Author Archives: Ashland Garden Club

Sisyrinchium palmifolium (Palm-Leaf Yellow-Eyed Grass)

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Plant Name: Sisyrinchium palmifolium
Common name: Palm-Leaf Yellow-Eyed Grass
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Height: Floral Stem 18-24” with 3-5 Flowers each, Leaf 20-24”
Spread: 8-12” Clump  
Bloom Time: May- June 
Flower Color: Bright yellow with a tinge of orange in the throat.
Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil Requirements: Well-drained; Rich
Water Needs:  Moist in the spring; Tolerates dry Conditions summer & fall.  
Attributes:  Bright Yellow Flowers; Hardy Perennial; Deer Resistant; Attracts Bees; Carefree; Blue-green Semi-Evergreen Foliage; Siberian Iris-like leaves
Note: Similar to West coast Native: Blue-eyed Grass (sisyrinchium augustiifolium) and California Native Yellow-Eyed Grass (sisyrinchium californicum).
Uses:  Cut Flowers; Deer Resistant Gardens; Perennial Gardens; Borders, Low-water gardens.       
Native to: South America: Argentina, Brazil, And Uruguay
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a-9b

Report and Photo by: Gena Goddard, AGC Member & Oregon State Flower Judge

Oregon Native Plant: Achillea millefolium (Common Yarrow)

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Plant Name:  Achillea millefolium
Common name:  Common Yarrow
Plant Type:  Perennial
Plant Height:  3’
Spread: 2-3′
Bloom Time: April – September
Flower Color:  Yellowish White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Dry
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:  Use in Fresh or Dried Arrangements with pleasing Fragrance; Value to native bees. Attracts butterflies.
Note:  A complex of both native and introduced plants and their hybrids.
Uses:  In fresh or dried arrangements; pleasant fragrance.
Native to:  North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9

Report submitted by: Viki Ashford

Photo by: (c) Steve Guttman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/24013640@N02/3683708823

Horticulture Report:Phlox stolonifera (Creeping Phlox)

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Plant Name: Phlox stolonifera
Common name: Creeping Phlox
Plant Type: Semi-Evergreen Perennial
Plant Height: 6″ – 12″
Spread: 9″ – 18″
Bloom Time: May – September
Flower Color: Lavender, Blue, or White
Exposure: Part Shade to Shade
Soil Requirements: Humus Rich, Moist Soil
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Deer Tolerant
Note: Slugs a problem in Moist Soil; Spread by Stolons
Uses: Ground Cover; Cover for Early Spring Bulbs; Border Fronts; Rock Gardens.
Native to: Southeastern US
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9

Report by Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Michael Wolf / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Horticulture Report: Agastache foeniculum

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Plant Name:  Agastache foeniculum
Common name: Anise Hyssop
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height:  2’ – 4’
Spread:  1.5’ – 3’
Bloom Time: June – September
Flower Color:  Lavender to Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Well-Drained
Water Needs:  Dry to Medium
Attributes:  Deer Resistant; Drought Tolerant; Attracts Butterflies & Hummingbirds; Fragrant; Good Nectar Plant for Bees
Note:  Deadhead spent flowers to promote additional bloom.  Spreads by rhizomes & easily self-seeds.
Watch for Rust, Powdery Mildew, & Leaf Spot.
Uses: Herb; Naturalized Gardens; Good Cut or Dried Flower; Back of the Border Gardens.
Native to:  Northern North America
Oregon Native:  Native to Washington, but NOT Oregon
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 -8

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford

Wildflower: Helianthus mollis

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Plant Name:  Helianthus mollis
Common name: Ashy Sunflower, Hairy Sunflower, Downy Sunflower
Plant Type:  Rhizomatous Perennial Sunflower
Plant Height: 2’ – 4’
Spread:  1’ – 3’
Bloom Time: July – September
Flower Color:  Ray & Disk Flowers are Yellow.
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements:  Average, Sandy, Poor Rocky Soil that Drains Well.
Water Needs:  Dry to Medium
Attributes: Attracts Birds & Butterflies; Tolerates Dry, Rocky Soil.
Note:  Plants spread by rhizomes & self-seeding to form colonies; Caterpillars & Beetles often chew foliage.
Uses: Showy Flower for Arrangements; Naturalized Areas, Border Gardens, Wildflower & Native Plant Gardens.
Native to:  Central & Eastern North America
Oregon Native:   NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 9

May 2020: Garden of the Month

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720 Forest Street

The wonderful garden at 720 Forest St. is a labor of love for homeowners Vicky Sturtevant and Alan Armstrong and is The Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for May. They have deftly combined edibles with ornamentals in this space they have gardened since 1983.

It is a heavily shaded lot, particularly the upper, forested quarter-acre parcel that they purchased separately. In all, they have a half-acre that they manage beautifully. The hardscape was designed by Covey-Pardee Landscape Architects in 2009. Eric Cislo welded the gates and Ted Loftus constructed the stone walls. The deer are kept out.

The couple enjoys being outside and are inveterate hikers, so they also love gardening. They devote a lot of time to it and it shows. Nothing is neglected. They follow the sun throughout the yard and throughout the year.

Grandparents of both instilled in them a love of plants and a tradition of gardening. Alan’s grandparents were farmers. Vicky’s had a large lot and grew all kinds of things, especially roses. There is a vigorous peony in the yard that came from Vicky’s grandparents. She speaks fondly of how much certain plants remind us of certain people. Happily, their adult son loves gardening, too.

Both Alan and Vicky are very knowledgeable about plants and have noticed that plants native to the Pacific Northwest, in which they have specialized, are beginning to struggle to survive and that now plants native to Northern California are more likely to thrive in Ashland. So it is to them they are turning their attention.

Visitors who walk or drive by will notice the great diversity of plant life in this garden. Among favorites of the couple are species rhododendrons (includes azaleas), Penstemons, Salvia, Agastache, and Marionberry. In May, dogwood, lilac, and rhododendrons make a stunning display.

Article by: Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Committee Chair

Photos by: Larry Rosengren