Today in the garden…
Plant Name: Verbascum
Common name: hybrid ‘Southern Charm’
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Height: 2-3 ft
Spread: 1-2 ft
Bloom Time: May- September (de-head to continue blooming time)
Flower Color: Pastel shades: lavender, buff, cream, soft rose
Exposure: Full sun
Soil Requirements: Well drained soil, grows on rocky slopes. Avoid highly fertile and wet soils!
Water Needs: Dry to medium
Attributes: Showy erect flowers, velvet leaves
Note: Drought tolerate, deer resistant ( maybe!), short lived perennial but it self-seeds
Uses: Perennial garden, cottage garden, vertical accent, cut flower
Native to: Europe to North Africa to Western and Central Asia.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-9
Tag Archives: Ashland Oregon Gardens
Bountiful Garden
Tomatoes! From plants bought at the Ashland Garden Club Plant Sale in May. 
Today in the Garden!
Ashland Oregon August Bloomers: Gladiolus, Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), Malva sylvestris, Asiatic lilies, Snapdragons, Sweet Williams! 
Garden of the Month: August 2017
The garden that Jacob Gougé has created around the home he shares with his wife and 
daughter at 240 N. First St. reflects both his creativity and his respect for living things. It is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for August. Over the 17 years they have lived there, Gougé has salvaged and bartered the materials to create terracing in the back, define garden beds, build a fire pit, display interesting artifacts, and more on this small lot. It was bare dirt when they moved in. He is very resourceful.
But Jacob has a generous spirit as well that prompts him to offer lilacs to passersby, share cuttings of his many succulents with those who ask, and invite admiring strangers inside the gate to see the whole garden.
Along with two smaller lilacs elsewhere in front, there is a huge lilac bush in the northwest corner of the fenced area. Many of the branches of this lilac are five or more inches in diameter and have an unusual shredded bark. This lilac bush is strong enough to support one end of two hammocks!
There are extraordinary ceramic pieces throughout the property, most of them created by Gougé. He also pursues all manner of artistic expression via painting, sewing, beading,and other media. In addition, Jacob makes interesting planters for succulents out of stones or gnarled wood in which he drills holes to plant materials and for drainage.
Food crops are concentrated in the back yard, that Jacob calls his “in town farm.” This garden is 100% organic. He grows lettuce all year, protecting the yield from the blazing sun at this time of year with a colorful umbrella. He also grows asparagus, squash, carrots, snap peas, herbs of many varieties, and much more, often in recycled containers. He starts most plants from seeds in a hot box. The family has three healthy chickens that provide eggs as well as droppings for compost.
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Garden of the Month: July 2017
59 N. Wightman
Looking at the garden at 59 N. Wightman, you would think a person who loves color and possibly an artist lives there. You would be correct on both fronts. Patti Browning has been living and gardening here since July of 2008. Hers is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for July 2017. She has changed more than 75% of the garden in those nine years. The biggest trees, obviously, and the wisteria are in their original locations. Browning removed lawns front and back to achieve more planting area for blooming plants. Patti loves to design gardens or “co-create with nature” as she puts it. She likes to be intuitive, with paths and borders that meander. She says that “magic happens when you look beneath the way things appear to be.”
Browning has taken no horticulture classes but has been gardening since her early 20s. Color is most important to her, and very specific shades of color are critical to her aesthetic. She likes the garden to be harmonious, but with bright accents. She gets regular help with maintenance from Mariano Chavez who, by chance, left his business card for her to discover on the day she moved in. She calls him her “garden angel.” She adheres to principals of feng shui, plus does all she can to encourage birds.
Violas and pansies, along with lobelia, dominate the front garden for much of the year. Azaleas and rhododendrons provide bright seasonal color. Japanese maples, cherry and plum trees in the back, roses, nandina, rock roses, chrysanthemum, ferns camellias, lilac, gaura, peonies, shasta daisies, daylillies, and euphorbia are among the many blooming plants. Climbers, in addition to the wisteria, include clematis and a Cecile Bruner rose
A pond graces the side yard. In addition to the gorgeous plants, there are many sculptures, including Buddha, Quan Yin, a Madonna, a cherub, and a fabulous lizard. Colorful pennants add to the beauty.
Article by Ruth Sloan
June 4, 2017: Today In the Garden
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- Rosaceae Hulthemia: Raspberry Kiss
AGC member Carlotta Lucas’ garden.