You know just how fast the planting season has come on since the snows ended.  Well, you can imagine how busy we are at the nursery.  Too busy, in fact, to write the descriptions for our May 20/20 sale, but we did it anyway!

We have more plants to choose from right now than at any other time of the year. We’ve brought out huge numbers of our own Harlequin-grown plants and had deliveries this week from at least seven suppliers, so we are way beyond ‘well-stocked’ with plants and soil products, as well as tools, accessories and ornaments.

20/20 SALE – MONDAY, MAY 20th

20% OFF SELECTED PLANTS & PRODUCTS for ONE DAY ONLY!

The theme of our 20/20 sale is ‘Self-Sowing Beauties for Low-Water Gardens’.  The selection includes annuals, biennials and perennials that can be relied upon to perpetuate themselves in the garden for years, without making a nuisance of themselves.  We sell plants of self-sowing annuals and biennials for several reasons.First of all, it’s a way to bring you special varieties you won’t easily find in seed packets. Also, when you start with plants, you usually get a lot more seed than you would in a packet, and the plants sow the seeds at the right time, giving the seeds a better chance of starting your new crop for the following season. Gardeners often find that they have less success with scattering the seeds themselves. Many of the seeds will actually germinate in autumn, spend the winter producing deep roots, making strong plants that are ready to spring into action early in the year, with roots that have already gone deep enough to stay cool and find moisture even in a dry garden. And then there is the delightful serendipity of their self-placement. They are very easy to grow, and make a very showy display with a very small initial investment. All of these self-sowers are easy to control and any unwanted seedlings can be weeded out with a hand cultivator like the Garden Bandit.

We plan to offer the following at 20% off on Monday May 20:

Tanacetum niveum (Snow Daisy) Snow Daisyforms a 2’ x 2’ mound of finely cut silvery-grey foliage, loaded with small white, yellow-eyed daisies for months on end. It combines beautifully in the sunny low-water border with nearlyanything else, and is even useful in containers.Also produces masses of filler-flowers for bouquets. Drought tolerant once established. It is highly attractive to butterflies, and the aromatic foliage is unpalatable to deer and rabbits. Hardy to Zone 4 or 3.

Alyssoides graeca (Greek Bladderpod): This unusual and drought-tolerant hardy perennial bears loads of clusters of ½” bright butter-yellow four-petaled flowers in mid-to late-spring on semi-prostrate plants 9” to 15” tall. Flowers are followed by columns of spherical seed-pods (bladders) that eventually shed their outer skins to reveal the silky-white inner sceptum, like a miniature ‘money plant’, and are nice in dried-flower bouquets. Tough and strong-growing in full sun or part shade. Hardy to Zone 5.

Tanacetum parthenium Double White (Double White Feverfew): A close relative of Snow Daisy, the feathery foliage of this heirloom garden perennial is bright green, and the very double white pom-pom flowers with yellow centers look like miniature Chrysanthemums (formerly classified as a Chrysanthemum). It forms a low bushy mound of fragrant, critter-resistant foliage to 18” to 24”, and masses of blooms. Plants may be pruned back hard to rejuvenate the leaves after blooming, and encourage further blooms.Feverfew is used as a most effective herbal remedy for preventing or relieving headaches, especially migraines. Very long-blooming and easy to grow in most soils in full sun with moderate to lowwater.  Provides masses of flowers for bouquets.  Hardy to Zone 4 or 3.

Verbascum wiedemannianum (Indigo Mullein):An unusual and impressive species from Anatolia (Turkey). In the first year this very drought-tolerant biennial makes an attractive basal rosette of large, very fuzzy-wooly silvery-white foliage, which persists through the winter. In the second year, the basal rosette increases in size, and inmid-late spring sends up 3’ tall branched bloom stalks like narrow candelabras, clothed in velvety deep purple 1” blooms with fuzzy stamens, very attractive to bees and butterflies. Stunning! Like many Verbascum species, this one likes bare open ground and full sun, with low to moderate water.Plant at least two to insure seed production, as Mulleins are not self-fertile.  Save some seed to scatter in alternate years to have them flowering every year in your garden.
Blue Larkspur: Beautiful, tall branched spires of brilliant shades of blue, with the occasional white or pink.  Very drought-tolerant, tough, and long-blooming from mid spring to mid-summer.  Bumblebees adore them! And they can supply armloads of cut-flowers for bouquets. Allowed to self-sow, Larkspur readily colonizes to produce a burst of brilliant color. Plant in full sun in any soil.

White Cloud Larkspur: Very different and very hard to find! This species of Larkspur forms a much-branched little ‘bush’ of slender stems bearing clouds of small white spurred flowers. The effect is like a cloud of little white butterflies. Grow in sun, with low to moderate water in virtually any soil. Gorgeous in the garden and in bouquets. Another bumblebee favorite.

Black Prince Snapdragon:  Deepest red flowers on a strong plant to 18” tall, with burgundy shadings in the foliage.  It is tougher than most snapdragons, and often perennializes in the garden. Very long-blooming if dead-headed, and thrives in sun with low to moderate water. It will self-sow, and seedlings will be deep black-red if it hasn’t cross-pollinated with a snapdragon of another color.

California Poppies: Rosa Romantica (gorgeous double flowers look like roses, shadings from cream to deep salmon-rose), White Linen: (elegant creamy white single flowers weave together a pastel-colored xeriscape garden – beautiful with blue catmints (Nepeta), yellow evening primrose or sundrops, and pink soapwort. California poppy often perennializes in Boulder/Denver, and self-sows to form graceful colonies. California Poppies often perennialize in the Boulder/Denver area.

Batchelor Buttons (Cornflower): Emperor William (heirloom blue)

Annual Poppies: Lauren’s Grape (single purple), Purple Peony (very double), Carnation Rose (very double pink), Frosted Salmon (double salmon with white), Turkish Red (single blood-red), Peshawar White (large single white), Black Peony (very double black-red).

COMPOST TEA: 1-gallon jugs (Normally $5, on sale for $4 each)

LIMITS:

Plants in 2.5” pots: up to 5 plants of each variety at sale price

Compost Tea: up to 4 gallons at sale price

Sale prices valid for one day only, Monday May 20, while supplies last.

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Eve & Mikl Brawner and the fabulous staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Gooseberries and their relatives, the currants, are some of the easiest and most successful plants for the home gardener. They do not have fussy requirements like blueberries, don’t run like raspberries, are productive for 25 years unlike strawberries, produce fruit early and annually and take up far less space than a fruit tree. Herb Gundell, former CSU Extension director and Denver Post gardening editor for 39 years has said of gooseberries and currants that they “…will absolutely require nothing in the way of soil, maintenance or care. They will produce in any kind of condition, even if the weather is the most forbidding, even in years when we have no fruit at all on the trees.” And gooseberries are extremely healthy as they are high in antioxidants, anthocyanins, fiber, potassium, and Vitamins C and A, etc.

Lewis Hill, a famous fruit explorer, nurseryman and garden writer has stated that his favorite pie is a gooseberry pie. And people do make pies from both the ripe and unripe berries. It is also common to use gooseberries in jams, jellies, juices and preserves. Michael Phillips in his recent book The Holistic Orchard gives this receipe for gooseberry butter: “Heat the berries until the skins pop, then force them through a colander, add sugar in equal proportion to the pulp and simmer until thick.” There are many varieties that are delicious right off the bush, with vanilla ice cream, in smoothies and in granola.

Gooseberries grow naturally in cooler climates, so in our hotter western temperatures, it is better to grow them where they get morning sun and shade from the afternoon sun, and perhaps even better in filtered shade, except in the mountains. When temperatures are over 86 degrees F., some varieties will drop their leaves. And the fruit can sunburn especially if exposed by overpruning. It is recommended to mulch deeply around them with 3”-4” of fine wood chip mulch which holds the moisture and keeps the soil cooler. Whereas they can still produce with little care, they will bear more fruit if the soil is amended annually with a dairy cow manure compost or the local chicken manure fertilizer Nature Cycle and maybe some Greensand or banana peels for potassium.

For best production, it is good to prune gooseberries. Thin out the shoots to 9 or 12 and remove canes older than 4 years (they have dark brown bark). Do not cut to the ground as they fruit on wood that is at least one year old. Keep the center open enough to allow for picking, but leave some branching to shade the sun-burn sensitive fruit. Remove growth that touches the ground, and compact leggy growth. Gooseberries start bearing after a year old, but may take 4-5 years to attain full production. While they are self-fertile, planting more than one variety can boost yields.
Some eastern states are still worried about the White Pine Blister Rust that is carried by some Ribes including gooseberries. The ban was lifted in 1960 and the problem is mostly from native wild species; the newer cultivated varieties are said not to spread the disease, which is not a problem in the west.

Did I mention thorns? For full disclosure, you should know that some gooseberries have a few thorns and some have a lot of big thorns. Thorns are some protection against wildlife eating the fruit and browsing the shrubs. Gooseberry bushes can also function as a barrier to control traffic across the yard, and can even keep out dogs and other animals. A couple years ago I discovered that thorny roses at the base of my plum tree kept out the raccoons so this year I am planning to plant gooseberries at the base of my grape arbor to see if that will keep the raccoons from my grapes. By adding a couple of new posts and 2x4s I will use the grapes to give my gooseberries some shade.
Gooseberry varieties I have tried and like are:

Invicta-an English variety that produces very large, white fruit that is very sweet and delicious. The 3’-4’ shrubs are very thorny and very productive. It is resistant to mildew.

Hinnomaki Red-a selection from Finland that is popular with its tart skin and sweet flesh. The fruits are dark red and begin fruiting the first year.

Camanche (Red Jacket)-and English variety that was rated as the best gooseberry at the USDA Cheyenne Horticultural Station, and picked as a Plant Select winner in 2001. It is very hardy and productive with large, red sweet/tart and juicy fruit. This one may need part shade to be healthy and happy.

Others I am planting this year are:

Captivator- a cross between European and American species that is nearly thornless with large, deep pink fruit that is sweet when ripe. It is mildew resistant.

Pixwell-an old variety that is very hardy and even drought resistant. It has fruit that is green turning to pink, that is sweet when ripe and has few thorns. May be better cooked.

Tasti Berry- a cross between a European Black Currant and a gooseberry. In a taste test at Ft. Collins Wholesale nursery, it scored “most delicious”. Sweet and thorny; 3’-4’

On my list to get are:
Black Velvet: sweet, dark red, highly valued
Welcome: good flavor with few thorns
Poorman: very sweet red, very productive, very thorny
Hinnomaki Yellow: aromatic, sweet, yellow-green, with an apricot aftertaste
Jewel: a Polish cultivar with peach-colored fruit, very sweet and productive

Be brave, try a couple gooseberries. On the thorny ones use a leather glove on one hand to hold back the branches while you pick with the other. Kids are said not to like sour fruits but they love sweet/tart gooseberries and currants, especially since they are at kid-height. You will appreciate their success. And their wild self-protective chemistry will support your health and immune system. Since we can’t buy them, let’s grow them. Empower your food garden.

Greetings to our Gardening Friends!

Is it spring yet? Yes, I think so!  You are probably anxious to get out there and plant, and we have been extremely busy growing and bringing in great plants for you – and seeds, composts, organic fertilizers, potting mixes, gardening tools & accessories, ornaments, books, etc.

But before we get into the details of what’s in stock, we want to invite you to join us for our  Harlequin’s Gardens Annual May Day Celebration and Plant Sale.

THE MAYDAY CELEBRATION

Saturday May 4 & Sunday May 5

Once again, we will celebrate the beginning of a new season of growth with happy, heartful, high-quality local music, dance, ritual and magic!

Saturday, May 4:

From 11-11:30 a.m. don’t miss the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers, who will bring us fertility and merriment

From 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. hear the very fine & lively Boulder Irish Session Band

From 1:45 to 3:00 p.m. get down with the hot African Marimba Music of Jesse and Briannah.

Sunday, May 5 (World Laughter Day, Cinco de Mayo)

Refreshments will be served through most of the day!

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. enjoy Meadowlark, a spirited Celtic trio featuring award-winning hammered dulcimer, mandolin & fiddle

From 1 to 3:00 p.m. Magician Stuart Hayner will delight and amaze adults and children of all ages.

And from 2 to 3:00 p.m. listen to the harmonies of Coconuts Barbershop Quartet.

Also watch for our favorite Superhero Stele Earth E Man the Eco-Troubadour.

THE PLANT SALE

The Plant Sale runs from Monday April 29 through Sunday May 5^th.  We will have many wonderful plants discounted in our sale area.  And current Members will enjoy a new membership benefit: During the May Day Week members receive 20% off a one time $50 or more purchase of plants (except roses & fruit trees) and 10% off roses (except quart size). 

Ask our staff about how and why to become a supporting Member of Harlequin’s Gardens, or read about Membership on our website.

Mikl’s Advice:

Garden soil does not make a good potting soil. If a potting medium is too dense, roots will rot.  And potting mixes made from Sphagnum peat, perlite and vermiculite are soil-less mixes, and do not make good amendments for the soil in your garden. 

In your garden, use composts, organic fertilizers, and specialized planting mixes; and ‘clay-busters’ like expanded shale to provide air space and cultivate soil life. 

WHAT’S NEW 

ROSES:  Our outdoor rose tables are filled with hardy varieties that we have grown and over-wintered outside. They are ready to plant! And we just received a big delivery of roses in quart-size (4”) pots – many of these are unusual varieties that we can only get in this size.  And we will receive a large delivery of roses in 1-gallon pots later this week! 

PERENNIALS: More than 50 new varieties this year! We have beautiful plants that succeed in Colorado conditions, from Cacti to Clematis. We grow many ourselves, from seeds and cuttings, and bring in excellent plants from local specialty growers.

VEGETABLE STARTS:

Our Seed Potatoes, Onion and Leek Plants and Asparagus Crowns can all be planted NOW.  Potatoes: Mountain Rose (red), Bintje (yellow), Purple Majesty (purple). Onions: Copra, Patterson, Red Zeppelin, Ailsa Craig, Red Marble, Purplette, Rossa Lunga di Tropea, Red Bottle, King Richard leek, Bleu de Solaize leek, and more! And Purple Passion and Jersey Giant Asparagus crowns.

TOMATOES are here!   Right now we have starts for a couple dozen varieties of superb tomatoes, and more are coming ready every day.  This year we are offering 60+ varieties, all organically grown! See our website for our complete list. Set up your Solar Caps now, and plant under them when they have warmed the soil (after about 5 days).

PEPPERS & EGGPLANTS are coming in – we have several varieties of both hot and sweet peppers, and Rosa Bianca eggplants ready now.  By the week of May 13 we will have about 50 kinds of peppers and eggplants to choose from. Pepper, Eggplants and Tomatoes need very warm conditions – warm soil and warm air. Peppers and eggplants can also be started early in Solar Caps.  Remove the Solar Caps when the weather is reliably very warm and the plants have emerged from the Solar Caps.

HERBS: Lots of our herbs are in! Most are hardy and are already acclimated to the great outdoors. We have some basil, and will have a lot more starting in a week or so.  Basil should be kept inside until we are frost-free. They can be damaged at temperatures below 45 degrees.

SEEDS: Our Botanical Interests rack is well stocked with seeds for veggies, herbs and annuals. Now is a great time to sow carrots, parsnips, scallions, beets, lettuce, swiss chard, kale, cilantro, borage, and hardy annual flowers like cosmos.

ANNUALS: We’re growing all kinds of unusual and heirloom annuals to plant in the garden or in containers;many are hardy, many xeric and many provide goodpollinator support. A bunch are ready now and hardy enough to plant out now. You won’t find most of these beauties elsewhere. And we have brought in more beautiful Pansies and Violas in bloom!

FRUITS: We have fruit trees, berry bushes, and strawberry plants, with more coming as the spring progresses.  Grape Vines will be coming in one or two weeks.  We are waiting to avoid damage from cold spells. We’ll have 6 or 7 kinds of delicious, cold-hardy table grapes, and several varieties for wine.

UPCOMING CLASSES: please register in advance by calling 303-939-9403

Saturday May 11, 10 am: EDIBLE LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck. 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 and has decades of experience as one of Boulder’s first Permaculture designers; she owns Matrix Gardens landscaping. $15

Saturday May 11, 1:30 pm: HANDS-ON CONTAINER PLANTING with HG staff

Judy Whitfield & Elaine Walker. Come spend part of the afternoon learning step-by step how to put together a beautiful and successful planter for your balcony, patio, doorstep, window or garden, using ornamentals and/or vegetables and herbs. We will help you choose from our excellent selection of planters of all sizes, materials, designs and prices (or bring your own), and our unique and wonderful selection of plants appropriate for your site conditions, your container

and your aesthetics. We will help you assemble them in the right potting soil and best arrangement, so you can take home a completed planter for yourself or (hint, hint) for a fantastic, 

personal Mothers Day gift. Bring a trowel and gardening gloves or buy them here. Limited enrollment!

$15 plus the materials you choose.

Thank you so much for your support!  We are looking forward to seeing you soon!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the awesome staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

Hello Gardening Friends!

I was planning to write this blog about 10 days ago, and I was going to say that the familiar emblems of spring, the daffodils and Forsythia, the Japanese flowering quince and violets were beginning to bloom. As it turned out, I had so much work to do that I didn’t have time to write, and now look!  The good news is that I don’t think more than a few of the plants in our gardens were actually killed by the sudden and cruel dive to single digit temperatures. By the way, this has happened before: a low of 5 degrees Fahrenheit on April 10 1959, and a low of 2 degrees on April 12, 1997!

At our home garden, we had almost no snow cover to provide insulation. I will miss the fragrant blooms of my Daphne ‘Carol Mackie’ and several fragrant Viburnums, but there’s always next year. Interestingly, the small ‘rock garden’ Daphnes in my garden were unfazed by the cold.  Maybe because they grow closer to the ground?  There were some surprises like toasted hardy geraniums, but most perennials, bulbs, shrubs and trees took the deep freeze in stride. Bulbs are perhaps the most endangered group when this happens – frozen flowers are a disappointment, but not fatal.  However, if the leaves turn to mush, they won’t be able to elongate, photosynthesize and replenish the bulb.

The emerging new leaves on some of our shrubs and trees were frozen, but they will recover. Temperatures in the single digits are not common in April when many plants have started to leaf out.  So we don’t have a tried-and-true solution to help the plants whose new leaves were frozen. But here’s the approach we are going to take for our plants:

Basically:

Strengthen the health of the plants so they can have the energy to make new leaves and grow and flower. (Plants will usually make new leaves with no help from humans, but they may be low in energy reserves after the record heat and drought of 2012.

Specifically:

1) Water when the soil is dry

2) Don’t keep the soil always wet. Plants need air as much as water.

