Garden of the Month: September 2024

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Ashland Garden Club

2025 Green Meadows Way, Ashland Oregon

Miriam Weissberg’s creativity and love of color shows throughout her garden at 2025 Green Meadows Way. This is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for September 2024.

When Miriam and her late husband Rob first moved to the property in 2018, the front yard was mostly grass and the back yard was dominated by blank space for an above-ground pool that the previous owner removed. Miriam and Rob planned and gardened together until he passed away in 2023. Now Miriam does all the designing and fine-tuning in the garden.

Carlos and Pam Maya do much of the routine maintenance and larger projects. Miriam estimates that among herself, Carlos and Pam, they spend an average of about 18 hours per month on the garden.

Although she has access to TID water, she doesn’t use it very much because she didn’t want to design a landscape that would be reliant on water that is available such a small fraction of the year. She figures that, with added hardscape and drought tolerant plants, she uses less water than was the case when they moved in. The zoned irrigation system employs about two-thirds drip lines.

Flower beds and walkways in the back yard replacing pool site. Photo by Ruth Sloan, August 2024

Deck stairs with edging for safety, painted and photo by Miriam Weissberg. June 2019

Miriam’s advice to other gardeners is to try different things and see what works best given the many factors in your garden. Also, to encourage maximum blooming, keep your plants well pruned.

Among her favorite plants are verbena and roses. In the recent past, she has planted many annuals, including beloved zinnias, to add color with the knowledge that her choices don’t require much water. This year, she didn’t have time to plant her usual annuals but the garden is still lovely.

Article by Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month
With thanks to Marilyn Love for bringing this garden to my attention.

Garden of the Month: August 2024

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Ashland Garden Club

600 Liberty St

Cleome, peonies, and Japanese maples line the walkway to the front door. Photo by Tim MacCurdy

Tim MacCurdy started gardening at 600 Liberty St in 2018 and this is now the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for August 2024. He lives here with his wife, Tricia, and son, Luca. When they first purchased the house there was little in the yard except a few trees. Now it is dense with food and ornamentals.

Cleome and echinacea, with yuzu in the background. Photo by Tim MacCurdy.

Tim has had an interest in gardening since he was a child, growing up in Atascadero California where his father inspired hard work on the family acreage. A kindergarten teacher, whose husband was on the botany faculty at Cal Poly, also encouraged Tim’s interest in plants to the point where Tim was known as the “flower boy” to other students and their families. Later Tim earned a degree at UC Berkeley in environmental sciences. When he was newly graduated, he started his own business tending other people’s gardens.

Lavender and bee balm by the mailboxes. Photo by Tim MacCurdy.

After world-wide travels he settled in Japan where, once again, his interest in plants and gardens was piqued although his primary concentration at that time was photography. He has plants now that are generations later of seeds he collected in Japan. Since his professional gardening days, he has gone on to pursue a career in medicine and now practices dermatology.

Peonies and ceanothus bloom along the walkway in May. Photo by Tim MacCurdy.

Tim does all the work himself in this garden. He estimates he averages two hours per day—more from May through September—in the garden and considers his plants (soil and structure) as part of his extended family.

The back yard is steeply sloped. Fruit trees, including persimmon, Asian pears, plums, olives, figs, and yuzu are dotted throughout the property. Among his favorite plants are cleome, nicotiana, echinacea, ginkgo, persimmons, and Japanese maples (some from seeds collected in Japan). Trees of all kinds have traveled with Tim and his family to homes in different parts of the western states.

Hachiya persimmons hang from the house rafters to dry when the MacCurdys first bought the house. Photo by Tim MacCurdy.

Given current climate conditions, Tim encourages gardeners to lean toward drought-tolerant plants. You should find “clues from your environment” and love your plants. He also suggests that you don’t always have to follow the rules of gardening and garden design, but instead you “should make your own rules.” He says, “engage with your garden, truly engage. Dedicate yourself to knowledge and spirit, and become an expert.”

Cleome and purple Shiso. Photo by Tim MacCurdy.

Article by Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Chair

AGC Garden of the Month: July 2024

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Ashland Garden Club

1160 Bellview Ave, Ashland Oregon

Mary Kyman’s beautiful garden at 1160 Bellview Ave. is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for July 2024. She started gardening here in 2009. Her garden was on the AUUW Garden Tour in 2014 and it was gorgeous at the time, but she has made many changes and improvements since then.

Mary does all the planning and design work. For many years, she did much of the physical labor as well, but has now turned over the day-to-day maintenance to Molly McConnell and her crew from Bee Kind Gardening. Nevertheless Mary estimates she spends about five hours a week on the garden and continues to be fully involved.

She has to be fully conscious of deer preferences in her plant selections and placement. The back yard is not accessible to those pesky intruders.

The prolific hydrangeas that line the front of the house on the west side are at the height of their glory this month. But many other plants, including rudbeckia, calla lilies, and hotlips salvia are also in their prime right now and these are among her favorite plants.

