Common name: Mountain mahogany Plant type: Evergreen Shrub Height: 8’ – 20’ Spread: 10’ – 12’ Bloom Time: Winter – Spring Flower Color: Yellow Exposure: Partial Shade to Full Sun Soil Requirements: Adapts to Variety of Soil Types; Slow to Fast Drainage Water Needs: Low Attributes: long, fuzzy seeds that resemble curled feathers and shine in the sun; Attracts hummingbirds & butterflies; Wildlife supported includes Bats, Birds, Caterpillars; Dark Bark Color; Aromatic Note: Can be cut down to the ground for new growth; Uses: In Narrow Areas and as a Hedge or Privacy Screen. Responds well to light or heavy pruning, which may be necessary when planted in small spaces; Bank Stabilization; Erosion Control Firewise: YES Native To: Southwestern Oregon south to Baja California and east to central Arizona Oregon Native: YES USDA Hardiness Zone: 6b -11a
On May 31st Ashland Garden Club members Dan, Mark and Lynn visited the California Peony Farm. The California Peony Company is owned and operated Anne Hilton. She and her family, including her husband Brent and their sons Wyatt and Finn, run the farm in Callahan, California, located outside of Etna, CA. in Northern California. The farm opened 6 years again and is growing 10 acres of peonies with at least 40 varieties. They are the largest peony grower in California.
Lynn reported the weather was perfect the day they visited and the fields of peonies were a beautiful sight. Two special treats happened on this field trip: a young couple became engaged among the peonies, and a group of Hmong people from Sacramento were visiting the farm and the women were wearing traditional clothing.
The farm is closed for the 2025 season, but check out their website. They will open again May 2026.
Tucked between Clinton Street and Briscoe Place in the Riverwalk neighborhood lies the residence of Richard and Laura Simonds, selected as the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for June.
Two splendid Dogwoods are in bloom this month, one tall and slender (Cornus nuttallii x florida ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’) tucked into the entry garden and the second more diminutive one (Cornus kousa ‘Milky Way’) featured to the right of the entry drive at 443 Clinton. Note the size of the bracts on the taller one, nearly the size of a human palm with more rounded tips.
The other, with pinched tips and a spot of color on the petals. So special.Plantings either side of the driveway feature a lovely dwarf Japanese Maple (Acer p.dissectum ‘Red Emperor’), an outstanding specimen of Viburnum ‘Pink Dawn,’ several Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestic ‘Firepower’) accented by Heather (Calluna vulgaris ‘Firefly’ and ‘Barcelona’). The cone-shaped taller shrubs are Boxwood (Buxus x ‘Green Mountain’) and dwarf Mugo Pines (‘Pinus mugo ‘Slowmound’) complete the picture.
Following along behind the fence line, the entry walk is planted with Mock Orange (Choisya ternata), Variegated Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Ivory Halo’), Lily of the Valley shrub (Pieris japonica ‘Mountain Fire’) and Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) trained on a welded wire fence. The foundation is edged with Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’) and two ‘Sky Pencil’ Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) accent the porch columns. Several glass flowers add a splash of color to the otherwise classic green and white color palette.
An enclosed garden on Clinton provides a virtual feast for our flying friends. The design features a berm created from the rolled-up turf that was removed to create the pollinator garden envisioned by the Simonds when they purchased the property in May 2019 although they didn’t move in until July 2020. It features a trio of Royal Raindrops Crabapple trees, a Bloodgood Japanese Maple, a young Lilac and a Serviceberry (Amelanchier Alnifolia). Two Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia ‘Miss Violet’ (sterile) and ‘Miss Molly’), Silver Artemisia (Powis Castle), St. John’s Wort (shrub form Hypericum Sunburst), drifts of both French (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Phenomenal’) and English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’), low growing Germander, Gaura and Yarrow are just some of the plantings frequented by the bees and butterflies. Three Compact Strawberry Bushes (Arbutus Unedo Compacta “Oktoberfest”) line one fence and Bay Laurel stretch along the other. The Japanese Barberry ‘Cherry Bomb’ was selected to complement the Bloodgood Maple.
The Simonds engaged Robin McKenzie in March 2021, owner of Rockbird Gardens in Talent, to design their garden with the only stipulation that the fig tree at the entry on Briscoe be kept. It has been skillfully pruned to remain proportional in size. Thadius Espinoza, owner of Southern Bloom Landscaping, installed and has maintained the garden since its inception.
Please stop by and step up to the handsome undulating fence to enjoy the astounding variety of plant material. The Riverwalk neighborhood, where Robin designed several other gardens, is a delight to walk about. Just a few steps north on Clinton is an Ashland City Park designated as a pollinator garden by Pollinator Project Rogue Valley (pollinatorprojectroguevalley.org). The spring blossoms may have disappeared from our gardens but summer has indeed provided us with a cornucopia of images to discover.
The Ashland Garden Club has been selecting Gardens of the Month, from April through September, since 2000. Nominations are gratefully received at aogardenclub@gmail.com.
Plant Name: Brodiaea elegans Common name: Elegant Cluster Lily/Harvest Brodiaea Plant type: Perennial Herbaceous; Grows from a Corm Height: 2’ Spread: 6” Bloom Time: Spring – Summer Flower Color: Pale Purple/Purple/White Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade Soil Requirements: Does well in Clay Soil; Medium to Slow Drainage Water Needs: Low to Very Low Attributes: Supports Butterflies; Drought Tolerant Note: Plant in Groups; Insect Pollinated Uses: Containers; Beds & Borders; Rock Garden Firewise: YES Native To: Mountain Ranges of California & Oregon Oregon Native: YES USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a – 10b
Common name: Deer Fern
Botanical Name: Blechnum spicant
Plant type: Fern
Height: .75’ – 4’
Spread: 1’ – 2’
Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Soil Requirements: Humusy, Acidic, Evenly Moist, Well-drained
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Winter Interest; Tolerates Heavy Shade; Two Different Types of Fronds; Deer Resistant
Note: Spreads somewhat slowly by short creeping rhizomes; May be divided in Spring; Leaf Spot & Rust May Occur; May Go Dormant in Winter; Cut back dead fronds in late winter or early spring before new growth emerges; Fertilize Frequently During Growing Season
Uses: Shade Garden; Shaded Border; Rock Garden; Containers
Firewise: YES
Native To: Temperate Northern Hemisphere
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 8
Helpful tips for conditioning cut flowers and foliage to stay fresh longer in bouquets.
1- Cut flowers and foliage the night before the sale or early in the morning when it is cool.
2- Use sharp and clean clippers and tools, scissors are not recommended. Cut stems at 45º, and under water if possible.
3- Place them in a 1/4 filled buckets of lukewarm water, and keep them in a cool place.
4- Flowers with strong and tall stems make the best cut flowers.
5- For bulbs flowers, cut the white section at the bottoms of stem so they can drink better.
5- Most flowers can be cut in bud stage as soon as they show a little color.
6- Zinnias, marigolds, mums, and dahlias, should be cut when the flowers are fully open.
7- For woody stems make a clean split at the bottom one inch, don’t crush or hammer!
8- Remove all the lower foliage which will be below the water level.
9- For hydrangeas, dip the head in cold water to firm up the petals for an hour, then drip
dry them, cut and place stems in warm water overnight.
10- Flowers like delphiniums, lupines, dahlias, hollyhocks which have hollow stems can be
filled water and covered with a cotton ball at the base.
11- Flowers In a vase: Use a clean vase, maintain water level and change the water frequently.
water if possible.