURS
Thursday-Sunday, 9AM-5PM

APRIL-OCTOBER HOURS
Tuesday-Sunday, 9AM-5PM

Mondays, CLOSED

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Contact Us

303-939-9403 (Retail)
staff@nullharlequinsgardens.com

4795 North 26th St
Boulder, CO 80301

Sign-up for E-Newsletters!

Sign-up for our weekly e-newsletters to receive empowering gardening tips, ecological insights, and to keep up on happenings at Harlequin’s Gardens — such as flash sales and “just in” plants. We never share customer’s addresses!

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Our Hours

Seasonally, MARCH to OCTOBER.
MARCH HOURS:
Thursday-Sunday, 9AM-5PM

APRIL-OCTOBER HOURS:
Tuesday-Sunday, 9AM-5PM

Mondays, CLOSED

The plants we grow are organically grown. All the plants we sell are free of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides.