Ashland Garden Club 39th Annual Plant Sale
Saturday May 12th, 9-Noon, at the Safeway Parking Lot.
Money raised funds the club’s scholarships.
Beautiful Mother’s Day bouquets will be for sale at amazing prices!
Author Archives: Ashland Garden Club
Heucheras (Coral Bells)
Heucheras: Shade-Loving & Deer-Resistant
Common name: Coral Bells
Plant Type: Perennial
USDA Zone: 4 – 9
Heuchera ‘Red Lightening’
Flower Color: White, Flower time: June– July
Plant Height: 11 in , Width: 16 in
Soil & Water : Rich well-drained soil, moderately moist.
Attributes: Golden lime green leaves with crimson veins. Flowers attract hummingbirds & butterflies. Humidity & heat tolerant. Deer resistant. Full -Part Shade.
Heuchera ‘Wild Rose’
Flower Color: Rosy Pink, Flower time: July–August
Plant Height: 8-10 inches, Width: 24 inches
Soil & Water : Rich well-drained soil, moderately moist.
Attributes: Purple Leaves with dark veins. Flowers attract hummingbirds & butterflies. Salt tolerant. Loves shade. Deer resistant. Full Shade-Part Sun.
Heuchera ‘Georgia Peach’
Flower Color: Creamy White Flower time: June –July
Plant Height: 12-24 inches Width: 18-24 inches
Soil & Water : Rich well-drained soil, moderately moist.
Attributes: Attracts hummingbirds & butterflies. Heat tolerant. Leaves turn purple in the fall. Deer resistant. Part Shade-Part Sun
Heuchera- Dolce‘ Blackberry Ice’
Flower Color: Creamy White Flower time: June–July
Plant Height: 12-18 inches Width: 12-18 inches
Soil & Water : Rich well-drained soil, moderately moist.
Attributes: Iridescent purple leaves with black veining. Leaves turn metallic pewter in summer hear. Heat tolerant. Deer resistant. Prefers Part Sun.
Heuchera- Dolce ‘Cinnamon Curls’
Flower Color: Cream on burgundy stems
Flower time: June–July
Plant Height: 12-18 inches Width: 18-24 inches
Soil & Water : Rich well-drained soil and moderately moist.
Attributes: Stunning leaves! Heavily ruffled, leathery, glossy. Emerge fiery orange-red in the spring, turning cinnamon, red and purple in the summer. Undersides are bright magenta! Deer resistant. Full Shade-Part Sun.
Garden of the Month: April 2018
842 Faith Avenue – There are always colorful displays in both front and back gardens of Faye Garland’s home at 842 Faith Avenue. Often plants are flowering, but even on those rare occasions when nothing is in bloom, cheerful objects dot the landscape. The garden was designed and installed three-and-a-half years ago by landscape designer Kelly Eaton of Ashland. Kelly started with a blank slate to create this intriguing garden.
The front is primarily a xeriscape, requiring very little irrigation. The entire property is watered by a drip irrigation system. Faye has proclaimed a narrow side yard, protected by a fence and the south side of the house, a “micro-climate” where moisture- and heat-loving plants such as coral bells and hellebores thrive. A delightful lawn-like area near the gazebo in back is primarily comprised of English daisies, yarrow, and white clover. It requires little mowing and very little water and looks perfectly charming. It’s easy for people and pets to walk on too.
After a few initial plantings failed to thrive in the back, revealing an underground stream running through, they were replaced by arctic blue willows that flourish with the extra moisture. A star magnolia dominates the landscape at this time of year. Also in back are red Twigg dogwoods and a shore pine that grows very fast.
A witch hazel anchors the right side of the front yard. Other favorite plants include manzanita that is blooming this month, gaura and a non-invasive butterfly bush to bloom in the coming months. Bees love this garden.
Faye spends about three hours a week maintaining her garden and enjoys every minute of it. She says she likes to “putter,” moving the colorful objets around to constantly change the view. Her late husband, after observing the stress relief gardening brings her, declared that working in the yard was the “cheapest therapy ever!”
Submitted by:
Ruth Sloan
AGC Garden-of-the-Month Chairperson
Local Garden Tour: May 19, 2018
Save the Date!
Saturday, May 19, 2018
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
16th Annual Garden Tour
View six beautiful, unique gardens in the
Jacksonville/Central Point area – become inspired!
Tickets $20.00
Purchase tickets at the following locations from
April 16th – May 18th
Judy’s Central Point Florist
337 East Pine, Central Point
Southern Oregon Nursery
2922 S. Pacific Highway, Medford
Blue Door Garden Store
130 W. California Street, Jacksonville
Penny & Lulu Studio Florist
18 Stewart Avenue, Medford
Eufloria Flowers
449 E Main St, Ashland
On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased only at:
The Schoolhaus Brewhaus
525 Bigham Knoll Dr, Jacksonville
All proceeds support community service projects of SI North Valley
Questions: email: gardentoursinv@gmail.com
April Gardening Tasks
April 14th is National Garden Day!
- Use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetables. Some cool
season crops (onions, kale, lettuce, and spinach) can be planted when the soil is consistently at or above 40°F. - Spread compost over garden and landscape areas.
- Prune gooseberries and currants; fertilize with manure or a complete fertilizer.
