There are a number of ornamental plants whose seed-heads will either remain ornamental or provide food for birds, or both, through fall and even through winter.  Included in this group are all the Ornamental Grasses, Coneflowers (Echinacea, Rudbeckia), Mexican Hat (Ratibida), ‘Blue Fortune’ Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Standing Cypress (Gilia/Ipomopsis rubra and aggregata), Goldenrod (Solidago), tall Sedums (Autumn Joy, Matrona, Purple Emperor, etc.), Angelica, Poppy, Peony, Bee-Balm (Monarda), Sea-Lavender (Limonium and Goniolimon),  Helen’s Flower (Helenium), Gayfeather (Liatris), Aster, Siberian Iris, Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda), Sunflower (Helianthus), Astilbe, Hydrangea, Bears Breech (Acanthus), Stachys sp., Globe Thistle (Echinops), Penstemon, Foxglove, Crocosmia, Heliopsis, Verbena bonariensis, Clematis, Orach (Atriplex), Milkweed, Lily, Columbine, Delphinium, Balloon flower (Platycodon), Yucca, Grapeleaf Anemone (Anemone tomentosa), Yarrow, and Garlic Chives.

Consider how these can give contrast and structure to your winter garden, and add sculptural elements that can be particularly effective when capped with snow or silhouetted against snow.  A few of them can be vigorous self-seeders, so judiciously deadhead the scary ones if you need to, leaving the seed-heads on the plants that will not cause a nuisance in your garden.  Most other plants can be deadheaded now, but leaving this year’s growth on your perennials can help keep your perennials a little warmer through the winter.  There are a few popular perennials that really should never be cut down until April because to do so will compromise their winter hardiness – these include all of the Agastaches, Gaura, Onosma and Sunroses (Helianthemum).  Eve waits and does most of her garden clean-up in early April, only then cutting down the previous year’s stalks. If you are growing roses that form ornamental and/or edible hips (fruits), it’s time to stop deadheading and allow the hips to develop.

Producing fall vegetable starts at the nursery has been a real challenge this year, between the heat, the grasshoppers and the cabbage butterflies. Nevertheless, we succeeded in producing some very fine-looking, healthy plants ready to go out for sale tomorrow (Wednesday August 25), namely:

• De Cicco Broccoli
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli
• Peiracicaba Calabrese-type Broccoli
• Brocoverde (Cauliflower-Broccoli cross)

These will soon be followed by:

• Perpetual Spinach (a type of Swiss Chard)
• Ruby Red Rhubarb Chard
• Lucullus Swiss Chard
• Four Star Swiss Chard
• Winterbor Kale
• Red Russian Kale
• Tuscan (aka Dinosaur, Lacinato) Kale
• Spigariello/Minestra Nero (Leaf-Broccoli)
• Arugula
• Lettuce (Farmer’s Market Blend)
• Spinach

And then:

• Cilantro
• Tatsoi
• Fall Broccoli Raab

We are adding the descriptions for the new varieties to the PLANTS/EDIBLES/ VEGETABLE STARTS section of our website, so check there for detailed information.

Note that all of the Brassicas (the vegetables in the Cabbage family – Broccoli, Broccoli Raab, Cauliflower, Mustards, Collards, Kale, Arugula, Pak Choy, Tatsoi) are ‘heavy feeders’, which means that they require nitrogen-rich soil to thrive.  So be sure to incorporate into your soil a good organic source of nitrogen, such as organic cottonseed meal, aged composted dairy-cow manure, Alfalfa meal, Alpha-One fertilizer, or Bradfield’s fertilizer.  These are all available at Harlequin’s Gardens now.

We think you’ll find it very helpful to protect your fall vegetable starts with some light row-cover fabric, either with tunnels supported by hoops or frames, or as a ‘floating’ row cover.  This can give them just a little shade, shield their tender little leaves from the sun and wind, and keep the pests, both critter and insect, at bay.  And later, it will give up to 5 degrees of frost protection. You can buy row cover fabric by the linear foot at Harlequin’s from our big roll, which is 12’ wide.  We charge $2 per linear foot, so if you bought a piece 3’ x 12’ (enough for a floating cover for a row 10’ long and 2’ wide), the cost would be $6. ‘Loop-Hoops’ are also available for making small tunnels. When temperatures drop later in the fall, you can add a second layer of row-cover or a layer of clear plastic to the crops that need it.

You can also sow seeds now for arugula, spinach, swiss chard, cress, parsley (TIP: pre-soak parsley seeds in water overnight before planting), beets, collards, radish, tatsoi, pak choy, lettuce, cilantro and kale.  We have an excellent selection of fall vegetable seeds from Abbondanza and Botanical Interests.

Another great way of growing your own vital, fresh, nutritious food throughout the winter is by growing sprouts. So we’ve just added a NEW CLASS:

‘Sprout your Eats, Eat your Sprouts!’ Sunday Sept.19, 1:30 pm, $10

Harvest fresh greens all year from your kitchen counter – no garden required.  Enzyme-rich sprouts are uniquely loaded with nutrition, and are easy for anyone, anywhere, to grow with minimal investment in time, equipment and seeds.

In this class you will learn how to sprout a wide variety of seeds in soil as well as without soil.  We will discuss the nutritional and energetic qualities of various sprouted seeds, and how to make some delicious recipes using them.

You will come away with recipes, a how-to guide to sprouting, and a clear understanding of the tools required for this very simple process.

Please pre-register by coming in to Harlequin’s Gardens or calling 303-939-9403.

This class is facilitated by Lindsey Stirling, certified nutritionist, herbalist and energy healer.  Lindsey has a private practice in Longmont, where she sees clients and teaches classes to the general public.  For more information, please go to www.lindseystirling.com.

Speaking of Vegetables…..

We are launching a new feature called ‘Speaking of Vegetables’ on our website to invite you to report your evaluations of the vegetable varieties you’re growing.  Every year we add new varieties to our offerings, and we would love to hear what you think of them.  We pre-test as many varieties as possible, but can’t test them all. And there’s not much point in our continuing to offer a tomato variety that nobody likes, an eggplant that never ripens here, or a cucumber that always succumbs to disease.  Likewise, we want to make sure we know which varieties are your ‘can’t-live-without-it’ favorites so we will be sure to keep those available.  Look on our website at www.HarlequinsGardens.com in Edibles/Vegetable Starts for the simple form to fill out.  You can make as many entries as you like.

Welcome to Fall and to Harlequin’s Gardens Fall Plant Sale.

The pain and glory of spring 2010 was so “Colorado.” Various plants, roses and trees died or died back this year, perhaps because of the mid-October 2009  11 degree freeze and end of Oct. below zero hit. (Plants would prefer to adjust slowly.) And then we had this beautiful moist, cool and long spring until June, keeping the bulbs and spring flowers in bloom for a long time. In Colorado, the weather report should always begin, “Don’t be surprised if…”

As usual, our Fall Sale will be the Best Deals of the year on plants that are healthy and strong. Fall is a good rooting season. And because fall is also a great time for soil building and organic fertilizing, we have a good supply of organic composts and organic fertilizers. In addition, this year we started brewing our own compost tea, and we assume our “brew” is a high quality. But what is compost tea, really? Is it:

a) a highly concentrated population of beneficial bacteria and beneficial fungi that build healthy soil?  b) a nutrient-rich brew that feeds soil life naturally? c) brown water that charlatans sell for a huge profit?  d) a compost concentrate that reduces compaction, aerates and improves water retention? or e) who knows? You can’t tell anything by looking at the tea. You have to watch how the plants respond.

So let your plants “taste and see” as the saying goes. And we’re going to make it easy to try our tea. During the sale we’re going to reduce the price of our compost tea to $3 a gallon (regularly $5), and purchases over $75 will get a gallon free, so you can use it on your new plants. Tell us if you see any value in our brew, and tell us if you see no results.

So please come to our Fall Sale which begins with the Members Sale:

Members, for your special support, you get first pick of the plants at the Members Sale, August 24, 25, 26, 27,28, 29 with 20% off all plants and 25% off books. (For info on membership, ask one of our staff, or see our website.)

The next week, August 31,September 1,2,3,4,5 the Fall Sale begins for everybody with 15% off most plants except roses.  10% off books & 10% off soil products in big bags. Also the Deep Discount section will be opened.

The third week September 7,8,9,10, 11, 12, enjoy 25% off perennials, shrubs & trees and 20% off most roses And 10% off books and soil products in big bags.

