Tag Archives: Winter Gardening

Garden of the Month: April 2019

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500 Parkside Drive

Since 2000, the Ashland Garden Club has been selecting Ashland gardens as Garden of the Month, from April through September.  From late fall through early spring, no gardens are chosen because most gardens don’t look very good at that time of year.  The garden at 500 Parkside Drive is the exception.  It looked good all winter, looks great right now, and is being honored as Garden of the Month for April 2019.


 This property is owned by Terry and Barbara Oldfield.  This year they spent the coldest months of the year near grandchildren in Arizona, while the Ashland house and garden were looked after by family and neighbors.  Terry usually does the garden maintenance.  The side and back yards were designed by Banyan Tree Landscape about three years ago and the front was designed by Solid Ground Landscape five years ago.

 
Mostly this garden is attractive because the plants were chosen to look good all year and/or because of their early- or late-season beauty.  Among them are hellebore, nandina, pieris, and heathers.  The colors are especially nice right now.  The plants are also situated nicely, with larger plants framing smaller plants.  In the back yard, a magnolia is blooming now, the daffodils are just finishing up, and strong shoots herald a lovely display of peonies in the coming months.  There are many comfortable spots to sit and enjoy the view.

There are surprising features in this yard which are small lawns of artificial turf both on the side and in back.  While some Garden Club members applaud its water-wise qualities, artificial turf is not without its detractors, and a garden with fake grass has never been selected as Garden of the Month before.  While air pollution caused by power tools to mow, blow, and trim real turf counter the oxygen-providing benefits of real grass, fake grass contains known allergens, potentially harmful substances that leach into the earth beneath it and into waterways from runoff, and is not, at the end of its approximately 25-year life, biodegradable.  It’s difficult to remember drought after the wet winter and early spring we have had, but it must be anticipated, and this is certainly one way to maintain an attractive green space.

Article submitted by: Ruth Sloan, AGC Garden of the Month Chairperson

Today in an Ashland Garden

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Even though the temperature was below freezing this morning, but these plants are blooming!

Hellebore, Bergenia cordifolia, Daphne, Witch Hazel, Crocuses 190301090957190301091733

 

Photos were taken this morning, March 1, 2019, in AGC member Carlotta Lucas’ garden.

Winter Gardening Chores

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Here are a few thing you can do in the garden while waiting for spring to arrive….

  1. Check yard for damaged plants
  2. Check newly planted and newly staked trees to see if they are still stable
  3. Sharpen gardening tools
  4. Organize & clean greenhouse and/or garden shed
  5. Recycle pots you are not going to use in the spring (see AGC’s article on where to recycle pots in the Rogue Valley)
  6. Clean bird feeders and continue feeding wild birds
  7. Check stored fruits and vegetables
  8. Spray stone-fruit trees with copper or lime-sulfur
  9. Check yard and garden for drainage issues
  10. Check house, yard (and autos) for rodent activity
  11. Read gardening books
  12. Shop seed catalogs, and order your seeds for spring, summer, fall and winter planting

Horticulture Report: Arbutus unedo ‘compacta’

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arbutus-unedo-compactaPlant Name: Arbutus unedo ‘compacta’
Common Name:  Dwarf Strawberry Tree
Plant type: Evergreen Shrub
Height: 6-8 ft
Spread/Width: 5-6 ft
Bloom Time: Repeating Fall to late winter
Flower Color: White, bell-shaped
Exposure:  Part to Full sun
Soil Requirements: Lean, well-drained soil
Water Needs: Low – Drought tolerant once established
Attributes: Masses of white flowers, Dark glossy green foliage, Cinnamon-colored bark, Edible strawberry-like fruit, , Dwarf plant, Bird friendly
Note: Low maintenance
Uses: Firewise plantings, Waterwise plantings, Privacy Screen, Specimen focal point, Wildlife gardens, Year-round interest, Informal hedge,  Butterfly gardens, Attracts Hummingbirds, Winter interest
Native to: Southern Europe and Ireland
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-9

Horticulture Report: Edgeworthia chrysantha

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Plant Name: Edgeworthia  chrysantha

edgeworthia_chrysantha-2014

Edgeworthia chrysantha Akebono photo courtesy of Roozitaa & Wikimedia

Cultivar: Akebono
Common Name:  Paperbush
Plant type: Deciduous Shrub
Height:   5’ – 6’
Bloom Time: February – March
Flower Color:  Red/Orange
Exposure:  Part Shade or Shade
Soil Requirements: Moisture-retentive, Fertile Loamy Soil
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Winter Interest, Tubular Fragrant Flowers borne on bare stems,
Silky Silver Buds
Note: Related to Daphnes, Inner bark used in China to make quality papers. Winter hardy to below 0 degrees F.
Uses: Woodland gardens, Shady borders, Collector’s Specimen Planting, Ornamental, Used to make paper.
USDA Zone: 7b -10b

Other Varieties:
*Edgeworthia chrysantha Snow Cream Papberbush – Winter hardy  USDA Zones 7b-10bchrysantha_paperbark

*Edgeworthia papyrifera  Nanjing Gold Paperbush –  USDA Zones 8-10