“On a day – alack the day! –
Love, whose month is ever May,
Spied a blossom passing fair
Playing in the wanton air.”
William Shakespeare, “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” Act IV, Scene 3
This scene in Shakespeare’s comedy involves King Ferdinand and his three attending lords reading aloud poems they have written to their love […]
The Soroptimist International club will hold their 16th Annual Garden Tour on Saturday, May 19, 2018. This popular, local event is a favorite with gardeners and garden lovers in the Rogue Valley. Each year a variety of beautiful gardens are chosen to highlight the creative ways that outdoor spaces can be utilized. This year, you’ll […]
There’s a lively and colorful movement growing here in Southern Oregon, and it embodies beauty and environmental stewardship with an intention to reverse pollinator decline.
It’s the Rogue Buzzway project sponsored by Pollinator Project Rogue Valley (PPRV), and you can bee a part of it. The Buzzway is a map of […]
Retaining walls can be functional and also just enhance your landscape. There are many options for style, color, texture, material and cost.
Function and necessity are usually the reasons for the installation of a retaining wall but in many situations retaining walls add depth and character to a sloped or steeply-graded […]
The Jacksonville Garden Club’s 2018 Spring Sale will be held in Jacksonville on Saturday, May 12th, 2018 from 9:00am to 3:00pm in the alcove next to the Post Office on Oregon Street. This annual event is a wonderful place to buy gifts for Mother’s Day or to simply celebrate springtime in Southern Oregon. The sale […]
The Annual Heritage Plant Sale at Hanley Farm will be April 28 and 29 from 10am to 3pm. All three generations of the Hanley family, across 125 years, contributed to building the lush and unique landscape that is Hanley Farm today. Volunteers at the Southern Oregon Historical Society propagate starts from as many as 50 […]
“It standeth north-north-east
and by east from the west corner of thy curious- knotted garden:
there did I see that low-spirited
swain, that base minnow of thy mirth…”
~William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost, Act I, Scene 1
In this scene, the fantastical Spaniard, Don Adriano de Armado, inserts himself into the Bard’s romantic comedy before […]
A recent conversation with Dr. Elaine Ingham, Soil Scientist, Soil Life Consultant, and President of Soil Foodweb, Inc, brought to light the importance of soil health in relation to pollinator health.
Dirt is dead.
That sounds so Nietzsche-esque, but I’m not waxing philosophical. It’s scientific reality. Dirt is devoid of life, of […]
On Tuesday, October 17, roughly one year from beginning the process of working toward Jacksonville’s Bee City certification, the Bee City leadership team experienced another setback during our third council meeting.
After our team worked industriously to overcome council’s initial objections by generating financial independence, raising $2200, by creating self-reliance […]
The Jacksonville Garden Club’s 2017 Holiday Greens Sale brings festive cheer to the season by offering a wide array of holiday decorations for homes and businesses. The selections, all hand-crafted by Garden Club members, include table arrangements with candles, baskets of all sizes with cones, holly and bows, and wreaths that are showstoppers. The arrangements […]
“Knowledge is like a garden; if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested.” ~African proverb
Gardening has provided me with lots of seasonal traditions, and one habit that I look forward to every fall is participating in the Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens educational symposium.
Hosted by the Jackson County Master Gardener Association, […]
Sometimes it’s easier to begin with a clean slate when you’re embarking on a landscape construction project, but often there are important existing landscape features that benefit the final results by incorporating them into your new outdoor space.
Existing decks, fences, pools, and large trees are […]
Although the holidays may seem far off, it’s not too early to think about holiday decorations for your home or business. The Jacksonville Garden Club is now taking pre-paid orders for beautiful holiday wreaths, table arrangements, and baskets in a variety of sizes. In late November, Jacksonville Garden Club members will be busy applying their […]
Shooting Star Nursery focuses on the health of the microclimate that is the Rogue Valley. The well-educated team knows which plants to recommend to the visitors and customers who come to the nursery. Apple Trees are one of those choices.
