Classes / Test

Class Time: 10 – 11:30am Wondering what’s happening to the Monarch Butterflies and what you can do to help? Join this class to learn basics on Monarch ecology and how you can create habitat to support Monarch conservation. We’ll also discuss the recent ESA proposal to list the Monarch as ‘threatened”.  Liz  was a charter member of the UM Monarch Lab, conducting research focused on understanding environmental factors concerning Monarchs and helping develop the Monarchs in the Classroom curriculum.  Since retirement, she conducts MLMP and IMMP training along the Colorado Front Range, helping to better understand the monarch’s use of this region.

Class Time: 1:00 – 2:30pm Replacing your lawn with a garden is not a simple project, but it’s worth it to save a lot of water, increase habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects and birds, and create beauty that changes with the seasons. Mikl and Eve Brawner will present several methods that have been successful for dealing with the grass, and discuss weeding, mulch, covering the ground, plants to replace turf and maintenance.  Eve and Mikl are co-owners of Harlequin's Gardens.

Class Time: 1-2:30. Enhance your gardening success by planting the right veggie at the right time. Mimi will walk you through the gardening season, identifying what crops to grow when, and what varieties grow well in the Boulder area - from Arugula to Zucchini! Mimi Yanus has grown vegetables and flowers for the Farmers Market and for a CSA.

Class Time: 1 – 2:30pm  This is a rare opportunity to study with the master! Panayoti will explain why rock gardening is so appropriate here, what its advantages are, the range of types of rock gardens, presenting both inspiration and practical instruction on how to design, build and maintain a rock garden. Advice on materials, techniques, resources, plants and soil mixtures will be included.  Panayoti Kelaidis is Senior Curator and Director of Outreach at Denver Botanic Gardens, and a world-renowned horticulturist, plant explorer and speaker. He began his career at DBG designing and caring for plantings in their Alpine Rock Garden. In the 1990s, Panayoti helped to create and guide Plant Select®, a plant-introduction partnership between DBG, CSU, horticulturists, and the landscape and nursery industries.  .

Class Time: 10 – 11:30   Learn the techniques and timing to maximize your garden space and keep your veggie garden in continual production throughout the seasons. This class provides participants with an extensive planting schedule table, outlining when and where to start your seeds, the time to transplant out and when to expect harvest.  Mimi Yunis is a Flower and Market Gardener.

Class Time: 11AM-12:30 pm. Learn how to have a healthy lawn without herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers. Meadows and ground covers will also be discussed.

Class Time: 1 - 2:30pm Veteran naturalist and native plant gardener  Dave Sutherland will guide you to maximize your garden’s beauty while increasing benefits to the larger ecosystem. Dave will share his 35 years of experience growing native plants, as well as his insights and enthusiasm for inviting nature to buzz, sing, and wiggle in the garden. Plus, he will share some of his native plant seeds. Dave is an award-winning field naturalist, worked for years at Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks department, managed the native plant garden in Chautauqua Park, and has given numerous talks, hikes, and seminars of wildfire gardening.

Class Time: 1 – 2:30pm Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the latest insights from one of Colorado’s leading experts on woody plants! Which trees should we be planting for the hotter, dryer conditions that are predicted? Scott has been head propagator for Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery for nearly 30 years, specializing in native and Colorado-adapted trees and shrubs. He has traveled and collected seeds from Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas to understand which plants may be up and coming to provide Colorado with shade, beauty, and wildlife into the future.   Scott Skogerboe has been the Propagator at Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery for the last 29 years where he grows 300,000 trees and shrubs every year for sale to nurseries across the Intermountain West.  Prior to that, Scott was the owner of a small Nursery specializing in Fruit Trees and berries adaptable to the rigors of growing on the high plains of American interior west.  In 2016 Scott was awarded Commercial Horticulturist of the year by the American Horticultural Society.

Class Time: 1 – 2:30pm  For 25 years Bill Melvin had been the owner and operator of Ecoscape Environmental Design. He not only understands how to construct landscapes from an ecological perspective, but he also has 10 years of experience as a wildlife firefighter. Bill’s class will give us expert direction in practical techniques for making your home and property more firewise. He will also discuss fire behavior and plant solutions that are not only functional but creative, beautiful and fun. We know the dangers, let’s prepare for an ecological defense. 

 Class Time: 10 – 11:30pm New to gardening in Colorado? Learn everything you'll need to get started with successful practices, including information on our unique soils, temperature swings, hail, and dry conditions. You'll learn from longtime flower and vegetable market gardener Mimi Yunis!

Class time: 11AM-12:30PM. There are shrubs that should not be pruned in the spring and there are shrubs, roses and vines that are best pruned in spring. Learn which to prune when, and how to prune for strength, beauty and production of fruit and flowers. (This is NOT a repeat of the Fall pruning class). Mikl Brawner is co-owner and founder of Harlequin's Gardens.

Class Time: 1-2:30 pm. Learn how to look for and identify common pests, and how to judge if anything needs to be done. Learn which organic solutions are the most effective, for what, and how to do it. Mikl has been walking this talk for 35 years!

Class time:  1 - 2:30PM. Wise gardeners are creating their gardens and landscapes to be water-wise. Why wait for the big drought? The right plants are a good start, but healthy soil is a must, and there are tricks too. Mikl has been on this path for 35 years and he is passionate about it.  

Class time: 1-2:30pm. Small fruits are delicious, high in antioxidants, take up less space and bear sooner than trees: strawberries, currants, raspberries, grapes, gooseberries. Learn about the best varieties for Colorado and how to grow them. Mikl Brawner is co-owner and founder of Harlequin's Gardens.

Class time: 1-2:30pm. Learn which varieties of fruit trees are successful here, which are not, and which are good flavored: Apples, Cherries, Plums, Pears, Peaches. Mikl's first orchard was in 1976 and he will teach you how to care for your fruit trees.

Class Time: 1-2:30 pm. Weed barrier, wood chips, straw, fine gravel, bark Which mulches should be used and where? Why is mulching so important? What's wrong with redwood and cedar? Mikl will discuss these questions and suggest solutions for your gardens.

Class Time: 1 – 2:30pm Elaine is a landscape architect who will show you the elements of designing areas of your property. Learn how to observe your site, identify goals, take a site analysis, create a comprehensive design, and how to approach installation in manageable pieces. This is a wonderfully informative class from one of our highly regarded experts. Sign up early, as this class is limited to 12 participants and always sells out! Elaine Walker is a landscape architect with an emphasis in ecological practices,  and has been a longtime Harlequin staffer.  

Class time:  10 - 11:30AM. Saving seeds is easier than you think and using saved seeds can help your garden thrive year-after-year. Join us to learn how to save seeds and adapt your favorite crops to thrive in your own micro-climate, creating plants that are resilient to climate change and local pests and disease! We will practice hands-on with dry and wet methods, talk about timing, and you will walk away confident in your ability to save seeds from your garden this season. For any and all folks interested in creating a more resilient local food system through seed-saving and community-building. Jess Harper is a garden workshop facilitator, urban farm advocate, and seed-saving fanatic who believes that everyone has the right to grow their own food. She is a co-founder and member of the Denver Local Seed Project. Instagram: @denver_local_seed_project    

Class Time: 1-2:30 pm. Learn how to turn waste into wealth by cultivating soil microorganisms. Nature does the work if you know how to lend a hand. In this class, you will learn what works in our climate, and what doesn't. Mikl has been composting for 35 years!

Class Time: 1-2:30 pm. Mikl has been researching, building and using simple greenhouses for 20 years. This class will focus on five designs on site at the nursery. Don't miss this!