Tag Archives: Garden of the Month

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.

Garden of the Month: September 2019

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110 8th Street – Ashland, Oregon

The selection committee for the Ashland Garden Club’s garden of the month program first noticed the beautiful garden at the corner of C and 8th streets over a year ago.   When we went by again in September 2018 we knew we had our September 2019 Garden of the Month.  By September, most gardens are starting to fade, at least, and some are downright shabby, but not Kelly and Jeff Straub’s gorgeous place at 110 8th Street.  Kelly’s diligent work shows to good advantage all year.  She keeps the planting areas well groomed, and always a delight to see with blooming plants.

The Straubs purchased the property only two-and-a-half years ago.  In the short time since then, she has transformed the neglected yard into a showplace.  In the interim, she broke first one wrist and then the other, making the work doubly difficult.  But she has had help.  Neighbor Jack Crawford has been instrumental with assistance, as a source of seeds for many of the plants that grace the garden, and for design consultation with Kelly.  Jane Hardgrove of Bearclaw Services designed the back garden which is also gorgeous if somewhat more utilitarian with patios and raised beds for produce.  Until recently when City of Ashland crews finally solved the problem, the Straubs also had to cope with flooding following serious rain storms.

A special quality of this property is that the “parking strip” (the area between the sidewalk and the street) is especially wide, making the sidewalk appear to go right through the heart of the front and side yards.  This does two things:  It makes the parking strip more versatile as a desirable planting space and it also makes pedestrians feel a part of the garden.  Being a block from a popular coffee shop also increases foot traffic, and Kelly enjoys interacting with passersby as she works in the garden.  Understandably, she gets a lot of positive feedback.

The stunning display of coreopsis is just coming to an end this year, but the rudbeckia, echinacea, and gaillardia are still going strong and their similar flower form makes an interesting combination.  Earlier in the year, foxglove put on a fabulous show, and hellebores star in the winter.  Zinnias are a standout in the back yard, where they are protected from deer.

Other favorites include daphne, euphorbia, catmint, erysium, and bee balm.  A vibrant purple, walkable verbena stands out in and around the walkway from C Street.  Even the small area around the fire hydrant on the corner is lush with low succulents.

The street tree on the C side is mimosa which is blooming now.  Other especially large trees on the property include cedar and ponderosa pine.  A dogwood is one of the few smaller holdovers from previous owners, and the Straubs recently added a crepe myrtle.

Article by: AGC Member Ruth Sloan Photos by: Larry Rosengren

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

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