At the end of a cul-de-sac in Mountain Meadows is a charming and whimsical garden. The sign out front says Donna’s garden, and in the Spring,it is full of flowers and the occasional bunny. Donna Ritchie moved to Ashland in 2000 with her husband Dean. Originally, their home was on the slope towards the North of town, but in 2012, after Dean’s death, Donna moved to her current home at 825 Creek Stone Way in the Mountain Meadows community.
Donna, a retired English teacher, has always loved “pretty things.” When she first moved in, the garden was quite bland, with just a few shrubs in the front. Over time, Donna, with Denise Moffat, her garden helper, has planted lots of colorful perennials and bulbs. Even after our major snowfall in February, the front garden in late February was full of color. Primroses, miniature daffodils, crocus and violas were blooming aside the path and in shiny blue pots near the front porch. One of the most interesting plants, a dwarf iris, is an early bloomer. These irises, called Iris reticulata, are dark purple, with designs on their falls.
Beside colorful flowering perennials, and lavenders that bloom later, Donna has added a collection of bunnies, which perch here and there in the garden and on the porch. Donna says these are “bunnies”, not rabbits, because rabbits are what folks eat! These charming bunnies range in size from as large as a small child to as small as a mouse. Folks coming by to view the flowers should see if they can find the smaller bunnies, hidden amongst the plants.
Donna’s garden is irrigated during the hot months by drip irrigation and micro sprays. Plants in pots need to be hand watered. Donna is grateful for the rain, and even the snow, which has kept her plants watered this Spring.
The Rogue Buzzway is an interactive map which represents southern Oregon’s pollinator corridors.
From the Southern Oregon University’s website: “The Rogue Buzzway was created after the Pollinator Project Rogue Valley approached SOU associate professor Jamie Trammel in 2016 about mapping the Rogue Valley’s pollinator gardens. Trammel and then-SOU student Ollie Bucolo and Dr. Jamie Trammell created the map, whose scope and capabilities have grown over the years with the contributions of other Environmental Science & Policy interns.”
Leo Helm, who graduated fall 2024, is the latest in a succession of SOU interns to work on the Buzzway Map. The current map shows 120 self-certified pollinator gardens from Ashland to Grants Pass, but this is an ongoing project.
Plant Name: Amelancier alnifolia
Common name: Pacific serviceberry
Plant type: Deciduous Shrub/Tree
Height: 15’ – 30’
Spread: 15’ – 20’
Bloom Time: Spring
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun or Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Good Drainage; Sandy or Loamy
Water Needs: Irrigate 1x/Month after establishment
Attributes: Easily Pruned to More Erect Form or Flatter, Rounder, Open Shape; Food Source Birds; Attracts Bats, Caterpillars, Larval Host for some Butterflies; Berries for Mammals; Shelter for Animals; Fragrant Flowers; Flavorful Edible Fruit used fresh or in baked goods
Note: Fruits in Summer; Fall Color Foliage; Root Suckering is Common; Diseases/Insects: Rust, Leaf Spot, FireBlight, Powdery Mildew; Aphids, Thrips, Mites,
Uses: Hedge; Pollinator Garden; Shrub Border; Woodland Gardens; Naturalized Areas
Native to: Some Canadian Provinces; Midwest to West United States
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 2 – 7
