Pollinator at work!
photo by: Lynn McDonald
Today in the Garden
Author Archives: Ashland Garden Club
Native Shrubs for Southern Oregon
RED-FLOWERING CURRANT, (BLOOD CURRANT)
Ribes sanguineum Purch
Mid-height deciduous shrub, 3–9-feet with many upright stems from the base. Gray-green leaves. Blooms emerge before foliage with pendant red/pink flower clusters bloom in late winter. Shrub produces blue/black berries with waxy bloom in the summer.
This plant is a rapid grower and is drought tolerant. There is a selection of varieties flowering currants available in shades of red, pink, and white.
Habitat: Dry open woods, Forest edge, Slopes
Flowers attract hummingbirds, Berries attract birds.
PACIFIC, OR WESTERN, NINEBARK
Physocarpus capitatus (Pursh) Kuntze
Mid-height, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub to 8′-10’. Leaves resemble a maple tree leaves. Produces small white flowers in dense 2–3″ clusters in late spring. Plant turns a rose-brown color in the fall. Older stems have shredding bark.
Habitat: Best used in moist locations, along creeks & streams.
Ninebark Varieties:
Summer Wine – Bright red leaves when emerging, turning dark purple. Upright arching branches. Height 5.5 feet, same width. Exposure: Sun, part shade. USDA Hardiness Zone 2
Little Devil – Red stems with green and Red glossy leaves – Height 3.5 feet, same width. Exposure: Sun, part shade. USDA Hardiness Zone 2
Diablo : Dusky dark purple leaves turn red in autumn. Upright and arching shape. Height 8-10 ft, same width. Exposure: sun, part shade. USDA Hardiness Zone 2
Dart Gold: Bright gold new leaves, sometimes tinged with red. Chartreuse color in the shadowed center of the plant. Grows in an upright fountain shape. Grows to 5-ft , same width. Exposure: part shade. USDA Hardiness Zone 2
Amer Jubilee: New leaves are a glowing orange and gold, with touches of purple. Growth is upright rounded shape. Height 5.5ft, Width 4 to 5 feet. Exposure: Sun, part shade. USDA Hardiness Zone 2
by Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Garden on the Month: June 2023
59 Sixth Street
The front yard at 59 Sixth Street delights all who see it. The home of Sarah and Dennis Jeske is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for May 2023. The cheerful paint on the buildings, the art in the garden, the charming fence and gate, and the prolific flowers mix all together to create an enchanting display.
The garden design and installation were done by previous owners, Zelpha and Harry Hudson, who owned the property until 2017. Zelpha, especially, is credited with much of the creativity now on view. The Jeskes have made their mark, however, with the addition of the glass flowers as well as the fence and gate designed and built by Dennis.
Daisies of three kinds dominate the garden in May; shasta, marguerite, and erigeron. Also on view now and through much of the summer are nepeta, lavender, and wooly lambs ear. Pomegranate, pieris, rhododendron, and a gorgeous camellia surround the welcoming front porch.
Sarah calls herself the chief weeder in the back yard and veggie garden, Moises and his crew from Reyes Property Management provide routine maintenance.
This is a garden meant to be enjoyed by all who pass by.
Article by Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Coordinator
All Photos by Larry Rosengren
May flowers in a rock garden
Photos & flowers by Lynn McDonald, AGC Member
Companion Planting
The theory of companion planting is by placing beneficial plants together they help each other grow. Some ways companion plants help each other are:
- Taller plants can provide shade for sun-sensitive shorter plants.
- Vine plants cover the ground below taller plants for weed control, or to support vine plants.
- Companion plants discourage pest, for instance onions repel some pests,
while other companions, like marigolds, lure pest away from desirable plants. - Companion planting can attract beneficial insects to the garden, and improve flavor to some fruits and vegetables.
Below is a beginner’s guide to companion planting.
Basil
Plant near: most garden crops
Keep away from: rue
Comments: improves the flavor and growth of garden crops, especially tomatoes and lettuce. Repels mosquitoes
Beans, Bush
Plant near: beets, cabbage, carrots, catnip, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, marigolds, potatoes, savory, strawberries.
Keep away from: fennel, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots.
Comments: potatoes and marigolds repel Mexican bean beetles. Catnip repels flea beetles.
Beans, Pole
Plant near: corn, marigolds, potatoes, radishes.
Keep away from: beets, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, shallots
Comments: same as for bush beans.
Beets
Plant near: broccoli, brussel sprouts, bush beans, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, kohlrabi, onions
Keep away from: mustard, pole beans
Borage
Plant near: squash, strawberries, tomatoes
Keep away from: Spreads by seed!!
