Remove Loose Debris: Use a brush or a stiff brush to remove any loose dirt, leaves, or other debris
from your tools.
Wash with Soap and Water: Dip the tools in a bucket of soapy water (dish soap or detergent) and scrub thoroughly to remove dirt and grime.
Rinse Thoroughly: Rinse the tools under running water to remove all soap residue.
Disinfection (Recommended):
Bleach Solution: For a quick and effective disinfection, soak the cleaned tools in a chlorine bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) for about 10 minutes, then rinse and dry thoroughly.
Alcohol Solution: Isopropyl alcohol (70-100%) can also be used for disinfection. Dip the tools in the alcohol solution, allow them to air dry, and then dry the tools thoroughly. Add Isopropyl alcohol into a handheld sprayer and spray shears between each plant you prune.
Rust Prevention:
Dry tools: Completely dry tools before storing them, otherwise moisture can lead to rust.
Apply Oil: To prevent rust, apply a thin layer of mineral oil, linseed oil, or WD-40 to metal parts, especially after cleaning.
Soak in Sand: For a quick way to clean and oil tools mix some linseed oil in a bucket of sand and then stab the tool into the sand a few times.
Specific Tool Cleaning:
Pruning Shears/Pruners: Disassemble pruners, wash each part individually with warm, soapy water, and scrub any sap or sticky residue left behind.
Disinfect Pruning Shears: Add Isopropyl alcohol into a handheld sprayer and spray shears between each plant pruning.
Cultivation Tools (Spades, Hoes, Forks, Rakes, Trowels): Use a stiff scrubbing brush to remove any soil from the blade and shaft.
Rusty Tools: Soak rusty tools in vinegar for several hours to loosen rust, then scrub with steel wool or a wire brush. After removing the rust, neutralize vinegar with a baking soda and water solution.
Tips for Larger Tools:
If your tools are too large to fit in a container, wrap them in a cloth soaked with vinegar and salt, then place them in a plastic bag. Check the tools periodically to see if the rust has softened. When rust is loose, then follow “After Soaking” steps.
Important Note: Vinegar is a mild acid, so it can dissolve and pit steel if left on for too long.
Plant Name: Cercis occidentalis Common name: Western redbud Plant type: Deciduous Tree or Shrub Height: 10’ – 20’ Spread: 10’ – 15’ Bloom Time: February – April Flower Color: Magenta or Bright Pink; Fall Color Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade Soil Requirements: Drainage Fast to Slow; Clay, Loam, Sand Water Needs: Low; Drought Tolerant Attributes: Very Showy Flowering; Deer Resistant; Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Moths, Native Pollinators; Four Season Interest; Pest & Disease Resistant; Note: Flowers are popular with a variety of native bees, including leafcutter bees; Responds well to Pruning including occasional hard pruning Uses: Bank Stabilization; Beds & Borders; Small Gardens Firewise: YES Native To: California, Southwest, Arizona, Rocky Mountains, Utah Oregon Native: NO USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 – 9
Collecting Seeds: Collect seeds that are open-pollinated varieties, which means the seeds being saved will produce plants with the same characteristics as the parent.
Gardens catch our attention for various reasons. It might be a striking new plant we haven’t seen before, or the scent of a blossom wafting on the breeze, or the image of a butterfly waving its wings at us! This month, the pergola at 903 Stoneridge Avenue is compelling for its ability to create a garden room much enjoyed by the owners, Christina and David Boenitz.
The pergola provides dappled shade on a hot summer’s day. Photo by Elizabeth Essex
The Meadow Brook Park neighborhood located close to where N. Mountain crosses over I-5 enjoys stunning views of the hills but represented a challenge for developers in integrating the architecture with the topography. The Boenitz residence experiences a drop of three feet from the street to the front door and an additional twelve feet to the rear property line. In addition to the critical matter of drainage, the aesthetics of an entry garden were paramount. Incorporating a handsome pergola into the design addressed this issue quite admirably and afforded the opportunity of creating a pocket garden for plants to thrive in.
Plantings at the front door and portico invite guests to linger longer. Photo by Elizabeth Essex
The pergola, constructed of six by six inch posts and six by twelve inch cross beams, complements the front door in scale and proportion. Cross beams are capped with aluminum thereby ensuring longevity and shade cloth provides relief when necessary. Three colorful, ceramic pots have been tucked into pockets where three corners of the arbor are each supported by three posts. Christina has nurtured a self-pollinating Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana), a Kiwi vine (Kiwi Magic Hardy, Kiwi Combination) and a Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica) in these pots. The flagstone patio is interlaced with Creeping Thyme and a natural gas fire bowl entertains after dusk when rocking chairs are pulled up near-at-hand. Christina has added numerous pieces of glass art throughout the garden.
