Flowers, Fruits and Wildlife
Photos by Lynn McDonald, AGC Member
Today in an Ashland Garden
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AGC Garden of the Month August 2025
1044 Park Street
To the casual observer, someone driving past perhaps, the garden at 1044 Park Street might appear unkempt, even neglected. But upon closer inspection, more details emerge and the neighbor out for an evening stroll might pause to reflect and begin to appreciate how successful the owner, Denise Crosby , was in achieving her landscape objectives.
No mow Eco Grass vibrant after the winter rains. Photo by Louis Desprez
The reader may remember the familiar term of Xeriscape landscaping introduced in the early ‘80s when the Denver Water District promoted water conservation in their city. Handsome groupings of native and drought tolerant plants, drip irrigation and dry creek beds became popular features of many gardens. Over the past several decades climate warming has reinforced these principles and more recently our community has added pollinator friendly and deer resistant plants, defensible space, and fire-wise to the vocabulary.
When Denise purchased her new home three years ago, she wanted to leave behind the boxwood borders and expansive lawn of her large corner property and lean into the ancient Japanese philosophy and aesthetic of wabi-sabi that imphasizes finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and the natural cycle of growth and decay. She also appreciated that Ashland was a mountain town, nestled in a bowl surrounded by forests and rolling hills and wanted her new-found residence to reflect these attributes.
Denise considers herself very fortunate in connecting with a landscaper who appreciated these same values and her conversations with Louis Desprez of Castle Landscape & Design led to a design that she quickly approved. It is minimalist in nature, encompassing drought tolerant grasses, specimen trees and colorful ground cover enhanced with an artful composition including a rusted iron water feature and cedar screen. The hardscape materials are rich in texture and color.
Water feature designed by Mike Kline, fabricated by Denny DeBay, Ashland Forge, Cedar screen crafted by Louis Desprez Photo by Elizabeth Essex
The existing sod lawn was replaced with Eco Grass to soften the harsh reality of a wide street and driveway. This dense, low growing, deep rooted, no mow grass reflects the changing seasons we so love in our surrounding hillsides. A soft breeze creates a living palette of greens, turning to golden, then to blonde. A cluster of ornamental grasses (‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass and Tufted Hairgrass) add screening to a small rise adjacent to a seating area. The blossoms of a Flowering Cherry announce that spring has arrived and a Lace Leaf Japanese Maple greets guests by the entry walk. A Japanese Black Pine anchors the intersection where the driveway meets Park Street. Creeping Phlox and Veronica add splashes of color during the seasons.
Mid-season transition Photo by Elizabeth Essex
It’s impossible to arrive at the front door without admiring the geometry of the walkways. Note the rhythm of bordo block embedded in the decomposed granite chosen to replace the traditional public sidewalk. The colored, stamped concrete of the primary walk is banded on either side with squares of concrete pavers alternating with planting pockets filled with Crocosmia and multi-hued Mexi Pebble Mix. A shorter, softly curved path of crushed Blue Ridge gravel edged with the same bordo block leads from the driveway to the door. In spring the visitor is greeted with the scent of Lilac; in summer, it is aromatic Calamintha. Various boulders of local heritage are included to add authenticity to this landscape, reminiscent of an alpine meadow, complete with scree.
Hummingbirds are attracted to the bright blooms of Crocosmia. Photo by Elizabeth Essex
Ultimately garden design is a subjective art, very much dependent on the viewer’s interpretation of harmony and balance, scale and proportion. The viewer may have developed a critical eye but the design will not resonate unless it is compatible with one’s true self. As introduced above, wabi-sabi is a philosophy that encourages a more mindful and accepting approach to life, embracing the present moment and finding beauty in the everyday. Altogether, this front garden at 1044 Park Street reflects the philosophy of the owner, Denise Crosby. Beauty truly can be found in the eye of the beholder,
Denise Crosby and Louis Desprez Photo by Elizabeth Essex
Article by Elizabeth Essex, AGC Garden of the Month Coordinator
The Ashland Garden Club has been selecting Gardens of the Month, from April through September, since 2000. Nominations are gratefully received at aogardenclub@gmail.com
Summer Flowers!