3) Supply nutritional elements like micro-nutrients, calcium to build strong tissues and organic fertilizers with the major nutrients (NPK). Organic liquid products are faster-acting than dry materials. We will be using liquid kelp and fish products like Kelp, Grow, and Fish and Seaweed from Age Old Organics. And we may be more diligent than usual in scratching organic dry fertilizers into the top 2” of soil: Yum Yum Mix, Alpha One, or Dry Grow. But do not apply more than is recommended. The object is to build strength, not to force unsustainable growth.

When you are working in the garden, be careful not to step on the new emerging growth of peonies, false indigo, gas plant, balloon flower, and acanthus – these succulent and brittle shoots contain all the nascent  leaves and flowers for this season, and are unlikely to be replaced if they are broken off. The new shoots of False Indigo (Baptisia) are dark purple, so they’re especially hard to see against the brown earth.

You may be wondering when it’s safe to prune your roses, and how to do it.  While rose pruning is not particularly difficult, there are right and wrong ways to do it, and things to know that you wouldn’t necessarily intuit. Join us for our class ‘Fearless Pruning in the Rose Garden’ on Sunday April 21 to learn when, why and how to prune shrub roses and climbers. See  http://www.harlequinsgardens.com/classes/ for the full description.  Join us again on June 9 for ‘Eve’s Top 40 Fragrant Roses’, when I will have samples of as many of my favorite fragrant hardy roses as I can find, so you can see and smell them, and learn the details of these plants so you can choose which to include in your garden. Please register for classes well in advance whenever possible.

In the Vegetable Garden

Our great helper in the greenhouse (and many other areas!),Marilyn Kakudo, saved her vegetable starts last week, and contributes this lesson on the value of row-cover fabric in times like these:

a typical Colorado spring…

That is to say there’s no such thing as a typical spring here in Colorado whether you live on the plains, the Front Range, the mountains or the Western slope. I squeezed in a day of cleanup, prep and planting starts into my raised vegetable bed the last day of March after a few 60-70 degree days and above freezing nights. I’m sure I had not hardened those greenhouse starts sufficiently by then, but that’s when I had the time to do it and, what the heck, the weather sure was nice and spring-like, right? So in they went. I created a mini-hoop house for them using Loop Hoops and two layers of 1-oz. row cover. I like to use big paper fasteners to secure the row cover to the hoops and that makes it easy to take the cover off and on, or switch to just one layer depending on the weather.

Although you might worry about the plants freezing early in spring, another problem is too much of our bright sunshine. The mini-hoop house did a great job protecting the baby plants from direct sun and strong breezes, although a few leaves did burn. I was just feeling like they were in the clear when we got the prediction of blizzard conditions and single digit nights early this week. Major bummer! I mentally prepared myself to get another flat of starts, but we’d also see how much protection the row cover and some snow could give those cool weather vegetable plants. While we still had some warmth in the day, I pushed the hoops deeper into the soil so they’d be sturdier under the weight of snow, added another layer so there were now three layers of cover, secured them with the fasteners at the tops of the hoops and weighted the edges of the cover all around the raised bed with heavy rocks so it wouldn’t be torn off by the wind. Then we all hunkered down.

We didn’t get as much snow as forecast in Lafayette which would’ve provide added insulation. The low on the east side of our house dipped to 11° so it was even colder in the garden areas. I patiently waited for the snow to melt and temperature to get back to the 40’s and then uncovered the bed yesterday. I was amazed how well the row cover had protected the plants along with the stored warmth of the raised bed soil. There were frozen leaves on some plants on the borders, but all had survived! Hopefully we’ve had the last of severe spring freezes, and we can enjoy spring greens from our garden sooner than later. Happy growing and eating!
   

COOL-SEASON VEGETABLES

‘Graffiti’ Cauliflower                                                                  ‘Seafoam’ Swiss Chard

Our greenhouse is bursting with seedlings, and the covered ramada in our sales area is bursting with strong vegetable starts – the ‘cool-season’ varieties, including many varieties of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, lettuce, mustards, Asian greens, Swiss chard, spinach, and more uncommon vegetables like Miner’s Lettuce and Celeriac.

Not familiar with celeriac? Here’s a link to our Veggie Descriptions page for Marilyn’s portrait of this wonderful European root vegetable: scroll down to the entry forCELERIAC at http://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetables/ .  You can also check out her entries for CHERVIL andANGELICA on our HERBS page. Marilyn is not only a smart and adventurous gardener but also a superb and highly trained chef; we are fortunate to have her back after several years of teaching at the Cooking School of the Rockies. She will be adding recipes to the Harlequin’s Gardens website and blogs, and you can follow her own blog at http://cookteachgrow.wordpress.com/

We have onion plants (Copra, Patterson, Red Zeppelin, Rossa Lunga di Tropea, Red Marble Cippolini, Red Bottle and Purplette, and Tokyo Long scallion). It’s good to get seeds or plants of bulbing onions into the ground as early as possible, as they are sensitive to day length, so the amount of growth before Summer Solstice will determine the bulb size (note that onions also do their best in rich soil and with regular watering).  Another tip about onions and their kin: they do poorly when planted where Brassicas (cole crops) were grown the previous year.

Seed potatoes are here (Bintje, Purple Majesty, Mountain Rose).  We are expecting our Asparagus crowns in about a week.

All of these can be planted soon after the deep-freeze predicted for this Wednesday and possibly Thursday nights. And remember: row cover fabric is a darned good thing to have around for just such occasions. We now carry the heavier, more insulating 1.5 oz. Row Cover fabric (called ‘Ensulate’), as well as the light .5 oz. ‘Seed Guard’.  Ensulate is very sturdy and will hold up for several seasons of use.  We recommend a double or triple layer to protect cool-season crops against these early-spring deep freezes. We also have Loop Hoops (see Marilyn’s photos above), great for supporting row cover over seedlings, recent transplants and short crops like lettuce.

WARM-SEASON VEGETABLES

If you haven’t already done so, Mid-April is a good time to set up your Solar Caps and warm the soil for a week or so, then begin planting your tomatoes and peppers in them for an early jump on the season.  We have lots of Solar Caps and replacement bags in stock.

TOMATOES & PEPPERS

Our first tomato and pepper starts are ready for you! – more than a dozen varieties, and more coming toward the end of the week, with a veritable avalanche of them to follow soon after!  These are for planting in greenhouses or in Solar Caps, where the soil has been pre-warmed (planting tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in cold soil will stunt or kill them!). Take a look at our annotated list for this year atwww.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/vegetablestarts.

A list of 2013 fruit trees, fruit bushes and vines is now posted on our website at http://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/edibles/fruits/ . Descriptions will follow as soon as we get a chance to write them. We have brought in limited quantities of some new and interesting varieties to try out in our area.  If we’re out of something you wanted to try, let us know and we’ll order again for next year.

NEW ARRIVALS & FACEBOOK

We have new plant and product arrivals happening almost daily now.  The best way to stay tuned to these details is to connect with us on Facebook, where we will be trying to announce new arrivals as frequently as possible.

Some of our new products include beautiful, hand-made local art and craft items, like clay planters by Boulder’s MaryLynn Schumacher (perfect for houseplants, herbs or succulents), lyrical metal garden sculptures by Charlotte & Ben Zink of Berthoud (a few photos below), and exuberantly colorful and practical Mexican oil-cloth tote bags and aprons made by Rodrigvitz Style in Longmont.

APRIL 20/20 SALE

SATURDAY, APRIL 20

Save 20% off Selected Plants, Soil Amendments & Products

on the 20^th of EVERY MONTH through August 2013

This year we start off our series of 20/20 sales with a celebration of Earth Day (just 2 days early).  As always, we encourage you to THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY, and one way we can help to preserve and restore the environmental health of our local piece of the planet is by including locally native wild plants in our gardens.  So we are offering the following wildflower plants and seeds native to Boulder County and much of the Front Range, discounted 20% for one day, on Saturday April 20.

Ipomopsis aggregata (Scarlet Gilia, Scarlet Rocket):

Native to the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains, often seen around the Peak to Peak Highway. Showy spikes of intense red, narrow trumpet-shaped flowers in late summer are very attractive to hummingbirds. They are borne on a biennial plant that makes a small mound of finely-cut foliage the first year, then elongates to as much as 4’ tall and blooms in the mid-late summer of the second year.  Self-sows to create a colony where happy, so plant several to start (for genetic diversity). Grows in well-drained soils in full sun with moderate to low water. Lovely with ornamental grasses, such as Blue Grama, Alkali Sacaton, Korean Feathergrass, or Karl Foerster’s Feather Reed Grass. Hardy to 9,000’ elevation.

Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur Flower, Sulphur Buckwheat)
This superb, compact, dry-land native plant is an important nectar source for many species of butterflies and bees. The dense, compact mats of leathery dark green leaves are evergreen, spreading to 1 to 2’ wide, and it blooms for a solid month. Thin flower stalks to 6-12” tall hold wide, dense umbels of tiny sulphur-yellow flowers that cover the plant, and turn an attractive rusty-red as they dry.  It is one of the very few of our native plants that can be used as a groundcover in the garden, and grows easily in poor soils as long as they are well-drained. Deer do not pay it any mind, and it is hardy to 10,000’ elevation!

Liatris punctata (Dotted Gayfeather)
This great butterfly favorite is native right here at our nursery and all around us in the dry shortgrass prairies and foothills. The deep-rooted  Liatris punctata is the most xeric species of Gayfeather, growing in unamended soils, including clay, with little or no supplemental water once established. Beautiful stiff spikes of purple-pink flowers bloom in late summer, along with Zinnia grandiflora, Aster laevis and Solidago.  The compact plant grows to 12” to 18” tall, is very durable and long-lived.  After blooming, the feathery seeds look lovely when backlit by the low afternoon sun, and will attract goldfinches and other songbirds.  Hardy to Zone 4.

Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat, Prairie Coneflower)
This showy, drought-tolerant native is easy to establish and grow in full sun in low-fertility, well-drained soils with low to medium moisture. The flowers, held on slender stems 15”–24” tall, resemble small sombreros, with golden-yellow reflexed ‘petals’ (ray florets) and prominent, tall greenish-brown columnar centers. Mexican Hat is a heavy bloomer, blooming for 1 to 2 months in summer, and a mature plant can produce hundreds of flowers. It naturalizes readily by self-sowing, and looks great in large colonies. A wonderful plant for grassy meadows, xeriscapes and cottage gardens, attracting butterflies and songbirds. Mexican Hat is a lovely companion for Blanket Flower, Tufted Evening Primrose, Western Spiderwort and native grasses. Cold-hardy to Zone 4.

Monarda fistulosa v menthifolia (Wild Bergamot, Bee-Balm)
Mint-scented foliage and stunning, nectar-rich purple-pink flowers that are a magnet for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Leaves make a delicious tea. 2’ to 5’ tall. A very hardy perennial to zone 3, adaptable to many soils. Can endure periodic drought, but thrives with some moisture. A location with late afternoon shade is perfect. One of the showiest wildflowers in summer in the canyons near Boulder.

Gutierrezia sarothrae (Snakeweed, Broom Snakeweed)
Not commonly available in the nursery trade, Snakeweed is an attractive xeric perennial sub-shrub, from 8” to 30” tall, native from Western Canada to Central Mexico, occurring here in our foothills and plains. It often goes unnoticed until it blooms in late summer, crowned with a dome of clusters of rich yellow ¼” flowers in late summer, looking much like an earlier-blooming, smaller, more upright and greener Rabbitbrush.  The flowers attract butterflies, bees and many other native pollinators, and the seeds attract songbirds.  Snakeweed’s narrow green stems branch upwards from a woody base, and are clothed in short, linear, rich green leaves. It produces a long woody taproot which enables it to thrive in rocky plains, dry foothills, ridgetops and steep mountain slopes. Deer-resistant, xeric and cold-hardy, it will grow with very little supplemental water once established. Use with natives Salvia azurea (Pitcher Sage), Mentzelia decapetala and Fallugia paradoxa (Apache Plume), and non-native ‘Little Spire’ Russian Sage. Shear in spring to remove winter die-back. Western Native American tribes had a variety of uses for it: treating snakebites, colds, coughs, dizziness, headaches, insect bites, making brooms, and more. Hardy to 9,000’.

Gaillardia aristata (Blanket Flower/Firewheel)
This showy, easy, and hardy 1-2’ native perennial bears masses of large red daisies with fringed bright yellow tips and domed red-brown centers above fuzzy green foliage. It thrives in hot, sunny places in poor soil and blooms all summer with little water.  Keep dead-headed for more flowers and a neater look. A favorite of bees and butterflies. Cold-hardy to 8,500’.

Calylophus serrulatus (Dwarf Sundrops, Plains Yellow Primrose)
Native to the short-grass prairies of the western Great Plains, this little known sub-shrub is dainty and cheerful, yet tough and long-blooming, forming a bushy mound to 15” tall and wide. It is a heavy bloomer from late spring through summer, with bright lemon-yellow flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon, changing to orange or pink as they age. This drought-and heat-tolerant native likes a lean, well-drained soil, and should be sheared in late spring before new growth begins to keep it looking tidy and loaded with blooms. The serrated leaves turn so that their edges face the sun, an adaptation to hot conditions. A perfect companion to xeric blue and purple Penstemons, Western Spiderwort, and low-growing Catmints (Nepeta).

Tradescantia occidentalis (Western Spiderwort)
One of the most graceful and beautiful native wildflowers of our short-grass prairie and dry foothills. The lovely three-petaled blue-purple flowers are held in clusters emerging from boat-shaped bracts, and appear in succession in June and July atop 12” to 24” high grass-like foliage. Multiple flower-stems can be blooming on one pant simultaneously, making a striking display, as I witnessed this spring in Left Hand Canyon. Western Spiderwort is a very hardy member of a mostly tropical and subtropical family (including the houseplants known as ‘Wandering Jew’ and ‘Bridal Veil’). It is very drought-tolerant, highly deer-resistant, re-seeds a little but is not at all invasive, and supports native bee species. Spiderwort goes dormant in mid-late summer. Thrives in sun or part-shade in any well-drained soil; a low-care gem for the xeriscape border or meadow. Grow with Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata), Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera), and Fendler’s or Prairie Sundrops (Calylophus hartwegii and C. serrulatus). Cold-hardy to Zone 3.

Sedum lanceolatum (Native Lance-leaf Stonecrop)
Widely distributed in the west from Alaska to New Mexico, this native succulent grows in exposed, rocky mountainous habitats, from foothills to alpine tundra. The rich maroons and yellows of Yellow Stonecrop are easily spotted. The tiny, bulbous-looking, red-purple fleshy leaves turn green, and stems elongate and are topped by starry, bright yellow flowers, often tinged with red. This small creeping plant is not a ground-cover, but perfect among rocks in a wall. In xeriscapes, Sedum lanceolatum  seems to do best with some afternoon shade.

ALSO ON SALE:

Native Wildflower Seed Mixes from Beauty Beyond Belief Seeds:
Rocky Mountain Native Wildflower mix
Prairie Native Wildflower mix

Yum Yum Mix:
An excellent fertilizer for natives and xeriscapes, this 2-1-1organic fertilizer formulated in New Mexico for alkaline, nutrient-poor Western soils like ours in Colorado. It is made from alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, rock dust, greensand and soft rock phosphate. It feeds the plants and the beneficial microbes that feed the plants. Far more effective than its 2-1-1 formula implies, especially when used in conjunction with humate. Use by the handful when planting, top-dress established plantings, or incorporate 4 lbs. per 100 square feet when preparing new planting beds. Vegan: no animal ingredients.

Limits:
Plants in 2.5” pots: 4 plants of each kind at sale price per customer
Plants in Quart pots: 2 plants of each kind at sale price per    customer
Plants in 1-gallon pots: 1 plant of each kind at sale price per customer
Yum Yum Mix: 1 bag per customer

All advertised sale plants and products are discounted for one day only on April 20th while supplies last.

We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

HARLEQUIN’S  GARDENS  2013

Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Welcome to Spring, to Harlequin’s Gardens and to once again joining with the uplifting energy of Nature’s renewal. It is a hard heart that doesn’t swell when the seeds she or he has planted, germinate and push their little sprouts out through the soil. And no matter how good or bad the season is from a human view, Nature perseveres with an indomitable forward vision that we gardeners can connect with. Like Nature, we can’t afford to be optimistic or pessimistic as we prepare for the gardening season. We know that 2012 was the driest year on record and the worst drought nationally in 50 years. Scientists tell us that the earth is warming. Spring is coming sooner each year, and the result of heat and drought is lower food production with higher prices and more stress on landscape plants. So how do we prepare for warming conditions and for the unknown?

Nature prepares for unknown conditions by continually supporting life, recycling nutrients, and by copying what works. We gardeners participate in this natural economy by cultivating the powerful relationships of plants with sun, water and soil. For 60 years, oil companies have sidetracked us into chemical fertilizers and life-killing pesticides and herbicides. We can withdraw from oil dependence by renewing our soils and supporting the life of the soil with organic materials and natural minerals. We can empower ourselves to grow our own healthy, nutritious food locally. As of 2010, about half of the fresh fruit and a fourth of the vegetables we eat in the US were imported. This makes us very vulnerable and dependent on oil and on value-cutting corporations. It is far better to pay a little more for food grown locally by people who have an investment in our community, to grow it ourselves and to trade and share food with our friends and neighbors. Our health and vitality are worth it.

For the last 21 years, little Harlequin’s Gardens has been exploring a model for gardening with Nature. We have been choosing products and methods that support life, that encourage local recycling of nutrients, that use little petroleum; and we have been testing and propagating plants that produce good food and sustainable landscapes. So we think we can help you do the same. We have good local products and organic fertilizers to build healthy soils. We have great organic vegetable starts and many good berry bushes, grapes and fruit trees. And we have 25 years experience testing and growing water-thrifty, disease-resistant and otherwise sustainable landscape plants.

With this much experience, we know we have a lot to learn also. And we are honored to have so many great gardeners, plant specialists, ecologists and teachers who shop with us and who share their knowledge with us. Education is central to our mission, and we spread practical and empowering information through our classes, our knowledgeable staff, our 8 demonstration gardens, and through our website. It is time to acknowledge that real intelligence and human power come from our appreciation and cultivation of our many, diverse relationships, and that the unseen microorganisms in our soils and in our bodies are essential to us and to the health of the planet.

