Tag Archives: AGC Garden of the Month

Garden of the Month: August 2024

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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

Garden of the Month: June 2024

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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

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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.

Photo by Photo by John Schroeder

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.

Photo by John Schroeder

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.

Photo by John Schroeder

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.

 Photo by Ruth Sloan

Article by: Ruth Sloan, Garden of the Month Chairperson

Garden on the Month: April 2024

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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.

Photo by Ruth Sloan
Photo by Jeffrey Seideman

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.

Photo by: Ruth Sloan

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.

Photo by Larry Rosengren
Photo by: Ruth Sloan

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.

Photo by Jeffrey Seideman

Article by Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Chairperson

Garden of the Month: September 2023

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623 Prim Street

Elysian Graham and Lou Martinez bought the handsome house at 623 Prim Street in 2020 and promptly set about re-imagining the front landscape.  This is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the month for September 2023.

They hired Banyan Tree Landscaping and landscape architect Lucretia Weems to do the job.  Among their primary goals were to achieve easy maintenance for their steep yard, conserve water, and be deer resistant.  They also wanted a subtle color palette, but color and interest all year, and to be pollinator-friendly.  They have achieved all this and more.

Only the large sweet gum tree on the left side of the garden and the thicket on the far right side, which is seasonally favored by deer, remain from the original yard.  Overhead sprinklers were replaced by a drip irrigation system.  The rock retaining walls and graceful stairs were added.

Ornamental grasses are highlights at this time of year and on through the winter.  As the homeowners and designers of this garden have done, the Ashland Garden Club urges gardeners to take care in choosing ornamental grasses that are not fire-prone, and to remove dead and dry growth.

The couple handle all the maintenance themselves and, as busy professionals, they are grateful that their yard is so easy-care.  Elysian particularly likes the guara and Lou likes the Japanese maple.

Photos by Lou Martinez

Article by: Ruth Sloan, AGC GOM Committee Chair

Garden of the Month: August 2023

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Alicia and Jeffrey Welder had their welcoming house at 98 Westwood Street built in 2015.  The lovely garden that surrounds it was initiated in stages on the bare earth after that, and is now the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for August 2023.  Working with Regenesis Ecological Design and designer Jane Alexanderr, the Welders created a space ideal for their two children and animals including two dogs, two cats and four rabbits, as well themselves and visitors.

The entry garden was designed to include a water feature that is audible from inside the house on days when the windows are left open, a graceful curved bench, and one of Alicia’s favorite plants, a weeping dwarf dawn redwood.  The front garden space is meant to resemble a small meadow teeming with life as pollinators enjoy the catmint and salvia while the children are able to spend time playing and observing nature with the many life forms in and around the water.  The front grass areas are seeded with Pro Time’s Fleur de Lawn, which is an eco-lawn designed with OSU for low water requirements.

The backyard is a child’s delight with a large grass area for play planted with JB kevlar tall fescue, grown in Oregon, which tolerates the high traffic of children and pets and is drought tolerant with lower water requirements than traditional lawns.  A small orchard is planted with a variety of apple, pear and peach fruit trees and seeded with the same Fleur de Lawn as the front meadow.  The eco lawn offers additional pollinator support with pink English daisies, Baby Blue Eyes, and sweet alyssum sprouting in the spring.  Alicia and the children love picking the wild flowers from the meadow for May Day crowns and small bouquets.  Tall grasses and wildflowers surround the childrens’ play structure for nature based play with a slackline for added fun.   A gazebo for shade rounds out the backyard space for use year round by the family.  A very large rabbit hutch gives shelter to the children’s rabbits who enjoy the cut grasses and trimmings from the garden and in turn, support the garden growth with plenty of bunny manure.  A large deck graces the back of the house.

There are many flowers throughout the year, including peonies, euphorbias, daisies, iris, germanders, hydrangeas, and hellebores.  The Welders love to watch pollinators hard at work in their garden.  Among the many trees are Seiryu and sugar maples that add vibrant colors in the Fall.

For fire prevention, the Garden Club urges homeowners to check lists of firewise plants to make sure that, like the Welders, they have chosen ornamental grasses that are not especially fire-prone and maintained so that there is not a lot of dry grass at any time.

Taproot Landscaping provides routine maintenance for the Welders and Alicia averages one to two hours per week doing the fine-tuning of the garden.