“Apple trees contribute to your yard and our community more than by simply producing apples,” states […]
Watching a monarch metamorphosis is mind-blowing. Work deadlines, family time, and personal care all take a temporary backseat to what I view as a mesmerizing marvel. The fact that a single egg, only slightly larger than the period at the end of this sentence, in four days, turns into the […]
All classes begin at 10:00am and are located at the nursery unless indicated otherwise. Space is limited so please be sure to register on our website: www.roguevalleynursery.com/class. A minimum of 8 attendees is needed for a class, otherwise the class may be canceled. Classes happen rain or shine. During classes there will also be a […]
Fall is the best time to plant trees, shrubs & perennials. Take a look around your yard—if a plant is healthy and thriving, there’s little doubt that the roots are strong and growing. For newly-planted trees, shrubs or perennials, the fall season can be the best time […]
“Fresh tears stood on her cheeks as does the honeydew upon a gathered Lily almost withered.” ~William Shakespeare, “Titus Andronicus,” Act III, scene 1 (1594)
This passage makes it clear that Shakespeare had closely observed and appreciated the beauty of morning dew on the petals of a lily, and he also […]
John Muir’s quote speaks to the interconnectedness of all things. Humans to nature, nature to earth, earth to the universe, and the cosmos back to humans. Take for example the zeal surrounding the solar eclipse uniting us all under one sky to witness the moon’s passage over the sun. Something exceptional transpires when we grasp […]
“Be you in the park about midnight at Herne’s Oak, and you shall see wonders.”
– In William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” 1597
I’ve mentioned before that every year Jerry and I enjoy watching a performance at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, and this month I’m looking forward to […]
The Jacksonville Garden Club (JGC) has been one of the gems of civic involvement in Jacksonville for over 75 years. The Club is always seeking new members, both women and men, to get involved in a variety of interesting activities during its season, which runs from September to June. Meetings are held on the third […]
All classes begin at 10:00am and are located at the nursery unless indicated otherwise. Space is limited so please be sure to register on our website: www.roguevalleynursery.com/class. A minimum of 8 attendees is needed for a class, otherwise the class may be canceled. Classes happen rain or shine. During classes there […]
Summer is winding down, but I think we would all agree there’s something special about the back-to-school season that’s filled with the promise of new beginnings. This time of year offers fall colors in bloom, and the bounty of harvesting fruits and vegetables from backyard gardens.
We know about the “Canary in the Coalmine,” but have you heard about “The Monarch in the Milkweed”? The next Southern Oregon Climate Action Now general meeting, marking our fifth Anniversary, will be held at Medford Public Library on Tuesday September 26, 2017 from 6:00pm-7:30pm. The program is free and open to the public.
Monarch butterflies […]
Monarch butterflies have been on earth for roughly 175 million years, but it’s only since the 1990’s that their numbers have declined by 80%. In 25 short years, 560 of the 700 million Monarch butterflies in North America have disappeared.
Being in the presence of a Monarch has brought me great […]
“The first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning.” ~Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting, 1975
I love this image of August, the month when summer’s heat […]
When it comes to your landscaping, long-term planning offers many rewards. Resale value, maintenance considerations and future landscape plans are a few reasons to plan ahead…now!
When planning the initial infrastructure for your landscape, start with the end in mind. […]
Susan Casaleggio, Judie Lyon, and Jo Ann Miller (left to right) proudly display two Jacksonville Garden Club awards recently received from the Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs (OSFGC). The Claire Belsher Historic Preservation Award, created in 1977, celebrates heritage and patriotism by honoring restoration of parks of local importance which include plantings of the […]
She rested gently in his soft, young hand
In awe, he stared, at a smallness so grand.
What have we done? In earnest he pleaded.
They forgot, she whispered, how much we are needed.
But I don’t understand, he stuttered through tears.
You’re not to blame, she said, it’s been going on for years.
How can […]
As the days have gotten longer and music flows off Britt Hill, I know summer is definitely upon us. Around here, the natural surroundings of our historic town cast our summers with an almost magical quality.
While […]
Pollinator protection does not have to be relinquished in exchange for managing mosquitoes. The impact of mosquito spraying on pollinators is long-lasting. Studies show wild bee populations are even more susceptible to pesticide exposure than honey bees due to biological and habitat differences.
Fortunately, here in Oregon, we don’t have to […]
And those whose blossoms curl obliquely back,
Ribbed on the sides with a bright scarlet streak,
Shalt of daylily the fair name receive,
If one whose summer’s day the beauties live…
-Rene Rapin (1621-1687)
It’s true that the beautiful daylily (Hemerocallis) lasts but one summer’s day, prompting Bishop Joseph Hall to once criticize the flower […]
Summer is finally here so we can start enjoying our lawns and the outdoor living-areas where we’ve been investing our resources, creativity and personal style. And no one is happier about that than me. If you already have a patio, deck or outdoor area, I encourage you to get out […]
Mark your calendar for the 9th-Annual Medford AAUW Garden Tour on Saturday, June 10, 2017, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. This year’s tour features two Jacksonville gardens, along with four other diverse landscapes, chosen to provide you with lots of ideas and inspiration for your own garden spaces. The 2017 tour theme is “West Side Story” […]
The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt,
head in the sun, heart with nature.