This year Harlequin’s Gardens opened on March first for business on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Starting in April we will be open every day 9-5 and Thursdays til 6. We accept payment in cash or check, but no credit or debit cards, please

Sincerely,

Mikl Brawner & Eve Reshetnik-Brawner

Eve assembles our selection of vegetable and herb starts on the basis of considerable research and personal experience. For many years we have been trialing and evaluating new varieties in our own gardens. We attend local tasting events (including our own Taste of Tomato) and participate in local culinary garden group discussions. We have heard evaluations and taken recommendations from our customers and staff, and we have tasted produce grown by our local farmers and talked with them about what’s successful for them. Every winter Eve pores over the most interesting and reliable seed catalogs, searching for new and special varieties that resist disease and pests, produce generously, taste fabulous, and that we think will likely be successful and rewarding here on the high plains and in the mountains. Our selection aims to include the best vegetable and herb varieties for a wide range of garden sizes and growing conditions (high altitude, hot, sunny and dry, shaded, short-season, raised bed, container, ornamental edible, etc.) and culinary uses (fresh, cooked, canned, frozen, dried, stuffed, fermented, sauce, high nutrition, ornamental value, etc.) and preferences (mild, spicy, sweet, acidic, etc.). We think you’ll find the very best choices at Harlequin’s Gardens. Please give us your feedback on what you grow from us.

WE ARE GROWING dozens of varieties that we cannot describe here. Please go to our website under Plants/Edibles for a complete listing and descriptions of our veggies.

A FEW of our NEW TOMATOES for 2013 (We will offer 60 varieties of tomatoes in 2013)

AMANA ORANGE
80-90 days, Heirloom (Iowa), Indeterminate
A top favorite at our 2012 Taste of Tomato.  Eve and Mikl were highly impressed with this very large, ribbed golden-orange beefsteak-type tomato, which is both meaty and juicy, with delicious sweet, fruity low-acid flavor (very much like Kellogg’s Breakfast). Fruits are typically 5” diameter and can weigh 2 pounds or more. Great slicer for sandwiches. Large, productive vines need good support.
BLACK ETHIOPIAN
80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate Ukraine or Hungary (disputed) Top-ranked by famous local chef Bradford Heap when he judged the 2011 Taste of Tomato. This vigorous, regular-leaf heirloom is noted for exceptional production over a long season, and splendid, rich fruity, flavor, slightly more acidic than sweet. The beautiful, very dark mahogany 5-oz plum-shaped or oblong fruits are great for sauce or stuffing, but are ‘single-chamber’, with a medium-thick outer wall and mass of gel in the center so they’re not so good for slicing.  Best used within a couple of days of harvest.
BLACK SEA MAN
75 days, Heirloom, Determinate
One of the very few compact determinate ‘black’ tomatoes (can be grown in a mid-sized container where it can produce 20+ fruits!), this potato-leafed Russian heirloom bears an early and abundant crop of beautiful, large round 12-16 oz tomatoes with no dimples or lobes. Skin is deep mahogany-colored with green shoulders and the deep red flesh is rich with excellent complex, full-bodied, flavors. Introduced by SSE in the early 1990’s.  We loved the gorgeous, huge specimens grown and donated by Boulder’s Cure Farm at our Taste of Tomato last year.
COSMONAUT VOLKOV
65-72 days, Heirloom, Semi-determinate
Always a taste-test winner, this Ukranian tomato was a clear favorite at our 2012 ‘Taste of Tomato’. Compact, prolific plants dependably produce ripe fruits by early or mid-August, even in cold summers.  The slightly flattened 8-12 oz (2-3”) globes are deep red with greenish shoulders. Delivers true tomato taste – rich, balanced, both sweet and tangy. Superb home-garden variety and works well in high tunnels
EVA PURPLE BALL
75-80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
This very old German variety ranks high in Dr. Carolyn Male’s book on heirloom tomatoes. The pinkish-purple 2-3” (up to 5 oz.) round fruits are juicy and sweet, smooth, uniform, very crack-resistant, easy to peel and blemish-free, and ripen evenly for harvest. Much loved for canning as well as salads, sandwiches, etc. Said to perform beautifully in hot weather and the lush plants have excellent disease resistance.
MATT’S WILD CHERRY
55-70 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
These small deep red cherry/currant tomatoes explode with intense, sweet tomato flavor! Perfect to sprinkle on a salad. A cultivar ostensibly based on the original wild tomato plants, acquired by a friend of Dr. Matt Liebman in Hidalgo, Mexico. Liebman raised it in Maine, eventually releasing it under his own name. Tall, vigorous vines require staking. Reportedly resistant to Early Blight and somewhat resistant to Late Blight and frost.
PINEAPPLE
85 -95 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
High yields of colossal, meaty 1 to 2 lb. golden beef-steak type fruits with red streaks inside and out. Unique, sweet, fruity, full flavor. Sometimes the shape is funky, but slices are beautiful on the plate! ‘Pineapple’ tomatoes donated to our 2012 Taste of Tomato event were the top favorite in the slicing/beefsteak category.

NEW PEPPERS FOR 2013 (We will have 23 bell peppers and 17 chili peppers in 2013)
NIKITA 64 days, HybridA very vigorous early-maturing bell pepper producing uniform square, blocky, thick-walled sweet fruits which start out ivory, mature to gold and eventually to bright red. Perfect shape for stuffing. Compact plants are 18-24” tall, 12” wide, with good foliar cover to prevent sunscald, and good heat and disease resistance. Can be grown in medium to large containers (EarthBox, Smart Pot, 16”- wide resin or ceramic) SWEET PIMIENTO 80 Days Open Pollinated Early and prolific even in bad pepper years – well-grown plants should produce 15 to 20 peppers per plant. Sweet, juicy red peppers have rich, fruity flavor – great for eating fresh or roasted, classic for canning.
HABANERO 90 days, HeirloomBy Popular Demand: one of the most blisteringly fiery peppers, from 200,000 to 325,000 Scoville units (compare with Early Jalapeno at 4,000 to 6,500 Scovilles!). Small plants to 18” tall will set 10-20 pendulous dark green fruits which mature to bright orange. Great for greenhouse and container growing. Likes night-time temperatures 70 degrees and above. Key ingredient in West Indian jerk sauce.

SOME MORE NEW VEGETABLES for 2013 

SLIM JIM Asian-type Eggplant 60 days, Open Pollinated An exceptional ornamental edible, with striking, very dark purple foliage and iridescent violet flowers leading to early, high yields of mild, non-bitter, beautiful long and slim purple eggplants which can be harvested as baby eggplants, or allowed to mature to 5” long. It’s a knockout planted near contrasting plants such as lime-green Seafoam Swiss Chard, and/or flowers like Zinnia, Marigold, or Dahlia in hot colors – orange, gold, scarlet, fuschia. Slim Jim grows to about 36” tall and can be grown in a large pot.

PRESCOTT FOND BLANC cantaloupe

88 days, French Heirloom Prescott is a true cantaloupe, with 3 to 5# thick-skinned globular fruits, flattened on the top and bottom, heavily ribbed, puffy and warty.  Sounds terrible?  Wait! – the flesh looks like spumoni on the inside, layers of green and yellow rind giving way to deep orange flesh in the center. Marvellously sweet, juicy and aromatic. When ripening, they blush yellow and have a floral aroma, finally slipping off the vine with light pressure when fully ripe. Bring inside and let sit 1 week, then enjoy! Canteloupes require a long, hot, dry growing season, love sandy soil and raised beds.

GOLDEN GOPHER – 85 days, Heirloom Heavily ribbed fruits are taste-test winners with deep orange flesh of incomparable quality – Brix sugar level of 14 (that’s high!). Developed by U. of Minnesota in 1930s. Resistant to Fusarium, susceptible to powdery mildew (prevent and control with non-toxic ‘Green Cure’)

PATTERSON Onion - F1 hybrid long-day yellow storage onion, bred to replace Copra, the standard storage onion for many years, whose seed has lost its vigor and is being withdrawn from seed production.  Bred from the same ‘breeding line’ as Copra, Patterson should have the same fantastic rock-hard long-storage quality and sweetness, and hopefully, the same drought-tolerance.  Plants, ~60 per bundle, or ~30 per half-bundle

ROSSA LUNGA di TROPEA Onion110 days, Heirloom Famous Italian torpedo-shaped onion, thin-skinned and glossy maroon, lighter inside. Sweet, mild and delicious, great for all uses, fresh or cooked.  Not a winter keeper, but reportedly lasts in storage to at least January. In pots. 

CABBAGES
Red Acre - OP, Solid round red-purple heads weighing 2-4 lbs.  Compact, sure-heading, stores well. Good size for raised beds, small gardens.
 ALL SEASONS 87 days, Heirloom (~1890)Large, broad, flattened heads, very solid and sure-heading, reaching 10-14 lbs. Tolerates hot, dry weather.  Stores well, and great for sauerkraut.
And of course, many, many more varieties: see our website under Plants/Edibles

Items of Interest:

We will again be carrying seeds of grasses for low-water lawns and meadows: a Mountain Native Mix, a Foothills Native Mix, a Very Xeric Meadow Mix, plus Crested Wheat for a dry lawn, several cover-crops including ‘Hairy Vetch’,Buckwheat, and a Native Wildflower Mix. We think the “New Lawn” could be a water-saving, bird and pollinator-supporting and beautiful MEADOW. See Classes for “How to establish a Meadow” and see meadows article on our website.

SUCCULENTS: We are increasing our stock of beautiful, sculptural, low-water succulent plants that can be grown in containers (we’ll have those, too) outdoors in summer and indoors in winter.

 DAHLIAS:  This spring we will carry tubers for an assortment of gorgeous dahlias grown by Arrowhead Dahlias in nearby Platteville CO !

CONTAINERS: We are always on the lookout for beautiful, durable, practical planters and this year we’ll have more than ever, including one-of-a-kind ceramic planters made by local artisans Mary Lynn Schumacher and Eve Brawner (great for succulents!), as well as handsome ceramic, resin, composite and fabric pots of many sizes and designs.

GARDEN SCULPTURES & ORNAMENTS: For many years we’ve been searching for garden art we really liked – original, beautiful, durable, and reasonably priced. We finally found it! We’re very excited to be offering metal garden art from Charlotte and Ben Zink.  These delightful, lyrical sheet-metal sculptures, made in their Front Range studio, will be available in many designs, sizes and finishes. We will post photos on our website soon. Eve will also be making more ceramic garden ‘totems’ – fun!

We will host the ‘Taste of Tomato’ festival & tasting event along with Boulder County CSU Cooperative Extension on September 7. Last year was great fun with 100 varieties to try. Bring at least 3 known tomatoes of a known variety to get in free. It will be held at the Gateway Park Fun Center  4800  28^th St. in Boulder  9 am.-1pm

HARLEQUIN’S  FAVORITES:

Here are plants you are unlikely to find anywhere else. Many have survived in our low-water conditions with heat and wind, grasshoppers and rabbits for many years. They like Colorado. We take cuttings and seeds from our gardens to reproduce these sustainable plants. They are grown organically in our own potting mix, formulated to produce strong, healthy plants.

Teucrium sp. ‘Harlequin’s Silver’ was selected amongst our seedlings. This silver-leafed germander is a beauty; 4” high and 24” wide; purplish flowers. We have tested it in hot, dry conditions and find it needs little water. The silver leaves look beautiful summer and winter Please tell us your experience with this plant. We think it is worthy of Plant Select.

‘Clear Gold’ Thyme: “The best gold thyme” for Colorado, 4” high by 16” wide. The fragrant gold leaves become greener in summer, lavender flowers provide summer nectar for the bees . Low water in part shade. Best out of winter sun.

Dianthus gratianopolitanus: many selections with nicer names, but this is the most enduring dianthus in our test beds. Sweet pink, very fragrant flowers; makes a ground cover. Propagated from cuttings from our garden where it has survived sun, grasshoppers, rabbits and dry conditions for 10 years.

Keller’s Yarrow: a wonderful, heat tolerant, non-spreading yarrow; very attractive blue-green ferny foliage; clusters of white flowers provide nectar for beneficial insects. 6”x 18” wide; undemanding and enduring; low water needs. Not bothered by deer or rabbits

‘Back Wall’ Thyme: ½” tall evergreen creeping thyme; the dense, dark green foliage looks similar to ‘Elfin Thyme’ but is tougher. It stays small, 6” in diameter. Like all low thymes, it grows best with, deep watering once a week in summer, and needs protection from winter sun. Beautiful between rocks, stepping stones in part shade or in troughs & fairy gardens

Globularia cordifolia: a truly great rock garden type plant for Colorado; evergreen, little spoon-shaped, dark green leaves; 3”-5” tall, spreading very slowly to 12”-16” wide. Surprising sky blue globes of flowers peer above the foliage. Looks good in winter, xeric

Iberis saxatilis: the evergreen candytufts are some of the most beautiful and successful plants for Colorado. Their rich evergreen foliage looks so good in winter, and blesses spring with masses of pure white flowers. This species is a dwarf, 4” high by 12” wide; propagated from our 10 year old specimen that has endured everything with grace.

Ohme Garden Thyme: a very vigorous creeping thyme with mauve-pink flowers in early summer providing herbal nectar for the bees; it forms a groundcover that suppresses many weeds.. 3”x 24”-30”; Heat tolerant, Low water; rabbits and deer are no problem

Jasmine Dianthus: of course you don’t know this treasure if you don’t haunt Rock Garden Societies or shop at Harlequin’s. Who would sniff a flower with a name like Dianthus petraeus noeanus? Yet the white filigree flowers have a most wonderful jasmine fragrance. A single tiny flower is enough to raise eyebrows of delight; a mature plant can lure you from 10’ away. The foliage looks grassy so be careful not to pull it out; 6”x 18”; low water needs

Boothman’s Creeping Phlox: one of the toughest creeping phlox for Colorado. And beautiful: lavender, 4-petalled flowers with a black and gold eye. 4”x 18”-24”; Long-lived, low water; can rebloom in early fall. Not rare but excellent; low water in part shade

Dianthus simulans: cute bun plant with tiny evergreen foliage, and then it grows into a beautiful hemispherical mound that you will want to pet; 2”-6” high by 4” up to 24” wide; few tiny pink flowers. As it gets older it undulates; it looks like a starfish between rocks; grown from cuttings from our 10 year old plant; needs little water; best with winter shade

Rock Scabiosa: a fabulous, little-known groundcover, 3”x 12”-18”, with short-stemmed, pink, pin-cushion flowers and cut-leaf foliage. It has been in our groundcover display garden for years. We chose the name “Rock Scabiosa” because who would look twice at a “Pterocephalus depressus”?

Reiter’s Thyme: a tough, resilient creeping thyme often grown as a groundcover or small lawn. David Salman says “…rich, olive-green foliage grows so thickly that it also chokes out most weeds.” 3”x 30”; lavender flowers in the summer for nectar for the bees. Cut off spent flowers with a hedge shear or sharp lawn mower; low water but best irrigated in summer
Dianthus ‘Blue Hills’: a rugged, low, creeping dianthus with the most blue foliage; 3”x 12” ; very spicy fragrant pink flowers; sweet and tough in a rock garden; 3 or 4 make a mass along the front of a border or on the sunny side of a shrub. Harlequin’s Gardens brought this in from a rare-plant nursery and are propagating it from our successful plants.

Aethionema ‘Warley Rose’: a rare and wonderful rock garden plant with evergreen, very blue foliage. It grows 6” high x 12” wide and has rich pink flowers that are long blooming. It is drought tolerant once established. Propagated from cuttings from our xericape garden. Dianthus ‘Tuscan Honeymoon’-Eve & Mikl found this treasure in Italy on their honeymoon. Grassy foliage becomes a 2’-3’ tall plant in bloom in late summer/fall with large pink flowers that can be seen across the garden. It is vigorous, strong and needs little water. It resembles Dianthus giganteus but with bigger, richer pink flowers.

HARLEQUIN’S FAVORITE SHRUBS AND TREES: both native and non-natives that have proved their value in Colorado conditions, many under Harlequin’s water restrictions. We source from local growers whose quality we trust AND we grow some in economical 2 gallon containers in our own soil mix with mycorrhizal fungi, Mikl’s compost and other organic ingredients. These shrubs know what to do when they meet real soil.

Wavyleaf Oak: a small native tree 10’-20’ high and 8’-16’ wide; thick, leathery blue to green leaves; a hybrid between our native Gambel Oak and Turbinella Oak. It is drought resistant

and well adapted to hot, lean soils; quite variable leaf shapes; multi-stem or single trunk

Peking Cotoneaster: a 6’ well-adapted shrub with shiny green leaves that turn a brilliant orange-red in fall, non-showy flowers are loved by bees and followed by black fruits that are eaten by birds. Very drought resistant and tolerant of poor soils. One of the few shrubs that makes a very successful hedge in Colorado. Healthy but can get scale insect in shade. Z 2

Cercocarpus ledifolius: a native broad-leafed evergreen that loves full sun and scoffs at drought. It will grow 10’ tall and 6’ wide, and up to 15’-20’ in many years. With a little thinning and compacting, it will withstand heavy wet snow without breaking. Our 12’ specimen is 24 years old. Makes a beautiful screen and wind break; slow the first 5 years

Fernbush: drought tolerant 4’-6’ native shrub with gray-green ferny foliage that has a long season; the showy small white clusters of flowers provide nectar for beneficial insects through the summer and with a little water blooms into the fall.

Sungari Cotoneaster: a survivor and thriver from the Cheyenne Horticultural Station, this Chinese shrub has showy white flowers loved by bees and followed by stunning red berries in summer. It grows 6’-9’ high and wide, hardy to zone 3, drought resistant & beautiful

Ephedra equisetina: stunning blue, leafless stems make a sturdy, tough herbal shrub, 4’ high by 5’-6’ wide; female plants produce bright red berries in summer. Needs no water once established and makes a beautiful blue winter display; successful in a container too

Arizona Cypress: a Colorado-hardy cypress discovered by Boulder’s Alan Taylor. We offer the silvery blue foliage type that looks similar to an upright juniper from a distance, but the foliage is soft and deliciously fragrant; the cute spire that is planted becomes a 30’ high by 15’-20’ wide tree at maturity; great evergreen addition to the landscape; beautiful screen

Fragrant Currant-Ribes odoratum: this 5’ native currant looks a lot like our local Golden Currant: same very spicy fragrant golden flowers in spring, same 3-leaf foliage that turns

orange in the fall; but this selection has large tart-sweet berries that are delicious in vanilla ice cream, in cobblers, pies, jam, and when fully ripe, right off the bush. Birds love them.

New Mexican Privet-Forestiera neomexicana: a large shrub or small tree to 8’-15’ high and 8’-12’ wide with light green leaves that contrast with the light gray bark. Often grows multi-stemmed which helps its function as a screen or backdrop for shorter shrubs. Tiny yellow flowers become dark blue berries on the female plants; rich yellow fall color, xeric

Knock-your-socks-Off Mock Orange-Mikl’s Selection: probably no different than most Philadelphus coronaria, that you can’t find anymore because they are 12’ high and 10’ wide, but the fragrance from its single white flowers is divine and carries for 50’ or more. Mikl discovered this specimen on The Hill in Boulder and was allowed to take cuttings.

