Tag Archives: Ashland Oregon Gardens

Garden on the Month: August 2019

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333 Harrison Street

Check out the eye-catching garden at the corner of Harrison and Holly.  Becky and Will Sherman’s beautiful property at 333 Harrison Street is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for August.  Becky is the primary gardener and stone-wrangler.  Will built the handsome fences and deck, and manages the irrigation system.  When they purchased the home in 2010, the yard was a blank slate.  It is anything but that now.

The dahlias and zinnias are sensational.  Golden bamboo, controlled by constant monitoring and a deep barrier, provides privacy and a graceful background to smaller plants.  Nandina is a favorite “filler” for its year-round interest.  Vegetables are interspersed with flowers.  The southwest edge of the property is dominated by a small pine and cedar forest.

Becky says the one piece of advice she likes to give to novice gardeners is that it’s OK to cut plants back radically.  Her love of blooming plants is a way to fondly remember her late mother who also loved flowers.  She averages eight hours a week in the garden, but enjoys the work which she says is better for her than a gym membership.  She is constantly adding and changing the plantings.

Becky credits neighbor Jennifer Loizeaux for giving early garden advice, and friend Tom Bradley for building wood deck furniture and planter box projects.

Garden of the Month: July 2019

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1313 Clay Street

The Country Willows Inn, at 1313 Clay Street, is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for July.  It is an extraordinary property, five acres in all, that has been lovingly developed by Kara and Dan Burian since they purchased the property in 2010.  The original farmhouse dates to 1896.  They added the small picturesque barn near the entrance to the property and have converted the original barn mostly to lodging space.

Dan, who has a keen eye for design, has directed the many landscape projects, relying on Sage Hill for hardscape installation, Karen Marshall of Naturescapes Designs for plant selection and design advice, Jenny Kuehnle of Ahimsa Gardens for maintenance of the raised beds and container plantings, and L&M for lawn, orchard, and planting bed maintenance.  Every project has been created with pollinators in mind.  They recently added a birding program to the list of amenities that they offer at the Inn.

The Burians have enhanced ponds and streams.  They are working assiduously to convert open pastures into wildflower meadows, battling native grasses that want to dominate.  Right now in the garden, hydrangea, gaura, lilies, agapanthus, and crocosmia are at their best.  In the Spring, rhododendrons, weeping cherry trees, and Spring wildflowers abound.  At other times, the lavender, ornamental grasses, and blueberries are sensational.  The willow tree is always majestic.

In an effort to assure privacy and tranquility for guests of the Inn, they ask that Ashlanders hoping to see the gardens call first to schedule a convenient and non-disruptive time.  See more beautiful photographs and learn more about the Country Willows Inn at their website: https://countrywillowsinn.com/.

Garden of the Month: June 2019

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265 Ohio Street

There are several nice garden surprises at the unpaved end of Ohio Street, northwest of Laurel.  One is the fabulous garden and fence at 265 Ohio Street.  This garden, designed and maintained by Gene Leyden, is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for June.  This is a naturally wet parcel (note the giant pond next door) where dampness- and shade-loving plants thrive and carefully placed sun-loving plants also flourish.  Gene planted the willow tree, now enormous (14 feet in circumference!), when she moved in with her family in 1987, transporting it to the site from the nursery in the back of the Volkswagon bus.  Garden observers can walk or drive down the alley to the right of the house to get more views.

In addition to the prospering plant life, there are remarkably beautiful constructions by Gene’s friend, the artist and carpenter Nathan Sharples.  Look carefully at the gorgeous fence, installed only three years ago.  Note the unusual wooden screen door.  Now catch a glimpse of the fabulous gazebo in what appears to be the back yard but is actually the front of the house which was moved to this location shortly before Gene moved in.   Sharples built the gazebo of many species of wood, rarely using straight planks, but fitting curved pieces together with exquisite workmanship.  Multicolor glass in clerestory windows adds light to the interior.

Also salted throughout the garden are sculptures by Gene’s friend Cheryl Garcia, as well as other items of interest.

Gene has the advantage of access to Helman ditch water.  She has had to amend the soil over the years because the site was ill-used before she (and the house) arrived.  She refers to it as a “wild garden” that reseeds itself each year and “does its own thing.”.  She insists that she doesn’t spend as much time working on it as its beauty suggests, and she does have help now with weeding and mowing.  Gene says she has a special fondness for fragrance in the garden and chooses many plants on that basis, including roses, jasmine and nicotiana.

Among the many highlights in the garden are a selection of huge hostas loving their location under the willow, Lady Banks and Cecile Brunner roses climbing through the vegetation, and a smoke tree and smoke bush lending their rich dark foliage as contrast to the riot of greens plus colorful blossoms.  There’s a little bit of everything here. This is clearly the work of people of great imagination, especially the primary gardener.