Both the house and the garden are art-filled. There is a stepping stone and gravel spiral in the front yard.

The garden in back has many fruit trees and berry plants. Raised beds harbor vegetables and herbs. An enormous elm, with fabulous bark, shades a good portion of the patio and back garden.

Mary has kindly suggested that those pedestrians who wish to see the front yard in its entirety, since a hedge blocks much of the view, can walk up the driveway but are asked to stay on the driveway itself.

Article and Photos by Ruth Sloan, AGC GoM Coordinator

Garden of the Month: June 2024

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Ashland Garden Club

891 Beswick Way, Ashland Oregon

There is an extraordinary garden at 891 Beswick Way, home of Scott Allison. Scott is a naturalist, forester, orchardist, and apiarist. This is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for June 2024. At nearly a half acre, the property is unusually large in this part of town. It is unusual for other qualities too, such as the variety of plant specimens and the seriousness of the gardener. Scott has lived and gardened here for 24 years.

In addition to his large garden in Ashland, Scott is developing 13 acres in rural Talent, two acres of which he has already planted as an orchard. A retired contractor, Scott devotes a lot of time to tending his land. He estimates that he averages 15 hours per week on just the Beswick Way property.

The grand Sequoia tree in the front draws a lot of attention. Recently, Scott’s dog Levi alerted him to the presence of a large bear high in this tree in the middle of the night. In fact large trees, including two coastal redwoods, ring the property although he finds plenty of sunny places to grow plants that are sun-loving.

Scott does almost all the work himself as well as all the design aspects of the landscape. The enclosure for a vegetable garden was sited, designed, and primarily built by him. The decorative top of the fence is made of short eucalyptus branches that mimic the bamboo on the gate and as edging in the front yard. Asian-inspired solar light fixtures top the fencepost. A fabulous birdbath/fountain was made by his friend, the artist Joanne Chase.

In addition to the vegetable enclosure, Scott built raised beds for more veggies out of Faswall on recommendation from his friends at EcoNest. Christie Mackinson of Shooting Star Nursery has provided advice on plant choices.

Scott especially loves peonies, and has become more interested in recent years in medicinal plants and herbs. Because he tends bees, Scott specializes in bee-friendly plants.

With thanks to Marilyn Love ( AGC Member) for helping me really appreciate this garden.

Article & Photos by Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Chairperson

Garden of the Month: May 2024

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Ashland Garden Club

The Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for May 2024 is John Schroeder and Debbie Beck’s colorful yard at 719 N. Laurel Street.

While the camellia has put on a beautiful show from late winter through early spring, it is fading out now and the gorgeous bright salvias, phlox, lupine, euphorbia, and candytuft are just coming into their own. The Japanese maple tree and barberry bush provide contrast with their deeper spring colors.

John and Debbie have been gardening here since they purchased the property in the spring of 1983. When they arrived, the front yard had only the camellia and a deodar cedar tree that eventually got so large it overpowered the entire yard. Now that they have had that tree removed, the Japanese maple that they planted is thriving. The back yard was steeply sloped toward the back fence. You can see how much they have accomplished in the intervening years, all while working outside the home and raising two children.

John is responsible for the overall landscape design and all the heavy work, including terracing the back yard and planning, and often building, walkways, and Debbie says she handles the details, including small cleanup chores such as dead-heading and weeding. John originally constructed the backyard terraces with railroad ties but when those wore out, he had pros install block retaining walls following his design. He built the stone stairs between levels.

View from the akebia vine. Photo by John Schroeder

Among John’s favorites plants are the Japanese maple, akebia vine, and camellia. Debbie favors daphne and rhododendron. They also have vegetable beds and blueberries in the back. The garden design features lovely vistas throughout with Asian touches of stone lanterns and a sculpture. The newish tree on the left side in front is an autumn blaze maple.

John Schroeder and Debbie Beck in a rare moment of relaxation.

Article by: Ruth Sloan, Garden of the Month Chairperson

Garden on the Month: April 2024

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Ashland Garden Club

The condo complex called Ridgeview Place is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for April 2024. The 12-unit development faces Mountain Avenue just southwest of the corner with East Main Street. The five homes that are numbers 51 through 59 face the street and the other seven homes are behind. The complex was built in 2015 by KDA Homes. KDA’s owner, Laz Ayala, hired landscape architect Laurie Sager (now Thornton) for the initial design.

Since then, owners have taken opportunities to express their individuality, occasionally with professional help. Note, for example, the wonderful use of magnolias to heighten the screening from the street at numbers 51 and 59.

The use of yuccas along Mountain Avenue, part of the original design by Sager, provide a unifying theme and present a stunning sight when in full bloom each summer. Boxwoods, choisya, day lilies, and daphne were also liberally specified. Common areas are maintained by Miguel Cabrera and his crew from Promack Landscaping.

Each unit has a private patio where owners can plant whatever they want. Other changes must be approved by the homeowners Board. A fountain was added later for the soothing sound and lovely sight.

Article by Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Chairperson

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