Euonymus Manhattan-Mikl’s Selection: a broadleafed evergreen shrub of exceptional endurance. Cuttings were taken from a specimen growing in a tiny island in the middle of a parking lot with no irrigation for decades. Usually Manhattan is 4’-6’ high and wide and thrives in shade or part shade and sports pink capsules of orange seed in fall. Beautiful.

Euonymus ‘Minima’: an evergreen vine with small shiny green leaves that can climb to 10’ or more; low water and elegant. Mikl’s specimen has survived drought, wood rats and grasshoppers and still looks good. (though it would probably look better at your house).

‘Julia Jane’ Boxwood: a hardy form of Korean Boxwood found in Denver by the late, famed  landscape architect Jane Silverstein Ries. One of the few evergreen boxwoods that is resistant to leaf-scorch in winter. Grows slowly to 4’. A beautiful and durable specimen that is deer and rabbit proof. Surprise! It can be grown dry in part shade. From our cuttings.

HERBS AT HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS   Here is a sampling of some especially good ones 

Wild French Thyme: brought to Harlequin’s by a customer from the hills of Provence. Delicious, small-leafed, culinary thyme with strong, but not biting flavor. Upright plant 8”-12” tall and 12”-18” wide. Small lavender flowers provide herbal nectar for the bees. The active ingredient, Thymol is repellant to the Vorroa Mite that destroys bee colonies.

Milk Thistle-Silybum marianum: a very attractive ornamental with white marbled, deeply lobed prickly foliage and tall purple thistle flowers. A highly respected medicinal herb that is “…an excellent and gentle liver and blood detoxifier.” M. Tierra; good for reducing the toxicity of alcohol, drugs and chemicals. Thanks to herbalist Leslie Lewis for viable seed.

True Comfrey-Symphytum officinalis: medicinal herb useful in healing creams, also a high nitrogen mulch, good in compost piles. Softer to touch than Russian Comfrey. The roots are rhizomatous so put where it is OK to be a patch.

Russian Comfrey-Symphytum x uplandicum: contains the highest levels of cell-proliferating allantoin. Permaculturists love this for soil building and composts and companion planting in orchards. Makes a good sun tea for plants & salve for humans

Marilyn’s Pick Peppermint: Marilyn Kakudo has taught at the Culinary School of the Rockies and is a discriminating chef. She chose this peppermint out of several we were trying out. It is strong but has a good flavor. Like all mints, best grown in a contained spot.

Dwarf Creeping Oregano-Origanum humile: a nice groundcover in an herb garden, xeriscape or sunny border;  6” high x 16” diameter, with lavender-pink flowers in summer. Very good culinary oregano flavor, dried or fresh. Flower nectar is loved by bees.

Arp Rosemary: one of perhaps 2 Rosemaries that will survive outdoors in Colorado. May only live 3 or 4 years (we know one that is 7 years old), but will produce enough herb for 20 years. Tasty leaves can be used fresh or dried. Makes a beautiful house plant too.

A woman called us asking to save 3 for her; we asked her name; she said “Rosemary Arp”

A Sampling of Native Plants from Boulder County Seed: Preserve our native gene pool!

Each year Mikl and Eve are granted a permit to collect small numbers of seeds from our local Open Space and Mt. Parks so that we can offer our genuinely local natives.

Helianthus pumilus-yellow daisies on dwarf yellow sunflower, 12”-20” high, xeric

Grindellia squarrosa-Gumweed: attractive yellow flowers Aug-Oct., xeric medicinal, 15”

Penstemon virens-2”x6”, short spikes of violet blue  flowers; shiny, dark evergreen leaves

Gaillardia aristata-yellow and red pinwheel flowers all summer, 10”-16” high, very xeric,

Penstemon secundiflorus-bright lavender-pink flowers on 12” stems, bluish foliage, xeric

Ratibida columnifera-Prairie Coneflower; yellow or red daisies all summer, low water

Liatris punctata-purple-pink gayfeather, 12”-16” tall, late summer, xeric, butterflies

Physaria bellii-low rosette of silvery leaves, yellow flowers early spring, xeric, rare

Monarda fistulosa-native bee balm, pink-purple flowers bees love, fragrant foliage, 16”

Lithospermum multiflorum-Many Flowered Puccoon, 12”-24”, funnel-like yellow flowers

Solidago rigida-Stiff Goldenrod- 16” tall stems, golden-yellow clusters of flowers, butterflies

Many things may come to pass, but it’s the Present where we’re at.

EVENTS AND SALES

March 1   Open for the Season: Open Fri. Sat and Sundays  9-5

Beginning April 1   Open every day 9-5; Thursdays 9-6

April 29, May 1, 2,3,4,5,  Harlequin’s Gardens Annual May Day Celebration and Plant Sale.  Plant Sale Monday thru Sunday; on Saturday May 4 from 11-11:30 don’t miss the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers  who will bring us fertility and merriment, at 12 noon hear the very fine & lively Boulder Irish Session Band and at 1:45pm get down with the hot African Marimba Music of Jesse and Briannah.

On Sunday, May 5, World Laughter Day, refreshments will be served, and from 11-1 enjoy Meadowlark, a Celtic trio with hammered dulcimer, mandolin & fiddle, then from 1-3 Magician Stuart Hayner will amaze us. And from 2-3pm listen to the harmonies of Coconuts Barbershop Quartet. Also watch for Stele Earth E Man the Eco-Troubadour

20-20 Sales: On the 20^th of each month, look for 20% off special tables of plants

August 26, 27,28,29,30,31,Sept. 1           Members Fall Plant Sale

Sept 2  Harlequin’s Annual Fall Plant Sale begins for everyone. This sale continues every week in September and October

Sept. 7 Taste of Tomato: a tomato tasting festival; CSU Co-op Extension with Harlequin’s Gardens; Bring your favorites; Carol O’Meara presiding; call/see our website for details

October: open every day 9-5, the Sale continues.    Closed for the Season-TBA

December Holiday Market with Local Artisan Goods and Goodies every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in December

Please subscribe to receive our newsletters by email.

We are delighted that we now have over 8,000 customers on our mailing list, but so far only 1,500 have subscribed to receive our newsletters by email. Here are some really good reasons to join our email group.

1) Receive our occasional blogs with timely garden advice and reminders, as well as news of stock arrivals, upcoming classes, special events and sales, etc. Our blog is a way we can give you detailed and up-to-date information at the time when it is relevant. 3) Save trees. 4) Help Harlequin’s Gardens to survive. We’re very happy to give you a ‘hard copy’ newsletter when you visit the nursery, or continue to mail it to you if email just isn’t part of your life.

Go to www.HarlequinsGardens.com to subscribe. Please remember to add us to your Contact List so your email server doesn’t throw us in the trash.

FACEBOOK : We wish you could LOVE us on Facebook, but since that’s not possible, we hope you will LIKE us. We’ve just inaugurated our Facebook page, and will be adding content as we get the hang of it. FB is a good medium for giving you real-time updates of plant and product arrivals, impromptu events like mini-classes & demos, 1-day sales, etc. and enables you to stay connected. We will use it to post photos of plants when they’re displaying their most beautiful or interesting characteristics, photos and info about beneficial insects and pests to put you on the lookout for them and help you identify and relate to them.

CLASSES FOR 2013

In our classes you will learn more than information. Our teachers are people who have spent years honing their skills. Their experience in Colorado will help guide you to  success. We are charging $15 for most classes to support our speakers and Harlequin’s educational direction. It is best to pre-register for these classes both in case they fill up or too few people register and we have to cancel the class. Pre-payment assures your place in the class. More details at www.HarlequinsGardens.com     CLASSES ARE $15 unless otherwise noted

Sun. April 7, 10 am: INTRO to BACKYARD BEEKEEPING with Julie Finley Ridinger & Kristina Williams.  Thinking about keeping bees to pollinate your garden and produce some honey? Learn about honeybee behavior, culture and requirements, basics of how to manage a colony, plants that support honeybees, and visit a natural top-bar hive. Wild solitary (non-colonizing) bees are extremely important pollinators as well; learn about our native wild bees and how to support and encourage them in your garden. Julie directed the beekeeping program at Growing Gardens for many years, and Kristina is an entymologist and wild bee expert. Together they buzz with 15+ years of experience.  $15
Sun. April 7, 1:30 pm:  BUILDING TOPSOIL & FERTILITY with Mikl Brawner. Learn how to support soil life, enrich poor soils and improve plant health and nutrition from the bottom up: composts, fertilizers, mulching, worms, deficiencies and tilth. Mikl is founder and co-owner of Harlequin’s Gardens, and has been studying soil biology for years. $15
Sat. April 13, 10 am:  DO-IT-YOURSELF DRIP IRRIGATION with Alison Peck. Drip irrigation can be easy! It is a key part of most water conserving landscapes, but it can be intimidating.  Come learn a simple, easy to design and install system which Alison has been using for years, plus new efficient sprinklers  Save money, save water, reduce weeds and have healthier plants.  Alison Peck is a Landscape Designer specializing in xeriscapes, native plant landscapes and other earth-friendly landscapes.  She owns Matrix Gardens, which has been designing and installing sustainable landscapes in Boulder Valley for 25 years.  $15
Sat. April 13, 1:30 pm:  GROWING VEGGIES & HERBS in CONTAINERS with Ellen Dart. Longtime Boulder vegetable gardener Ellen Dart moved her gardening efforts into containers to protect her efforts from two rambunctious new puppies. She grows at least $900 worth of food and herbs a year in Earth Boxes, window boxes & pots. She will share the simple methods for success she has learned for growing greens, lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, and more.  Earth Boxes and other containers, as well as seeds, potting soils and organic fertilizers are available for sale at the nursery.  One of our most popular classes! $15
Sun. April 14, 10 am:  RAISED-BED GARDENING 101 with Bryant Mason. Raised beds are a neat, compact, well-drained and good-looking option for productive home-scale vegetable gardening. Bryant will provide a thorough, step-by-step presentation of how to start an easy raised bed vegetable garden. Topics covered will include: soil development, planting timing, fertilizing, weeding, watering, harvesting, recommended crops. Bryant Mason is the founder of The Urban Farm Co. of Colorado   $15
Sun. April 14, 1:30 pm: SUCCESSFUL LOW-WATER LANDSCAPING with Mikl Brawner.  Our region seems to be getting hotter and drier, and we will have to adapt our gardens to the ‘new normal’. Gardening with less water is not that hard if you know how. There are tricks that will improve your success. Mikl Brawner is founder and co-owner of Harlequin’s Gardens. Mikl’s xeriscape experience of over 25 years has taught him tricks that will cost you a lot less than it cost him.  $15
Sat. April 20, 10 am: INTRO to RAINWATER ‘HARVESTING’ with Jason Gerhardt.  In this class we will cover the legal issues of water harvesting in Colorado and focus on what we can do to benefit from the free rain from the sky. Harvesting water in the soil, instead of in cisterns, helps us make the best possible use of our precious rainwater and can lead to sustainably lush gardens uncommon in our semi-arid climate. Jason currently teaches a permaculture program for Naropa University and instructs in numerous workshops and courses annually. He practices ecological design professionally as Real Earth Design.  $15
Sat. April 20, 1:30 pm:  MAKING your GARDEN / LANDSCAPE TRULY SUSTAINABLE with Alison Peck.  Our gardens can be a vibrant contribution to the earth’s health, rather than consumers of resources and toxic chemicals.  We will look at alternative materials and designs which can at least ‘do no harm’, and explore ways in which our gardens and landscapes can be actively beneficial to the web of life.  Alison Peck has been working towards sustainable landscaping and living for 25 years, and the ideas and information presented are based on her 25+ years experience designing and installing landscapes. $15
Sun. April 21, 10:00 am:  SUCCESSFUL HOME COMPOSTING with Mikl Brawner.  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 30 years.  $15

Sun. April 21, 1:30 pm:  FEARLESS PRUNING in the ROSE GARDEN with Eve Reshetnik Brawner (Rain/Snow date: Sun. 4/28, 1:30 pm)
Don’t be intimidated by your roses! Learn when, why and how to prune hardy roses and climbers, and return to your garden armed with knowledge, confidence, and the right tools to prune properly for the most rewarding results.  Discussion & hands-on demonstration & practice.  Wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves, & hat.  Eve Reshetnik Brawner is co-owner of Harlequin’s Gardens and is respected as a rose expert on the Front Range. She has been growing and pruning hardy roses in Colorado for more than 20 years.  $15
Sat. April 27, 10 am:  BERRIES & SMALL FRUITS for COLORADO with Mikl Brawner.  Small fruits are delicious, high in antioxidants and vitamins, take up less space & bear sooner than trees: strawberries, currants, raspberries, grapes, gooseberries. The best varieties for CO. & how to grow them.  $15
Sat. April 27, 1:30 pm:  GARDENING for BEES, BIRDS & WILDLIFE with Alison Peck.  You’ll discover many new friends when you invite birds, bees, butterflies and even snakes and toads into your garden.  Learn easy ways to provide food and shelter for wildlife,  how to include plants that are particularly important for wildlife, and how to discourage ‘urban wildlife’, such as deer, skunks and raccoons.  Alison Peck is a Landscape Designer specializing in xeriscapes, native plant landscapes and other earth-friendly landscapes.  She owns Matrix Gardens, which has been designing and installing landscapes in Boulder Valley for 25 years. $15
Sun. April 28, 10 am:  PERMACULTURE: WHAT THE HECK IS IT? with Lynn Duguay.  Find out why permaculture is growing by leaps and bounds, how it extends far beyond gardening, how you can benefit from it. We’ll look at practical, sustainable strategies for home and community resilience, how to improve our soils, some simple water harvesting ideas and more!  Lynne duGuay is a certified Advanced Permaculture Designer and is currently facilitating the 8-month permaculture certification course in Boulder. $15

Saturday May 11, 10 am: EDIBLE LANDSCAPING with Alison Peck 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.   $15
Saturday May 11, 1:30 pm: HANDS-ON CONTAINER PLANTING with HG staff Judy Whitfield & Elaine Walker. Come spend the afternoon learning step-by step how to put together a beautiful and successful planter for your balcony, patio, doorstep, window or garden, using ornamentals and/or vegetables and herbs. We will help you choose from our excellent selection of planters of all sizes, materials, designs and prices (or bring your own), and our unique and wonderful selection of plants appropriate for your site conditions, your container and your aesthetics. We will help you assemble them in the right potting soil and best arrangement, so you can take home a completed planter for yourself or (hint, hint) for a fantastic, personal Mothers Day gift. Bring a trowel and gardening gloves or buy them here. Limited enrollment! $15 plus the materials you choose.
Saturday May 18, 10 am: SEED-SAVING with Janis Kieft Learn how to save flower and veggie seeds from your garden. Topics include: isolation, selection, harvesting, seed storage, testing & more. You can develop strains that are best adapted to the particular conditions in your garden, ensure that you’ll have your favorite varieties even if they disappear from commerce, learn a little botany, and save money. Janis is a professional with 30 yrs experience.  $15
Saturday May 18, 1:30 pm:  BEST FRUIT TREES FOR COLORADO with Mikl Brawner Learn which varieties are successful here, which are not, and which are good flavored: Apples, Cherries, Plums, Pears, Peaches, and learn how to care for them. Mikl’s 1^st orchard was in 1976.  $15
Sunday May 19, 10 am:  EDIBLE WEEDS & WILD MEDICINALS with herbalist Ann Drucker. A hands-on herb class in the field: forage, taste, learn, make wild pesto & healing vinegar. Ann has over 20 years experience teaching herbal healing in her joyful, experiential way. One of our most popular and fun classes! $15
Sunday May 19, 1:30 pm:  SECRETS OF VEGGIE GARDENING IN THE MOUNTAINS with Stephen Sherman  Learn how to deal with mountain soils, shorter seasons and wildlife for bountiful harvests. Steve has been soil-building and growing gardens in the foothills for 23 years   $15

Saturday June 1, 10 am:  GARDENING in CLAY SOILS with Alison Peck. Clay soils can be a challenge for the gardener. Come learn techniques for working with clay soils and the plants that thrive in them, from vegetables to perennials, shrubs and trees. Alison Peck of Matrix Gardens is an award-winning landscape designer who has gardened and landscaped in foothills clay soils for three decades, so she feels your pain and she can help you make it all better.   $15
Saturday June 1, 1:30 pm:  GARDENING at HIGH ALTITUDE 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.  $15
Sunday June 2, 10 am: MAKE YOUR OWN HYPER-TUFA TROUGH PLANTER with Tamara Winter. Dress to get dirty, particle mask, rubber gloves, bandana; forms provided or bring one. These planters are ideal for alpine treasures, cacti & succulents etc.; $25 includes materials for 1 trough; pre-register
Sunday June 2, 1:30 pm: A GARDEN FOR COLORADO CONDITIONS: Tour our most recent demonstration garden with Harlequin’s Gardens owners Eve & Mikl Brawner. We will discuss the soil preparation, the native and non-native shrubs, trees and perennials we planted, and how the garden survived in spite of having been planted in the heat of 2011 and 2012.  $15
Saturday June 8, 1:30 pm: SEASON EXTENDING for YEAR-ROUND HARVESTS with Eric Johnson .Learn how to grow veggies thru the winter w/o extra heat & with low-tech solutions. Eric has studied horticulture and has 20 years experience, gardening & experimenting    $15
Sunday June 9, 1:30 pm: EVE’S TOP 40 FRAGRANT ROSES with Eve Brawner, co-owner of Harlequin’s Gardens. 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 and modern.   $15
Saturday June 15, 10 am: MEDICINALS AS ORNAMENTALS in a XERISCAPE GARDEN. Join Leslie Lewis, herbalist and gardener par excellence for a detailed tour of her beautiful and successful low-water front yard in which most of the plants function both as colorful ornamentals and as medicinal herbs that she uses to make effective herbal home remedies. Be prepared to be surprised and learn a lot! Old-Town Longmont location. $15

Saturday June 22, 1:30 pm:  Organic Strategies for Grasshoppers with Mikl Brawner. There’s no perfect solution to stopping grasshoppers, but there are non-toxic methods to significantly reduce their damage. $15

Sat. Aug. 10, 1:30 p.m.: PRUNING for STRENGTH, HEALTH & BEAUTY (offered again on Sun. 8/25) Mikl Brawner will give a talk and demonstration. Learn to train young trees, to restructure shrubs  and trees broken by storms, to prune roses. Mikl has 35 years experience in pruning. $15

Sat. Aug 17, 1:30 pm: How to Establish a Meadow of Colorado-adapted grasses and wildflowers from seed. Darren Klotz has completed over 1100 seeding and erosion control projects, consulting on organic turf fertilization, now with Rocky Mt. Bio Products  $15        (Harlequin’s Gardens is carrying 5 kinds of Meadow Mixes and EZ Mulch)

Sun. Aug. 25, 1:30 p.m.:  PRUNING for STRENGTH, HEALTH & BEAUTY with Mikl Brawner (this is a REPEAT of the August 10^th class) $15

Sat. Sept. 7,    10 am to 1 pm: 3rd Annual TASTE of TOMATO (see our Events Listings)

Sat. Sept. 21, 1:30 p.m.: LOW-TECH GREENHOUSE DESIGN & OPERATION with Mikl Brawner of Harlequin’s Gardens Mikl has been researching, building and using simple greenhouses for 20 years. This class will focus on 5 designs on site at the nursery. $15

THE HARLEQUIN EFFECT AND MEMBERSHIP

We learn best by example and by doing, so we devote land, time and plants to Demonstration Gardens that inspire and educate all of us. We now have 8 gardens for you to enjoy and learn from. We are too small to be able to afford all these costs so it occurred to us to use the “Harlequin Effect” to make this community benefit possible. We call it the “Harlequin Effect” when a patchwork of small contributions adds up in a dynamic way that is greater than the sum of its parts.