Article by: Ruth Sloan

Deer – Resistant Salvias

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Attract Hummingbirds, Butterflies, Moths and Bees. Waterwise easy care plants. Flowers colors vary:  white, red, pink , orange , purple, blue, cream  and a mixture of these  colors. Exposure: Full Sun,/Part Sun.

Salvia Microphylla

 Salvia Microphylla:  aka Baby sage.  Outstanding plants with stunning flowers.  Prolific bloomer from spring until fall.   Low water needs.  Height 24-36, depends on variety. USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-11.   Varieties to look for:  ‘Hot Lips’, ‘Red Velvet’, ‘Kew Red’,   ‘Killer Cranberry’, ‘Mesa Azure’

Salvia nemorosa:  aka- Woodland Sage or Balkan Clary. Easy to grow, drought tolerant,  but plant blooms better with average moisture.  Blooms spring, summer, and fall depending on variety.  Height 16-36 inches. USDA Hardiness Zone 3-8. Varieties to look for:  ‘Pink Profusion’, ‘Violet Profusion’, ’White Profusion’ , ‘Pink Dawn’, ‘Caradonna’ (purple) , ‘Blue by You’.  

Salvia elegans Scarlet

Salvia elegans: Pineapple Sage – Bright red exotic flowers attract hummingbirds! Leaves can be used as a culinary herb and have a slight pineapple or citrus taste.   USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10.

Fall Blooming Tall Varieties: Pineapple scented leaves. USD Hardiness Zones 9-10. Variety favorites:  ’Scarlet Pineapple’ 36”Tall,    and  ‘Rockin’® Golden Delicious’  (yellow leaves),  48” tall.

Spring Blooming/Shorter Varieties:  ‘Honey Melon’, 24” tall, blooms late spring, small leaves have a wonderful fruity scent similar to honeydew melon. USDA Hardiness Zones 9-10

’Tangerine Pineapple Sage’ 18” tall, small citrus-scent leaves, blooms mid-spring through fall.  USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10

Salvia greggii:  aka Autumn Sage.  Native to the SW Texas. Good for hot sunny locations and low water gardens, prolific bloomers.  Blooms summer through fall.  USDA Zone: 6-10.  (Hardiness varies by variety.) Best known variety Furman’s Red Texas Hardy to 150F.   Other varieties: Cold hardy Texas Pink, Wild Thing, Mirage™ Deep Purple.

Salvia officinalis – Common culinary sages – Evergreen Perennial Herb – Grayish leaves with blue to purplish flowers.

Salvia officinalis Berggarten

Popular Salvia officinalis Varieties:

‘Berggarten’ 16″ tall x 24″ wide. Robust plant with large silver and gray variegated leaves.  Purple spike flowers appear in early summer. USDA Hardiness Zones 5-11.

Golden Sage – 16″ tall x 24″ wide- Dark green leaves with chartreuse-yellow edges, a small compact plant. Good ornamental plan. Whorls of lavender-blue flowers spikes appear in late spring. USDA Hardiness Zones 6-10.

Purple Sage –16” tall x 12 wide- Gray-green leaves suffused with steely-gray purple producing a unique pungent flavor and aroma.  Showy violet-blue spikes.  Good ornamental and culinary plant. USDA Hardiness Zones 6-9.  Does not like wet roots!

Tricolor Sage – 18″ tall x 24″ wide – Ornamental herb with colorful grayish green leaves marbled with white, pink and purple. Lavender blue flower spikes appear in summer. Leaves produce strong aromatic scent. USDA Hardiness Zones 6-10.

Article and Photos by:  Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member

Garden of the Month: May 2019

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164 Sixth Street, Ashland OR

There is a special quality to the gardens at 164 Sixth Street, the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for May.  It’s not just that children are so welcome and comfortable here and that plants seem always to be blooming, but that they are such interesting combinations of plants and hardscape.  This is Karen Loop’s garden, where she has lived for 25 years, raised her two children–now adults, and has run a preschool, Sunflower Cottage, for 18 years.

Over the years, Karen planted everything on the property except the street tree, and created every pathway, planting bed, deck, and fence.  Ten truckloads of soil were brought in.  She collects heart-shaped stones that are displayed throughout.  With both help and hindrance from young children, Karen maintains the garden with three-to-four hours a week of work, on average.  The bare spot on the right side of the front yard is destined to be a tiny patio when Karen has recovered from a back injury.

This is a magical space where children are encouraged to explore.  Right now, the dogwoods are in bloom, along with redbud, daphne, lilac, and viburnum.  Among Karen’s favorite plants are peonies, feverfew, and foxglove.  Camellias, Rose of Sharon, pieris, hellebore, hydrangea, and rhododendrons abound.  There are beds for vegetables, blueberries, and raspberries toward the back, and play equipment in its own area.

Article by Ruth Sloan