Tag Archives: local gardens

Garden of the Month: July 2015

Posted on by

Driving past 128 Wimer Street I often admired the beautifully landscaped front garden and the lovely home rising up from the street, but my eyes were always drawn to what lay just beyond the home. A tall deer fenfrontce marked the back garden and what appeared to be two “sheep” standing among the roses. I just knew there had to be something special behind that gate.

I met with Cindy Barnard, the owner, and was able to get a closer look at her garden and meet the not-so-real sheep that guard it. What I do know, is that there are no words to adequately describe the beauty of the landscaping or any pictures that can capture what you’ll find there. What I can tell you is that the yard holds two majestic trees – a Coastal Redwood (planted approximately 1906), a Douglas Fir and a stately oak – that have been there for many years. The Conrad and Lavina Mingus home, built in the late 1880’s, and at the time nestled in the middle of a small fruit and nut orchard, was originally designed to accommodate the harvesting.Pic 2

Cindy bought the home in 2006 and in 2007 began planning an extensive remodel.  Joanne Krippaehne (Madrone Architecture, Ashland)  was the architect chosen to redesign the home and Kerry Kencairn, the landscape architect, who, with the involvement of Cindy’s son, Seth Barnard of Solid Ground Landscaping, turned this property into the inviting garden it is today. After several planning workshops and sessions, the concept simplified into:  “bring the outdoors in and the indoors out.”  But, even as the project grew more complex than originally anticipated, it is now easy to believe that Cindy wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.Pic 3

The garden, originally on the Spring 2009 AAUW garden tour, contains a variety of trees and plants – old fashioned quince, a new Asian persimmon and two fig trees, hydrangeas, peonies, berry bushes, roses, hostas and so many others, too numerous to mention. After recently spending winter days at Hidcote  garden and Yew Garden in England, Cindy found joy in the winter color included in those beds and, after lawn removal, added a beautyberry bush (genus Callicarpa) to her back garden.   A thriving hand-watered vegetable garden and three compost piles take up a sunny location in the back of the property.

pic 4

Submitted by: Kaaren Anderson

Pic 5

Jackson County Master Gardener Demonstration Garden Open House

Posted on by

Date: Saturday, June 27th
Time: 9 a.m. to noon
Location:
Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center
569 Hanley Road
Central Point

The Open House will feature self-guided tours of 25 gardens including the Lavender Garden, which is part of the Southern Oregon Lavender Trail. Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions, and the Propagation Garden will have small plants available for sale. For more information, visit www.jacksoncountymga.org. Media Contact: Rhonda Nowak, JCMGA publicity, 541-727-836, rnowak39@gmail.com.

Garden of the Month: June 2015

Posted on by

The lovingly tended VictoriaB Street 1n house at 386 B Street, at the corner of Third, is now surrounded by colorful gardens.  After purchasing the 1886 house in 2011, the current homeowners replanted the front in 2013 with design and labor by Banyan Tree Landscape and the back in 2014 with partial design and labor by Sage Hill Landscape.  But the gardeners who live there are having fun developing the gardens themselves.

B Street 2The gorgeous colors in the front and side, including an extra wide planting strip B Sreet 5between the sidewalk and Third Street were chosen to blend with paint colors of the house—blues, pinks, purples, and whites.  They were also chosen to provide color throughout the early spring through late fall, with heather blooming first, then lobelia, then phlox, and finally germander and thyme.  Dwarf daphne, laveB Sreet 3nder, and Santa Barbara daisy add to the colorful display in season.  They have also added trees; peely-bark maple, crepe myrtle, Japanese maple, redbud, magnolia, and dogwood—a few of which are still struggling to get thoroughly established.  All of the plantings outside the fence are drought-tolerant and deer-resistant.

There are recirculating water features in front and back, statues of Buddha and Mary, metal sculpture cranes, and other eye-catching elements throughout the garden.