To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body,
but the soul.
~ Alfred Austin
Gardening…I think it might mean something different to every person. To some it means hard work, to […]
Tour lovely private gardens in the Medford and Phoenix areas at the North Valley Soroptimist 15th-Annual Garden Tour on Saturday, May 20, 2017 from 9:00am-2:00pm.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased from April 15-May 19 at Blue Door Garden Store and Penny & Lulu Studio Florist—on the day of the tour, at Roxy Ann Winery.
Soroptimists […]
They’ve been around for more than 100 million years. They’re most active at 80°F and unable to function below 50°F. They can sense the lactic acid and carbon dioxide from an animal’s breath up to 100 feet away. The females beat their wings 500 times per second producing a piercing […]
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine.
~ 19th century English ballad
Simon and Garfunkel did not write “Scarborough Fair,” although the folksy musical duo’s 1966 version of the song is most well known today. […]
This year, the Jacksonville Garden Club’s annual Spring Sale is on Saturday, May 13, 2017, from 10:00am-3:00pm in the alcove next to the Post Office on Oregon Street.
Get ready for Mother’s Day, or treat a family member or friend to a delightful surprise with beautiful bouquets and arrangements created from fresh-cut local flowers, made […]
We pull them, mow them, dig them, stomp them, spray them, shout at them, and lament how they are a nuisance in our lives.
Dandelions.
An underappreciated and underutilized plant in our society, the dandelion in the Asteraceae (aster or sunflower) family, is one of the most nutrient-packed foods on earth and […]
The use of technology in everyday life has sky rocketed. We have our “smart” house, “smart” phone, so how about our “smart” landscape? Even though technology impacts us all differently, we probably all agree that the use of technology to help make our life simpler and save us time is […]
*April 8th, 10:00am, Bees at the Nursery—We will be installing a hive at the nursery this spring and want to share all the bee activity! This is a fun talk to help understand what bees do to have a happy and productive hive. Learn how they “talk” to each other, how they build, clean-up, raise […]
Greenway Spray owner Greg Stewart says springtime is a great time of year to take control of the noxious weeds in your yard, pasture, and lawn as well as address pest issues impacting your trees. For 27 years, Greg has been working with the local agriculture industry and with homeowners, farmers, and ranchers in the […]
My heart is smit
With love so strong
I must declare,
But have no tongue.
Come to my aid, Thou Tulip Red,
Go and declare
My love instead.
~ Mandy Kirby, A Victorian Flower Dictionary, 2011
Before beginning to write about tulips, I checked my own plants to find small, green fingertips—fledgling flowers—still nestled cozily within the protective […]
The Jacksonville Garden Club’s Annual Spring Sale will be held in downtown Jacksonville on Saturday, May 13th, 2017 from 10:00am-3:00pm in the alcove next to the Post Office on Oregon Street. The sale features fresh-cut spring flowers arranged in bouquets by Club members and interesting plants to add to your garden. Home-baked treats and other […]
The popular one-day Living on Your Land and Tree School program, to be held April 22, 2017 at RCC Grants Pass, is now open for registration.
This event features 27 classes covering Native Plant Regeneration, Small Stream Salmon and Steelhead, Urban Homesteading, Native American Land Stewardship, Weed Management, Composting Techniques and a wealth of fun, informative […]
With the days feeling a bit longer and the temperatures getting warmer, there are noticeable changes outside. The white blossoms of the snowdrops have been replaced with the bright yellow daffodils. The trees are beginning to bud and breathe color into the wooded landscape. Birds are chattering as if there is much to do. New […]
At first I thought they were flies. Tiny, black, wings. Two of them I found legs-up in the windowsill. They were swept away with nary a thought. Until I saw another one on the floor. The dustbuster was poised to devour this third creature when something caught my eye. Movement. […]
With wet weather having soaked Southern Oregon for a couple of months now, the topic of proper drainage should be on everyone’s mind. Many of my neighbors in Jacksonville ended-up buying sump pumps and extra hoses, in an effort to keep way too much rain water at […]
“Everything in the forest has its season. Where one thing falls, another grows.
Maybe not what was there before, but something new and wonderful all the same.”
~Felix Salten, Bambi, A Life in the Woods, 1923
Twenty years before Walt Disney produced what has become a classic animated film, […]