All along, Harlequin’s Gardens has depended on recycled materials, trades, word-of-mouth promotion, generosity, kindness, passion, service and other non-corporate building blocks to create our success. So the idea to finance our educational gardens and programs is MEMBERSHIP.  Here is our expanded current offer: Members will give us $20 for a one year membership and in direct return will receive these benefits 1)Free Harlequin’s Class of your choice, worth $15. 2) 25% discount on books all year 3) During the May Day Week take 20% off a one time $50 or more purchase of plants (except roses & fruit trees

4) take 10% off roses (except quarts), then 5) in August begin the fall sale a week early with 20% off most everything. 

If you do not become a member, you will continue to get the same excellent plants and the same personal help in selecting the best plants for your particular situation.

However if you do become a member, your $20 will go to a good cause, creating botanic garden-like demonstration areas and educational programs not only for yourself, but for the community. If you like what we’ve been doing so far, help us to make it possible.

You can become a member anytime you are at the nursery, or mail a check for $20 to Harlequin’s Gardens, 4795 N.26^th St. Boulder, CO. 80301. We will put you in our Membership Rolodex. A membership is valid until the end of the calendar year.

Last year’s membership donations helped to pay for weeding, watering and planting in our gardens. THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEMBERS!!!

We are very proud of our staff, who have worked with us for so many years, so to help you to get to know us and our specialties, here are our portraits.

Judy Whitfield has been gardening in Colorado for 20 years, and at the same time studying in various horticulture programs and classes. She is very interested in conservation and ecology especially as they relate to herbs, perennials, vegetables and habitats for pollinators and wildlife.

          Elaine Walker has a degree in landscape architecture with an emphasis in ecological practices. She has her own landscape design practice, and her recent work includes designing outdoor living spaces, retaining & boulder walls, water features, native and drought tolerant plantings.

Linda Taylor specializes in heirloom roses. She started and operated her own rose nursery in Montana and she knows the tough and hardy varieties. She does consulting on Horticultural Therapy and landscaping.

Diane Badertscher earned a degree in horticulture with honors, and has qualified as a Certified Colorado Nursery Professional.  She specializes in trees and shrubs, especially the natives. Her 15 years of experience gardening at 8,000’ is very valuable to mountain gardeners.

Matt Patrick is trained as a CSU Master Gardener and has operated his own landscape business for the past 9 years. He was raised farming tobacco in Kentucky. He has worked for the Boulder County AIDS Project, Boulder Human Relations Comm., & Foothills United Way.

Engrid Winslow has a degree in Urban Horticulture and has taken Master Gardener training, and has experience with gardening at her home and professionally. Engrid makes the best jams and preserves.

Michele Bailey has worked for more than 15 years in the landscaping and nursery industries. Her special interests are perennials, natives and vegetables—especially for children. She sells Harlequin-Grown plants at the Wednesday Farmers Market in Boulder, and has a part-time landscaping service.

Marilyn Kakudo has a degree in Biology, is a former teacher at the Culinary School of the Rockies,  has assisted many small local businesses, and is an excellent gardener. Marilyn is transplanting many of our seed-grown plants in our solar greenhouse, and provides great assistance to us in many realms.

Eve Reshetnik-Brawner has always had a passion for gardening and for studying, growing and drawing plants. She has a degree in landscape architecture and over ten years of professional experience in that field. She has a special love and knowledge of roses, fragrant flowers, ornamental grasses, clematis, natives, vegetables and herbs.  Eve, with Mikl, designed the rose garden at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. In her “spare” time she is a musician, a ceramic artist and loves to cook. Eve is available for garden consultations

Mikl Brawner got his initial training along the creeks and woods of eastern Iowa. He studied biology at the University of Iowa, then went to India with the Peace Corps. Back in America, he managed a small organic apple orchard, and started a tree care business. Studying plants, researching alternatives to pesticides, and developing a xeriscape garden led him from the tree tops to a plant nursery. Now the evolving Harlequin’s Gardens is his life-work, helping the gardening community  to bring nature into their personal lives and homes using sustainable plants, materials and methods. His current passion is soil biology and soil health. Mikl is available for consultations. He was honored with the 2009 PaceSetter Award for the Environment

And we’re delighted to have occasional help from: Sharron Zaun, Christina Thomas &  Marty Crigler, 

Referrals:

Kyle Katsos grew up in the family greenhouse business doing landscaping & maintenance. He is founder of Greener Avenues, an environmentally conscious landscape management company. We are entrusting the maintenance of our Demonstration Gardens to Kyle again this year, and his company will be available to help our customers with planting, delivery and continued plant care. We recommend them.

Very Special Products for Your Benefit 

Compost Tea-enriches soil, prevents disease, supports & inoculates soil life, increases plant growth and flowering. We are making our own this year from Biodynamic Compost. Local fertility: Try it!

Yum Yum Mix- 2-2-2  Vegan/Organic fertilizer for alkaline, nutrient-poor Western soils, feeds plants/microbes.Made from alfalfa, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, rock dust, green sand, humate 

Mile-Hi Rose Feed: formulated specifically for Colorado soils, mostly organic, contains 12 essential nutrients and trace minerals for roses, adds organic matter, supports microorganisms. We’ve been using this for 12 years at the Boulder-Dushanbe Tea House with great results.

Biodynamic Compost Starter-speeds decomposition, adds nitrogen bacteria, helps make humus, improves mineral availability, contains 55 microorganisms, long history of success

Biodynamic Field and Garden Spray-speeds the breakdown of cover crops or sheet mulch; planting 2 – 3 weeks after spraying & turning under, or before adding to sheet mulch; 55 microbes

PlantersII-a rock dust product containing over 30 trace minerals. Use when doing soil prep. or side-dress every 2 years.Great for rock gardens, cacti, natives and vegetables, supports plant health

Menefee Humate-, natural carbon product; high concentration of trace minerals and humic acid for plant growth, development & unlocking of vital nutrients. Stimulates microorganism activity

Alpha One: locally made organic fertilizer for Colorado 7-2-2; alfalfa based with high organic matter

New Jersey Greensand: organic source of 3% Potassium, holds moisture, high cation exchange capacity, contains many trace minerals, slow release over a long time

Soft Rock Phosphate: natural source of phosphorus and calcium, immediately available over a long time. Does not reduce mycorrhizae like petroleum-derived phosphorus

Corn Gluten-a truly organic weed and feed; keeps weed seeds from growing, fertilizes with 9% N

Pharm Solutions for safe pest management: this great line of USDA certified products are made from organic essential oils & other non-toxic and good smelling ingredients.

Pure Spray Green Horticultural Oil: THE best non-toxic pest management product I know; baby oil grade has no burning on leaves; smothers aphids, mites, sawflies; no harm to lady bugs, birds

Eco Skin Sunscreen: zinc oxide UV protection; no titanium dioxide, non-nano, no fragrances; good moisturizer, ideal for sensitive skin; does not sting eyes; very effective

Tulsi Tea: Organic Holy Basil Teas have many health benefits including reduced stress, support immune system, aids digestion, balances energy, anti-allergy etc. Excellent company cultivating ecology with organic/biodynamic practices while supporting social justice and dignity.

Solar Caps: Season extending device that’s a big improvement over “Wall-o-Water”. Sturdy wire frames are covered with a water-filled lining, they don’t blow over, light transmission is excellent. They can be left on all season to keep the soil warm at night, which is very beneficial for tomatoes and peppers.  We planted a tomato in one April 11,  it was ripe  July 15.

Green Cure: non toxic cure for powdery mildew & blackspot, tomato blight, proved effective locally

Bobbex Deer Repellent-both a fertilizer and a repellent; many reports of success with this one, even in Evergreen, Colorado. Best to alternate with Liquid Fence which guarantees success. We will carry products for repelling deer and rabbits. Plantskydd- lasts twice as long as other repellants, for deer, elk, rabbits etc. 6 month dormant, 3 months in growth; rainfast in 24hrs

Excellent Tools: unbendable trowel, sharp hand pruners and loppers, saws, West County Gloves, ergonomic spades, garden forks, trowels & rakes   and more.

Home-grown Fruit:

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 most hardy 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, etc. See May  classes and see Edibles (under Plants) on our website for varieties available in 2013. Limited quantities on some varieties. Here are a few especially good ones:

Caroline Raspberry: large, delicious red raspberries are heavy producers over a long period. Proven successful in Colorado, especially if mowed in spring and harvested late August into Fall. Disease resistant. Better than Heritage except under hot & dry conditions

Tasti-Berry Gooseberry: a cross between a black currant and a gooseberry. Is thornier than the currant and sweeter too. Ranked “most delicious” at taste tests at Ft. Collins Wholesale Nursery. 3’-4’ high and wide; an easy-to-grow home fruit, fruits annually

White Imperial Currant: Loose clusters of beautiful, white, translucent fruit said to be “the

richest and sweetest flavor of all currants.” Ripens in mid-July; very old variety hardy to zone 3; 4’x4’.

Crandall Clove Currant: one of the best home-fruit plants for our region, produces volumes of large, black currants every year; the taste is both tart and sweet and good to eat off the bush or made into tarts, pies, jams or on vanilla ice cream. 5X Vitamin C of oranges, high in anti-oxidants.  5’x5’. Very fragrant golden flowers in the spring; red-orange fall color

Cortland Apple: from 1915; fine-grained, crisp, juicy; very good for fresh eating, excellent in pie and apple cider; slow to brown in salads; good fireblight resistance; harvest in Sept.;

12’-20’ on standard rootstock, Hardy to –40 degrees F.

We will carry several good apple varieties, some unusual one in limited quantities

Green Gage Plum (“Reine Claude”): from the 1500s; small fruit that is “sweet as honey” highly prized in Europe for dessert quality, good cooked too. Easy to grow; small, low-branched tree is good for kids; very hardy; 12’-15’; does not need a pollinator

Bali Cherry: Natural dwarf tree to 12’ with 1” dark red sweet-tart fruit; good for fresh eating when ripe and for baking. Extremely hardy (-50 degrees F) High yielding. Tough

Strawberries: We are carrying many good varieties, each for good reasons. Ft. Laramie,

Tristar, Mara des Bois, Alexander Alpine, Earliglow.  Here is one description:

Mara des Bois: an everbearing variety with wonderful flavor and fragrance; medium-sized fruit is also beautiful; produces a lot of fruit and new plants.

ROSES: 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. Most of our roses are disease-resistant and very hardy and none should need spraying with toxic pesticides. The Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse Rose Garden is an example of our roses in action for the past 16 years. We do sell popular varieties like the ‘Knock Out’ roses, but many we carry are far superior to the highly advertised latest craze, including:

‘Fairmount Prosperine’ is the ‘study name’ of this heirloom rose that rosarian John Starnes found growing at Denver’s Fairmount Cemetery, where it had survived untold decades with no care or attention.  It has just about every great quality you could ask for in a rose: gorgeous, full fuschia-pink flowers, a strong romantic ‘old rose’ fragrance, repeat bloom, cold-hardiness to USDA zone 5 and almost no winter die-back, compact growth habit, and great disease-resistance.  We planted one in the rose display garden at our nursery, where it endures ferocious sun and wind and a less-than-ideal watering schedule without complaint. We fertilize twice a year with Mile-Hi Rose Feed and alfalfa meal. Plant ‘Fairmount Proserpine’ where it receives full sun or morning sun/afternoon shade, near a path or patio where the delicious fragrance can be easily enjoyed.

‘Darlow’s Enigma’-this excellent rose is an enigma, because it is the only rambler that blooms repeatedly through the year. Long, flexible canes grow to 10’ or more as a climber, has sweetly fragrant small single white flowers in great masses, is cold hardy and has very small, attractive red hips in the fall. It tolerates shade and is easy to grow.

PRODUCTS TO SUPPORT PLANTS IN DROUGHT

Denver Water will announce mandatory watering restrictions on March 27. And also to  just save water, here are products that can save water costs and plant losses.

Expanded Shale: a shale product that is mined and fired just south of Boulder to create a porous, light “gravel” that holds both water and air, and creates optimal housing for microorganisms. Aids in water penetration of tight clay soils (a Real claybuster).Texas A&M recommends using 3” expanded in the top 6” of soil. (or mixing 10%-20% by volume). It does not break down, so it holds soil structure and reduces watering needs for a long time.

Water-absorbing Polymers: Hydrosource: a water absorbing polymer used as a soil amendment to help establish plants and save water; lasts 8 years in soil. OSHA says nonhazardous; Not OMRI Okd; Plant roots like it.   Quench: organic-based water-absorbing gel made from cornstarch. More costly than Hydrosource but natural; effective for 3 years; said to release water to soil faster; has good value in helping to establish plants, reduce watering in containers; recommended for veggie gardens

Mulches keep water from evaporating and keep the soil cooler. We prefer mulches that also add nutritional value (unlike redwood and cedar which repel microorganisms) like: Fine Wood Chips, Soil Pep-partially composted bark, EZ Mulch-paper granules that are spread over newly seeded lawns or meadow helping germination

Composts hold water when mixed in soil supporting plants and support soil life which both bring water to plants and support them nutritionally. We carry: EcoGro-locally made from landscape and beer wastes, Mushroom-by-product of local organic mushroom farm; Eko Compost-made locally from egg-laying chicken manure and wood wastes, Western Grow-made from local landscape wastes and food wastes; Dairy Cow-from low salt Dairy Cow manure and bedding

Mycorrhizal inoculants: multiplying the microorganisms especially the beneficial fungi mycorrhizae, supports a system for bring water beyond the reach of roots, to the plants and supporting their nutritional health, helping with stress.

Special Soil Products:

Biosol-an OMRI certified fertilizer that is 90% fungal biomass, 6-1-1, made from organic soybean meal, org. cottonseed meal, sucrose, lactose and trace minerals; holds water and stimulates soil life; without salt, non-burning, weed-free

Maxfields Organics: new local company making premium soil mixes without peat from high quality ingredients: compost, coir, expanded shale, alfalfa fertilizer, rice hulls, biochar and beneficial microorganisms.

Maxfields Soil Conditioner-for amending clay soils and building raised beds

Maxfields Planting Mix-for filling planter boxes and large containers, like Earth Boxes (better than Eko Potting Soil that we carried last year?) And for topdressing vegetable gardens and planting trees and shrubs.

Row Cover: light weight fabric over plants keeps them cooler when it’s hot, warmer when it’s cold; protects from bugs& critters; helps keep seed moist to get started.  Loop Hoops hold the fabric up for air circulation

POTTING SOILS: 

Maxfield’s Potting Soil-for transplanting seedlings, small containers, (for seed starting?)

Good Karma Potting Soil (formerly Gordon’s) made from 25% earthworm castings for healthy plants, good growth, resistance to diseases; great for top-dressing house plants or growing veggies

Fox Farm Potting Soils: these are peat based, but we were searching for improved potting soils and all three of these performed well in our tests. They do contain earthworm castings and beneficial microorganisms.

Ocean Forest Potting Soil-their top grade with kelp meal, bat guano, crab and fish: nutrient rich: performed well

Happy Frog Potting Soil-with composted bark, bat guano, etc, but for us performed almost as well as Ocean F

Light Warrior Seed Starting Mix- peat, perlite, humic acid and microbes; Mikl was skeptical, but it worked well

Landscape Consultations: Eve and Mikl are available for consultations. We can help you  1) clarify the use of the space  2) choose plants  3) identify site opportunities & limitations  4)make rough design sketches & plant lists  5)prioritize project steps. 6)reduce water use through water-wise plant choices, etc.  7) plan vegetable, fruit, native & wildlife gardens  8) improve your soil fertility  9)Identify trees, evaluate and make recommendations for tree care. Consultations can be at your property, or less expensive private consultations can take place at the nursery. Mikl is available Mondays & Wednesdays 10-6; Fridays or other times by appt. Eve’s hours may be more flexible. Call to Schedule 303-939-9403

Welcome to Harlequin’s Gardens. This year we will open on March 1 and will be open in March on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 5:00 to support an early start to the gardening season. Climate changes may make this beneficial. Since 1992 we have specialized in helping you to garden successfully in challenging conditions, and we can help you garden this year in spite of drought and heat.

Our locally sourced organic soil products will be on hand so you can prepare your soil early. We carry top-rated locally made organic composts, organic fertilizers, and excellent local-sourced mulches. We will also have seeds, premium potting soils and other materials for starting seeds indoor, as well as cool-season veggie starts and seed potatoes.

Our tried-and-true selection of shrubs and perennials we’ve over-wintered outdoors will be successful planted now. And our great tools, books and classes will help get you ready for Spring.

Whether you want to beautify your landscape while supporting bees, butterflies and birds, or you want home-grown, organic food, Harlequin’s Gardens has the experience, products and staff to help you succeed.

We offer empowering classes with great teachers throughout the season. PRE-REGISTRATION is strongly advised and appreciated. Call, mail, or come in to pre-register. March Classes include:

Seed-Starting Success (3/2 & 3/23)

Building Topsoil & Fertility (3/10)

Secrets for Growing Great Tomatoes (3/9)

Raising Backyard Chickens (3/16)

Planting by the Moon (3/17)

Succession Planting (3/24)

Growing Veggies & Herbs in Containers (3/30)

Getting Started in Vegetable Gardening (3/31)

Go to www.HarlequinsGardens.com/classes for class descriptions and details.

Many more classes will follow in April, May, June and the rest of the season (please refer to our 2012 schedule of classes  – many of them will be back this year!)

Our recent Holiday Market proved the popularity of a number of locally crafted artisan products, so we will continue to offer some of these throughout the year.  Come visit us for fine beeswax candles, candleholders, organic herbal personal care products, unique garden sculptures, and more!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

In our own gardens and yards, some plants performed poorly even though we could water them. Tomatoes, for example, will drop blossoms and not set fruit if temperatures are over 90 degrees. In Arizona where temperatures soared above 120 degrees, some plants died even with irrigation. Whether global climate change is a long-term or a short-term cycle, we gardeners are going to have to learn some new tricks.