The fourth week, Sept.14,15,16, 17,18, 19, take 30% off all perennials, shrubs and trees and 20% off most roses and10% off books and soil products in big bags.

The fifth week, Sept.21,22,23, 24, 25, 26, take 35% off perennials, shrubs and trees and 20% off roses, and 10% off books and soil products in big bags.

The sixth week, Sept.28,29, 30 and Oct.1,2,3 there will be a 40% discount off perennials and shrubs, 20% off roses and 50% off trees. And 25% off soil products in big bags, 10% off books

We will continue to offer these prices every Thursday, Friday & Saturday in October.

Gift certificates will be available for the holidays and year-round by calling the nursery, 303-939-9403.

Open: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday  9-5;   Thursday 9-6

October: Thursday,Friday and Saturdays only 9-5

www.harlequinsgardens.com 303-939-9403

Sincerely,

Mikl and Eve Brawner

Here is a taste of some of the great plants available at our Fall Sale

Erodium chrysanthum-Ferny Storksbill, a blue-gray mound of finely dissected foliage and pale yellow flowers, needs very little water, elegant, 4”-10” x 12”-18”, a Harlequin Favorite

Sedum cauticola ‘Lidakense’- let’s call it Blue Cascade Sedum: stunning draping over the edge of a wall, stone or container, in Sept-Oct plum-gray foliage sings with red-pink flowers

Ajuga ‘Catlin’s Giant’-large purple leaves with blue flowers, 4” high dense, weed-smothering ground cover for dry shade; aggressive in moist shade, but useful

Penstemon pinifolius-a tough selection of Pine-leaf Penstemon. 12” x12” with orange-red flowers, excellent evergreen winter appearance. Hummingbirds will stoop to savor.

Blue Mist Spirea-Caryopteris ‘Dark Knight’- Great xeriscape favorite for beautiful blue flowers in the dead of summer; 4’x4’, shear in the spring by 30%; the Econo-Shrub

The Hardy Geraniums are extremely useful for sun or dry shade. Clay is OK. Some are happy in sun, others thrive in dry shade, flowers white to magenta, many with red fall color

We have 4 or 5 kinds, all are wonderful, but do check out ‘Biokovo’ and ‘Splendens’

Desert Four O’Clock-Mirabilis multiflora: lavender trumpet-flowers with purple throats in profusion late day/early am, very drought tolerant; 12”x36”+; fabulous xeriscape plant

Culinary Sage-Salvia officinalis: gray foliage is good in soups, stuffing etc; two by two, flowers blue, wouldn’t you, like a few? Makes a deer-proof hedge or specimen

Diascia ‘Coral Canyon’ Twinspur- here’s a perennial that blooms all summer with coral-pink flowers; great in containers or in the ground; maybe short-lived, but worth it

Barnebyi Columbine-This native yellow and pink columbine is the most xeric columbine, the flowers are small, but attractive; the blue foliage is dome-shaped and resists aphids

Native Gayfeather-Liatris punctata: Totally drought tolerant butterfly magnet, purplish-pink spikes of flowers in the heat of summer; 12”-16”; great addition for your meadow

Arp Rosemary: A woman called the nursery and asked if we carry a rosemary that can grow outside in Colorado, tastes good, called ‘Arp’. “Yes, we do.” “Then would you hold one for me?” “OK, what is your name?” She replied “Rosemary Arp”. Not eternal, but 3-6 years

Provence Lavender-imagine growing a hardy lavender 30”-36” tall with 16” long wands with a fabulous fragrance that can be dried or braided with ribbon, not just in France

Grasses: we have many varieties in top condition including: Autumn Embers Muhly (Muhlenbergia reverchonii) graceful, showy xeric grass introduced by Lauren Springer-Ogden, modest size, easy, AND Giant Sacaton-Sporobolus wrightii-best tall xeric ornamental grass, 5’-7’ tall, dramatic not overwhelming, SW native, screen or focal point

Black Elderberry-Sambucus nigra: 10’ fast-growing shrub; dark green leaves and clusters of white flowers; immune-building elderberry syrup is made from berries; need 2 for fruit

The Thymes are not as drought-tolerant in Colorado as they are in England, but they are good summer-blooming ground covers where they’re watered once a week and some in winter. Reiter Thyme is a favorite, tough, weed-smothering variety; 3”x30”; Ohme Gardens Thyme is a heat-tolerant, mauve-blooming thyme 3”x24”, vigorous; Back Wall Thyme is very low, good between flagstones, more durable than Elfin; Wooly Thyme-vigorous old standby, somewhat shade tolerant, we have two selections, one that blooms

“Tough as Nails”-Paronychia kapela- looks/ functions like creeping thyme, but is more  tolerant of drought and of our winter sun, showy white bracts, good between pavers

Dianthus simulans-low, very tight foliage makes a large bun in the open or a “starfish” between rocks, very pettable, long-lived; you’ve been asking, it’s finally ready

Penstemon Pikes Peak Purple-purple flowers on 16” stems, long-blooming, Plant Select

Russian Sage-3’-5’ tall, blue-violet flowers in summer, long-blooming, xeric & easy

Silver Edge Horehound-M. rotundifolium: beautiful foliage, 8”x24”, very xeric, behaves

Big Sedums: great for late summer color in the garden/xeriscape, honeybees love them; Neon-deep purplish-pink flowers on 15” stems, zone 3; Red Cauli- masses of bright red flowers Aug-Oct on 10” purplish foliage; Matrona- sturdy 20” reddish stems with dark bluish-green leaves with rosy-pink edges and pink flowers summer thru fall-a winner

Our remarkable Clematis selection includes showy, large-flowered vines; lovely, bell-flowered climbers and scramblers; herbaceous perennial varieties and even xeric shrubs:

Mrs. Robert Brydon is a vigorous scrambler, covering the ground and winding through shrubs; covered with small, light blue and white starry flowers for 4-6 weeks July/Aug

Ramona-6” lavender flowers with maroon anthers, early/late, easy, vigorous, sun/pt sun

ROSES: By now we are known as THE place to go in Colorado for hardy, sustainable roses

And we have a great selection including: “Fairmount Proserpine”-a superb rose found in Fairmount Cemetery-very fragrant, purple-pink flowers that repeat well, and is tough.

Burgundy Iceberg-sport of famous Iceberg with fragrant burgundy blooms, great repeat, 4’

John Davis- very long blooming Canadian with lovely flowers; you won’t find this elsewhere

The Gift-a star for difficult conditions, masses of white flowers, good repeat, 3’x5’

“Broadway Perpetual”-Eve and I found this sturdy rose with medium pink flowers and a rich old rose perfume, guess where?, and it repeats well, 7’x 5’, (real name unknown)

NATIVES: because sustainability is one of our goals, natives have always been a specialty. At our sale you will find wildflowers and dozens of native shrubs including: New Mexican Privet-not a true privet; a 12’-15’ small tree/shrub with light gray bark and light green leaves and blue berries on the female, good screen or specimen. Fern Bush-a 5’ xeric shrub that has ferny leaves and clusters of white flowers that support many beneficial insects

Sphaeralcea sp.-upright very xeric perennials, 3’-5’, soft orange, pink or lavender flowers

Desert Mahonia-M.haematocarpa-blue, evergreen foliage, yellow flowers, red fruit, 6’-8’

TREES

Hackberry, Burr Oak, Western Catalpa, Ginnala Maple, Thunderchild Crab, Scotch Pine; Radiant & Spring Snow Crabs, Chokecherry, Upright Native Juniper, Arizona Cypress,  many hawthorns (Apples, Plums and Peaches are available now, but Not Discounted)

SOIL PRODUCTS-We have high quality organic fertilizers, composts & mulch at reasonable prices and to make your gardens more sustainable, the city of Boulder is offering REBATES for Boulder Water Customers up to 50% off local and 25% off other soil products.

BULBS: Many of you have been interested in the bulbs you’ve seen blooming in our xeriscape display gardens in April and May, so this fall we will offer, for the first time, small numbers of an interesting selection of bulbs that thrive in our xeriscapes, plus a few more.  Many of them are early, short and naturalizing forms of tulips, daffodils, crocus, iris, and alliums, plus blue Grecian Windflower, Siberian Squill, Spring Starflower (Ipheion), Lavender Mountain Lily (Ixiolirion), the fall-blooming Saffron Crocus, and even Paperwhites for indoor fragrance in winter. Some are deer-proof. Look on our website in Plants/Bulbs for a complete listing with descriptions and pictures.

