Tag Archives: local gardens

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.