B Sreet 4Older, larger trees on the property include box elder, walnut, and cedar.  They have added olive trees at the side and back.  Near their guest cottage, there is a gorgeous smoke tree  (cotinus “Golden Spirit”) in a huge pot with oregano that spills over the side later in the season.  In the side-back area executed by Sage Hill Landscaping, they have added arborvitae to increase privacy and also passion vine, pomegranate, Phormium atropurpureum, Stipa tenuissima, hops, Agastache “Firebird,” Salvia “Hot Lips.”

by Carol Walker

Garden of the Month: May 2015

Posted on by

There is a spectacular IMG_0256garden at 777 Jacquelyn Street where Claire Marie has her home and runs a Waldorf preschool aptly called The Children’s Garden. Inspired by Tasha Tudor who was the creator of magical gardens as well as children’s books, Claire aimed to achieve a woodland paradise and fairy habitat, and has made huge strides toward that end on her ¾ acre property that edges Clay Creek, since she moved to Jacquelyn Street 15 years ago.

Claire had help from landscape designer Ian Wessler, who drew up plans for the hardscape from Claire’s ideas. She also credits Carol McBride and Micheline Wessler for their help, and Victoria Eckart (of Bi-Mart’s plant department) for advice on plant selection and help with planting. With assistance from many willing hands, Claire planted 4,500 bulbs in 2012.IMG_0269

The front yard is anchored by a large maple tree; redbud trees; a gorgeous Japanese maple; a prolific cherry tree that many people enjoy, including her graduates who return at cherry-picking time for the bounty; mock orange; fringe plant; and foundation plantings of otto luychen laurel. There is a low privet hedge behind the white picket fence and a Cécile Brüner rose on an arbor near the garage.  There are peonies, rhododendrons, daffodils, narcissus, and Mariposa tulips that deer don’t eat!

IMG_0102The side yard has English laurel, crepe myrtle and a crab apple tree plus many varieties of bulbs, including bridal pearls.

The back yard is anchored by many large trees, including ash, aspen, and spruce, plus six varieties of apple trees, and blueberries. There are helleborus, oriental poppies, bleeding heart, columbine, roses, ferns, snowdrop, lily-of-the-valley, forget-me-not, lilac, dogwood, anemone, clematis, photinia, and allium—just to name a few.IMG_0263

There are far too many different plants to even begin to list them all. Among the more unusual are fritillaria meleagris, epimedium, erythronium, eranthis hyemalis, camasia quamash, ornithogalum, and calochortus.

IMG_4417In addition to the lush plantings, there are charming arbors (one covered with wisteria), gates, playhouses, a sandbox, a large deck, and a tree house for the enjoyment of her students and other visitors to the garden.  There are sculptures of angels, mushrooms, St. Francis, Buddha, and other charming features throughout the landscape.

by Ruth Sloan

Garden of the Month: April 2015

Posted on by

Spring has arrived (though, it feels like it began in January) and gardens all over Ashland are making us take notice. One such garden is found at the home of Beverly and Dick Gergen who moved into their Ashland home August 2003. The Gergens previously lived on six acres above Talent where they created large flower and vegetable gardens. After deciding a home closer to town with a smaller yard made more sense, they moved and set about creating the lovely garden you see.

Originally, the front held a flat, grass covered area struggling with large tree roots, all competing for water and nourishment. This also meant that people walking by looked past the yard and into the large living room windows. Beverly and Dick decided to create something more interesting for the passersby and to enhance their pleasant and friendly neighborhood.

Beginning in 2006 Ian Wessler, a friend, fellow Siskiyou Singers member, and garden designer, was asked to help convert the front into something more beautiful. As you will see, he definitely did! Working with Beverly and her vision, this Asian inspired planting is on its way to being a standout even beyond their immediate neighborhood.

Before planting, a berm of fertile soil, supported by huge granite boulders, was created and became the foundation for the plantings: Japanese maples, rhododendrons, several varieties of daphne (including a lavender color, currently in bloom), weeping hemlock, scarlet oak, fern-leaf false cyprus, dwarf Norway spruce, shore juniper, dogwood, skimmia, viburnum, Japanese snowbelle, enkianthus, helleborus, lamium and others.