We’re very grateful to all of you who nominated us for Best Plant Nursery, Best Garden Center, and any other category in the Daily Camera’s ‘Boulder Gold’ competition.  We haven’t been notified yet of the winners, but regardless of this year’s outcome, we sincerely thank you for taking the time to show your support and enthusiasm for Harlequin’s Gardens!

We have re-stocked our racks of Abbondanza and Botanical Interests seeds for fall planting of cool-weather greens such as spinach, lettuce, kale, swiss chard, tatsoi and arugula. Most of these can continue to supply fresh greens at least through December with just a little protection.  Ask us about our row-cover fabric and Loop-hoops. We have also produced a limited number of fall vegetable starts for these crops and for several types of broccoli.

We would love to hear from you about your experiences with the vegetable starts and seeds you purchased from Harlequin’s Gardens, what was delicious, productive, healthy, or not.  So we are designing a Veggie Feedback section for our website and will soon notify you in our blog when it has been launched.

Landscape Consultations: Eve and Mikl are available for consultations year-round.  If you could use a little help deciding which plants to chose for difficult locations, how to begin working on a brand-new homesite, how to adapt your garden to use less water, support wild-life, or produce more food, give us a call.  We can also help identify pest or disease problems, make pruning and maintenance recommendations, or give you a personal tutorial in how to prune your roses, young trees, or fruit trees. Call 303-939-9403 for rates and to schedule with Mikl, Eve or both. If you schedule a consultation to take place between Nov 1 and Feb 28, we’ll give you 15% off a one-time purchase of plants at Harlequin’s Gardens

Newsletters by Email: Please choose to receive our newsletters by email. As the cost of printing and postage goes up and as our forests continue to come down, we are hoping you will like to receive our mailings and special offers by email. Please go to our website @ www.harlequinsgardens.com and click on the Subscribe link in the left margin of the home page, enter your name and addresses and press submit. Or leave your information at the front desk at Harlequin’s Gardens any day except Monday.

July and early August are usually the most intensely hot and dry time of the year in our region.  Not only do gardeners need to be sure to stay hydrated, but our plants are also very vulnerable and need more support from us.  Even though we only water the Xeriscape Rock Garden at Harlequin’s once in May and once in June, we water twice in July.  Many of our plants are expending a lot of energy now in producing flowers or seeds and can exhaust themselves trying to do all that while under extreme stress from heat and drought.  Deadheading is a good idea now, unless you are counting on collecting seeds, allowing the plant to self-sow, or leaving the seed pods on the plant for their decorative qualities in the fall and winter garden.  You can also compromise – we often deadhead about half to 2/3 of a plant and leave the rest to make seed.

With the exception of vegetable gardens, containers and bedding plants, it’s best to hold off on fertilizers now, although mild organic fertilizers can be used safely.  Fertilizers that are high in nitrogen, especially chemical fertilizers, can burn plants that are not receiving ample water.  Most summer vegetables (tomato, cucumber, squash, pepper, etc.) are heavy feeders, and their fruit production can be supported with a light side-dressing of an organic fertilizer such as Alpha One, Bradfield’s Tomato & Veggie, Age Old Fruit (dry formula) or Age Old Bloom (liquid).  After scratching the dry fertilizer into the top 1-2” of the soil, be sure to water it in with ample H2O.

We are experimenting a lot this year with our own Compost Tea, which we are brewing on-site. It is non-burning, and by increasing the soil life (beneficial micro-organisms), it can bring more nutrients and water to the plants and make them stronger and better able to cope with stress.  It can be used full-strength as a mild organic fertilizer, or it can be diluted in water up to 3 times as a soil inoculant.  It can also be used to inoculate compost piles to make materials break down faster. We have observed some very good results and received positive reports from customers who have tried it.  But we would also love to get your feedback on this new product, so for now, we are offering our compost tea for only $4 per gallon ($3.50 for HG members).  Our regular price is $5.  Bring your own jugs, or use ours for a $1 deposit (refundable upon return).

Because plants are more vulnerable in this hot, dry season, it is an excellent time to reduce weeds.  This can be accomplished through hand-tool weeding (if you don’t have one already, come check out our hori knives, weeding trowels and ‘Garden Bandit’ weeders); this is also the most effective time to apply non-toxic herbicides, such as ‘Clean & Green Naturally’, made with 20% vinegar, and ‘Perfectly Natural’ weed and grass killer, made with clove oil.  Both are in stock now at Harlequin’s Gardens.  Spray them in the heat of the day for the greatest effectiveness.  To prepare larger weed-filled areas for new plantings, consider ‘solarizing’ the area under clear or black plastic or pond-liner for 4 to 8 weeks.  This technique is most effective in the hottest months.  Ask us for detailed instructions on solarizing.

We also want to let you know that we have re-stocked our seed racks with seeds from both Abbondanza and Botanical Interests, for summer and fall planting of fall and winter crops.  Sow seeds now for carrots, beets, swiss chard, kohlrabi and kale.  In August, kale, kohlrabi, chard, cilantro, scallions and lettuce can be sown, and in September you can sow lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, cilantro, arugula, parsley and scallions.  We have already started broccoli and cauliflower plants for you to transplant out next month, and will also offer starts of kale, chard and more.  We have row-cover fabric to help you keep seed-beds protected and to protect crops from frost in the fall.

We are planning to launch a Vegetable Variety Review feature on our website where our customers will be able to report on their experiences with the vegetable varieties they’ve purchased from Harlequin’s Gardens.  This way, you can let us know what worked for you, what didn’t, what was delicious, productive, healthy, or not.  We will let you know as soon as this feature is ready.

In response to customers’ requests, we are excited to be offering for sale, for the first time, a limited number of the same kinds of cheerful, colorful and unusual spring bulbs that visitors to our display gardens were admiring in our gardens earlier this year. These include choice selections of wild species of tulips, miniature daffodils, irises, crocus and alliums, along with several lesser-known types of bulbs.  We will publish a list and descriptions on our website and in our Fall Newsletter, and we expect to receive most of our bulb shipment in the first week of September.  A few items will arrive a little later, after September 20th.  Since this is the first time we are offering bulbs and we need to appraise the response, the supply will be limited, so shop early for the best selection but wait until October or November to plant them in the ground.

Those of you who read the Boulder Daily Camera are probably familiar with their ‘Boulder Gold’ awards.  The Camera is currently conducting voting for the categories in which we can be nominated (they call this group of categories ‘Shopper’s Paradise’), and we would really appreciate your vote for us for Best Plant Nursery and Best Garden Center.  Voters can nominate a business for a maximum of 3 categories, and must enter votes for at least ten categories altogether.  Some other categories for which you might want to give us a third nomination might be Best Green Products/Services Store, Best Locally Owned Store, Best Shopping Destination, or Best Company/Store that Gives Back to the Community.  We feel that winning, especially as Best Plant Nursery, can go a long way to increasing our exposure to gardeners in Boulder County and beyond, many of whom still aren’t aware of our existence.  And that way, we will have a chance to introduce many more gardeners to sustainable plants and sustainable, non-toxic gardening practices and products.  Yes, we are trying to change the world!  And you can help us, one vote at a time. You can cast your ballot on paper and mail it in or hand-deliver it, using the ballots printed in the Camera through July 30th, or vote online at WWW.DAILYCAMERA.COM/VOTE.  If you can, ask your family, friends and neighbors to participate as well.

If you have some time to relax in the shade of a tree or in the relatively cool comfort of your house, you may want to read some of the excellent books we have stocked this year.  Joel Salatin’s ‘Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal’ entertains and educates, bringing to life “with humor and verve, the everyday conflict between the entrenched industrial food system and the local, neighbor-friendly farmer-entrepreneur”.  Get inspiration for planning and improving your gardens with ‘Planting Design: Gardens in Time and Space’ by renowned garden designer Piet Oudolf.  A newly arrived addition to our bookshelf is the long-awaited revised edition of ‘Native Plants for High Elevation Western Gardens’ by Jan Busco and Nancy Morin.  This is a highly useful text that describes and illustrates a large palette of native plants, covering not only their native habitats but their garden needs as well.  Anyone interested in extending the season to grow vegetables almost year-round will find a wealth of information in Eliot Coleman’s wonderful books, ‘The Four Season Harvest’ and ‘Winter Harvest Handbook’.  ‘Seed to ‘Seed’ by Susan Ashworth is an indispensable resource for anyone growing open-pollinated vegetable varieties and intending to save their seeds for planting next year.  On this subject, also check out our upcoming classes below.  And Harlequin’s Gardens Members receive a 25% discount on books all through the season.  See ‘Membership’ on our website, www.harlequinsgardens.com, and in our Spring 2010 Newsletter to learn more about our membership program.