Comments: repels tomato worms. Improves flavor and growth of companions.
Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts
Plant near: beets, buckwheat, calendula, carrots, chamomile, dill, hyssop, marigolds, mints, nasturtiums, onions, rosemary, sage, thyme, wormwood.
Keep away from: strawberries
Comments: marigolds repel cabbage moths. Nasturtiums repel aphids.
Cabbage and Cauliflower
Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, celery, chard, spinach, tomatoes.
Keep away from: strawberries
Comments: tomatoes and celery repel cabbage worms.
Cantaloupe
Plant near: corn
Keep away from: )
Carrots
Plant near: cabbage, chives, early potatoes, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, rosemary, sage, salsify, wormwood.
Keep away from: )
Comments: onions, leeks, and wormwood repel carrot flies
Chives
Plant near: apples, berries, carrots, grapes, peas, roses, tomatoes.
Keep away from: – )
Comments: Deters aphids and Japanese beetles. Improves flavor & growth of companions.
Corn
Plant near: beans, cucumbers, early potatoes, melons, peas, pumpkins, soybeans, squash.
Keep away from: -)
Comments: soybeans deter chinch bugs.
Cucumbers
Plant near: beans, cabbage, corn, early potatoes, radishes, sunflowers.
Keep away from: late potatoes
Comments: Radishes deter cucumber beetles. Cucumbers encourage blight in late potatoes.
Dill
Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, onions
Keep away from: carrots
Comments: Improves flavor and growth of cabbage family plants.
Eggplant
Plant near: green beans, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes
Keep away from: –
Comments: green beans deter Colorado potato beetles.
Garlic
Plant near: cabbage, cane fruits, fruit trees, roses, tomatoes
Keep away from: peas, beans
Comments: deters Japanese beetles and aphids. A garlic oil spray deters onion flies, aphids, and ermine moths. A garlic tea helps repel late potato blight.
Kale
Plant near: aromatic herbs, buckwheat, cabbage family, marigolds, nasturtiums
Keep away from: pole beans, strawberries
Kohlrabi
Plant near: cabbage/cauliflower companions (except tomatoes)
Keep away from: fennel, pole beans, tomatoes
Comments: kohlrabi stunts tomatoes
Lettuce
Plant near: beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes, strawberries
Keep away from: cabbage family
Comments: lettuce tenderizes summer radishes.
Marigolds
Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from: -)
Comments: stimulates vegetable growth and deters bean beetles, aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes, and maggots.
Marjoram
Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from: -)
Comments: stimulates vegetable growth.
Mustard
Plant near: alfalfa cover crops, fruit trees, grapes, legumes
Keep away from: -)
Comments: stimulates growth of companion plants.
Nasturtiums
Plant near: apples, beans, cabbage family, greenhouse crops, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, squash
Keep away from: -)
Comments: repels aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetles, and Mexican bean beetles and destroys white flies in greenhouses.
Onions
Plant near: beets, cabbage family, carrots, chamomile, lettuce, parsnips
Keep away from: beans, peas
Comments: deters most pests, especially maggots.
Oregano
Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from: -)
Comments: deters many insect pests.
Parsley
Plant near: corn, roses, tomatoes
Keep away from: –
Parsnips
Plant near: onions, radishes, wormwood
Keep away from: -)
Comments: onions and wormwood help keep root maggots from parsnips.
Peas
Plant near: beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, early potatoes, radishes, turnips
Keep away from: garlic leeks, onions, shallots
Peppers
Plant near: basil, carrots, eggplant, onions, parsley, tomatoes
Keep away from: fennel, kohlrabi
Potatoes
Plant near: basil, beans, cabbage family, corn, eggplant, flax, hemp, marigolds, peas, squash
Keep away from: apples, birch, cherries, cucumbers, pumpkins, raspberries, sunflowers, tomatoes, walnuts
Comments: Basil deters potato beetles. Marigolds (dug into crop soil) deter nematodes, hemp deters phytophthora infestans (potato blight)
Radishes
Plant near: chervil, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, peas, nasturtiums, root crops
Keep away from: hyssop
Comments: radishes deter cucumber beetles. Chervil makes radishes hot. Lettuce helps make radishes tender. Nasturtiums improve radishes’ flavor.
Rosemary
Plant near: beans, cabbage, carrots
Keep away from: -)
Comments: repels bean beetles, cabbage moths, and carrot flies.
Sage
Plant near: cabbage family, carrots, tomatoes
Keep away from: cucumbers
Comments: deters cabbage moths and carrot flies. Invigorates tomato plants.
