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Harlequins Gardens

Harlequins Gardens

Boulder's specialist in well-adapted plants

We Are Open Tuesday – Sunday, 9 – 5 for the season

Gift Memberships & Gift Certificates  – available online!
See our seasonal hours and address, below.

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Home | Plants | Groundcovers

Groundcovers

At Harlequin’s Gardens one of our objectives is to offer xeriscape, drought tolerant, and lower water alternatives to what is commonly found in the horticultural trade–plants well adapted to our local conditions. Living in a predominately dry arid ecosystem where drought is common and due to climate change increasingly likely in the future, groundcovers are a great replacement for water intensive lawns common in too many local yards. Groundcovers offer many benefits and some advantages over turf.  Most of them flower, which provide beauty as well as nectar and pollen for the beneficial insects. Their variety of textures provide interest when they are not flowering. They reduce evaporation, keep soil temperatures cooler in summer and reduce weeding. Some groundcovers are evergreen or have attractive winter color, and quite a few are successful in shade where most turf grass does poorly. Groundcovers are easier to maintain in narrow strips than turf, and do not require regular mowing. And many are more water-conserving than most turf grasses.  The tremendous variety of textures and colors offer rich opportunities for creativity and pairing with other plants.

Groundcovers can be used in many ways. A lawn area can be greatly reduced by removing the turf from a 6′-8′ wide border around the lawn, putting in a 6″ deep edging to contain the grass and planting low-water shrubs, perennials and/or groundcovers. Groundcovers can be used around shrubs and larger perennials to provide a living mulch and a longer season of color. Evergreen groundcovers add winter interest and will continue to nourish the symbiotic mycorrhizae during the winter. Groundcovers, especially slow-growing ones make good specimen plants, and look good and often prosper growing among rocks. Groundcovers are also useful along walks and paths where we don’t want large plants hanging over the walkway.

Groundcover maintenance, of course, varies with the variety. In general, keep well weeded, especially when they are small, remove old flowers and dead material in early spring, and top-dress with a ¼” of fine compost in fall and/or spring. A light fertilization with an organic fertilizer may be beneficial. Water needs vary, but water twice as much in July and once a month in dry winters. Even though groundcovers are sometimes called “stepables”, some, like iceplants don’t tolerate being stepped on and if traffic is frequent, stones or pavers may be needed. A fine mulch is often helpful to get groundcovers established.

 

Further Suggested Reading:

Lawn Alternatives and Groundcovers

Testing Xeriscape Groundcovers

Xeriscape Display and Test Beds

  • Delosperma John Proffitt or Table Mountain
    Delosperma John Proffitt
  • Geranium cantebrigiente ‘Biokovo’
    Geranium cantebrigiente 'Biokovo'
  • serbica
    Achillea serbica
  • Acantholimon trojanum
  • Penstemon pinifolius
    Penstemon pinifolius
  • Veronica oltensis
    Veronica oltensis
  • Kelly’s Xeric Rockery 1
    Groundcovers between walk and wall

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In This Section

  • Plants
    • Annuals
    • Bulbs
    • Fruits
    • Groundcovers
    • Herbs
    • Natives
    • Ornamental Grasses
    • Perennials
      • Plants for Pollinators List
    • Roses
    • Vegetables
      • Fall Vegetable Starts
      • Garlic
      • Other Vegetable Starts
      • Pepper Starts
      • Tomato Starts
    • Xeriscape

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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!

We do not ship plants!

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

Hours by Season

SUMMER HOURS
Tuesday-Sunday, 9AM-5PM

 

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Contact Us

303-939-9403 (Retail)
staff@harlequinsgardens.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

JANUARY - FEBRUARY HOURS
Thursday-Saturday, 10AM-4PM

Mondays, CLOSED

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