We are still taking registration for the following classes at Harlequin’s Gardens (call 303-939-9403 or come in to register):

Saturday July 24, 1:30 pm: SAVING YOUR SEED with Janice Kieft.  Learn from an expert which kinds of vegetables and flowers will ‘come true’ from seed, how to ‘isolate’, and how to select, harvest, clean, store and test seeds. Janice is a professional in the seed industry  with 30 years experience. $10

Saturday August 14th, 1:30 pm:  PRUNING FOR STRENGTH, HEALTH and BEAUTY with Mikl Brawner.  In this talk and demonstration you will learn to train young trees, to restructure shrubs and trees damaged by storms, to prune roses, and more.  Mikl has over 35 years experience in pruning.   $15

Saturday August 21, 1:30 pm:  COMPOSTING with Eric Johnson.  Eric has been composting for more than 20 years and will teach the basics of easy, successful composting in our climate.  Learn how to troubleshoot problems and what to do about them.  $10

Sunday August 22, 1:30 pm:  PRUNING FOR STRENGTH, HEALTH and BEAUTY repeated – see description above.

Saturday September 11, 1:00 to 2:30 pm:   LOW-TECH GREENHOUSE DESIGN & OPERATION with Mikl Brawner.  Mikl has been researching, building and using simple greenhouses for 18 years.  This class will focus on designs on site at the nursery.  $15

Thank you for your patronage and friendship, and for your stewardship of the Earth!

Wishing you delight in your gardens,

Mikl Brawner & Eve Reshetnik Brawner
And the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

          “You can join the fight to save the honeybees by planting a pollinator-supporting garden.” This is a recommendation made by a Penn. State Master Gardener program. Is this weird? Not at all. The European Parliament has approved creating bee “recovery zones” across the Continent. These recovery zones will provide bees with nectar and pollen in areas that are free from pesticides. Why is it a big deal that honeybee populations around the world are declining? One reason is that one third of the human diet comes from plants that are pollinated by honeybees. Another reason is that honeybees may be the “canary in the coal mine”; just the first to show that there is a problem that hasn’t yet surfaced in other pollinators and other beings.

          We have been told that the problem is “colony-collapse disorder”, and that this is related to pesticides and stress-induced weaknesses. Besides writing to the EPA and local governments to restrict or ban the use of chemicals that harm bees, what else can we do? We can provide nectar and pollen-producing gardens that support pollinators without poisoning them.

          Some suggestions to help you create pollinator-friendly gardens are: 1) plant patches of the same flowering plant, 4’x4’ is a good size. This will make a visual impact and make it easier for bees to locate. 2) put out water in shallow dishes or bird baths with gravel and sand 3) leave cleanup of the garden until spring to help non-honeybee pollinators overwinter 4) plant natives that have evolved with local native pollinators 5) plant different varieties that bloom from early spring to late fall  6) avoid the use of many hybrid varieties with double flowers that lack pollen and nectar, and 7) do not apply toxic pesticides.

          Here are a few bee-friendly plants that love growing in Colorado:

The Mahonia tribe offer nectar, pollen and support for brood-rearing for bees, as well as a wide variety of forms for the gardener. All are evergreen, well-adapted to Colorado’s soils and climate and tolerant of drought. Their holly-like foliage is thick and waxy, helping them to tolerate wind and even winter sun. Our native Mahonia repens grows to only 8”-16” tall and makes a usually loose groundcover under pines or in filtered shade. Mahonia aquifolium, the Oregon Grape Holly is one of our easiest-to-grow broad-leafed evergreen shrubs. Besides having deep-green Holly-like leaves with purple winter color, it also produces blue berries that are preceded by fragrant yellow flowers in April and May. This 5’ spreading shrub is very tough and drought tolerant, and can grow in sun or shade, clay or gravel, moist or dry, once established. There is a compact variety that only grows to two and half feet high.

          Even the more unusual Desert Mahonias, Mahonia fremontii and M. haematocarpa are well-adapted here and are very popular with bees for their abundant, sweet-scented yellow flowers which can perfume a garden to the delight of gardeners, as well.

          Fruit trees depend on honeybees and other bee species for pollination, and, in turn, provide important support for bees. Apricots, with their very early pink blooms are important for bee brood-rearing, even if they seldom make apricots. At 30’ they are one of the largest and longest-lived of the stone-fruits, and they are drought tolerant. Early this April, my wife, Eve, and I watched a hummingbird feeding ecstatically in a blooming Apricot. Another blooming Apricot was so full of bees you could hear the tree humming form a distance. (Maybe we’ll get some apricots this year.)

          Cherries and plums are also valuable for early nectar and brood-rearing. The wild plum is especially valuable because of its colony-forming habit and strong sweet fragrance which bees find very attractive. Apples and Crab Apples also provide great masses of blooms for bees. Make sure you buy Fireblight-resistant varieties because the bacteria that causes this very damaging disease is spread by bees from flower to flower.

          For summer bloom, the Blue Mist Spirea, Caryopteris x clandonensis, has great appeal to bees, butterflies and gardeners. There are several cultivars ranging from two feet to four feet high and wide. All provide profuse lavender to rich blue flowers that bloom for a long time in mid to late summer. ‘Dark Knight’ is 4’x4’ with gray-green leaves and dark blue flowers, ‘Longwood’ is 2’-3’ high and 3’ wide with bluish-violet flowers and may die to the ground in a cold winter. ‘First Choice’ blooms earlier than the others with dark purple-blue flowers. There are a couple gold-leaved cultivars; one is ‘Worcester Gold’ with lavender-blue flowers and is only 2’ high. Every spring cut them back by one third or more.

          The Blue Mist Spireas are not  true Spireas, but the flowers have a resemblance to Spirea. They are very useful deer-resistant, xeriscape shrubs that can make a good single specimen, can be lined up to make a hedge or massed to simply fill and weed-smother a large area. Beware of their seedlings which can be numerous, but easy to dig in their first year. The beautiful blue flowers in the heat of the summer are a welcome sight and the bees really appreciate them when little else is in bloom.

          People often ask at our nursery for one of those magical plants that expresses its sexuality all season long by blooming continuously. Besides the boring explanation that we must plant different varieties with over-lapping bloom-times, another answer is “catmints.” Catmints provide “continuous” bloom if flowering stems are sheared off when they are nearly spent. Then they will provide nectar and pollen over a very long season. Catmint is not the same as Catnip, Nepeta cataria, which is a self-sustaining plant of weedy habit beloved by cats. The catmints are much better garden plants. In 2007 Nepeta x faassenii (N. racemosa) ‘Walker’s Low’ was named Perennial Plant of the Year for its lovely gray-green foliage and lavender-blue flowers that keep on coming. It has no disease or pest problems, is resistant to both deer and rabbits and is sterile so it doesn’t make a nuisance of itself (like Nepeta mussinii which seeds a lot). It is not, however, very low; it can grow 18”-30” high and wide. Similar to ‘Walker’s Low’ but lower and seeding some is the also beautiful Nepeta x fassinii. “Little Trudy” is a dwarf catmint that was found at Little Valley Nursery in Denver, and was chosen in 2008 for the Plant Select Program. It has silvery foliage with lavender blooms that continue for a long time. ‘Little Trudy’ is only 8”-10” high and 12”-16” wide. ‘Six Hills Giant’ is another popular cultivar that grows 2’-3’ tall and wide, and ‘Souvenir d’ Andre Chaudron’ is a Nepeta siberica variety that is very beautiful, long blooming, grows to 18” and requires moderate water.

          Support the honeybees, and plan for a long season of blooms both for the bees and other pollinators, the beneficial insects and for yourself and the neighbors.