Friends gather around a fire bowl on a summer’s eve. S’mores anyone? Photo by Christina Boenitz
The garden room is defined by four living walls. Street-side, ceramic pots are planted with a semi-dwarf McIntosh Apple, a 20 th Century Asian Pear and two NZ Flax (Phormium ‘Maori Maiden’). Non-invasive, clumping Bamboo (Fargesia rufa ‘Green Panda’) alternating with Scotch Heather (Erica x darleyensis) define the edging at the end of the patio and Snowball Hydrangea screen the foundation. The front door is flanked by Star Jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides) trained on trellises elevated further by large tapered pots. Opposite the front door is a Weeping Norway Spruce (Picea abies ‘pendula’), tall and slender to accent the entry. The pergola is extended by a portico over the entryway reaching across the front face of the residence where privacy for sitting is ensured by a grove of trees planted in the side yard (Dogwood, Japanese Maple and a Magnolia ‘Little Gem’).
Note the fine craftmanship where the patio was extended to connect with the DG path. Photo by Elizabeth Essex
Several large shade trees, notably maple and oaks, are planted along a decomposed granite path leading down from Stoneridge Avenue to an alley at the lower elevation. The Boenitz’s chose to connect their patio to this path which necessitated the building of a stone retaining wall artfully complementing the flagstone material used in the patio. The handsome stone wall at the foot of the path mimics the wall built up above.
Wisteria has been trained along the lattice work. Note the handsome retaining wall. Photo by Elizabeth Essex
A wisteria vine is being trained along the top of the fence at the foot of their property. The driveway is edged on the northern boundary by a living screen of Leyland Cypress which completely blocks out rooflines looking out from the residence. All the trees on the property, including the oak and maple, are maintained by Tate with Table Rock Tree Care.
Sunsets can be enjoyed unobstructed by rooflines screened by towering Leyland Cypress. Photo by Elizabeth
The rear garden is private but the Boenitz’s have maximized its potential by constructing raised vegetable beds and utilizing trellises to the fullest extent. Pathways are covered with artificial turf for easy cleanup and a small greenhouse provides a workspace for tender veggie starts. Christina has always been a gardener and she has pushed the envelope on what she can grow here. This is their eighth year living in Ashland and in addition to the plant material that accents the front garden, Christina is growing a pomegranate, basil, bush cherry, blueberry bushes, a Nigroni fig, green beans, butternut squash, tomatoes, ‘Sugar Cube’ melons, chard and sweet peppers. Ferns, lavender, salvia, rhodies and rosemary were all in evidence.
Raised veggie boxes with trellises offer maximum potential for maturation. Photo by Elizabeth Essex
Visitors marvel at the vigor and health of all the plant material, evidence that it is well cared for. Tender plants are moved into a cellar during the winter months where solar grow lights provide the necessary spectrum of light. Christina enthusiastically believes that her time and hard work is rewarded many times over. Family and friends enjoy this bounty and the remnants are easily recycled with an electric countertop composter. A gardener is hired once a year to help with maintenance and clean up.
Christina Boenitz admires one of her ‘Mortgage Lifter’ tomatoes!
It is profoundly evident that the challenges presented by the topography of this landscape were more than compensated for by the structures built at 903 Stoneridge Avenue. The pergola and portico create a welcoming space for entertaining in the front garden while the raised vegetable boxes and trellises provide increased productivity for the table, a feast for both the eye and the palate. Thank you, Christina and David, for sharing your remarkable gardens with us.
The Ashland Garden Club has been selecting Gardens of the Month from April through September since 2000. Nominations are gratefully received at: gardenofthemonth@ ashlandorgardenclub.org
Information on the Ashland Garden Club can be found on the club’s website at: ashlandorgardenclub.org
Garden Future is a statewide project of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program. We’re gathering stories, ideas, and local wisdom from gardeners like you—and sharing them back as practical tips, inspiring examples, and resources to help your garden thrive, no matter the weather.
By joining the conversation, you’ll:
Discover how other gardeners across Oregon are adapting to changing climates.
Learn proven practices for gardening in extreme weather.
Help shape future resources for your community.
Across Oregon, gardeners are seeing the seasons shift—hotter summers, wetter winters, unpredictable frosts. Together, we can adapt.Garden Future connects gardeners to share what’s working, learn from each other, and grow resilience in a changing climate.
Take Master Gardeners 3-question survey to tell Oregon State University Extension Services:
from your tools.
Morning glory, Zinnias