High heat affects plants in many ways. Seeds may not be able to germinate, fruits or seeds may not form or will drop before maturing. Growth can be stunted, plants can die or be weakened and attract pests and diseases. These observable reactions occur because of the adverse affect high heat has on internal and microscopic activities within the plants. Problems arise in photosynthesis, the formation of hormones, enzymes and defense chemicals; in the intake of water and carbon dioxide, in weakening of the cell membranes etc.

Plants do have natural systems that respond to heat problems. Transpiration is a mechanism in plants to cool themselves by “pumping” water out through the leaves for a kind of swamp-cooler effect. (See Colorado Gardener issue XX  for an article on transpiration) But high heat can cause a plant to exhaust water supplies in this process; or the plant closes its leaf pores (stomata) to prevent water loss, but in so doing reduces the potential for taking in carbon dioxide which is needed for photosynthesis. Plants can also make “heat-shock proteins” which reduce problems with over-heating, but these strategies do take resources away from other plant needs like growth, flowering and fruiting. Some native plant communities have already started shifting northward where temperatures are cooler. And natural selection is undoubtedly giving preference to plants with increased heat and drought tolerance, like ones with deep or wide-spread roots.

But what can we gardeners do to respond to hotter temperatures? And what if these changes last for years and/or become more extreme? A discussion of solutions is frustrated by the fact that the world is investing far more in the problem than in solutions, so at the present, we know little about what to do. Here are some ideas.

We can choose, select and breed plants that show a tolerance for high heat. We can trade success stories with our friends and neighbors and we can learn from communities further south that are already dealing with very high temperatures. Because high heat often goes along with higher water needs and less precipitation, we need to choose, select and breed plants that tolerate drier conditions too. These have to be genuine xeriscape plants for dry, low-humidity Colorado, not xeriscape for Virginia or Iowa.

We will have to develop our skills at soil building to provide nutrition and organic matter that will retain moisture and let rain penetrate to lower depths. Improving soil health also means cultivating the microorganisms that bring water and nutrients to plant roots and that build organic matter and improve soil structure. Supporting the health and vitality of plants is just as important in responding to heat stress as supplying water. Chemical fertilizers, with their strong salts, have more potential for burning plants in hot, dry conditions, so organic fertilizers are preferable.

We can provide conditions that help to keep the soil cooler. Mulching with local wood chips or partially composted bark, or even fine gravel will insulate the soil, keeping it cooler and reducing evaporation. Planting in partial shade can benefit even some sun-loving plants. In 2012 several gardeners reported better success with tomatoes grown in partial shade than in full sun, and many reported failures in growing tomatoes in containers in full sun where the soil gets especially hot. Watering the soil also helps to cool it.

We can also build shading structures to protect plants from heat, especially from the west, which can be particularly hot in the late afternoon. These structures, whether made from lath, shade cloth or the light fabric row covers, need to be high enough to allow good movement of air or they can trap heat.

Other techniques, like foliar feeding plants early in the morning during hot weather, the use of anti-transpirants (like Wilt-Pruf), inoculating with mycorrhizae, early planting in protecting structures, protection from wind, planting next to a rock, and even preconditioning plants under different environmental stresses; all may be somewhat helpful. Whereas it is important for us to seek local solutions in order to be able to have beautiful landscapes and be able to produce good food locally, we cannot ignore the environmental and global effects of practices that waste water, like “fracking” and inefficient irrigation of crops, and that produce greenhouse gases, like the burning of petroleum and the production of chemical fertilizers.

Here is a small list of plants that are known to be more tolerant of heat:

Most of our native plains plants and shrubs including:

Sumacs

Penstemons

Rabbitbrushes

Desert Four O’Clock

Saltbrush

Heterotheca

Artemisias (Sages)

Thelesperma

Gambel Oak

Sulfur Flower (Eriogonums)

Mt. Mahoganies

Blackfoot Daisy

Buffaloberry

Prickly Poppy

Leadplant

Blue Flax

Yuccas

Gaillardia

Cacti

Liatris

SW Natives including

Apache Plume

Red Yuccca-Hersperaloe

Desert Willow-Chilopsis

Fern Bush

Agaves

Cacti

New Mexican Privet

Sphaeralceas-Globe Mallow

Well-Adapted Plants like:

Lilacs Sedums Oregano

Butterfly Bushes

Germanders

Hibiscus

Nanking Cherry

Aethionemas

Paronychia

Blue Velvet Honeysuckle

Salvias

Erodiums

Rose of Sharon

Ruellia

Acantholimons

Boxwoods in shade

Gaura

Plumbago

Junipers

Hollyhock

Dianthus

Many shrub and heirloom Roses

Rosemary

Limonium

(not hybrid teas)

Hymenoxys

Rue

Smoke Tree (Cotinus)

Coreopsis lanceolata

Barberry

Trumpet Vine

Blue Mist Spirea

Silver Lace Vine

Veggies-little is known

Tepary beans

Cherokee Purple Tomato

Swiss Chard

Eggplants

Arkansas Traveler Tomato

Chili Peppers

Cucumbers

Valley Girl Tomato

Purple Calabash Tomato

Melons

Aurora Tomato

New Zealand Spinach

Annuals

Four O’Clocks

Purple Fountain Grass

Cape Aloe (houseplant)

Celosia

Petunias

Dichondra-Silver Falls

Zinnia

Lantana

Caster Bean

Asparagus Vine

Marigold

Gazania

Cleome

Morning  Glory

Cosmos

Amaranth

We hope all of you enjoyed a meaningful and joyful Thanksgiving celebration, whether it involved great food, great friends, family, travel, lending a hand, or even just taking a lovely walk or hike on that perfect, archetypal autumn day.

Well, the good news is that we’ve had such lovely warm, dry weather this fall – perfect for planting bulbs, cleaning up the garden, preparing the soil for next year’s vegetable patch, and for hiking and biking in our beautiful parks and open spaces. The bad news is that we’ve had such lovely warm, dry weather this fall – little appreciable moisture for our forests, farmlands and gardens.  And following such a hot, dry summer, too.  Please don’t forget to give your shrubs and trees a monthly deep soaking this fall and winter, and be especially attentive to watering anything evergreen and almost anything newly planted. Evergreens don’t go dormant and require moisture year-round, especially if they are exposed to sun and wind.  You can include in the Evergreen category plants like Candytuft, Sun Rose (Helianthemum), Daphne, the various ‘brooms’ (Genista, Cytisus), and Roses (the green canes are vulnerable to winter dessication). New plants won’t have had a chance yet to develop deep roots, so even if they are ‘drought-tolerant’ they may be dependent on you for water. Of course, if we are blessed with lots of big snowstorms this winter, you’re off the hook.

Now is a good time to scatter seeds of some of the annuals and biennials that do well in low-water gardens.  Larkspur, California Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy, Bachelor’s Buttons, Cosmos, Desert Bluebells, to name a few. The temperature and moisture fluctuations of winter will open up the soil surface, creating small crevices that will provide good conditions for the seeds to germinate in late winter and early spring.

Fall is usually a very busy season for us, with lots of behind-the-scenes activity, even after we close up shop at the end of October.  But this year we’ve been at least twice as busy, getting ready to re-open for our Holiday Market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in December through 12/23, from 10 am to 4 pm! 

We begin with our Holiday Open House on December 1^st & 2^nd. Live music both days! 

• Saturday 11 am to 1 pm: Jonathan Sousa, guitar, banjo
• Saturday 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Paul Vissvader, guitar
• Sunday 10:30 am to Noon: Margot Krimmel, harp
• Sunday 1:30 to 3:15: Adam Agee, Irish fiddle

You’ll be amazed at the transformation of our humble little store! Please use the following link to refer back to our last blog for the details: 

http://www.harlequinsgardens.com/2012/11/20/winter-hours-holiday-gifts/

PLEASE REMEMBER to bring CASH or CHECKS.

We DO NOT accept Credit or Debit cards.

Since our last blog, we have added more wonderful art, craft, personal care products, gourmet food and jewelry to our already large selection of choice holiday gifts.  Here are a few of them:

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Here are some of our NEW offerings

Trementina Traditional Pinyon Salve

The Spanish word ‘trementina’ has come to be used as the name for the sap of the pinyon tree ofNew   Mexico.  Folk remedies made from this sap have been used for centuries to relieve skin abrasions and scrape, and for drawing out splinters.  Made in New Mexico’s ‘curandera’ tradition by our friend Pamela, who climbed the pinyon trees to gather the sap, and infused it in olive oil and New Mexico beeswax to create this rare traditional salve. Each tin of salve comes in a lovely organza gift bag.

Eve’s Ceramic Garden Totems

Eve has always been fascinated by the diverse and elegant architecture of plant forms, and especially of seed pods. The large collection of native and exotic seedpods she has amassed over the years inspired this series of garden sculptures.  These are hand-built ceramic pieces, each one unique.  Each ‘totem’ stack stands approximately 18” tall.

Majolica Candle-holders

Our friends Thea and Lele are well known aroundBoulderand beyond for their charming tradition-based Italian majolica pottery.  We asked them to design and create some small candleholders with a bee motif, to fit the beautiful Niwot Honey Farm beeswax taper candles we carry.  They were ready just in time for the opening weekend of our Holiday Market, and sold out before the weekend was over!  So we never got a chance to take a photo for you, but we are sure you will want at least one!  Thea and Lele are busy making a second batch for us, and we expect them either this weekend or next.

Rose Lotion, Spritzer, and Body Oil

These fine, hand-made natural herbal products are from our friends at Fox Ryde inLoveland. The blend of essential oils used in their lotion, oil and spritzer gives them the best rose fragrance we have found in any personal care products.

Recycled Copper Jewelry

Made from copper reclaimed from old roofing, gutters, pipes and such, these beautiful, original pins and shawl-pins have a warm glow and beautiful patina, and feature design motifs from nature.

Hand-knitted Shawls, Fingerless Gloves & Wrist-warmers

Sheron Roland of Fox Ryde is a multi-talented artisan.  In addition to her body-care products and recycled copper jewelry, she also spins and dyes (with natural plant dyes) her own yarn, knits and felts. Some of her pieces are titled ‘Gardener’s Revenge’ because she made the dyes from the weeds in her own garden – Canada Thistle, Bindweed, etc.!  Using wool and silk yarns, she makes fingerless gloves, wrist-warmers and shawls that are luxuriously soft and lovely.

Small Quilts

We are pleased to offer one of Lynn Mattingly’s brilliant small quilts in shades of red, pink and orange.  This is a one-of-a-kind art quilt, and would look stunning displayed on a wall, or draped over the back of a sofa.  It is also conceived as whatLynncalls a ‘Woman Kind’ quilt – meant to be used to protect bed-linens during menstruation.  Of course it is sturdy and machine-washable.Lynnlives and quilts in beautifulPaonia,CO.

We also have a small quilt wall-hanging from the American Folk-Art tradition, with a charming appliqué motif of cats and stars.  It is signed by the artist, who has exhibited at theMuseumofAmerican Folk ArtinNew York   City.

More Air Plants :

We sold out of Air Plants in no time, so we have re-ordered and are hoping to receive them in time for this weekend.  Air Plants are so easy to care for, so sculptural and so affordable! Perfect for college students who can’t keep conventional house-plants alive.

Potted Rosemary & Succulents

We didn’t get a chance to bring out our potted Succulents last weekend – so if you’re looking for Aloe or other handsome, easy-care, low-water houseplants, we’ve got them.

Fresh Organic Basil

We are cutting a few bunches of organic Genovese basil from our greenhouse every weekend so you can bring back the taste of summer in your salads, pasta and sauces. We may also have a little Tulsi (Holy) basil to offer as well.

Seed-Starting Supplies

We have the seeds, pots, trays, dome-tops and premium organic seed-starting soil mix you’ll need for starting perennials and early vegetables.  The seeds of many perennials germinate best after exposure to cold winter temperatures.  And vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and mustards do best when started indoors and transplanted out when they are several inches tall in March or early April.  We know many gardeners who have their best success with peas started early indoors and transplanted. Ask us for advice on getting a head-start on your 2013 garden.

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‘Toasty Tootsies’ Foot-Warmers

Anyone with cold feet (literally, not metaphorically) and a microwave oven will appreciate these basmati rice-filled foot-warmers. Heated in the microwave to the desired temperature and placed between the sheets, they’ll keep your feet warm for hours – they retain heat much longer than a hot water bottle.  And they smell good, and they’re pretty, too.  They are also great for applying to body pains that respond to heat, like sore low-back, neck or shoulders. A limited number of these are available, (including a few for kids) hand-made by Eve Brawner in her not-so-spare time.

Handmade Ornaments 

We’ve known our friend Cheryl for many years in the context of her expertise in Roses (she grows about 500 of them in her home garden), and Morris Dancing (Cheryl, husband and kids have all danced with the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers at our May Day Festivals). We recently discovered that she is also a multi-talented craftswoman, and she is sharing some of her delightful creations with us for our Holiday Market. Her whimsical ornaments are original designs, meticulously hand-dyed, painted and beaded, sewn and stuffed.

Cheryl also makes felted Acorn Earrings, made with real acorn caps.  And she makes the most charming Flower Earrings, too. Most of the earrings are made with hypo-allergenic ear wires.

We are very happy to be featuring ‘Beads for Peace’ necklaces and bracelets made by village women in Kenya who are living with HIV /AIDS.  Through this great project of International Peace Initiatives (IPI), the proceeds from the sale of these exuberant pieces supports these women and also supports amazing projects in their community, including a home for village children orphaned by AIDS which allows them to remain in their community, receive schooling, grow their own food, and more.

Balsamic Nectar

Definitely not your ordinary, everyday Balsamic Vinegar! Inspired by the very costly Italian Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, Balsamic Nectar is thick-textured, sweet, and richly complex-flavored, but is available for a fraction of the price.  We were introduced to this culinary luxury when our friend Kerry’s family hosted a student from Modena, Italy for a summer. This young woman brought them a small bottle of her family’s treasured Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, aged for decades.  She introduced us to the unexpected pleasures of vinegar for dessert! Drizzled sparingly on vanilla ice cream – divine! And a drop of the dark ambrosia on a shaving of a fine Parmesan cheese – amazing! It also makes a fabulous glaze for roasted or grilled vegetables, meat, poultry or fish. Kerry has now developed a technique for accelerating the aging process of genuine, top-grade Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (no chemicals or anything scary involved) that takes only a couple of months, instead of decades. And Balsamic Nectar is made in Boulder!

Also: Candleholders, Ceramic Garden Sculptures, Trementina traditional New Mexico hand-balm, and ???? Come and have a look!

We wish you all a very happy Winter Solstice and Holiday Season, with lots of precipitation! And we look forward to seeing you soon!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

        

WINTER HOURS & HOLIDAY GIFTS

In December, Harlequin’s Gardens will Re-Open for Holiday Gift Sales, after having been closed for November.

We will be open from 10 to 4 on FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS & SUNDAYSfrom December 1st through December 23rd.

Please remember ~ We accept CASH & CHECKS ONLY 

No Credit or Debit cards.

 DOOR PRIZES !

Each day we are open in December, anyone who comes to the nursery and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY PRIZE DRAWING for a $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE!  You do not have to be present for the drawing at the end of the day to win – we will call the winners.

********************************************************************************

Here are some of our NEW offerings

Trementina Traditional Pinyon Salve

The Spanish word ‘trementina’ has come to be used as the name for the sap of the pinyon tree ofNew Mexico. Folk remedies made from this sap have been used for centuries to relieve skin abrasions and scrape, and for drawing out splinters. Made in New Mexico’s ‘curandera’ tradition by our friend Pamela, who climbed the pinyon trees to gather the sap, and infused it in olive oil and New Mexico beeswax to create this rare traditional salve. Each tin of salve comes in a lovely organza gift bag.

Eve’s Ceramic Garden Totems

Eve has always been fascinated by the diverse and elegant architecture of plant forms, and especially of seed pods. The large collection of native and exotic seedpods she has amassed over the years inspired this series of garden sculptures. These are hand-built ceramic pieces, each one unique. Each ‘totem’ stack stands approximately 18” tall.

Majolica Candle-holders

Our friends Thea and Lele are well known around Boulder and beyond for their charming tradition-based Italian majolica pottery. We asked them to design and create some small candleholders with a bee motif, to fit the beautiful Niwot Honey Farm beeswax taper candles we carry. They were ready just in time for the opening weekend of our Holiday Market, and sold out before the weekend was over! So we never got a chance to take a photo for you, but we are sure you will want at least one! Thea and Lele are busy making a second batch for us, and we expect them either this weekend or next.

Rose Lotion, Spritzer, and Body Oil

These fine, hand-made natural herbal products are from our friends at Fox Ryde in Loveland. The blend of essential oils used in their lotion, oil and spritzer gives them the best rose fragrance we have found in any personal care products.

Recycled Copper Jewelry

Made from copper reclaimed from old roofing, gutters, pipes and such, these beautiful, original pins and shawl-pins have a warm glow and beautiful patina, and feature design motifs from nature.

Hand-knitted Shawls, Fingerless Gloves & Wrist-warmers

Sheron Buchele Rowland of Fox Ryde is a multi-talented artisan. In addition to her body-care products and recycled copper jewelry, she also spins and dyes (with natural plant dyes) her own yarn, knits and felts. Some of her pieces are titled ‘Gardener’s Revenge’ because she made the dyes from the weeds in her own garden – Canada Thistle, Bindweed, etc.! Using wool and silk yarns, she makes fingerless gloves, wrist-warmers and shawls that are luxuriously soft and lovely.

Small Quilts

We are pleased to offer one of Lynn Mattingly’s brilliant small quilts in shades of red, pink and orange. This is a one-of-a-kind art quilt, and would look stunning displayed on a wall, or draped over the back of a sofa. It is also conceived as what Lynn calls a ‘Woman Kind’ quilt – meant to be used to protect bed-linens during menstruation. Of course it is sturdy and machine-washable. Lynn lives and quilts in beautiful Paonia, CO.

We also have a small quilt wall-hanging from the American Folk-Art tradition, with a charming appliqué motif of cats and stars. It is signed by the artist, who has exhibited at the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City.

More Air Plants :

We sold out of Air Plants in no time, so we have re-ordered and are hoping to receive them in time for this weekend. Air Plants are so easy to care for, so sculptural and so affordable! Perfect for college students who can’t keep conventional house-plants alive.

Potted Rosemary & Succulents

We didn’t get a chance to bring out our potted Succulents last weekend – so if you’re looking for Aloe or other handsome, easy-care, low-water houseplants, we’ve got them.