Other good bee plants are:
Veronicas, Thymes, Winter Savories, the Mints, Basil, Lavender, Hyssop, Rosemary, Yarrows, Gaillardias, Asters, Campanulas, Mums, Coreopsis, Erigerons, Bee Balm, Dandelion, Sumac, Sand Cherry, Mock Orange, Maples, Redbud, Lilacs, Serviceberries, Cotoneasters, Hawthorns, Willows, Tomatoes, Peppers, Beans, Corn, Cucumbers, Melons

THIS WEEK: 3 Great Classes

June 12, Saturday 1:30pm: Opportunities and Tricks of Xeriscape with Mikl Brawner There are advantages to gardening with less water, and tricks that will improve your success. Mikl’s xeriscape experience of over 20 years has taught him tricks that will cost you a lot less than it cost him. $15

June 13, Sunday 10am: Backyard Beekeeping with Julie Finley. Learn honeybee culture and the plants that support them. Visit our Top Bar hives to learn a great system for natural and small scale beekeeping. Julie buzzes with 14 years experience.She’s a honey $10

 June 13, Sunday 1:30pm: Top 40 Fragrant Roses with Eve Brawner: A Nose-on Class. The enchanting fragrances of roses have been lost in many modern varieties. Eve will share her long experience searching out the truly fragrant varieties, heirloom & modern  $10

MELON:
Crane
Green Nutmeg
Ha Ogen
Tigger
Hearts of Gold

WATERMELON:
Peace – Yellow-fleshed
Cream of Saskatchewan – White-fleshed
Sweat Dakota Rose – Red-fleshed

WINTER SQUASH:
Nutty Delica (Kabocha type)
Tetsukabuto (Kabocha type)
Carnival (Acorn type)
Sunshine (Sweet, dry, red)
Burpee Butterbush (Butternut type)

PEPPER:
Early Jalapeno

The first gallon is FREE with any purchase

Mikl has been researching compost teas for three years and thinks this compost tea may be a very high quality and effective treatment for both fertility and increasing the beneficial bacteria and fungi in our soils.  We are using a compost in a swirling vortex brewer.

According to Steve Diver of Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, compost teas “provide soluble nutrients that promote a noticeable greening of crops, …provide bioactive compounds that function as bio-stimulants and coat the plant surfaces with protective microorganisms.”  The microorganisms are very important in making nutrients available, in improving soil structure and in suppressing diseases.

But our experience is limited so we want you to test this compost tea and tell us if you see any positive results.  Take one gallon for free (bring your own clean 1 gallon jug or pay $1.00 for a jug and return it rinsed clean for a $1.00 refund).  This offer will be good from now until June 30^th.

This compost tea may be applied full strength as a fertilizer using a sprinkling can or strained and sprayed or may be diluted up to 4 times for use as a microbial innoculant (increasing your population of beneficial bacteria and fungi).  It is best to use the compost tea within 4-6 hours. Besides the value to our plants, this compost tea offers great potential in having a locally produced renewable fertility product.

Here is a comprehensive list of the organic vegetable starts that are still available.

SQUASH
Lady Godiva Pumpkin
New England Pie Pumpkin

Delicata – winter
Long Island Cheese – winter
Spaghetti – winter
Sunshine – winter
Tetsukabuto – winter
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash – winter
Uchiki Kuri – winter
Uncle Dave’s Dakota Dessert – winter

Coosa – summer
Gentry – summer
Ronde de Nice – summer
Soleil – summer
Tatume – summer
Tromboncino – summer

MELONS
Collective Farm Woman
Jenny Lind
Noire des Carmes
Sugar Baby

CUCUMBER
Armenian
Bush Champion
Diva
Homemade Pickles
Marketmore
Suhyo Long
Super Zagross
Salad Bush

TOMATOES
Black Krim
Black From Tula
Box Car Willie
Carmello
Cherokee Purple
Garden Peach
Gardener’s Delight
Golden Delight
Goliath
Jaune Flammee
Kellogg’s Breakfast
Mexico Midget
Mo’s Golden Paste
Mortgage Lifter
Opalka
Orange Blossom
Orange Queen
Paul Robeson
Principe Borghese
Pruden’s Purple
Rutgers Indeterminate
Siletz
Speckled Roman
Stupice
Taxi
Thessaloniki

PEPPERS
Alma Paprika
Anaheim
Ancho/Poblano
Ariane
Espanola Improved
King of the North
Lanterna
New Mexico #6
Orange Thai
Peruvian Purple
Pretty in Purple Pepper
Purple Cayenne

EGGPLANT
Applegreen
Black King
Dusky
Galine
Listada de Gandia
Nadia
Pingtung Long
Prosperosa
Rosa Bianca
White Fingers

BASIL
cinnamon
Fine Verde
Italiano Classico
Mrs Burns Lemon
Nufar
Spicy Globe
Thai
Tulsi or Holy

CHARD
Argentata
Golden Sunrise
Orange Fantastic

MISC
Celeriac Brilliant

HARLEQUIN”S GARDENS NURSERY is very excited to invite you to a

FREE (and CARBON- FREE) DEMONSTRATION of
 
SOLAR, OFF-THE-GRID COOKING   with Mary Carhart

on SUNDAY MAY 16^th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at

 Harlequin’s Gardens Nursery

4795 N. 26^th St., Boulder CO 80301    (303) 939-9403

Experience the technology and sample cookies baked in a solar oven!

Solar Cooking is a simple, exciting and important clean-energy technology providing a clean and healthy alternative that greatly improves the lives of millions of people around the world, as well as the small and large-scale environments in which they (and we) live.

Mary Carhart will be demonstrating a variety of different Solar Cooking technologies, from home-made to high-tech.  Mary is passionate about solar cooking and spreading its use, both locally and globally.  She has been cooking with solar ovens and educating people about solar cooking technologies and techniques for five years. 

Colorado is blessed with optimal conditions for Solar Cooking, and solar ovens can be used to bake, roast, fry, dry-process (dehydrate) or otherwise cook all kinds of foods, from turkey to casseroles to cakes.

This event is not about selling solar ovens and Mary has no products to sell.  It is an opportunity to see and experience solar cooking technologies, to hear about the ways in which solar cooking is improving lives and environments, to find out about resources for solar cooking, and to get answers to your questions about solar cooking. And to eat a sol-food cookie.

So we hope you will join us for this valuable, informative and fun demonstration!

_____________________________________And come in for our bounty of vegetable starts:

As I write this note on Thursday night, we currently have the following out for sale:

TOMATOES: Siletz, Super Lakotah (aka Super Sioux), Sungold, Goliath, Silvery Fir Tree, Orange Blossom, Stupice, Black Prince, Orange Queen, Principe Borghese,  Box Car Willy, Carmello, Big Beef, Jaune Flammee, Chianti Rose, Mortgage Lifter, Mo’s Golden Paste, Opalka, Amish Paste and Martino’s Roma. 

As space becomes available over the next few days, we plan to bring out some more, including: Tumbler, Pineapple, Pruden’s Purple, Brandywine, Black Krim, Siberian, Lemon Boy, Black from Tula, Mexico Midget, Speckled Roman, Rutgers Indeterminate, Golden Delight, Paul Robeson and Kellogg’s Breakfast.

Soon to follow will be:  Black Cherry, Gardener’s Delight, Thessaloniki, and more……

We also have lots of different kinds of peppers and eggplants coming out, and we still have cabbage, cauliflower, Pak Choi, Red Shiso, Mizuna, and other spring greens, seven different beautiful varieties of Swiss Chard (!), radicchio, Nasturtiums, and on, and on!

AND… we have Marketmore Cucumbers, Soleil Golden Zucchini ready for sale, and soon to follow, a whole bunch of Summer Squash (Eight Ball, Yellow Straightneck, Gentry, Tatume, Raven, Costata Romanesco, Caserta, Coosa, Tromboncino, Benning’s Green Tint, Ronde de Nice, etc.) and Winter Squash varieties (Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato, Delicata, Fordhook Acorn, Long Island Cheese, Hessel Sugar Loaf, Uncle David’s Dakota Dessert, Burpee’s Butterbush, Tetsukabuto, Sunshine, Sweet Meat, Blue Ballet, Carnival, Squisito Spaghetti Squash, Cha Cha Kabocha, etc.) and Melons coming on (Collective Farm Woman, Crane, Ha Ogen, Green Nutmeg, Tigger, Noire des Carmes, Halona, as well as many other cucumber varieties (Suhyo Long, Home-made Pickles, Diva, Tanja, Early Russian, etc.).

_____________________________________________________________________________________

In the last two weeks we have brought out lots of plants from our own propagation, and have received many deliveries from our suppliers, most of whom are small Front Range growers.   Right now we have our best plant selection of the season.

