Today in the garden flowers are in AGC member Lynn McDonald’s October garden.
Nasturtiums, Hydrangeas, Salvia and chrysanthemums, Petunias blooming since March, Geraniums, Origanum, Asters, Tithonia, Sweet peas in October (planted in spring), Gaura, Poppies and Bachelor Buttons, Verbena and Autumn Leadwort, Orange Cosmos, Dahlias
85 Winburn Way
Stephanie and Bryan DeBoer have an unusual degree of interest in the spectacular garden of their home at 85 Winburn Way, as well they should. This is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for September.
The DeBoers see their property as a visual extension of Lithia Park which sits across the street. Bryan has a special affinity for the park: His maternal grandfather was a gardener there and, as a boy, Bryan would help him and be rewarded with ice cream from the shop that once sat where the DeBoer home sits now.
Meant to look long-established and thus better to complement the park, the garden was actually installed in stages over 2018-19. The initial planting took 11 days and required a large crane. One tree weighed 7000 lbs. Using mature plants was the key to making the garden look as if it had been there a long time.
Bryan & Stephanie were very much involved in carefully planning the garden and selecting plants. Bryan and Stephanie went from room to room inside the house while plants were being placed outside, to assure spectacular views from every vantage point. Laurie Sager & Associates of Jacksonville were the landscape architects and steered the DeBoers through a fun and creative process. One of Laurie’s many ideas was creating a beautifully landscaped light well to brighten a lower level bedroom, and created an amazing overall result. The building’s architect, Carlos Delgado, took an active interest. Dieter Trost, of Southern Oregon Nursery in Medford—and a family friend, aided in procuring the specimen trees, all grown right here in Oregon.
Mostly the garden is in the Japanese tradition and has many conifers and maples. Bryan has a special fondness for the Chief Joseph pines, “Lovers” Japanese maple, and the ice breaker firs. It’s a good thing Japanese maples are among Stephanie’s favorite plants because there are 29 Japanese maples on the property comprised of 25 varieties including red filigree lace, green cascade, and contorta weeping. A full list of plants, with pictures, is available on PlantsMap (www.plantsmap.com – search on Winburn). Bryan has installed PlantsMap tags at the foot of many of the plants.
Unique sources were found for many of the treasures in the landscape. The Iseli Nursery in Boring, Oregon provided many of the special trees and is world renown for mature specimens found in their Gallery. The gorgeous rocks placed strategically throughout the garden were imported from the Netherlands where a Japanese garden was being dismantled. The giant mid-century modern urn on a pedestal near the front door came from a Frank Lloyd Wright building.
Both Bryan and Stephanie work in the garden and Bryan, especially, has been mistaken as a professional gardener by passersby while he was working outside. He can identify every plant from memory.
Article by: Ruth Sloan
Photos by Bryan DeBoer
Madia elegans: Elegant tar weed. This is blooming right now. It is a sun-loving native annual that self-sows widely. Drought and deer tolerant. Blooms morning and evening, but closes up during the middle of the day. See the bumble bee getting pollen off the flowers. The plant is about 3′ high and 1 1/2′ high.
Epilobium canum, or California Fuchsia. It used to be called Zauschneria californica. It is a later blooming perennial. It is drought and deer resistant. This one is right near an alley and a driveway, and is fine with hot, dry soil. Hummingbirds love it. I plant it with dark blue Bachelors’ Buttons, annuals which seed around.
Gaillardia , or Blanket Flower. It is a long-blooming perennial with interesting round seed heads. If some of the seed heads are left on, it will self-sow. This particular plant is probably a hybrid, called Gaillardia x grandlora ‘Goblin’, which is a more compact cultivar. The native is Gaillardia aristata. It is drought tolerant and deer resistant.
Praying Mantis on Verbena, previously seen eating a bee from the head down. After crawling up on this bloom, she crawled down on the stem and basically disappeared, lurking until another insect came along.
Photos and article by Sherri Morgan, AGC Vice President
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.
Flowers & Photo by Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member