Fresh Organic Basil

We are cutting a few bunches of organic Genovese basil from our greenhouse every weekend so you can bring back the taste of summer in your salads, pasta and sauces. We may also have a little Tulsi (Holy) basil to offer as well.

Seed-Starting Supplies

We have the seeds, pots, trays, dome-tops and premium organic seed-starting soil mix you’ll need for starting perennials and early vegetables. The seeds of many perennials germinate best after exposure to cold winter temperatures. And vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and mustards do best when started indoors and transplanted out when they are several inches tall in March or early April. We know many gardeners who have their best success with peas started early indoors and transplanted. Ask us for advice on getting a head-start on your 2013 garden.

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Gift Certificates

Harlequin’s Gardens Gift Certificates are always a perfect gift for any Front Range gardener (okay, maybe not perfect for someone who only grows a water garden) and are always available.  Come in to buy gift certificates and shop our Holiday Market, or follow the instructions on our website to order by phone or mail.  If you need a gift certificate during the months when we are closed (November, January, February) you are welcome to order it by mail or phone.  See Gift Certificates at www.harlequinsgardens.com.

Hand-Dipped Beeswax Taper Candles

For decades, our friend Tom Theobold of Niwot Honey Farm has been nurturing bees, harvesting honey, and crafting the finest, most elegant, romantic, hand-dipped taper candles you’ll find anywhere.  They are naturally dripless and smokeless, and infuse the room with the gentle, warm fragrance of honey.  They are a perfect fit in any décor, from Shaker to Rococco.  Available in pairs, either clear-wrapped or gift-boxed.

Super Illuminated Loupe

This very small, extremely high quality 12x power magnifier is great for getting a closer look at what’s bugging your plants, taking out splinters, or helping to identify flowers.

Telescope

A toy that’s not a toy. 15x magnification enables you to see that bird or butterfly up-close and personal without scaring it away.  Folds to only 7.5”, extends to 14”.

Mini Microscope

With 40x magnification, this amazing compact, hand-held, illuminated microscope allows you to examine the scales of a butterfly wing, detect spider mites, see fungal threads, etc. Very useful and fun!

Silly Putty

The original toy play-plastic; remember the fun? Comes in a 2.5” egg-shaped container.  Non-toxic! For children age 5 to 85.

Shortbread Cookies

Eve can’t eat anything made with gluten. But she wasn’t about accept a life without great cookies, so she started baking these divine, rich, nut shortbread cookies, based on almond flour, nuts, and butter, subtly sweetened with a little honey or maple syrup. You don’t have to be gluten-sensitive to adore these cookies. Want to make sure your sweetheart accepts your proposal?  Give her a box of Eve’s Pecan Shortbread cookies.  And maybe a ring.

Engrid’s Fine Colorado Fruit Preserves

Our own Engrid Winslow makes the kind of jams, jellies and chutneys that make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure.  Engrid uses fresh, organic Colorado fruit, and very little sugar, so the fruit flavors shine. She makes the classics as well as many delicious originals like Pear& Vanilla, Hand-picked Strawberry-Raspberry, and Pear & Peach Chutney, to name only a few. You’ll find delicious uses for Engrid’s preserves, from breakfast to hors d’oevres, to salad dressings, to glazes for meats, to desserts.

Paper Mache Bowls

Our friend Kelly makes these delightful flower bowls from paper mache pulp that began as junk mail in her mailbox.  She molds and hand-paints the small bowls in the shapes, colors and patterns of some of her favorite garden flowers – poppy, morning glory, anemone, evening primrose, tulip.  The petal and sepal details are painted on the outsides of the bowls as well as the insides.

Chinook Book Sustainable Local Coupons

This coupon book makes a great gift (and do keep one for yourself!). Focusing on the Denver Metro and Boulder areas, it’s full of discount coupons (430 of them!) for environmentally conscious, organic, healthy and fair-trade products, stores, eateries and services you will really use, such as  Boulder County and Denver Farmer’s Markets, Natural Grocers, Rally Sport, McGuckin, Ace Hardware, Harlequin’s Gardens, Butterfly Pavillion, Colorado Music Festival, RTD, Ben & Jerry’s, Meininger, Denver Center Theater, Boulder Phil, Art Cleaners, Rags Consignment, Grant Family Farms, all kinds of organic foods and personal care products, pet foods and services, chocolate, stuff for kids and moms, gluten-free foods, dance, music and yoga classes, sporting goods, gyms, chocolate, massages, cleaning services, espresso, chocolate, pizza, granola bars, etc., etc. And, did I mention chocolate?

Both the paper coupon book ($14.95) and the mobile app ($10) are available. Trust me – you or the lucky recipient will easily make back the cost of the book many times over.

Cards

Note cards of vibrant paintings by Boulder watercolor artist and muralist Kathleen Lanzoni feature floral and local landscape subjects.

Botanical Interests Seeds

Botanical Interests is a local seed company we have come to love and trust. Their seed quality is excellent, and their packets are not only beautiful, featuring illustrations by many of Colorado’s best botanical artists, but incredibly chock full of information.We are partially re-stocked with seeds packaged for 2013; we will have themed ‘sets’ of seed packets available, with varieties pre-selected to make a Children’s Elfin Flower Garden, Native Flower Garden, Pollinator & Songbird Garden, Container/Small Space Veggie Garden, an Annual Herb Garden,  etc.  These sets will make great gifts and stocking-stuffers.

Beauty Beyond Belief Seeds

BBB is another great local seed company, offering wildflower mixes (Rocky Mt. natives), and flower seed mixes for supporting honey bees and wild bees.  We have their Honey Source and Bee Rescue seed mixes in small tins that are perfect for gifts or holiday party favors.

Quilted Pot-holders

Our dear friend Lynn Mattingly is a renowned fiber artist, and has been practicing and teaching quilting for decades.  An exceptional sense of color-combining, a fabulous collection of fabrics and a mastery of design and craftsmanship make Lynn’s work really special.  We love seeing her beautiful pot-holders hanging on our stove, and they have held up in our kitchen for a very long time. Lynn lives just over the hills in Paonia.

Peace Garlands

Our friend Lynn also makes these artful painted fabric garlands or ‘prayer flags’ with the always-appropriate message of Peace.  Drape them on your holiday tree, across the top of a doorway or window, or any place where you’ll enjoy their beauty and soothing sentiment. 3” high.on silk ribbon approx. 36” long.

William Blake Stained-Glass Coloring Book

Sixteen illustrations adapted from the art of William Blake.  Use crayon, felt-tip pen, acrylic, watercolor or tempera paints to color one or both sides.  Place in windows for a stained-glass effect.

Amber Lights Cast Beeswax Candles

Our friend Clark and his grand-daughter spend quality time together making delightful cast beeswax candles in a variety of shapes and sizes including simple pillars (several sizes), patterned pillars, pine cones (several sizes), honey-bears, and angels.  They are highly decorative, naturally endowed with a heavenly honey scent, and burn clean and smokeless.

Colorful Petrified Wood Specimens

Our friend Fred is a dedicated ‘rock hound’, with a special passion for meteorites and petrified wood.  He has collected some wonderful specimens from the Jurassic era, including segments of small branches in which the exterior bark texture has been preserved, and the interiors have been replaced with vividly multicolored agate.  On many of the specimens Fred has polished one surface to reveal the beauty of the agate. Each piece comes with an identification tag and a text explaining the process by which petrified wood was formed.  Sizes will probably range from 1” to 5” in height, varying widths.

Rosemary plants

Enjoy cooking with fresh rosemary year-round! Grow these hardy ‘Arp’ Rosemary plants indoors in a sunny window this winter, then transplant into the garden in spring. Planted in a warm, sunny spot in a Boulder Valley or Denver garden, they can thrive for a long time (a friend has had hers for 10 years so far – mine lasted 5 years).  Each robust, bushy plant is potted in an attractive faux terracotta 10” plastic pot. Detailed indoor and outdoor growing instructions are included.

Fresh Basil Bundles

Just because summer has ended, there’s no reason to do without fresh basil!   We have fresh-cut organic basil from our own greenhouse for immediate culinary ecstasy.

Potted Succulents & Cacti

Aloe, Echeveria, and ‘Elk Horn’ Cotyledon and small cacti– great low-water houseplants for a sunny window.

Smudges

Made with reverence, skill and healing intention by our friend Furry Foote, the elder who lives in the foothills, these traditional Native American smudge sticks are finely crafted of aromatic herbs (mostly natives) grown in her own organic garden.  Each herb is included for its specific medicinal and/or spiritual qualities: purifying, giving thanks, cleansing, infection-fighting, head-ache relief, etc.

Air plants (Tillandsias)

These remarkable tree-dwelling plants from South America don’t need to be potted, so you can put them almost anywhere in the house – even on a refrigerator magnet.  And all they require is an overnight soak once every few weeks.  Like little living sculptures, with great textures and colors!

Kisu Neroli Lip Balm

Created by Plum Botanicals, a small fair-trade organic skin-care line based here in Boulder. This long-lasting lip balm is based on wild-collected African shea butter from a women’s cooperative, and scented with the marvelous, unique,  citrus-y essential oil of neroli.  Shea butter is a natural sun-blocker, so it really helps prevent chapping in all seasons. Kisu is, by far, Eve’s favorite lip balm.

Lavender Skin-Care Products by Colorado Aromatics

Mikl and Eve have been using ‘Mountain Mist’ lavender hand & body lotion from Colorado Aromatics for a long time.  The quality of the lavender scent is exceptional, and the lotion is so soothing and moisturizing to dry, abused gardeners’ skin.  We will have individual products, and gift sets in lovely mesh bags.

2013 Stella Natura Astrological Planting Calendar

The Stella Natura Wall Calendar is an easy-to-use, informative and beautiful planting and gardening calendar that shows the best times to take advantage of the cosmic influences of the moon, sun and planets. This is a research-based system that is used by Biodynamic farmers and gardeners.  We have been using this calendar for 21 years and believe it has helped with germination of seeds, root development of cuttings, and healthy plant development. More than just a calendar – it’s packed with valuable information and insights for successful growing, from seed to harvest. Mikl will be giving a class in Planting by the Moon in March 2013.

Landscape Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve began painting small plein-air watercolors when she and Mikl made the decision to take their honeymoon in Italy.  She wanted to spend some time really looking at the landscape there and bring home more than snapshot photos, and she had a year to get good at painting fast and small before the trip.  At the end of the vacation she had 12 good paintings, and when she got home she just kept painting, focusing on landscapes closer to home.  These originals are all small and affordable; most are museum matted, a few are framed.

Botanical Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve Reshetnik Brawner is an award-winning botanical artist whose work has been exhibited around the US and abroad, and is represented in the permanent collection of the prestigious Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation.  All of Eve’s paintings are executed in watercolor, a challenging but preferred medium for capturing the silky and vibrant translucency of flowers.  In her paintings she has tried to combine minutely accurate scientific detail with the grace and character of each subject.  Framed original paintings, as well as matted and un-matted prints are available.

Gardening and Nature Books by Local Authors

Winter is the season when most gardeners get to read gardening books to help them plan and dream their next gardening season. For the most accurate gardening advice for your Colorado garden, look to our local garden writers!

The new ‘Organic Gardener’s Companion’ by Jane Shellenberger, editor & publisher of the Colorado Gardener magazine, offers up-to-date Colorado-specific advice on every aspect of organic vegetable gardening.

We will also have recent books from Colorado’s ‘garden-laureates’ Lauren Springer Ogden & Scott Ogden, including the new revised ‘Undaunted Garden’.

And we have other great books by local garden and nature experts:

Gwen Moore Kelaidis (Hardy Succulents), Marcia Tatroe (Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West), Bob Nold (Columbines), Jim Knopf (Waterwise Landscaping), Tammi Hartung (Homegrown Herbs),

Steve Jones and Jan Chu (Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range), George Peknik (The Meaning of the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse)

‘Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range’

The perfect gift for anyone who enjoys butterflies or appreciates the natural world, and great for children, too! We have plenty of signed copies of this wonderful recent book by Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones, two of Boulder’s most dedicated naturalists and foremost experts on our local butterflies.
This guidebook offers a page for each of the 80 species covered; each includes superb photographs taken in the field by the authors, and descriptions of the butterfly’s appearance, host plants, life cycle, habitat, behavior, identification tips, and descriptions of similar species.  The book also covers the anatomy, ecology and life-cycle of butterflies, useful charts, and great advice on watching and photographing butterflies. Slim enough to slip in the back pocket of your jeans, (or a Christmas Stocking), with a durable cover and binding. Chu and Jones say it best: “We watch butterflies because they’re exquisitely beautiful, have magical life cycles, and teach us about intricate and life-sustaining relationships among plants, insects and their host ecosystems.”

If you live outside the metro area and would like us to mail this book to you or a friend, please contact us by phone for details.

St. Claire’s Organic Mints, Candies, Pastilles & Lozenges

Yea! Totally organic! Made in Boulder! No corn syrup! Delicious! Packaged in pretty tins! Incredibly cheap!

West County Gardening Gloves

We love West Count gloves!  They are made from recycled plastic bottles, are very durable and stand-up to several seasons of tough gardening. They are machine washable and retain their shape.  And they come in great colors!  We carry their Work Glove, Landscaper Glove, Waterproof Glove, Rose Gauntlet, Mud Glove and Grip Glove, all in a range of sizes.  If you give these gloves as a gift, be assured that the recipient is welcome to exchange them for a different in-stock size, as long as they are still unused and in their original packaging.

Fine Art Photography by Britt Ripley

We are excited that Eve has arranged for Harlequin’s Gardens to offer Britt’s lyrical and compelling photographs! Enthralled with photography ever since he was given his first camera 47 years ago, Britt continues to be fascinated with capturing the forms, textures, and patterns of the natural and built world and the play of constantly changing light. Britt’s background as a landscape architect and his passion for music inform his work. His award-winning photographs have been featured in solo exhibitions, group shows and prestigious fine art festivals, and his work is found in private collections across the US.

Britt is known for his beautiful high country horse portraits, composite images combining horses and ranch architecture, floral portraits, and intimate highly textured landscapes.

Matted and un-matted prints, as well as framed pieces, will be available.

Matted & Un-matted: $25 to $140

Framed: $95 to $300

Ceramic Garlic Keepers

These beautiful glazed stoneware garlic-keepers, hand-crafted by Boulder potter Cathy Abelson, have perforations to keep garlic fresh as long as possible on the kitchen counter or in your pantry. They are big enough to keep up to a pound of garlic at your fingertips. Cathy’s work is sold in fine galleries around the nation.

Mason Bee Nest Boxes

Mason Bees are small, docile, solitary, wild bees that are many times more effective than honeybees for pollinating early and mid-spring bloomers, most notably our fruit trees.  They do not sting. These fascinating creatures will find your nest box and will busy themselves with gathering pollen and depositing it, along with their eggs, in the precisely drilled holes, sealing each chamber with mud (try to keep a dish of mud near the nest box in spring). The new generation of bees will emerge at just the right time to pollinate the following spring’s blossoms. Beautifully hand-crafted in Washington State from reclaimed fir by Andrew’s Reclaimed, this new design features stacking trays from which you can extract the cocoons for safe winter storage. Adorned with their attractive bee logo.

Our Favorite Gardening Tools

Japanese Knife-Weeders (see below)

Radius Trowels (ergonomic)

Radius Pro Spade (ergonomic)

Radius Pro Garden Fork (ergonomic)

Radius ‘Garden Shark’ Ergonomic Rake

World’s Best Trowel

Garden Bandit Weeders

Kneeling Pads

High-quality clippers, shears and loppers

Japanese Knife-Weeders

Reviewed by our Deb: This is the best all around tool ever!  Whenever I go out into the garden with no particular task in mind (other than peace of mind putzing) I grab this tool.  It can dig, saw into fat roots, slice into bindweed roots with the pointed tip, it’s wonderful.  I have a sheath for it which slides nicely onto a regular belt or garden-tool belt. I love using if for planting bulbs as I can make a deep, small hole.  If I could only have one tool forever…I would choose this one.

Eco Skin Sunscreen

Top-rated. Zinc oxide UV protection; no titanium dioxide, non-nano, no fragrances; good moisturizer, ideal for sensitive skin; does not sting eyes; very effective and Now Less Expensive.  The only sunscreen Mikl will use.

‘Big Green Purse’

By Diane MacEachern, environmental advisor to the EPA, World Bank, Old Wildlife Fund, etc.  400 pages of powerful advice for women to use their purchasing power to clean up and protect our environment and the planet.

Examples:

25 commodities where your dollars have the most impact

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down ratings to shift to eco products and services

Eco-cheap strategies

Tricks for seeing through ‘green-washing’

Regularly $17.95, on sale for $12.00

‘Toasty Tootsies’ Foot-Warmers

Anyone with cold feet (literally, not metaphorically) and a microwave oven will appreciate these basmati rice-filled foot-warmers. Heated in the microwave to the desired temperature and placed between the sheets, they’ll keep your feet warm for hours – they retain heat much longer than a hot water bottle.  And they smell good, and they’re pretty, too.  They are also great for applying to body pains that respond to heat, like sore low-back, neck or shoulders. A limited number of these are available, (including a few for kids) hand-made by Eve Brawner in her not-so-spare time.

Handmade Ornaments 

We’ve known our friend Cheryl for many years in the context of her expertise in Roses (she grows about 500 of them in her home garden), and Morris Dancing (Cheryl, husband and kids have all danced with the Maroon Bells Morris Dancers at our May Day Festivals). We recently discovered that she is also a multi-talented craftswoman, and she is sharing some of her delightful creations with us for our Holiday Market. Her whimsical ornaments are original designs, meticulously hand-dyed, painted and beaded, sewn and stuffed.

Cheryl also makes felted Acorn Earrings, made with real acorn caps.  And she makes the most charming Flower Earrings, too. Most of the earrings are made with hypo-allergenic ear wires.

Beads for Peace

We are very happy to be featuring ‘Beads for Peace’ necklaces and bracelets made by village women in Kenya who are living with HIV /AIDS.  Through this great project of International Peace Initiatives (IPI), the proceeds from the sale of these exuberant pieces supports these women and also supports amazing projects in their community, including a home for village children orphaned by AIDS which allows them to remain in their community, receive schooling, grow their own food, and more.

Balsamic Nectar

Definitely not your ordinary, everyday Balsamic Vinegar! Inspired by the very costly Italian Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, Balsamic Nectar is thick-textured, sweet, and richly complex-flavored, but is available for a fraction of the price.  We were introduced to this culinary luxury when our friend Kerry’s family hosted a student from Modena, Italy for a summer. This young woman brought them a small bottle of her family’s treasured Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, aged for decades.  She introduced us to the unexpected pleasures of vinegar for dessert! Drizzled sparingly on vanilla ice cream – divine! And a drop of the dark ambrosia on a shaving of a fine Parmesan cheese – amazing! It also makes a fabulous glaze for roasted or grilled vegetables, meat, poultry or fish. Kerry has now developed a technique for accelerating the aging process of genuine, top-grade Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (no chemicals or anything scary involved) that takes only a couple of months, instead of decades. And Balsamic Nectar is made in Boulder!