We are fortunate to be able to offer local organic Mushroom Compost right now.  We hope to be able to get more, but we don’t know if it will be available again this season.

Our selection of books has grown, and includes many of the best books available for edible gardening, container gardening, native plants, xeriscape, permaculture, creating meadows, planting design, etc.

We look forward to helping you make your gardening joyful, successful and rewarding.

Eve & Mikl Brawner

          If you haven’t already done it, not is the time to prune out dead canes from roses and dieback from other shrubs. Many people are reporting plant damage due to last fall’s early deep freeze. Our favorite daphne in the rock garden died, and many zone 5 roses died to the ground—another reminder of the importance of planting own-root roses instead of grafted ones.

          Now is also a good time to feed roses. Pull back the mulch, scratch the soil 1”-2” deep and apply the fertilizer (we recommend the Colorado-formulated Mile High Rose Feed) fertilize in a wide ring near the drip line, not close to the canes, scratch it in, water deeply and pull the mulch back.

          When can we safely plant tomatoes and peppers without protection? That is a question! Usually May 20^th; Denver Botanic Gardens suggest May 15^th. If you can put a bucket over them on a cold night, mid May is probably OK. Or, to get an earlier start, you can use our popular Solar Caps which are like a Wall-O-Water, but better, and can be left on the whole season long to keep the soil warm even during our cool nights. Tomatoes and peppers appreciate warm soil both when they are planted (set up the Solar Cap several days before planting), and later to keep growing and maturing when nights are cool.

          Heads Up! To you few getting this announcement: Organic mushroom compost has been hard to get and we just brought in a limited quantity. This stuff is great for vegetable gardens and roses.

          Also our recent deliveries and the readiness of our Harlequin-Grown plants have filled our tables and houses, so we have the best selection of plants now that we will have all year. We still have a good selection of organic vegetables and herb starts and will continue producing them into June.

          Our Soil Food Café is also well stocked with organic composts and organic fertilizers and a good organic potting mix for your containers. Also don’t forget to check out our schedule of classes (www. HarlequinsGardens.com/Classes) and call to pre-register for the ones that interest you.  We have some great ones coming up including:

Saturday May 15, 10 am High Altitude Gardening with Diane Badertscher. Gardening above 6000’ has its own challenges. There are certain plants and certain strategies that can improve your successes. Diane lives and gardens at 8000’ and can help you.  $10

Saturday May 15, 1:30 pm Alison Peck: Edible Landscaping.  Learn how to grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, vines and herbs in your yard, beautifully. Learn which plants are the most successful and how to integrate them into your landscape. Alison has been designing edible landscapes for 25 years;  She owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. $10

Sunday May 16, 1:30 pm  Home-grown Fruits with Mikl Brawner. Apples, cherries, plums, currants, grapes, strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, service berries (and more) produce good fruit in Colorado. Learn which varieties are disease resistant, good flavored and best adapted to CO conditions. $15

Saturday May 22, 1:30 pm  Spring Pruning with Mikl Brawner Prune Spring-blooming shrubs soon after they have bloomed. Mikl will show how to make proper cuts, how to shape, thin and renew shrubs. (tree pruning see Aug classes) Mikl has 35 years experience. $10

Sunday May 23, 1:30 pm  Secrets of Veggie Gardening in the Mountains with Roland Evans. Learn how to amend soils, choose the right varieties, simple plant protection strategies. Roland grows over 50 varieties of veggies at 7500’. CEO of Organic Bountea. $10

Saturday June 5, 10 am  Growing Vegetables without Chemicals with Niki Hayden. Niki will cover soil amendments for fertility, pest barriers and nontoxic methods for insect and weed control. Niki has many years of experience with healthy gardening. $10

Saturday June 12, 1:30 pm   Opportunities and Tricks of Xeriscape with Mikl Brawner There are advantages to gardening with less water, and tricks that will improve your success. Mikl’s xeriscape experience of over 20 years has taught him tricks that will cost you a lot less than it cost him.  $15

Sunday June 13, 10 am   Backyard Beekeeping with Julie Finley of Growing Gardens. Learn honeybee culture and the plants that support them. Visit our Top Bar hives to learn a great system for natural and small scale beekeeping. Julie buzzes with 14 years experience. She’s a honey.   $10

Sunday June 13, 1:30 pm  Top 40 Fragrant Roses with Eve Brawner: A Nose-on Class.    Eve will share her long experience searching out and growing the truly fragrant rose varieties, heirloom & modern, and will bring samples of as many as possible.  $10

We are very excited to invite you to a

FREE (and CARBON- FREE) DEMONSTRATION of
 
SOLAR, OFF-THE-GRID COOKING , with Mary Carhart

on SUNDAY MAY 16^th , from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Experience the technology and sample cookies baked in a solar oven !

At Harlequin’s Gardens Nursery, 4795 N. 26^th St., Boulder CO 80301 (303-939-9403)

Solar Cooking is an exciting and important clean-energy technology providing a clean and healthy alternative that greatly improves the lives of millions of people around the world, as well as the large and small-scale environment in which they (and we) live.

Mary Carhart will demonstrate a variety of different Solar Cooking technologies, from home-made to high-tech.  Mary is passionate about solar cooking and spreading its use both locally and globally.  She has been cooking with solar ovens and educating people around the country about solar cooking technologies and techniques for five years.

Colorado is blessed with optimal conditions for Solar Cooking, and solar ovens can be used to bake, roast, fry, dry-process (dehydrate) or otherwise cook all kinds of foods, from turkey to casserole to cake.

So we hope you will join us for this valuable, informative and fun demonstration!

Thank you for your support and for recommending us to your friends and neighbors.

Sincerely,  Mikl, Eve and the Staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

          How can we deal with all the bugs and diseases without using toxic poisons, and how can our gardens really produce without high-powered chemical fertilizers? Many people wanting to garden sustainably are asking these questions. And it is not easy to find the answers, partly because the answers are not simple. I want to admit this up front, but don’t be scared off, because it’s not that hard to garden sustainably once you get the hang of it. However you must know that you can’t just exchange a slam-bam chemical approach for a slam-bam sustainable approach.

          I started investigating this whole subject 35 years ago when I took over the management of a small apple orchard in Iowa. I attended a  Fruit Growers’ Assn. Conference held at the prestigious Iowa State University Agriculture School. It quickly became clear that the professors were acting as agents for the pesticide and chemical fertilizer companies whose salesmen filled the trade show. I was told there are two crops nobody can grow without lots of chemicals: apples and cotton. And they scoffed at an old-timer who told the group that he used geese to remove weeds instead of herbicides. The experience convinced me that I could not trust the university professors’ recommendations. That was when I took the organic road. Later I learned that most land grant universities were subsidized by chemical companies to test their products.

          So the first lesson for us on the subject of gardening without chemicals is: Don’t believe the people telling you that you can’t garden without chemicals, because most of them have something to gain by saying so. This was radical thinking in 1975. Now you may be wondering why make a point of something that is so obvious.

          This historical anecdote is valuable because it shows where we are coming from, and the forces that still influence us, though now they may be green-washed with clever names and slogans, using terms like “green” and “organic” when they have only added a few organic items to their chemical line. My point is: no matter what products or services are called, get the complete list of ingredients or products, especially if a professional is going to spray or apply something on your property. It may not be lethal to adults, but is it hazardous to infants, dogs, cats, bees, fish, frogs, beneficial insects or soil microorganisms?

          The truly sustainable products and companies will take the whole eco-system into consideration, and will talk more about supporting life that destroying life, more about balancing an eco-system rather than about killing an enemy, and more about teaching you a method than selling you a silver bullet.

          I admit, there is something very satisfying (to the ego) about spraying some bugs that are devouring our tomatoes and watching them drop dead at our feet, or sprinkling some granules on the lawn and seeing it bright green, thick and tall only a week later. Wow! Aren’t these crowd pleasers? The problem is, our instant gratification has been coming at a high price to our environment, because of the not-so-instant and often hidden consequences. Pesticides are designed to kill, but they don’t know when to stop killing. Quick-green-up chemical fertilizers that are not completely absorbed by the plants flow into our ground water, create dead zones in our seas, and change our atmosphere. On top of these effects is the tremendous pollution released in the manufacturing of these products.