July 3, 2025 – Flowers and photos by Lynn McDonald, AGC Member
Ashland Oregon Garden Club
Garden of the Month: July 2025
837 Glendower
At dawn the gardens at 837 Glendower lie in serene splendor, the curved pathways empty. But soon daybreak will bring the first ray of sunshine illuminating a water droplet suspended on a spider web, a petal unfurling in the warmth, a butterfly weaving between the flowers, a bumblebee tumbling in the pollen, a tabby strutting down the path. A virtual metropolis of activity.
It’s hard to imagine but when Neena Barreto purchased the property in 2021 the ground was choked with crab grass and a single row of maples bordered the street. Due to their invasive root system and because their limbs encroached upon the power lines, Neena decided to have them removed by the City providing her with multiple opportunities for garden design.
Slowly a vision took shape and berms were created sheltering the residence from street traffic and adding privacy for the small patio where hot chai might be served on a cool morning. Pathways wind their way through the beds and around the corner to include the side yard bordering Tudor Street. Large flat-topped boulders were thoughtfully sited to take advantage of their view lines. At sunset Neena enjoys a view of Mount Ashland.
The maples were replaced with trees of a smaller stature including dwarf, slow growing Bosnian Pine (Pinus leucodermis) and Weeping Norway Spruce (Picea abies ‘pendula’) which anchor the raised beds. These are interspersed with Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) and Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica). A pair of Japanese Maples mark the front entry and Sawtooth Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) stand on either side of the driveway. These deciduous selections ensure a spectacular display of fall color.
Neena had moved to Oregon in 2019 with virtually no plant background but as a hiker she started paying attention to what grew and thrived here. Manzanita had always been one of her favorites. She already knew that her goal was to incorporate as many native, fire-wise and low maintenance plants as possible. Hence it was only natural for Neena to seek out Plant Oregon. Working with David Bish and Jenny Black, Neena expanded her plant selection to include specimens that provided year-round nectar and pollen for butterflies, moths, bees, wasps and hummingbirds. She was also advised to have a range of flower colors, shapes and sizes.
Broad-leafed evergreen shrubs include Neena’s favorite Manzanita together with Mahonia and Garrya (both Coastal and Fremonts). A fig tree, flannel bush (Fremontodendron californicaum), a butterfly bush (Buddleia spp.) and a stunning Blue Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) are deciduous accents. Evergreen ground cover including Creeping Rosemary (Rosmarinus prostratus), Nandina, and Heather (Erica ‘King George) and several ornamental grasses are set out throughout the raised beds ensuring visual interest after the perennials have been pruned back for the winter.
On a recent visit it was evident from the industrious activity of butterflies and bees that the variety of perennials planted was to their liking! Purple and red salvias, blue rosemary, penstemon and calamintha, yellow Oregon Sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum), orange and lavender hyssop (Agastache aurantiaca), California fuchsia (Zauschneria or Epilobium canum) all provide a virtual feast for pollinators on their journey. Their thirst satiated by a sip from a glass water dish.
Altogether, the placement of trees, shrubs and perennials creates a pleasing rhythm of textures, colors and shapes. Even more significant perhaps is that already three generations have become integral to this story. Both Neena’s parents have added items of interest to the landscape and graduation pictures with her three sons were recently taken with the garden as a backdrop. Neena says that creating and maintaining her garden has brought her new found joy. It is a natural expression of who she is and her love of the natural world is evident for any passerby to enjoy.
Those seeking out the July 2025 Garden of the Month are encouraged to drive a little further down Glendower to the trailhead leading to the Ashland Pond where an extensive restoration project took place following the Almeda Fire in 2020. Native and riparian plant material was contributed by many local organizations, including Ashland Garden Club, and planted by Lomakatsi’s crew and inter-tribal workforce through a contract with The Freshwater Trust.
