Tag Archives: AGC Garden of the Month

Garden of the Month: May 2014

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The First United Methodist Church of Ashland, at 175 N. Main Street, is especially lovely at this time of year when the dogwood is in bloom.IMG_1

The gardens surrounding the church are lovingly tended by church members, notably Brad Inman, Beth Hite, Toby Deller, and Evelyn Moore.  Last year, we caught pictures of Brad Inman and Charlie Brown manicuring the boxwood hedges out front.  Volunteers from the congregation attend work parties at the church the last Saturday of each month, tending the facilities inside and outside.IMG_2
The sanctuary of the church was built in 1908, but when more modern structures were added in 2008, a formal landscape plan was formulated by John Galbraith and Byron Williams of Galbraith & Associates and implemented by Seth Barnard of Solid Ground Landscaping.
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The front of the church features Japanese maples, rhododendrons, maple and magnolia trees, in addition to the boxwood and dogwood.  A courtyard on the Laurel street side has a lawn for people to gather on, a low wall, many Japanese maples and crepe myrtles.  Also viburnum, azaleas, daylilllies, dogwood, iris, and hydrangeas.  Annuals are added for color each year by the volunteers.

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The garden on Laurel nearest the street is called the Memorial Garden, where church members’ ashes can be interred. Included there are more Japanese maples, mugo pine, false cypress, mock orange, kinnikinnick, barberry, nandina and sedum.  Even the parking lot has been landscaped.

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Submitted by Ruth Sloan
 With thanks to Sherri Morgan for plant identification.

Garden of the Month: April 2014

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Karen McClintock says she’s lucky her husband, Mick Smith,never saw a Frontweed he wouldn’t stop to pull out.  Indeed!  Mick also plants and prunes, and last year brought a photinia hedge back to good health from disease.  Their garden at 2790 Diane Street to the left of the walkway reflects the hard work they both put into it.  Right now the Spring blooms and colors are spectacular.

They purchased the house eight years ago.  The previous owner did the bulk of the hardscape and some of the basic planting. Karen and Mick, without any formal training, frequently add and rearrange. front_0129This fall Karen moved all of the iris around to mix, rather than bunch, the colors, and she’s eager to see what emerges in the next few weeks.  They get occasional help (quarterly) from a handyman gardener for the biggest jobs such as pruning the grape vines that fill the side yard.  Among the challenges of gardening onback_2 this property are deer, of course, a street light lamp post and three (count ‘em!) utility boxes in the front garden.  They use bone meal to discourage deer and it also fertilizes the tulips.   To keep everything green they use organic fertilizers sparely.  In the fall they purchased and covered the front garden with wonderful organic mulch from Plant Oregon. In front of the house, in addition to the tulips, daffodils, and grape hyacinth currently putting on a show, are Japanese maple, forsythia (the one to the left of the driveway is currently at the peak of its color, the one to the right of the driveway has gone from yellow to green leaves), manzanita, bayberry, variegated pittosporum, blue fescue, shasta daisies, euphorbia, rosemary, oregano, and sedum.
back2_0138In the back yard a small garden provides privacy and beauty.  It includes a crepe myrtle tree, roses, lilac, lavender, huge red oriental poppies, sweet woodruff, lupine, strawberries, wall flower, azalea, nandina, day lilies, foxglove, and hellebore. They use oyster shells in back to thwart snails–with limited success.  Along the back wall of the property a lovely backdrop of photinia provides the frame for this picture perfect garden.

Garden of the Month: September 2013

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The home at 340 Morton is currently owned by Betsy Wessler and the garden is at its peak in late summer.  Kaaren Anderson talked with Betsy last spring to gather a little history on the home and the lovely garden that surrounds it.
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The home was originally built in 1948 and was formerly owned by Dick and Evelyn Strellman.  Betsy purchased the home in 2007 with a move-in date of 2008.  Soon after, the house, as well as the entire yard, were renovated and redesigned.  Betsy’s former husband, Ian Wessler of Wessler Design Associates, worked with her to create the beautiful garden you see today.
 

IMG_0091The first major change was to move the driveway to the far right of the front yard from its former location closer to the house and entry way.  This gave a much broader area to reconstruct the garden.  The entrance to the garage, which originally faced the street, was reoriented to create a turnaround at the end of the new driveway.  Broken concrete pieces from the driveway were used to form walkways leading to the entry and around the house to the garage.IMG_0089

One challenge with the design involved mitigating a seepage problem located at the right rear of the front yard.  This was done by lowering the grade to create a gravel and rock lined dry creekbed, directing water through the front yard to a gated front vegetable garden.  As you will see, it is this creekbed that is beautifully lined with boulders and various tall grasses.  Winding back through these grasses one can find a Triflora maple, Zelkova and palm along with lilaIMG_0088c and wild currant.

Original rhubarb, quince and raspberries were kept and moved to various locations throughout the property.  Blueberries, Asian pear, persimmon and other fruit trees share the backyard with many of the original camellias.  

