Ashland Greenhouses has long been a beloved staple in the community, providing not just high-quality plants but also an enriching experience for gardeners of all levels. This year, there’s a fresh perspective as Store Manager, Rona Jackson takes the lead in teaching classes, bringing real word experience, new insights, and energy to the experience. In this mini-interview, we explore what’s new, what’s growing, and what makes Ashland Greenhouses a special place to learn and connect.
Hi Rona, Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. To begin with, what are some of the upcoming classes, and what can participants expect from them?
Thank you for having me do this interview, I love talking about gardening! Our classes at Ashland Greenhouses are the perfect opportunity to reach more garden enthusiasts. My first series of classes are the Basket & Container Planting Classes. These happen in April and are one of our most fun classes because it’s hands on! I’ll be giving instruction on how to purchase the right plants for your space and pot. Whether it’s lighting, container size, hanging, or a patio pot I’ll touch on what to check for in plants you’re choosing and how to get the beautiful look you want. After the brief educational time, we get to dig in and get our hands dirty planting up the pot the customer brings with them (or we have a selection for purchase at our store too). These classes are small and personal so I can give one on one attention to everyone, so we limit attendance to 10 people per class. So, if you’re interested, be sure to call and reserve your space. There is a minimal $5.00 fee to help cover the cost of the soil.
As soon as it starts to warm up, we start preparing for the heat here in Southern Oregon. To help with that we also have our free Heat Lover’s Class in May to teach about how to keep your flowers looking amazing in the heat. Through proper plant selection and special care tips everyone can enjoy beautiful color even in the hottest season.
Can you tell us about your upcoming showcase and open house? How will it be different this year?
Our Showcase and Open House is coming up quick and we are excited to show off! It’s an all-day event we host so people can come see everything that’s up and coming for spring. Every year it’s different because we put our latest varieties on display in our New Variety Showcase. We also do a tour of the whole property at noon so everyone can see how expansive our selection really is with awesome behind-the-scenes sneak peeks into what we do here.
With new plants arriving, what are some exciting additions this year? Why did you decide to bring them in?
The two that I’m most excited about are the new varieties of fuchsias in our hanging baskets and the new color of ground cover Phlox ’Purple Beauty.’ The new fuchsias are earlier blooming varieties in lots of fun colors. Our fuchsia baskets are always one of the latest to bloom and customers are so eager to take them home but understandably want to get a visual of the colors first. This solves that dilemma! It’s always exciting and a sure sign of spring when we hang our baskets, as our resident robins start building nests in them. Our ground cover creeping Phlox are one our most popular early season perennials. This new color is sure to delight gardeners. Creeping Phlox is a drought-tolerant ground cover and is super hardy.
Your events always have a warm, welcoming atmosphere, complete with free drinks and snacks. How do you create such an upbeat, happy experience?
We have great people here, great customers, and great plants that we are happy to show off. It’s a recipe for a great time. Many of our customers know us well, so we are excited to see them and catch up, share garden stories, tips and tricks. It creates a wonderful atmosphere full of smiles and laughter that people just want to be a part of. Adding snacks and refreshments to the mix along with a great playlist just makes the environment somewhere people really like to be.
Your events follow a very seasonal rhythm. Can you share more about the importance of that and how it shapes what you offer?
We are so lucky to really get the full spectrum of the seasons here in Ashland. Since each changing season brings something new to the garden, we always try to share our knowledge when it’s most useful. So, when the sun starts peeking out in the early spring, we teach about Cool Season Color because we know the anticipation is building for spring and we want to help our customers to plant what’s appropriate for the upcoming weather. The same is true with our summer and fall classes as well. And then our biggest event of the year actually happens in the winter when we host our Poinsettia Festival. Because when it’s cold and dreary out we know everyone enjoys coming into the warm greenhouses filled with gorgeous Poinsettia, gifts that are perfect for gardeners and of course our special guest Santa.
How can we learn more?
Our website, www.ashlandgreenhouses.com, is full of great information on our events & classes, as well as our availability list and an amazing video. We have our events always updating on our website and you can sign up for our newsletter/updates email group right on our website. Following us on Facebook or Instagram will help keep you in the loop too about what’s happening, but the BEST way is to read our Monthly Column right here in the LocalsGuide.
Learn More:
Ashland Greenhouses
650 E Ashland Lane, Ashland, OR 97520
541-482-2866