- Fertilize evergreen shrubs and trees, only if needed. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal.
- If needed, fertilize rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas with acid-type fertilizer. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal.
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after blossoms fade. Early-spring bloomers, such as lilac, forsythia, and rhododendron, bear flowers on wood formed the previous year. The best time to prune them is late spring — immediately after they finish blooming. If pruned later in the growing season or during winter, the flower buds will be removed and spring bloom will be decreased.
- Fertilize cane berries (broadcast or band a complete fertilizer or manure).
- Remove spent flowers of large-flowered bulbs, such as tulips and daffodils, as soon as they fade. This channels the plants’ energy into forming large bulbs and offsets rather than into setting seeds. Allow foliage of spring-flowering bulbs to brown and die down before removing. Do not remove bulb foliage while it is green; the green leaves nourish the bulb and next year’s flower buds, which form during summer. Cut or pull off leaves only after they yellow. Do not braid leaves to get them out of the way. Braiding reduces the amount of sunlight the leaves get and hinders growth. Allow smaller bulbs (like: muscari and puschkinia) to set seed, so they self-sow and form ever-larger drifts.
- Cut back ornamental grasses to a few inches above the ground, in early spring.
- Prune and shape or thin spring-blooming shrubs and trees after blossoms fade.
- Plant gladiolus and hardy transplants of alyssum, phlox, and marigolds, if weather and soil conditions permit.
- Fertilize Lawns. Apply 1-pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn. Reduce risks of run-off into local waterways by not fertilizing just prior to rain. Also do not over-irrigate and cause water runs off of lawn and onto sidewalk or street.
- April is a good time to dethatch and renovate lawns. If moss was a problem, scratch surface prior to seeding with perennial ryegrass.
- If necessary, spray apples and pears when buds appear for scab. And spray stone fruits, such as cherries, plums, peaches, and apricots for brown rot blossom blight.
- Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees.
- Plant container and bare-root roses.
- Prepare garden soil for spring planting. Incorporate generous amounts of organic materials and other amendments.
- Divide and replant spring-blooming perennials after bloom.
- Plant fall-blooming bulbs.
Article by:
Terra Gardens Nursery & Bark
Salem, OR
Home Grown Potatoes
Growing your own potatoes is an easy and rewarding gardening experience.
Plant starts in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked.
Potato plants can withstand a light frost, but protect against a hard frost.
Potato plants need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day to produce.
Harvest potatoes in 2-4 months; this depends on your area’s growing season.
Purchase good quality seed potatoes to insure a healthy crop.
Oregon Territorial Seed company in Cottage Grove, Oregon offers some interesting seed potato varieties: http://www.territorialseed.com/
- Dark Red Norland Potatoes
- Blue Potatoes (Late-season 110-135 days)
- Yukon Gem Potatoes
- Desiree Potatoes
- German Butterball Potatoes
- Mountain Rose Potatoes
- Purple Majesty Potatoes
The Rogue Valley Grange Co-ops may have some of these varieties available, too.
Seed Prep: Seed potatoes are tubers which can be planted whole, but you will get more plants if you cut seed potatoes into sections. Each cut section should contain one or two sprouts; these sprouts are called eyes. Each section should have enough potato “meat” around each eye for successful growing. Therefore, cut seed potatoes into 2 to 3 inch chunks, with 1-2 eyes in each chunk. Set these pieces on a protective surface like newspaper to allow cut edges to dry before planting, usually 24-48 hours.
Planting:
In the ground – Dig a trench 8 inches deep. Plant each seed potato section, 1 inch deep and 12 inches apart. Planting rows should be spaced 3 feet apart. Place the seed potato cut side down with eye(s) pointing up. As the plants grow, and when leaves are just starting to break the soil’s surface, mound another 2 inches of soil on top of the plants. Repeat this step until the trench is filled with soil, continue filling until the trench is mounded . Note: If your space is limited, or if you want only baby potatoes, you can decrease the spacing between the plants to 7 inches.
Planting in Containers – Note: Containers must be able to drain.
Growing in containers is the same principal as growing in the ground. Place 6 inches of moistened soil in the bottom of a container. Plant prepped seed potatoes cut side down with eyes up. Cover with 2-3 inches of soil. As the potato plants grow keep adding 2-3 inches of soil over the plants. Repeat this step until the container is full of soil. You can even stack additional containers on top of the original container, filling those with soil in steps. The height limit is approximately 3 feet.
Planting in Straw–
With this method you don’t have to dig potatoes, you simply pull them out of the straw. Because straw starts to break down as the growing season progresses, you will need to add straw to maintain a consistent straw depth. In short: Top off your potato bed with straw during the growing season.
Prep potatoes as described above. Lay out a loose layer of straw 6-inches deep, and place seed potatoes in the straw, cut side down, eyes up. Cover with 2 inches of straw. When you see the leaves peaking out of the straw, cover them with 2 inches of straw. Then, repeat this until you reached your desired height.
Care:
- Potatoes should be watered regularly, but do not over water.
- Keeping tubers covered prevents greening. Potatoes exposed to sunlight turn green, causing the flesh to taste bitter.
- Feed potato plants regularly throughout the season with a liquid fertilizer.
Harvesting:
- New potatoes can be picked when foliage is 1-foot high.
- All potatoes are harvested after plant foliage dies.