Garden & Photos by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member
Today in the Garden
Tag Archives: Gardens
Garden of the Month: June 2020
Near Hunter Park
There is a spectacular garden near Hunter Park that is the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for June. The residents have lived there for 40 years, and had done smaller renovations in the past.
The owners re-landscaped about three years ago after they incorporated the back of another property nearby. The property boundary was legally redrawn at that time. The result is a very large garden, especially for the neighborhood.
Laurie Sager, Solid Ground Landscaping, and Tim Ferguson did the work in 2017. The workmanship throughout the property is exquisite: The metal and wood work of fencing and gates, the concrete retaining walls, and the gorgeous stone walkways and patios are impeccable. The deep red color of the metal is unexpected and just right.
An unusual feature is a geometric pattern of concrete pavers beneath a Japanese maple tree surrounded by “Brass Buttons” ground cover. A charming blue star creeper surrounds stone pavers in the front. 
A large Liriodendron (tulip tree) dominates the front yard and a Douglas fir shades portions of the back. Most of the mature rhododendrons are holdovers from earlier gardens here. Ornamental grasses are placed judiciously, particularly in front. Peonies are featured in front and back. A wonderfully diverse selection of plants are perfectly placed throughout the yard. 
Article by: Ruth Sloan, AGC Member
Photos by: Larry Rosengren.
May 2020: Garden of the Month
720 Forest Street
The wonderful garden at 720 Forest St. is a labor of love for homeowners Vicky Sturtevant and Alan Armstrong and is The Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for May. They have deftly combined edibles with ornamentals in this space they have gardened since 1983. 
It is a heavily shaded lot, particularly the upper, forested quarter-acre parcel that they purchased separately. In all, they have a half-acre that they manage beautifully. The hardscape was designed by Covey-Pardee Landscape Architects in 2009. Eric Cislo welded the gates and Ted Loftus constructed the stone walls. The deer are kept out.
The couple enjoys being outside and are inveterate hikers, so they also love gardening. They devote a lot of time to it and it shows. Nothing is neglected. They follow the sun throughout the yard and throughout the year.
Grandparents of both instilled in them a love of plants and a tradition of gardening. Alan’s grandparents were farmers. Vicky’s had a large lot and grew all kinds of things, especially roses. There is a vigorous peony in the yard that came from Vicky’s grandparents. She speaks fondly of how much certain plants remind us of certain people. Happily, their adult son loves gardening, too.
Both Alan and Vicky are very knowledgeable about plants and have noticed that plants native to the Pacific Northwest, in which they have specialized, are beginning to struggle to survive and that now plants native to Northern California are more likely to thrive in Ashland. So it is to them they are turning their attention. 
Visitors who walk or drive by will notice the great diversity of plant life in this garden. Among favorites of the couple are species rhododendrons (includes azaleas), Penstemons, Salvia, Agastache, and Marionberry. In May, dogwood, lilac, and rhododendrons make a stunning display. 
Article by: Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Committee Chair
Photos by: Larry Rosengren
Lithia Park’s Japanese Garden
The Japanese Garden redesign is back on track!
Read more on the Ashland Tidings’ website.
https://ashlandtidings.com/news/top-stories/japanese-garden-redesign-back-on-track-keeping-trees-in-ashland
Dahlias
Plant name: Dahlia
Plant type: Tuberous flowers; biennial tubers are planted in the spring
Height: Large: 3-4 feet, Medium: 1-2 feet, Small: 10-20 inches
Spread: Varies with variety
Bloom Time: Summer, fall
Flower Color: Orange, Pick, Purple, Red, White, Yellow, and Multi-color
Exposure: Full Sun. (6-8 hours of morning sun is best)
Soil Requirements: Sandy Loam
Water Needs: Moist to Moderate
Attributes: Large flamboyant flowers
Notes: Will not tolerate frost. Not suited for hot/humid climates.
Tubers struggle in cold soil, plant after ground temperatures reach 60o F
Tubers typically dug in the fall, stored for winter, replanted in late spring. Uses: Display Gardens, Cut flowers, Late-season color, To “wow” your neighbors & friends!
Native to: South America Andes
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-10
Garden of the Month: September 2019
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