Garden on the Month: June 2023

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Ashland Garden Club

59 Sixth Street

The front yard at 59 Sixth Street delights all who see it. The home of Sarah and Dennis Jeske is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for May 2023. The cheerful paint on the buildings, the art in the garden, the charming fence and gate, and the prolific flowers mix all together to create an enchanting display.

The garden design and installation were done by previous owners, Zelpha and Harry Hudson, who owned the property until 2017. Zelpha, especially, is credited with much of the creativity now on view. The Jeskes have made their mark, however, with the addition of the glass flowers as well as the fence and gate designed and built by Dennis.

Daisies of three kinds dominate the garden in May; shasta, marguerite, and erigeron. Also on view now and through much of the summer are nepeta, lavender, and wooly lambs ear. Pomegranate, pieris, rhododendron, and a gorgeous camellia surround the welcoming front porch.

Sarah calls herself the chief weeder in the back yard and veggie garden, Moises and his crew from Reyes Property Management provide routine maintenance.

This is a garden meant to be enjoyed by all who pass by.

*The little house to the north on the Jeske property*

Article by Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Coordinator

All Photos by Larry Rosengren

Garden of the Month: May 2023

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Ashland Garden Club

784 Park Street

A riot of color greets passersby at 784 Park Street in April and May as many bulbs burst into bloom. The garden was developed by Lois Breedlove, owner of the condo at that address. It is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for May.

The landscape was previously entirely water-thirsty grass until Breedlove arrived eight years ago. A financial windfall allowed her to redesign the space and hire Gustavo Rodriguez and his crew from Alpine Landscaping to install and maintain plantings of Lois’ choice. Daffodils, tulips, and grape hyacinths dominate now, but peonies are on their way. Daphne, euphorbia, barberry, and spirea provide contrast of size and color. Lois especially loves older varieties of hellebore. She has a beautiful “cameo” flowering quince near the sidewalk.

The bulbs thrive because their bloom time coincides with leaves off the maple tree in the side yard that, once leafed-out, provides needed shade in the summer. She spaces allium plants among other bulbs to discourage deer.

Bulbs are a drought-tolerant way to add color to a garden, Breedlove says. They’re punctuated with other drought tolerant perennials and shrubs. As the garden matures the shrubs will eventually play a larger role. “But there will always be the bulbs for color.”

Breedlove says the garden isn’t a garden retreat, but a ‘garden advance’ — something to be enjoyed by others in the complex, and by passersby as well.

Lois relies on Alpine Landscaping for much of the work, but she tries to walk through the garden daily. “The best garden advice I ever heard is that a garden profits most from the daily touch of the gardener’s hand,” she says.

Article by: Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Chair

Photos by: Lois Breedlove, Larry Rosengren, and Ruth Sloan.

AGC Member of Distinction: Michael Dawkins

Posted on April 12, 2023 by AGC

Michael’s Garden: Michael used the Hugelkultur method of composting to reclaim and generate soil on an asphalted slope flanking his condo’s parking lot located behind Ashland’s Safeway. The outcome is remarkable!

Hugelkultur (pronounced hyoo-gul-kulture) is a German word which means mound culture or hill culture. A hugelkultur is a sloped and raised planting bed filled with wood (large and small), organic materials, and topsoil. This gardening method has be practiced in German and European for hundreds of years.

Garden of the Month: August 2021

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Ashland Garden Club

House of Thai – 1667 Siskiyou Blvd

The August 2021 Garden of the Month from the Ashland Garden Club is the front of the House of Thai restaurant at 1667 Siskiyou Blvd. The restaurant opened in May of 1989, after remodeling the building and starting the garden.

In the mid 80’s, Jit Kanchanakaset, a single mother of five came to Ashland in search of a safe, peaceful life her for family. A strong-willed, energetic, and hardworking woman, she recruited her kids to help establish the eatery, and then later its garden.

Ten years later, she met and married Phil Crompton. They spent much of their time doing what they enjoyed most, gardening and giving back to the village in Buriram, Thailand where she grew up, by donating to schools, hospitals, and underprivileged families. Jit passed on in April 2020.

The garden has evolved over time with gradual improvements. There are large, well-established ponderosa pines along the eastern edge. Gorgeous rhododendrons bloom beneath the pines in May. Much smaller crepe myrtle trees line the western edge and bloom in August. In between are a small fishpond and waterfall that were constructed by the contractor who was remodeling the building. Blue herons have been known to visit the pond, hoping to catch the elusive fish. Also there is a small lawn, plus a stunning Buddhist shrine.

