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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland School District gets passing grade ... Bank of the Cascades to acquire Ashland B of A branch ... Thinning work underway on Lower Eastview Trail ... Ashland School District gets passing grade ... Bank of the Cascades to acquire Ashland B of A branch ... Thinning work underway on Lower Eastview Trail ... GARDENING Century-plus old site blooms anew Comment By Ruth Sloan For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Ruth Sloan For the Tidings Posted Oct. 14, 2015 at 8:33 PM By Ruth Sloan For the Tidings Posted Oct. 14, 2015 at 8:33 PM » Social News Carlotta and Richard (Rick) Lucas purchased their property at 1632 Ross Lane, Ashland, in 1992. It included a badly neglected 1910 farmhouse that Rick, a general contractor, resurrected. Although the one-acre property, and many acres around it, were once a peach orchard (and was originally approached from Peachey Road), it was primarily blackberry brambles and dead trees when they arrived. At the time, the property was so overgrown no one could tell it was edged by Paradise Creek, and the neighborhood children referred to the property as “the haunted house.” Carlotta was always an avid gardener, learning as a child from her family members in Texas, but it was usually food crops — vegetables and orchards — until 1975 when she met her future father-in-law. From him she gained a serious appreciation for flower gardens. Many of the plants that now grace the Ross Lane garden came from starts from James Lucas’s Washington State perennial garden, so they have sentimental value, as well as beauty. Carlotta and Rick have retained a half acre of the original property, and it now has a garage with a guest house that Rick designed and built to harmonize with the now charming farmhouse. He has also built a deck, arbors and gates. After sharing the property with deer for the first 10 years, the Lucases finally fully fenced the back and side yards in 2002, and were amazed to find that their garden was even more beautiful when it was not being munched by their hoofed neighbors. The area in front of the house features deer-resistant plants, and native plants are concentrated along the creek. Boulders that once dotted the property were relocated to enhance the creek and garden. The garden is Carlotta’s labor of love. She does everything from design to planting to weeding to pruning herself, including making changes to the irrigation system and building rock walls and paths. She has taken care to have beautiful views from every window of the house. The garden is carefully planted to feature blooming plants nearly all year long. Most of her annuals she starts in her greenhouse from her own seeds. Carlotta created a list of 140 different plants that appear in her garden, and that does not include the many varieties of each species such as roses, lilies and azaleas. In January the garden most prominently features ornamental kale and pansies; in February it is helleborus and crocus; in March it is clematis and daffodils; in April it is beauty bush and tulips; in May it is iris and peonies; in June it is astilbe and roses; in July it is crocosmia and daylilllies; in August it is asters and hibiscus; in September it is rudbeckia and zinnias; in October it is salvia and sedum; in November it is penstemon and sage; and in December it is calendulas and nandina. The Lucas garden is very colorful and fragrant, and it is peaceful year-round. The Lucas garden cannot be an official Ashland Garden Club Garden of the Month because Carlotta is an active member of the club. But the garden is truly spectacular. By Ruth Sloan For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Ruth Sloan For the Tidings Posted Oct. 14, 2015 at 8:33 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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