Penstemons in Jeanne Mehl's Garden

photos by Louise Parsons, May 2001

This garden description was originally posted by me to to Alpine-L May 12. 1997. How fortunate I was to be able to steal away from work and visit Jeanne's garden again this past spring. Below the text are a few pictures of penstemon from her amazing collection.

Monday, May 12, 1997
Subject: The Mehlstream of the West
Last Sunday, Jeanne Mehl generously opened her garden in Glendale located in Southwestern Oregon to visiting Emerald Chapter, NARGS members. As those of us who were wise enough to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity drove up the winding road to her place, we all exclaimed at once, "This must be it" as a vista of hillside and natural stream canyon extravagantly splashed with the colors of azaleas, rhododendron and carpets of alpines revealed itself.
My first thought was that we had found the Mehlstream of the West. Whether consciously or not, Jeanne has created a garden that surely must rival the scale of Millstream, with extensive rockwork and a stunning collection of rhododendrons, azaleas, and woodlanders which were at their peak of bloom.

Right near her gate we did a double-take: "I s that a kalmiopsis?" Yes! --the finest to be found in any garden growing to lush proportions and smothered in pink blossoms with the eye-catching starry stamens so characteristic of the 'Umpqua form' of Kalmiopsis leachiana. A painterly feast of spring color on the hillside welcomed us on a beautiful clear day. Jeanne the artist enthusiastically showed us around her extensive yet very accessible rock gardens. On her hillside she has placed large rocks and scree in a very ambitious scale. We asked her how she maintained it all and she told us that she was used to hard work and had always done a lot of it. Raising and caring for Morgan horses for a good part of her outdoor life just might have something to do with that. Then she said, "Well, the garden isn't really work, it is so enjoyable!"

The joy shows everywhere and in a subtle sense so does the work. Here can be found accommodations so generous that plants are allowed to come into their own and claim their natural space. There is little evidence of the struggle between plant neighbors that sometimes is found in rock gardens where all too often nature appears to be beaten into submission. Every plant has a natural amount of space which pays heed to its scale and character. A mat of Teucrium pyrenaicum has spread to a lavish proportion and looks so timelessly at home. There is a special kind of harmony when one has the space and energy to allow plants to come into their own. Want to see lewisias on steroids? Seriously! These are really bulked up and huge with grand and colorfully supernatural sprays of bloom. There are perfect niches for enjoying the tiny gems as well. In smaller pockets and crevices one finds the smaller Lewisia 'Pinkie'. A diminutive Eriogonum ?ovalifolium has a space of its own to display puffy balls of pink bloom atop the congestion of tiny round sage green leaves. Nearby a velvety mat of Asperula sintenisii is delicately overlain with a mass of tiny pink flowers. Androsace cylindrica x pyrenaica has made a perfect-sized cushion spangled with pink flowers with charming eyes. A large collection of androsace seedlings and other gems are neatly displayed in her alpine treasure house. Past bloom, but a testimony to Jeanne's plantsmanship, is a nice clump of Primula alionii growing in the open and seedlings tucked away for safe-keeping in the alpine house. Jeanne has a huge patch of Raoulia australis which has completely covered its raised bed with its provisions for winter cover. Some winters she had left it uncovered and it had suffered frost damage, but it always rebounds being basically happy in its surround with gritty and sandy soil conditions to its liking.

Jeanne has documented her garden especially well with photos and had one showing this with its carpet of the very tiniest early gold bloom. Jeanne's warmer greenhouse displays a fine collection of mature tender succulents, an interest which originally brought her to alpines and rock garden plants as she embarked upon landscaping with the hardier varieties. Under a high canopy of maples whose seedlings Jeanne faithfully and successfully battles every year, woodlanders have naturalized with trilliums and Fritillaria lanceolata to greet us at every turn. Along the stream bank, Lysichitum americanum --aka Skunk cabbage ;-) create a bright yellow border. It does smell faintly like skunk but the bright yellow spathes which cup a lighter yellow poker of tiny flowers are charming and you don't have to be up close and personal to enjoy them. Jeanne has created a masterpiece, a Mehlstream of the West. As a finishing touch to her generous hospitality, she served us tea and homemade goodies in a cozy garden house. A perfect visit!
Louise Parsons
"Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by hitting back" Piet Hein &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Robustly healthy and loaded with bloom, a penstemon hybrid

A lovely pale pink form of Penstemon rupicola

Penstemon 'Pink Holly' has thrived in Jeanne's garden for more than a decade.

The green carpet on the left is one of an impressive collection of thriving raoulia. A stunning white Penstemon rupicola grows and thrives naturally. White P. rupicola is uncommon, but crops up in a variety of sites.

A Dasanthera hybrid shows typical flower power.