The Ashland Garden Club has been selecting Gardens of the Month from April through September since 2000. Nominations are gratefully received at aogardenclub@gmail.com. Check out the club’s website at ashlandorgardenclub.org for information on meeting times and places.
Article by: Elizabeth Essex, Ashland Garden Club
Garden of the Month: June 2025
443 Clinton Street:
Tucked between Clinton Street and Briscoe Place in the Riverwalk neighborhood lies the residence of Richard and Laura Simonds, selected as the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for June.
Two splendid Dogwoods are in bloom this month, one tall and slender (Cornus nuttallii x florida ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’) tucked into the entry garden and the second more diminutive one (Cornus kousa ‘Milky Way’) featured to the right of the entry drive at 443 Clinton. Note the size of the bracts on the taller one, nearly the size of a human palm with more rounded tips.
The other, with pinched tips and a spot of color on the petals. So special.Plantings either side of the driveway feature a lovely dwarf Japanese Maple (Acer p.dissectum ‘Red Emperor’), an outstanding specimen of Viburnum ‘Pink Dawn,’ several Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestic ‘Firepower’) accented by Heather (Calluna vulgaris ‘Firefly’ and ‘Barcelona’). The cone-shaped taller shrubs are Boxwood (Buxus x ‘Green Mountain’) and dwarf Mugo Pines (‘Pinus mugo ‘Slowmound’) complete the picture.
Following along behind the fence line, the entry walk is planted with Mock Orange (Choisya ternata), Variegated Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Ivory Halo’), Lily of the Valley shrub (Pieris japonica ‘Mountain Fire’) and Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) trained on a welded wire fence. The foundation is edged with Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’) and two ‘Sky Pencil’ Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) accent the porch columns. Several glass flowers add a splash of color to the otherwise classic green and white color palette.
An enclosed garden on Clinton provides a virtual feast for our flying friends. The design features a berm created from the rolled-up turf that was removed to create the pollinator garden envisioned by the Simonds when they purchased the property in May 2019 although they didn’t move in until July 2020. It features a trio of Royal Raindrops Crabapple trees, a Bloodgood Japanese Maple, a young Lilac and a Serviceberry (Amelanchier Alnifolia). Two Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia ‘Miss Violet’ (sterile) and ‘Miss Molly’), Silver Artemisia (Powis Castle), St. John’s Wort (shrub form Hypericum Sunburst), drifts of both French (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Phenomenal’) and English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’), low growing Germander, Gaura and Yarrow are just some of the plantings frequented by the bees and butterflies. Three Compact Strawberry Bushes (Arbutus Unedo Compacta “Oktoberfest”) line one fence and Bay Laurel stretch along the other. The Japanese Barberry ‘Cherry Bomb’ was selected to complement the Bloodgood Maple.
The Simonds engaged Robin McKenzie in March 2021, owner of Rockbird Gardens in Talent, to design their garden with the only stipulation that the fig tree at the entry on Briscoe be kept. It has been skillfully pruned to remain proportional in size. Thadius Espinoza, owner of Southern Bloom Landscaping, installed and has maintained the garden since its inception.
Please stop by and step up to the handsome undulating fence to enjoy the astounding variety of plant material. The Riverwalk neighborhood, where Robin designed several other gardens, is a delight to walk about. Just a few steps north on Clinton is an Ashland City Park designated as a pollinator garden by Pollinator Project Rogue Valley (pollinatorprojectroguevalley.org). The spring blossoms may have disappeared from our gardens but summer has indeed provided us with a cornucopia of images to discover.
The Ashland Garden Club has been selecting Gardens of the Month, from April through September, since 2000. Nominations are gratefully received at aogardenclub@gmail.com.
Pictures by the owner, Richard Simonds.
Submitted by Elizabeth Essex, Ashland Garden Club
Daffodils Galore!
AGC President, Carol Walker’s front yard is a profusion of color.
Did you know daffodils are deer proof?
You can see this flower display at the corner of Liberty Street and Holly Street during April.