Many Asian touches lie within the garden – a slightly tipsy crane greets visitors coming down the path, glass floats live near the water feature, bells hang in the trees, and beautiful pottery and lanterns nest among the shrubs. One clever feature I particularly liked is a “lawn” pathway, much easier to walk on than gravel, and small enough to maintain. Even an old family bear stands back among the trees, keeping watch.
Like so many other gardens in Ashland, this one was planted with deer in mind. Nearly all the plants are considered deer resistant, and except for a few nibbled azaleas, the choices appear to be working.  While the deer can take a lot of fun out of gardening, Beverly says, “the planting, pruning and general garden maintenance are therapeutic. When my garden is happy, I am happy.”

I know I’m happy, just looking at it.
by Kaaren Anderson

Planting for Drought Tolerance and Deer Resistance

Posted on by

Destructive deer and hot, dry summers are two very common issues in the Rogue Valley. Drought tolerant and deer resistant plants are a good combination to aim for because the qualities in plants that repel deer can often be found in drought tolerant species- such as heavy oil content, textured or hairy foliage, strong odors, and tough, less succulent leaves. The key to keeping drought tolerant plants happy and more unpalatable to deer is to give them the habitat they are used to- so don’t water them every day just because its 90 degrees!

Good drainage is usually essential- if you don’t have it, you’ll probably have to water even less

No heavy fertilizing: Use only organic or slow release fertilizer if called for at time of planting. Over fertilizing will attract deer. If the plants look yellow it is usually from too much water, not lack of fertilizer.

Dedicate an area to drought tolerant plants: Don’t mix plants that need regular water with drought tolerant plants. Do not put them on the same irrigation system & timer or one group will suffer.

Do not over water! It’s best to plant drought tolerant plants in early spring or early fall so they can get established with the rains.

  • Once established many plants do not need summer water.
  • They will only need an occasional deep soak.
  • Don’t plant them where they will get extra water from lawn areas or runoff from other irrigated areas.

 How to get good drainage:

Mound up soil when making new beds or planting a new plant. Create a berm. Plant drought tolerant plants on a hillside or slope

Mulch with at least a 1″ layer of 1/4″-io gravel to keep dirt from rotting the crown of plant, to retain moisture during heat and keep plant roots warmer in winter

For clay soil amend with 1/4″- io gravel (sharp edge, no fines) and compost will help break down clay over time.

 How to water drought tolerant plants

Observe- most plants need to dry out before the next watering- stick your finger a few inches into soil (well below mulch, which will feel dry), if it is cool and damp, don’t need to water yet.

Infrequent But Deep Soak: This trains plants to have deep roots, not shallow. Often a deep soak every 2 weeks in heat of summer is enough- easier to do with drip irrigation than sprinklers

Watering rule of thumb (depends on site and soil type)

  1. 1st year of planting water deeply once a week for first month of summer,
  2. Then water once every 2 weeks for 2nd and 3rd month of summer
  3. Water once a month the 2nd summer and don’t water again.

 How to find drought tolerant plants

Look to natives- can tolerate summer drought and winter wet

Look to Mediterranean plants- similar climate (also cold hardy Australian and northern California plants, hardy desert plants/succulents) get help from your local nursery!- we’ve talked to countless customers and worked in our own gardens and have seen what works

How to find deer resistant plants

  • Look around your neighborhood drive or walk around heavy deer areas- Jacksonville, hills of east Medford, wooded parts of Ashland- observe what has been chewed- deer can be very neighborhood specific
  • Read lists, but be ready to experiment
  • use Liquid Fence, Plantskydd, or similar product on all new plantings to discourage initial browsing
  • Use cages around most new trees- to prevent antler damage and new growth chewing
  • Deer damage can depend on time of year you plant- when deer are especially hungry in fall and winter they can graze on almost anything
  • Use poisonous, strongly scented or sharply textured plants (grasses, sometimes prickly/thorny textures, fuzzy/hairy leaves, pine needles, etc.)
  • Talk to your local nursery- we know from our experiences and those of our customers and landscapers what has worked and what hasn’t

By: Christie Mackison, Shooting Star Nursery