— Kaaren Anderson

Garden of the Month: August 2013

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It’s tempting to suggest that you rush to see the front garden at 745 Park Street  immediately because the colors are so vivid right now and everything looks healthy and fresh. But it often looks great because it has been so well planned.
  IMG_0076 The homeowners have been serious about their gardens for 15 of the 17 years they have been in the house.  Initially, they had design and installation help in the back garden from Carol’s Colors.  In 2003 they met landscape designer Sharon Creek Siewert, whose practical and creative design ideas have transformed both the front and back.   Sharon ’s husband, Steve Siewert, also offers a variety of horticultural services.  Dubbed the “Tree Whisperer,” he saved the blue spruce in the front yard after it was blown over in a windstorm–among other significant contributions.  Kai Van Aken oversees garden management and weekly maintenance.
They have successfully screened the view of an apartment house over the back fence by planting Leland IMG_0075cypress, deodar cedars, and a giant sequoia, all of which are thriving, in a back area they call “the woods.”  Also in the back garden adjacent to the wood deck is a charming corner known as the Japanese garden with specimen rocks, a tiny stone bridge, azalea, and lacy Japanese maple.
 
 Flowers currently in bloom in front include roses, rudbeckia, heather,IMG_0073 gaura, penstemon, and salvia.  Other times of year, peonies, Dutch and Japanese iris, and lavender abound.  A crepe myrtle is on the verge of bursting forth.  When they moved in 17 years ago, the front garden was largely juniper.
IMG_0074In addition to the woods and Japanese garden in back, there is a lovely terraced area anchored by a large locust that shades the back deck and patio, plus dogwood, fig and apple trees.  Also rhododendrons, more roses, fuchsias, rosemary, gladiolas, erigeron, crocosmia, barberry, hostas, yarrow, photinia, and many more beautiful plants.  Annuals impatiens and snapdragons provide seasonal color.
 This garden is an unexpected treat in a dry (and this year smokey) month.
— Ruth Sloan
 

Garden Of the Month: July 2013

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WE1As you walk along the Bear Creek Bike Path that goes between Walker Street and Normal Street, you will be intrigued by the cyclone fence that has many locks and keys attached to it. Further along there is a memorial made of shovels. Then you can peek into a lovely, serene and peaceful garden for meditation. Next, pass by a wooden fence covered in old snow skis. Now, if you are like me, you wonder who lives here?

 
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Well, Wendy Eppinger lives here, at 190 Walker. She is a very artistic person who loves creating art from almost anything. She is also a dedicated gardener. She has spent years making her wonderful and interesting south-facing garden. Many trees…Monkey Pod, Variegated Box Elder, mulberry, maple, Douglas Fir, Santa Cruz Cypress, redwoods, an apricot and an apple shade her garden. In the front area are cottonwoods, a plum, a pear, a eucalyptus and an Incense Cedar filled with a collection of 34 decorative crows. Many of these trees were here when Wendy bought the property in 1993, and she added seven more.
 
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Be sure to notice her personalized window boxes, many ceramic and clay masks, and the large mosaic on the back fence that has a story that Wendy will tell you about.WE3

Her garden has many peonies, rhododendrons, wisteria and perennials such as Erysimum Bowle’s Mauve, alyssum and dahlias. Notice the planter barrels next to the house with cut metal vines and leaves. There is so much more for you to discover!

Wendy has been described by her daughter-in-law as “the most persistently creative person I have ever met. Creating for Wendy is like breathing for other people, and every inch of space reflects this.”

Wendy’s garden is a hidden treasure.
~Karen O’Rourke

*Wendy asked that we not put up our AGC sign honoring her garden.

Garden of the Month: June 2013

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When Jan Christenson and Rick Ukena bought their house at 445 Thimbleberry in 2008, it was surrounded by lawn and a few trees.
IMG_0038Today, there’s no lawn, but there are 11 new trees (shantung maples and heritage birch, mugo pine, gingko, eucalyptus, yellowwood, perotia), shrubs (artemesia, lilac, elderberry, thimbleberry, smoke bush, cistus), flowers (helibore, peonies, wallflowers, gaura and gaillardia), many different ground covers, including mock strawberry, wild sunflowers, herbs, a small cactus garden, a small, deer-proof raised bed — even bonsai.
The wrap-around garden is accented by whimsical, custom-madeIMG_0050 pavers and garden goddesses, a delightful water feature, bird bath, rocks from various trips around the West, driftwood sculptures accented by antique metal objects, a mini dry riverbed, and meandering pathways. The lawn was used as a medium for creating berms surrounding the dry creek. All this on a corner lot that’s just .15 acres.
Tucked away from view are two small private gardens, one with a hot tub and 20- foot-tall Nordmann fir IMG_0039trees that doubles as a dog run. The patio garden off the kitchen includes raised vegetable beds, canna lilies, large pots with abelia and jade, a maple tree, and various potted flowering plants.
Jan designed the garden with Zack Williams of Regenesis, who created the hardscape. These days, Rick does most of the heavy digging, while Jan continues with design.
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Jan and Rick moved from Portland, where they had a huge double urban lot. “I must say, we so much enjoy managing a smaller landscape area,” says Jan.
 
You can see this garden any time at the corner of Thimbleberry and Starflower. On Friday, June 14, Jan will be on hand from 10-12 to show you the private gardens and answer any questions.
 
— Julia Sommer