From October 2023
John Stevens likes to look for color, height, texture and interest when checking out a landscape. He had this in mind when he and Master Gardener volunteers started the Waterwise project in front of the Hood River Library. It is a xeriscape format—a style of landscape design requiring little or no irrigation or other maintenance.
The south facing entrance to the library was a new project offering its own set of challenges because of the debris from the 2002 library expansion /remodel was dumped there. Crystal Pickard and a group of Master Gardeners cleaned this up and started a native plant garden there. The area did not have irrigation like the rest of the library property. Master Gardener volunteers prepared the site and put in the first plantings. John still wants to know what the original group did there because that section is fertile to this day. John became project leader after Crystal, and a year later Audrey Schneider joined him and they became duo project leaders.
In 2004, John came to Hood River to care for his mother-in- law for a short time. The plan was for him to be her full-time caregiver until his wife Carolyn retired in five years. However, after her mom passed, John and Carolyn decided to stay in Hood River.
John was looking for an activity to meet other people and joined The Dalles Chapter of Master Gardeners. There he met Elizabeth Daniels, who invited him to the newly started Hood River chapter. The next year, John changed groups and the rest is history.
Throughout his childhood, John was expected to maintain, mow, rake and trim the yard, in addition to helping in the garden. “Mom always had a vegetable and rose garden with lots of annuals”, even though the roses struggled, and the annuals were hailed out yearly in the cold environment of Miles City, MT.
Around ten years of age John started taking care of yards for some of the neighbors. He made $2.00 a lawn and that included doing the trimming on his knees. John’s first purchase was Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party and I’ll Cry If I Want To” album. John’s most memorable project was “Sifting Manure” for his neighbor Mrs. Smith. This started with a shallow box with a screen bottom then a scoop of composted manure was put in it and John had to shake it back and forth screening out the fine particles from the large ones. While breaking up the larger lumps, John kept thinking “God keeps me humble”. By then he was a weekly customer at the record store.
John’s gardening style is self-described as “Casual”. His yard consists primarily of perennials, ornamentals and shrubs, with over 30 roses and, at last count, 128 Hosta varieties. Living on the east side of Hood River, the deer will eat the first buds and move on after that. He grits his teeth and calls this the “second pruning”.
John’s three grandchildren keep him busy. His daughter and son-in-law share John’s passion for gardening, doing good-looking landscape designs. The “kiddies” garden a bit and, unlike their grandparents, do well growing veggies.
Collecting plants is a shared passion with his wife Carolyn, with Hostas being the current hot item. They both love to visit private nurseries, especially SeBright Gardens, outside of Salem. Each year he looks for a new variety of Hosta. When asked what his favorite Hosta, John quickly replied “It is the one I am standing next to.” John noted that they never go away empty handed when shopping at plant nurseries. Carolyn is always reminding him not to buy much but she herself cannot be held to her own caution. If John picks out one, Carolyn picks out 8 or 9 more. Even though Carolyn is the main planter, John is by her side with the wheelbarrow.
Their method for selecting a location for a new plant is simple: Put the new plants in the wheelbarrow and start wandering through the yard. “The plants tell you where they want to be each time”. Sometimes the plants ask for shade but really need sun, which results in a some yearly “try again” movement in plant location. Each year John looks forward to viewing the yard with a fresh eye to evaluate what needs done, then asks Carolyn to do the work of moving things.
In addition to the xeriscape at the Hood River Library, the full Library landscape and the Hood River Museum landscape were redone by Audrey Schneider and John. Years ago, when the Hood River Library closed due to funding issues, the landscaping needed some “tender loving care”, so John and Audrey were asked to redesign the borders around the entire library. They were given a nice budget and had a few months to do the job. He still gets called when the Library is wanting some advice on their landscape. When the Library lost a large tree just to the right of the entry door, John was the one who suggested the replacement with birch trees. He also was happy to help Maya Yasui design the rock wall and plantings around the Yasui Memorial Rock on the big Library lawn.
The reason John has been a Master Gardener for nearly 20 years is because of “the wonderful folks” who join in the program. “I’ve met and enjoyed knowing some of the best people in my life right here at CGMG. People come and go but everyone that I have connected with over the years have made life just that much richer for me and Carolyn”. John believes the leadership remains strong and that Megan is the right person for our organization. “Good luck, folks, everyone!” By Donna DesRochers
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