The colorful concrete and steel shrine, said to weigh 1000 pounds, was installed a little more than twenty years ago. Jit’s legacy lives on through her family as they continue her traditions while carrying on the restaurant. The family and staff offer respect to the shrine every Friday morning, honoring the house spirits and summoning goodwill.

Article by: Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Committee Chair

Photos by Larry Rosengren.

July 2021; Garden of the Month

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Ashland Garden Club

1023 Linda Avenue:

The fascinating garden at 1023 Linda Avenue is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for July. Owner Sandra Archibald is completely responsible for this garden, including design and maintenance. She does have a guy who mows the shrinking lawn in the back and helps with cleanup in the Fall.

The most remarkable feature of this garden is the living fence of weeping blue atlas cedar that Sandra planted in the northeast corner of the property a year or two after moving in late in 2007 and has trained along the deer fence since then, protecting her raised planting beds and the rest of the yard. She designed the curving paver paths and trellis along the front of the house. There are more curved paths and walls she designed in back as well as a charming gate and peaceful Japanese garden section.

This is her favorite time of year in the garden with coreopsis and poppies putting on a grand display. In Spring, large established iberris plants make a nice show against the conifers. Other times echinacea is a standout. As the back garden has become shadier over the years, she has added mini-hostas and plans to add more conifers since discovering the fabulous variety at the Oregon Garden in Silverton. She loves the Japanese forest grass she has in pots because it’s always beautiful, even when it dries out annually.

Sandra urges persistence in the garden. She adapts readily to the changing environment, trying things and sometimes moving and replacing plants that don’t thrive. She averages at least ten hours per week working in her garden all seasons except Winter. Her hard work and creativity are evident.

Article by: Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Chairman. (Thanks Kaaren Anderson for bringing this garden to my attention years ago.)

All photos by Larry Rosengren

Garden(s) of the Month: June 2021

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Ashland Garden Club

The Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for June 2021 is unusual. It’s unusual because it is three gardens and unusual because they are back gardens. Gardens selected for GotM honors must be substantially visible from the public right-of-way (street or sidewalk ordinarily) so that usually means front gardens. These three back gardens qualify because they are visible from Ashland Creek Park (on Hersey near Oak) and these three are all in a row.

Directions: From Hersey Street, walk along the right (east) side of the park about half way from front to back and watch for signs. Please stay in the park. You will see some gorgeous gardens.

The first (geographically) of the selected gardens is the furthest south of the three; the back garden of Deborah and Jeff Wihtol of 589 Oak Street. They started their garden with a rounded patio and gently winding path that Jeff designed. Then in 2017 the Wihtols had Solid Ground Landscaping plan and install most of the plants. Since then, they’ve made changes on their own. The recent loss of a large box elder tree brought more sun to the south side of the garden than it had in the past, to which they are adjusting. And most recently they arranged for Jane Hardgrove to refresh the landscape and accommodate the new sun situation. Among Deb’s favorite plants are hydrangeas, daphne odora, cape fuchsia, and orange sedge. Routine maintenance is by Juan Guerrero.

The second selected garden belongs to Ursula and Marvin Webster of 603 Oak Street whose historic 1897 home influenced plant selections. Sage Hill Landscape installed the hardscape and initial plantings in back following guidance from the Websters. As Ursula put it, “What would grandma do?” was her guiding principle. A massive trumpet vine, stone walls, ivy, and treasured perennials survive from the house’s earliest days. Among her favorites are plants that she considers “romantically old fashioned” such as hydrangea, peonies, erigeron, and catmint. The hillside setting dictated stairs, and aspen trees thrive in the lowest parts of the garden, nearest the park. Their quaking leaves add movement to the garden. Ursula handles routine maintenance with assistance from Juan Guerrero. The small building at the back of the garden is a straw-bale office built by EcoNest.

The third selected garden belongs to Susan McKennon of 615 Oak Street. The yard is dominated by a huge old oak that some believe is the tree for which Oak Street was named. That mighty tree is a picture of health thanks to Susan’s care and Canopy’s regular maintenance. Her dazzling stand of iris stems from an early gift from Schreiners, friends of the family—well known for iris cultivation. Susan brought the iris starts from a previous home. Solid Ground designed the landscape in 2013, bringing in tons of boulders to stabilize the steep terrain and installing stairs to help people negotiate the hill between the house and the park. Solid Ground brought in many trees except the old oak, including Japanese maples and a dwarf gingko. A friend’s gift of an elderberry bush draws attention at this time of year with its dark purple foliage and pale pink flowers. Rudolpho Ramirez and his crew maintain this garden.

McKennon’s Tree viewed from Webster’s Garden

Article by: Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Director