Tag Archives: Ashland Garden Club

Pieris Japonica

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This is a Pieris Japonica I bought at the Jackson County Master Garden Fair in a one gallon container about 7 or 8 years ago. The new growth is always this stunning pink color. At first, when I saw it I thought it was a cross between a Pieris and an Azalea. ~ Jeanne Arago, AGC Member

Pieris Japonica

Horticulture Report: 
 
Plant Name: Pieris Japonica, Japanese Andromeda, Japanese Pieris 
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Height: 4 -8 feet
Spread: 3 to 6 feet
Bloom Time: April
Bloom Color: White
Exposure: Full sun (in northern climates)  Part to Full Shade (elsewhere)
Water: Medium
Attributes: Showy Flowers, Colorful Foliage, Evergreen, Winter Interest
Tolerates: Deer, Heavy Shade
USDA Zone: 5 to 8
 
Best grown in organically rich, slightly acidic, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun (see above) to part or full shade. Weakened plants due to hot summer stress may cause to to succumb to a harsh winter. It grows best in locations sheltered from wind with some afternoon shade. Remove spent flowers immediately after bloom.

April: Vegetable Gardening

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Vegetables you can plant in April  (NOTE: May 15th is the last average frost date in Ashland, of course this depends on your elevation)

Beets: Plant in two week intervals through June

Broccoli: Early varieties plant April to mid-May.

Brussels sprout: April through May. In late June start seeds for August transplanting. 

Cabbage: April through May 15th

Bush beans: April 15th through July  

Pole Beans: Wait until May! Plant through June

Carrots: Direct seed until June 15th

Cauliflower: Direct seed until May 31.

Chard: Direct seed until May 30th, then again in August/September for winter harvest

Chives: All month

Collards & Kale: All month, then again mid-July through September for October and winter harvest.

Leeks: Plant through May for winter harvest

Lettuce & Endive: Starts can be planted all month.

Onions: Plant by April 30th

Peas:  Plant enation-resistant varieties up until May 15th

Radishes: Direct seed by April 15th

Rhubarb: All month 

Spinach: Slow bolting varieties ( New Zealand Spinach) April 15 to 30th 

April 2020: Garden of the Month:

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467 Scenic Drive

The lovely garden at 467 Scenic Drive is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for April. It is a work-in-progress by homeowners Elaine Yates and Michael Costello who have had this property for 3.5 years. Although the yard had good bones, with handsome hardscape and fruit trees, the garden had been greatly neglected in recent years. They removed several diseased or dead trees which has opened things up for new additions with an emphasis on blooming plants.

 Elaine is the primary gardener and designer, but Michael contributes. He rebuilt an impressive set of raised beds for edibles in the side yard as well as choosing and placing a new wisteria. Having moved to Ashland from the Bay area, Elaine has had a steep learning curve with new weather patterns to understand and more aggressive deer than she was accustomed to. On the plus side, she has been happy to discover the multitude of bees and other pollinators and the wonderful profusion of blooming plants that thrive here. She spends anywhere from three to five hours per week in the slow season (Winter) to ten to twelve hours per week the rest of the year.

 Heathers, grape hyacinths, forsythia, azaleas (in the deer-proof back yard), and rosemary are the stars right now but soon the rhododendrons will burst forth so Elaine encourages readers to delay until late in the month or early next month visiting to admire the garden from the street.