Thank you for your support.  We will be thrilled to see you in December!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens

       

Autumn Greetings to our Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

This week I cleared the remains of frost-stricken summer vegetable plants from my garden and started harvesting some of the frost-kissed kale and collard greens (they taste sweeter now).  And I brought my bulbs out to the garden and planned their placement – there is now a small stone marking the place where each one will be planted.  

FLOWER BULBS

Bulb-planting time has arrived for those of you gardening in the foothills, and is about to begin for the rest of us in the valley.  The window for bulb-planting is pretty long – late October and November planting is ideal, but provided the soil is not frozen, you can plant bulbs through December.  Indoors, I am starting my fragrant Paperwhite and Grande Soleil d’Or Narcissus so that they will be in bloom for the Holidays.  We still have lots of wonderful bulb selections for outdoor and indoor planting – check our bulb page at http://www.harlequinsgardens.com/plants/bulbs-2012/.

GARLIC BULBS

Right Now is the time to plant garlic.  We have lots of Inchelium Red, our favorite soft-neck variety, with large, easy-to-peel cloves, great flavor, great cold-hardiness and exceptionally long storage capability. For a full description and planting instructions, go to the link above.

WINTER HOURS & HOLIDAY GIFTS

In December, Harlequin’s Gardens will Re-Open for Holiday Gift Sales, after having been closed for November.

We will be open from 10 to 4 on FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS from December 1st through December 23rd.

You are invited to ourHoliday Open House, Saturday & Sunday December 1st & 2nd

We will have refreshments and music, and we’ll introduce our full array of wonderful, affordable local art, craft and products, along with many other wonderful gifts for gardeners and their non-gardener friends and relatives. Plan on doing a lot of your holiday shopping at Harlequin’s, where you will find dozens of special gifts for less than $25. For great gift presentation, we can pack our lovely baskets with the gift items of your choice.  Beautiful, sustainable gift packaging will be available for your individual purchases as well. Please BRING YOUR FRIENDS, and spread the word.  

DOOR PRIZES !

Each day we are open in December, anyone who comes to the nursery and makes a purchase will be entered in our DAILY PRIZE DRAWING for a $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE!  You do not have to be present for the drawing at the end of the day to win – we will call the winners.

We already have some of these gift items in our store, so you are welcome to come and shop early.  We’ll be open 9 to 5 through October 30th.

Here are descriptions of many of our special gift ideas.

Gift Certificates

Harlequin’s Gardens gift certificates are always a perfect gift for any Front Range gardener (okay, maybe not perfect for someone who only grows a water garden) and are always available.  If you need a gift certificate during the months when we are closed (November, January, February) you are welcome to order it by mail or phone.  See Gift Certificates at HarlequinsGardens.com.

Hand-Dipped Beeswax Taper Candles

For decades, our friend Tom Theobold of Niwot Honey Farm has been nurturing bees, harvesting honey, and crafting the finest, most elegant, romantic, hand-dipped taper candles you’ll find anywhere.  They are naturally dripless and smokeless, and infuse the room with the gentle, warm fragrance of honey.  They are a perfect fit in any décor, from Shaker to Rococco.  Available in pairs, either clear-wrapped or gift-boxed.

Super Illuminated Loupe

This very small, extremely high quality 12x power magnifier is great for getting a closer look at what’s bugging your plants, taking out splinters, or helping to identify flowers.

Telescope

A toy that’s not a toy. 15x magnification enables you to see that bird or butterfly up-close and personal without scaring it away.  Folds to only 7.5”, extends to 14”.

Mini Microscope

With 40x magnification, this amazing compact, hand-held, illuminated microscope allows you to examine the scales of a butterfly wing, detect spider mites, see fungal threads, etc. Very useful and fun!

Silly Putty

The original toy play-plastic; remember the fun? Comes in a 2.5” egg-shaped container.  Non-toxic! For children age 5 to 85.

Shortbread Cookies

Eve can’t eat anything made with gluten. But she wasn’t about accept a life without great cookies, so she started baking these divine, rich, nut shortbread cookies, based on almond flour, nuts, and butter, subtly sweetened with a little honey or maple syrup. You don’t have to be gluten-sensitive to adore these cookies. Want to make sure your sweetheart accepts your proposal?  Give her a box of Eve’s Pecan Shortbread cookies.  And maybe a ring.

Engrid’s Fine Colorado Fruit Preserves

Our own Engrid Winslow makes the kind of jams, jellies and chutneys that make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure.  Engrid uses fresh, organic Colorado fruit, and very little sugar, so the fruit flavors shine. She makes the classics as well as many delicious originals like Pear& Vanilla, Hand-picked Strawberry-Raspberry, and Pear & Peach Chutney, to name only a few. You’ll find delicious uses for Engrid’s preserves, from breakfast to hors d’oevres, to salad dressings, to glazes for meats, to desserts.

Paper Mache Bowls

Our friend Kelly makes these delightful flower bowls from paper mache pulp that began as junk mail in her mailbox.  She molds and hand-paints the small bowls in the shapes, colors and patterns of some of her favorite garden flowers – poppy, morning glory, anemone, evening primrose, tulip.  The petal and sepal details are painted on the outsides of the bowls as well as the insides.

Chinook Book Sustainable Local Coupons

This coupon book makes a great gift (and do keep one for yourself!). Focusing on the Denver Metro and Boulder areas, it’s full of discount coupons (430 of them!) for environmentally conscious, organic, healthy and fair-trade products, stores, eateries and services you will really use, such as  Boulder County and Denver Farmer’s Markets, Natural Grocers, Rally Sport, McGuckin, Ace Hardware, Harlequin’s Gardens, Butterfly Pavillion, Colorado Music Festival, RTD, Ben & Jerry’s, Meininger, Denver Center Theater, Boulder Phil, Art Cleaners, Rags Consignment, Grant Family Farms, all kinds of organic foods and personal care products, pet foods and services, chocolate, stuff for kids and moms, gluten-free foods, dance, music and yoga classes, sporting goods, gyms, chocolate, massages, cleaning services, espresso, chocolate, pizza, granola bars, etc., etc. And, did I mention chocolate?

Both the paper coupon book ($14.95) and the mobile app ($10) are available. Trust me – you or the lucky recipient will easily make back the cost of the book many times over.

Cards

Notecards of vibrant paintings by Boulder watercolor artist and muralist Kathleen Lanzoni feature floral and local landscape subjects.

Botanical Interests Seeds

Botanical Interests is a local seed company we have come to love and trust. Their seed quality is excellent, and their packets are not only beautiful, featuring illustrations by many of Colorado’s best botanical artists, but incredibly chock full of information.We are partially re-stocked with seeds packaged for 2013; we will have themed ‘sets’ of seed packets available, with varieties pre-selected to make a xeriscape flower garden, native flower garden, a great beginner’s veggie garden, an annual herb garden, an heirloom garden, etc.  These sets will make great gifts and stocking-stuffers.

Beauty Beyond Belief Seeds

BBB is another great local seed company, offering wildflower mixes (Rocky Mt. natives), and flower seed mixes for supporting honey bees and wild bees.  We have their Honey Source and Bee Rescue seed mixes in small tins that are perfect for gifts or holiday party favors.

Quilted Pot-holders

Our dear friend Lynn Mattingly is a renowned fiber artist, and has been practicing and teaching quilting for decades.  An exceptional sense of color-combining, a fabulous collection of fabrics and a mastery of design and craftsmanship make Lynn’s work really special.  We love seeing her beautiful pot-holders hanging on our stove, and they have held up in our kitchen for a very long time. Lynn lives just over the hills in Paonia.

Peace Garlands

Our friend Lynn also makes these artful painted fabric garlands or ‘prayer flags’ with the always-appropriate message of Peace.  Drape them on your holiday tree, across the top of a doorway or window, or any place where you’ll enjoy their beauty and soothing sentiment. 3” high.on silk ribbon approx. 48” long.

William Blake Stained-Glass Coloring Book

Sixteen illustrations adapted from the art of William Blake.  Use crayon, felt-tip pen, acrylic, watercolor or tempera paints to color one or both sides.  Place in windows for a stained-glass effect.

Amber Lights Cast Beeswax Candles

Our friend Clark and his grand-daughter spend quality time together making delightful cast beeswax candles in a variety of shapes and sizes including simple pillars (several sizes), patterned pillars, pine cones (several sizes), honey-bears, and angels.  They are highly decorative, naturally endowed with a heavenly honey scent, and burn clean and smokeless.

Colorful Petrified Wood Specimens

Our friend Fred is a dedicated ‘rock hound’, with a special passion for meteorites and petrified wood.  His expeditions in Utah have yielded some wonderful specimens from the Jurassic era, including segments of small branches in which the exterior bark texture has been preserved, and the interiors have been replaced with vividly multicolored agate.  Fred has polished the top surface of each specimen to reveal the beauty of the agate. Each piece comes with an identification tag and a text explaining the process by which petrified wood was formed.  Sizes will probably range from 1” to 5” in height, varying widths.

Rosemary plants

Enjoy cooking with fresh rosemary year-round! Grow these hardy ‘Arp’ Rosemary plants indoors in a sunny window this winter, then transplant into the garden in spring. Planted in a warm, sunny spot in a Boulder Valley or Denver garden, they can thrive for a long time (a friend has had hers for 10 years so far – mine lasted 5 years).  Each robust, bushy plant is potted in an attractive faux terracotta 10” plastic pot. Detailed indoor and outdoor growing instructions are included.

Basil plants and Basil Bundles

Just because summer has ended, there’s no reason to do without fresh basil!  We have potted basil plants to grow in a sunny window, and we have fresh-cut basil for immediate culinary ecstasy.

Potted Succulents

Aloe, Echeveria, and ‘Elk Horn’ Cotyledon – great low-water houseplants for a sunny window.

Smudges

Made with reverence, skill and healing intention by our friend Furry Foote, the elder who lives in the foothills, these traditional Native American smudge sticks are finely crafted of aromatic herbs (mostly natives) grown in her own organic garden.  Each herb is included for its specific medicinal and/or spiritual qualities: purifying, giving thanks, cleansing, infection-fighting, head-ache relief, etc.

Air plants (Tillandsias)

These remarkable tree-dwelling plants from South America don’t need to be potted, so you can put them almost anywhere in the house – even on a refrigerator magnet.  And all they require is an overnight soak once every few weeks.  Like little living sculptures, with great textures and colors!

Kisu Neroli Lip Balm

Created by Plum Botanicals, a small fair-trade organic skin-care line based here in Boulder. This long-lasting lip balm is based on wild-collected African shea butter from a women’s cooperative, and scented with the marvelous, unique,  citrus-y essential oil of neroli.  Shea butter is a natural sun-blocker, so it really helps prevent chapping in all seasons. Kisu is, by far, Eve’s favorite lip balm.

Lavender Skin-Care Products by Colorado Aromatics

Mikl and Eve have been using ‘Mountain Mist’ lavender hand & body lotion from Colorado Aromatics for a long time.  The quality of the lavender scent is exceptional, and the lotion is so soothing and moisturizing to dry, abused gardeners’ skin.  We will have individual products, and gift sets in lovely mesh bags.

2013 Stella Natura Astrological Planting Calendar

The Stella Natura Wall Calendar is an easy-to-use, informative and beautiful planting and gardening calendar that shows the best times to take advantage of the cosmic influences of the moon, sun and planets. This is a research-based system that is used by Biodynamic farmers and gardeners.  We have been using this calendar for 21 years and believe it has helped with germination of seeds, root development of cuttings, and healthy plant development. More than just a calendar – it’s packed with valuable information and insights for successful growing, from seed to harvest. Mikl will be giving a class in Planting by the Moon in March 2013.

Landscape Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve began painting small plein-air watercolors when she and Mikl made the decision to take their honeymoon in Italy.  She wanted to spend some time really looking at the landscape there and bring home more than snapshot photos, and she had a year to get good at painting fast and small before the trip.  At the end of the vacation she had 12 good paintings, and when she got home she just kept painting, focusing on landscapes closer to home.  These originals are all small and affordable; most are museum matted, a few are framed.

Botanical Watercolor Paintings by Eve Reshetnik Brawner

Eve Reshetnik Brawner is an award-winning botanical artist whose work has been exhibited around the US and abroad, and is represented in the permanent collection of the prestigious Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation.  All of Eve’s paintings are executed in watercolor, a challenging but preferred medium for capturing the silky and vibrant translucency of flowers.  In her paintings she has tried to combine minutely accurate scientific detail with the grace and character of each subject.  Framed original paintings, as well as matted and un-matted prints are available.

Gardening and Nature Books by Local Authors

Winter is the season when most gardeners get to read gardening books to help them plan and dream their next gardening season. For the most accurate gardening advice for your Colorado garden, look to our local garden writers!

The new ‘Organic Gardener’s Companion’ by Jane Shellenberger, editor & publisher of the Colorado Gardener magazine, offers up-to-date Colorado-specific advice on every aspect of organic vegetable gardening.

We will also have recent books from Colorado’s ‘garden-laureates’ Lauren Springer Ogden & Scott Ogden, including the new revised ‘Undaunted Garden’.

And we have other great books by local garden and nature experts:

Gwen Moore Kelaidis (Hardy Succulents), Marcia Tatroe (Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West), Bob Nold (Columbines), Jim Knopf (Waterwise Landscaping), Tammi Hartung (Homegrown Herbs),

Steve Jones and Jan Chu (Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range), George Peknik (The Meaning of the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse)

‘Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range’

The perfect gift for anyone who enjoys butterflies or appreciates the natural world, and great for children, too! We have plenty of signed copies of this wonderful recent book by Janet R. Chu and Stephen R. Jones, two of Boulder’s most dedicated naturalists and foremost experts on our local butterflies.
This guidebook offers a page for each of the 80 species covered; each includes superb photographs taken in the field by the authors, and descriptions of the butterfly’s appearance, host plants, life cycle, habitat, behavior, identification tips, and descriptions of similar species.  The book also covers the anatomy, ecology and life-cycle of butterflies, useful charts, and great advice on watching and photographing butterflies. Slim enough to slip in the back pocket of your jeans, (or a Christmas Stocking), with a durable cover and binding. Chu and Jones say it best: “We watch butterflies because they’re exquisitely beautiful, have magical life cycles, and teach us about intricate and life-sustaining relationships among plants, insects and their host ecosystems.”

If you live outside the metro area and would like us to mail this book to you or a friend, please contact us by phone for details.

St. Claire’s Organic Mints, Candies, Pastilles & Lozenges

Yea! Totally organic! Made in Boulder! No corn syrup! Delicious! Packaged in pretty tins! Incredibly cheap!

West County Gardening Gloves

We love West Count gloves!  They are made from recycled plastic bottles, are very durable and stand-up to several seasons of tough gardening. They are machine washable and retain their shape.  And they come in great colors!  We carry their Work Glove, Landscaper Glove, Waterproof Glove, Rose Gauntlet, Mud Glove and Grip Glove, all in a range of sizes.  If you give these gloves as a gift, be assured that the recipient is welcome to exchange them for a different in-stock size, as long as they are still unused and in their original packaging.

Fine Art Photography by Britt Ripley

We are excited that Eve has arranged for Harlequin’s Gardens to offer Britt’s lyrical and compelling photographs! Enthralled with photography ever since he was given his first camera 47 years ago, Britt continues to be fascinated with capturing the forms, textures, and patterns of the natural and built world and the play of constantly changing light. Britt’s background as a landscape architect and his passion for music inform his work. His award-winning photographs have been featured in solo exhibitions, group shows and prestigious fine art festivals, and his work is found in private collections across the US.

Britt is known for his beautiful high country horse portraits, composite images combining horses and ranch architecture, floral portraits, and intimate highly textured landscapes.

Matted and un-matted prints, as well as framed pieces, will be available.

Matted & Un-matted: $25 to $140

Framed: $95 to $300

Ceramic Garlic Keepers

These beautiful glazed stoneware garlic-keepers, hand-crafted by Boulder potter Cathy Abelson, have perforations to keep garlic fresh as long as possible on the kitchen counter or in your pantry. They are big enough to keep up to a pound of garlic at your fingertips. Cathy’s work is sold in fine galleries around the nation.

Mason Bee Nest Boxes

Mason Bees are small, docile, solitary, wild bees that are many times more effective than honeybees for pollinating early and mid-spring bloomers, most notably our fruit trees.  They do not sting. These fascinating creatures will find your nest box and will busy themselves with gathering pollen and depositing it, along with their eggs, in the precisely drilled holes, sealing each chamber with mud (try to keep a dish of mud near the nest box in spring). The new generation of bees will emerge at just the right time to pollinate the following spring’s blossoms. Beautifully hand-crafted in Washington State from reclaimed fir by Andrew’s Reclaimed, this new design features stacking trays from which you can extract the cocoons for safe winter storage. Adorned with their attractive bee logo.

Our Favorite Gardening Tools

Japanese Knife-Weeders (see below)

Radius Trowels (ergonomic)

Radius Pro Spade (ergonomic)

Radius Pro Garden Fork (ergonomic)

Radius ‘Garden Shark’ Ergonomic Rake

World’s Best Trowel

Garden Bandit Weeders

Kneeling Pads

High-quality clippers, shears and loppers

Japanese Knife-Weeders

Reviewed by our Deb: This is the best all around tool ever!  Whenever I go out into the garden with no particular task in mind (other than peace of mind putzing) I grab this tool.  It can dig, saw into fat roots, slice into bindweed roots with the pointed tip, it’s wonderful.  I have a sheath for it which slides nicely onto a regular belt or garden-tool belt. I love using if for planting bulbs as I can make a deep, small hole.  If I could only have one tool forever…I would choose this one.

Eco Skin Sunscreen

Top-rated. Zinc oxide UV protection; no titanium dioxide, non-nano, no fragrances; good moisturizer, ideal for sensitive skin; does not sting eyes; very effective and Now Less Expensive.  The only sunscreen Mikl will use.

‘Big Green Purse’

By Diane MacEachern, environmental advisor to the EPA, World Bank, Old Wildlife Fund, etc.  400 pages of powerful advice for women to use their purchasing power to clean up and protect our environment and the planet.

Examples:

25 commodities where your dollars have the most impact

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down ratings to shift to eco products and services

Eco-cheap strategies

Tricks for seeing through ‘green-washing’

Regularly $17.95, on sale for $12.00

Thank you for your support.  We will be thrilled to see you in December!

Mikl & Eve Brawner and the staff at Harlequin’s Gardens