          So what are the alternatives? I have been asking that question, researching the answers and testing them in my gardens and nursery for 35 years. Sustainability has recently reached a new level with new products and research surfacing every year, and it is hard to keep up with all the new developments. It is obvious, though, that we are now getting a clearer view of the organic path, and that we are far better equipped to garden organically than ever before. In addition, the word is out that organic gardening can not only give us a cleaner world and healthier food, but it can also significantly support the reduction of greenhouse gases.

          One of the most important themes of gardening organically and sustainably is: strong and healthy plants have few pests, and strong and healthy plants come from strong and healthy soil. As Wendell Berry, farmer and eloquent spokesman for sustainable agriculture, has explained: if a soil is deficient in a healthy soil life, the plants growing on that soil will also be deficient, and the animals and humans eating those plants will also be deficient. This is why I say that we cannot just switch from a chemical silver bullet to an organic silver bullet. A significant part of any sustainable solution is understanding the cyclical nature of nutrient sharing. We humans must do our share to give, not just take, from the nutrient cycle.

          The short answer to how to have a healthy soil life is to follow Naure’s example of returning organic matter to the soil every year, by mulching and adding composts and organic fertilizers. This process may take more time and care, like preparing a home-cooked meal from scratch, whereas using chemical fertilizers is like dining at the 7-11 on high fructose corn syrup, processed food and other imitation food stuffs. Chemical fertilizers are derived from petroleum. They are known to burn microorganisms and have been shown to require as much as ten times more water to prevent burning of plants. In addition their manufacture and use releases nitrous oxide, the most ozone-depleting substance made by man, and 300 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

There are now many locally-produced sources of good organic soil amendments and fertilizers which are good for the plants, and responsible for far less greenhouse gas emissions.

Another important theme in organic/sustainable gardening is using plants that are well-adapted to our area. Sure, if you just love astilbe or rhododendrons, you can make a special area for them. But the majority of plants for the Front Range of Colorado should be water-thrifty and tolerant of alkaline soils, hot summers, cold winters, strong wind and rapidly changing conditions. They should also be resistant to our common pest and disease problems. Why plant a Jonathan apple, for example, that will be weakened by fireblight, require spraying and/or higher maintenance, when there are apple varieties resistant to fireblight. And we should focus on ornamentals, vegetables and fruits that flower or ripen in our shorter growing season. I would love to grow Maximillian Sunflower, but it doesn’t bloom until October and is often smashed by snow. And I would love to grow a Braeburn apple, but it usually won’t mature within our growing season. Natives, of course, are well-adapted to our conditions, but so are many other plants.

Then there is the theme of right-plant-in-the-right-place. A Russian Sage is bullet-proof, right? Not if you plant it in the shade. And iceplants that love sun may melt if they get too much hot late afternoon sun. So plants need to be given conditions specific to their natures or they will be stressed and diseased, attract pests, look bad or die. This is part of the challenge and fun of gardening: we have to get to know our plants and nurture them in the right way, even if that means reducing the water or fertilizer.

Another theme of organic/sustainable gardening is monitoring pests and diseases and evaluating them. Although it is another job to learn to recognize different insects and diseases, it is also part of the magic of creation which we get to tune into. When we learn to tell the difference between a rose slug and a ladybug larva, it can help us to see when nothing needs to be done, because Nature is taking care of the pests. And we can learn to not panic at the mere presence of a pest; we can look to see if the damage level merits intervention. I purposely leave small populations of pests in my garden to attract and feed beneficial insects.

Controlling pests brings up another organic theme which is: If damage levels are too high to be tolerated, use the least toxic, least invasive method that will support you plants. Some diseases can be eliminated by reducing water or by watering in the morning so the soil can dry before nightfall when humidity can condense on leaves. Some insects can be blasted off with a strong stream of water. Some sucking insects can be discouraged by spraying the leaves with seaweed (kelp) which toughens the leaf surface. Home-made (and commercial) sprays made from chili powder, garlic, eucalyptus etc can repel insects.

When pests need to be killed, my favorite method is horticultural oil. It is a mechanical pesticide, meaning that it is not at all poisonous and acts by coating soft-bodied insects with oil and suffocating them. It must be sprayed on the pest to be effective. I like this control because it has no effect on beneficial insects, bees, birds or soil organisms. I like the Pure Spray brand because it can be sprayed on the leaves without any burning. Horticultural oils cannot be sprayed over water with fish.

Insecticidal soaps are also popular because of their very low toxicity and negligible environmental impact. They act by dessication and must be sprayed directly on the pest to be effective. Both insecticidal oils and soaps may have to be reapplied to reduce larger populations and egg hatches. There are many Neem products that vary greatly in their strength. Neem works as an anti-feedant and disrupts insect development. It can be effective also against powdery mildew. Neem is an active ingredient in my toothpaste, so it has a very low toxicity when applied as directed.

Although it breaks down very quickly, I don’t recommend using Pyrethrum since even the powdered flowers of the Pyrethrum daisy are quite toxic, effecting beneficial insects and even cats. The synthetic pyrethrins and pyrethroids are more potent and longer lasting and therefore more dangerous. There are so many “soft pesticides” on the market that I can’t talk about all of them, but I am wary of Spinosad which effects the nervous system of insects and may harm bees.

Among the fungicides, the only one I recommend is Green Cure which is a potassium bicarbonate product, very similar to baking soda and not harmful to beneficial fungi in the soil. It is very effective, though the appearance may not change for a while. Even baking soda reduces some fungus problems, as does horticultural oil. Many fungus problems can be controlled culturally by reducing water, watering in the morning, using drip irrigation instead of overhead watering, improving air circulation or light exposure, aerating the soil mechanically or adding soil amendments.

One of the best pest controls is a diverse population of plants that support beneficial insects. It is especially good to grow plants with clusters of small flowers that provide nectar. Stuart Hill, a professor at McGill University, once said, “An investment in seeds of plants that will flower through the summer will give more pest control than that same investment in pesticides.”

The least toxic herbicides are horticultural vinegar, certain soaps and clove oil products. These are all most effective on annual weeds sprayed on hot, sunny days. Some perennial weeds can be controlled when used on small weeds or with repeated applications. Boiling water works where no valuable plants are nearby, as in between flagstones. Flaming by scorching the leaves is effective, but uses propane. Hand weeding is most effective when done before weeds get big enough to feed their roots.

Roundup and the glyphosates are NOT nontoxic. It may be unrealistic to say “never use them”, but almost never use them. Problems with cracking bark have been linked to the use of glyphosates near woody plants, and Roundup has been shown to be extremely lethal to amphibians like toads and frogs. In addition between 1984 and 1990, glyphosate was the third most reported cause of pesticide illness among agricultural workers; and the most reported cause by landscape workers. (See the sidebar)

Last on my list of themes of organic and sustainable gardening is “a naturalistic attitude,” as opposed to a “control freak” attitude. Learn to accept a certain level of damage. Trying to dominate Nature with complete control is unrealistic and unfriendly. Being OK with 10%-20% damage will make your life much more relaxed and require less time and money spent on maintenance. From a little distance, it may not even be noticeable. It is important to understand that only a small percentage of insects and fungi are pests and many are beneficial. It is also good to recognize that gardens with bugs support birds and beneficial insects.

Our reward for using a non-toxic approach to gardening are gardens and landscapes we are not afraid to touch and eat and let the children play in. Our soils and plants are genuinely healthier and our food is more nutritious. We support a world environment that is healthier and more diverse, with fewer greenhouse gases and a more peaceful people. Instead of contributing to an environmental global crisis, organic gardening and farming are becoming part of the healing of our planet.

SIDEBAR:

 Roundup and Glyphosates

Since it was introduced in 1974 by Monsanto, it has been applied to more land area than any other active ingredient. This may be due to the advertised perception that it is essentially harmless since it biodegrades so quickly. It is my understanding that the safety of Roundup was based on tests performed on glyphosate alone, and it is coming to light that other ingredients added to these herbicides are responsible for some of the dangerous side-effects. Hannah Mathers, Ohio State University nursery and landscape specialist, tested many glyphosate products and discovered that it is the surfactants, known as “adjuvant loads” that cause bark splitting of woody plants if sprayed within 30’ of their trunks. This can be a serious problem since it takes years to break down the chemical once it is taken up by the shrub or tree. Other problems associated with the use of glyphosate herbicides include witch’s broom, stunting, growth problems, dead branches, and death. Ms. Mathers recommends using glyphosate products that do not contain the adjuvant load: Backdraft, Campaign, Expert, Extreme, Fallowmaster, Fallow Star, Fieldmaster, Glypro, Landmaster BW, Land Star, ReadyMaster Atz, Rodeo, Roundup Custom, and RU SoluGran.