Soybeans
Plant near: corn, potatoes
Keep away from: -)
Comments: chokes weeds and enriches soil.
Spinach
Plant near: celery, cauliflower, eggplant, strawberries
Keep away from: -)
Strawberries
Plant near: borage, bush beans, lettuce, pyrethrum, spinach
Keep away from: cabbage family
Sunflowers
Plant near: cucumbers
Keep away from: potatoes
Comments: can provide a trellis and shelter for shade-loving cucumbers.
Swiss Chard
Plant near: bush beans, kohlrabi, onions
Keep away from: pole beans
Tarragon
Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from: –
Comments: improves vegetables’ flavor and growth.
Thyme
Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from: –
Comments: deters cabbage moths.
Tomatoes
Plant near: asparagus, basil, cabbage family, carrots, gooseberries, mustard, parsley, onions, rosemary, sage, stinging nettles.
Keep away from: fennel, kohlrabi, potatoes, walnuts
Turnips and Rutabagas
Plant near: peas
Keep away from: knotweed, mustard
Comments: mustard and knotweed inhibit the growth of turnips and rutabagas!
By Carlotta Lucas Ashland Garden Club
Planting for Drought Tolerance & Deer Resistance in the Rogue Valley
Article By: Christie Mackison, Shooting Star Nursery
Destructive deer and hot, dry summers are two very common issues in the Rogue Valley. Drought tolerant and deer resistant plants are a good combination to aim for because the qualities in plants that repel deer can often be found in drought tolerant species- such as heavy oil content, textured or hairy foliage, strong odors, and tough, less succulent leaves. The key to keeping drought tolerant plants happy and more unpalatable to deer is to give them the habitat they are used to- so don’t water them every day just because its 90 degrees!
Good drainage is usually essential- if you don’t have it, you’ll probably have to water even less
No heavy fertilizing: Use only organic or slow release fertilizer if called for at time of planting. Over fertilizing will attract deer. If the plants look yellow it is usually from too much water, not lack of fertilizer.
Dedicate an area to drought tolerant plants: Don’t mix plants that need regular water with drought tolerant plants. Do not put them on the same irrigation system & timer or one group will suffer.
Do not over water! It’s best to plant drought tolerant plants in early spring or early fall so they can get established with the rains.
- Once established many plants do not need summer water.
- They will only need an occasional deep soak.
- Don’t plant them where they will get extra water from lawn areas or runoff from other irrigated areas.
How to get good drainage:
Mound up soil when making new beds or planting a new plant. Create a berm. Plant drought tolerant plants on a hillside or slope
Mulch with at least a 1″ layer of 1/4″-io gravel to keep dirt from rotting the crown of plant, to retain moisture during heat and keep plant roots warmer in winter
For clay soil amend with 1/4″- io gravel (sharp edge, no fines) and compost will help break down clay over time.
How to water drought tolerant plants
Observe- most plants need to dry out before the next watering- stick your finger a few inches into soil (well below mulch, which will feel dry), if it is cool and damp, don’t need to water yet.
Infrequent But Deep Soak: This trains plants to have deep roots, not shallow. Often a deep soak every 2 weeks in heat of summer is enough- easier to do with drip irrigation than sprinklers
Watering rule of thumb (depends on site and soil type)
- 1st year of planting water deeply once a week for first month of summer,
- Then water once every 2 weeks for 2nd and 3rd month of summer
- Water once a month the 2nd summer and don’t water again.
How to find drought tolerant plants
Look to natives- can tolerate summer drought and winter wet
Look to Mediterranean plants- similar climate (also cold hardy Australian and northern California plants, hardy desert plants/succulents) get help from your local nursery!- we’ve talked to countless customers and worked in our own gardens and have seen what works
How to find deer resistant plants
- Look around your neighborhood drive or walk around heavy deer areas- Jacksonville, hills of east Medford, wooded parts of Ashland- observe what has been chewed- deer can be very neighborhood specific
- Read lists, but be ready to experiment
- use Liquid Fence, Plantskydd, or similar product on all new plantings to discourage initial browsing
- Use cages around most new trees- to prevent antler damage and new growth chewing
- Deer damage can depend on time of year you plant- when deer are especially hungry in fall and winter they can graze on almost anything
- Use poisonous, strongly scented or sharply textured plants (grasses, sometimes prickly/thorny textures, fuzzy/hairy leaves, pine needles, etc.)
- Talk to your local nursery- we know from our experiences and those of our customers and landscapers what has worked and what hasn’t