In addition the Weed Science Society of America has warned that overuse of glyphosate has led to resistance in nine species of weeds, requiring higher doses for control or lacking any control. Their conclusion is that we need to find other methods of control.

And as mentioned in the main article, between 1984 and 1990 glyphosate use was the most commonly reported cause of pesticide illness among landscape workers and the third most common cause among agricultural workers.

Other resources:

Pesticide Action Network  www.panna.org

Audubon Society guide to home pesticides: www.but.ly/pesticidechart

Beyond Pesticides: www.bit.ly/lawncare

(Also, Jane, the data about pesticide illnesses in my last paragraph came from a Heritage Rose Soc newsletter with no sources)

Spring has arrived!  Yesterday we passed a lovely old apricot tree in full bloom.  But wait! – maybe summer is here? – there was a hummingbird hard at work sucking nectar from the apricot blossoms!

We thought we’d blog about bees this month, but that will have to wait. In the rush of spring coming on so fast this year, perhaps it is best to talk about what to do now.

Clean Up: cut down the dead stems and stalks of your perennials and compost them. The ornamental grasses should have been cut down to 6” or so a month ago, but do it now if it is not done, maybe to 10” now.  Ground covers may have dead leaves and bits, but cutting them out with clippers would take too long; try just rubbing them with your gloved hand and watch them quickly fill in and look better.

Weeding: it is most effective to weed now while weeds are small. It is especially important to dig out the weed grasses at this time, so you are not pulling up desirable plants with your weeds later. Use a soil knife or a sharp trowel so you can get close to your plants without badly damaging their roots while removing competing weeds. Some people really like knee pads while weeding, others like to squat which stretches out the back muscles. Bindweed will be pushing up soon; it is important to prevent it from having an opportunity to feed its roots. So use a long knife-weeder or trowel that can cut the root at least 3”-4” below the surface. This will give you time to do other things before the bindweed needs to be cut again in 2-4 weeks. If you dig it again before the tops are more than 2” tall, the root will be stressed and that will give your perennials and shrubs a chance to grow, leaf out and shade the bindweed, suppressing it even further.  Careful application of a 20% Vinegar non-toxic herbicide can also burn the foliage back to give the desirable plants a head start.

Soil Preparation: Right now is a great time to add organic matter to the soil – the clay soils are not too wet and gummy, and the gravelly soils are still moist and soft.  Be sure to use mature composts. Avoid manures with a smell (the odor tells you that they need further composting) or raw wood material that will rob the soil of nitrogen if incorporated into the soil.

Most of our Colorado soils are rich in phosphorus and potassium, but deficient in organic matter and nitrogen. We recommend composts locally made from local materials, such as: EcoGro (made from landscape and beer wastes), Eko Compost (made from well-composted chicken manure and wood wastes), or composted dairy cow manure. And we recommend composted cotton burs for breaking up dense clay soils. We also recommend organic fertilizers made either from animal manures (like Nature Cycle) and from alfalfa (like Alpha I or Bradfield’s). Other valuable organic materials to add to the soil are: kelp meal, cottonseed meal, and rock dust. In early May you can fertilize your roses with locally formulated and produced Mile Hi Rose Feed.

These organic composts and fertilizers will support soil life and will help build healthy soil with improved aeration and long-term nutrition, which translates into healthier plants and more nutritious food.

Many of you have your vegetable gardens prepared and are raring to go.  Harlequin’s Gardens is well-stocked with seeds for you from Botanical Interests and Abbondanza Farm. Now is the time to sow seeds for beets, lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, carrots, parsnips, kale, onions, radishes, turnips and salad greens.  And it’s not too late to plant Sugar Snap peas.  To protect seedbeds from drying out and also protect from squirrels and birds, we sell Seed Guard light-weight row cover fabric.  Seed Guard is also very useful for covering plants of broccoli, kale, and other cabbage-family members to protect from cabbage butterflies (they lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves – then they hatch into cabbage loopers, which feed voraciously on the leaves).

Now is also the time to set out plants of vegetables that prefer or can tolerate cool weather, and we are extremely well stocked with cool-season vegetable starts – Broccoli (8 varieties!), Cabbage (5 varieties!), Cauliflower (both white and purple), and Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Radicchio (3 kinds!), Tatsoi, Pak Choi (aka Bok Choy), Mizuna, Lettuce (in small pots and pre-planted Cutting Salad boxes), Chicory, Watercress, Arugula, Leeks, Nasturtiums, etc.  Go to ‘Plants’, then ‘Edibles’ on our website for descriptions of the varieties.

Potatoes and onions can be planted now, and this year we are offering three varieties of ‘seed’ potatoes – Yukon Gold, Red Sangre, and Purple Majesty, and three varieties of onion seedlings – Copra, Ailsa Craig and Rumba.  Asparagus crowns are in, plants of two heirloom varieties of rhubarb (Victoria and Glaskins Perpetual) are ready, and we have dozens of varieties of culinary and medicinal herb plants.  Russian Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum) is always in short supply, but right now we have some beautiful Comfrey plants in quart and gallon containers.  Russian Comfrey is an extremely useful medicinal plant and is also highly valued for making nitrogen-rich compost and biodynamic ‘tea’ for plant vitality. A little later in the season we will have plant of ‘True’ Comfrey, (Symphytum officinale,  True Comfrey is very rarely offered and is considered the supreme Comfrey for medicinal use.

For those of you who want to get a head-start on your tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, we have begun to bring out some tomato and pepper plants, and this first modest selection will soon be followed by an avalanche of varieties of every color, size, flavor, shape and origin.  But first, come and get your Solar Caps – the best protection for your early plantings of warm-season vegetables. (a vast improvement over Wall-o-Water).

We like to include some tasty edible flowers in our salads, such as Violas (we have dark red, yellow, blue and purple-black varieties), Nasturtiums (two varieties are ready, and several more coming along soon) and Calendula (ready soon).

Speaking of flowers, you may have noticed that we carry plants of several self-sowing annuals, such as Larkspur, Batchelor Buttons, California Poppy, ‘Lauren’s Grape’ Poppy and Evening-Scented Stock.  You may wonder ‘why not just seed these in the garden?’  And, of course, direct seeding is definitely an option, but it must be timed correctly. Some gardeners find that they can start a ‘colony’ of these wildflowers more successfully by beginning with a few plants, which will bloom and produce copious seeds that will distribute themselves in the area at just the right time.  Enough of the seeds will find perfect niches in the soil, and the next year(s), a self-sustaining colony is established.

Our classes are rapidly filling up, so come in or call 303-939-9403 to reserve your place for any classes that interest you.  A few of the classes coming up soon are:

Sun, April 18, 10 am : Ecological Garden Design, part 1

Sun., April 18, 1:30 pm : Raising Backyard Chickens

Sat., April 24, 10 am : Ecological Garden Design, part 2

Sun., April 25, 1:30 : Wild Edibles & Medicinal Weeds

We invite you to come and celebrate with us at our May Day Festival on Saturday May 1 and Sunday May 2.

On Saturday, come out for some delightful entertainment – first, at 10:30, the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers will perform their lively, ancient May Day dances to make the crops grow.  Then at 12 noon we will have the classic harmonies of the Coconuts Barbershop Quartet.  And at 1:00, Margot Krimmel will play heavenly melodies for us on her harp.

On Sunday, be sure to bring your kids, as we will also be celebrating World Laughter Day (don’t you think we can all use a good laugh?).  Refreshments will be served, and Denver Magician Stuart Hayner will amuse and amaze us with his Magic Show at 1:30.  He will also be around afterwards to create balloon-animals for the children.  Mikl may juggle, one never knows when.  And at 2:30 the Boulder Irish Session Band (including Eve Brawner) will play lively, authentic Celtic music.

Coinciding with the May Day Festival will be our Plant Sale which begins May 1^st and continues through Friday May 7th (please note we are closed on Mondays). We will have lots of great plants including a special members-only section.  During the May Day Sale, members will get first pick of the unusual and specialty plants Mikl and Eve have propagated, which are often in short supply, for only $2.25 each. The following week these plants will be available to everyone at the regular prices of $3, $3.50, and $4.  During the May Day Sale, members also get 10% off roses (except quart size).

We are looking forward to seeing all of you, and we wish you a green and growing Spring!

Mikl & Eve Brawner