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Oct 10, 2019

Medford's Electrical Boxes Are Now Covered With Plants And Animals Of The Mystic River Watershed - WBUR

On a recent evening, artist Sophy Tuttle meets me in the parking lot in Medford. It’s not quite dusk, but the ominous gray clouds make it feel much later. Tuttle wants to show me three of her newest mini-murals painted on electrical boxes here before we start our short jaunt to see the other seven. In the grass lining the lot’s edge, an electrical box is covered with a patch of red wild mushrooms. A blue belted kingfisher is set against a rich forest green background.Sophy Tuttle's "Belted Kingfisher and Wine Cap Mushroom" on Clippership Drive in Medford. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)The other side of "Belted Kingfisher and Wine Cap Mushroom." (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)Surrounding Medford Square, the Medford-based artist's latest installation, titled "Electrical Box Landscapes," depicts native and invasive flora and fauna that populate the nearby Mystic River ecosystem. Each painting features a haiku from poet Gary Roberts. One box shows a great horned owl with blue flag iris flowers on an orange background; another illustrates an ornate dragonfly holding onto a branch n...

May 24, 2018

Annual Art in Bloom festival bursts with art, flowers and music

Mother’s Day weekend means Art in Bloom is back, bursting with art, flowers, live music and activities of all kinds in downtown Medford.This springtime festival showcases fine artists and horticulturists from the West Coast. More than 120 will display paintings, photography, jewelry, garden decor and more from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 12, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 13, in the heart of downtown, along Main and Bartlett streets and Central Avenue. Downtown streets will be closed to provide a safe, pedestrian-friendly event.“Everything is handmade,” says organizer Amy Rose. “The artisans submitted pictures of their booths with five of their products, jewelry, art or pottery, and our board juried the applications. The board looks for one-of-a-kind gifts from a diverse assortment of vendors.”Parking is free on weekends. Park anywhere you like outside the Art in Bloom parimeter. Stop by the information booth at Vogel Plaza, corner of East Main Street and Central, for a map of the festival and schedule of events. Drawings for gifts created by Art in Bloom vendors also are avai...

May 24, 2018

Downtown blooms early this year

The annual Art in Bloom event is a week away, but downtown Medford already has been decked out with more than 70 flower baskets.Spurred by the downtown beautification and advocacy organization known as SPARC, flowers are now hanging above Main Street from Bear Creek to the One West Main building and along Central Avenue from Sixth to 10th streets.“It really gives a feeling of vibrancy and aliveness downtown,” said Richard Barney, a longtime downtown advocate. “It adds some color to the downtown and makes it feel like a safer environment.”Former Medford Mayor Lindsay Berryman, a member of the SPARC steering committee, said downtown parks have been regularly decorated since her tenure that began nearly 20 years ago.“We were try to bring amenities to downtown that make it a more attractive center,” Berryman said. “We’ve given downtown a bunch of energy.”A total of 77 institutional and private donors chipped in to buy 74 baskets, Berryman said. Rogue Community College and Southern Oreg...

Jun 29, 2017

America's diversity found in its flowers: Florists wave the flag for American Flowers Week (photos)

Flower Co., will make custom arrangements using Oregon-grown blooms.Organic flower grower Joan Ewer Thorndike of Le Mera Gardens in Talent, south of Medford, has clients who consult her farm's harvest calendar and wait for roses, dahlias and tulips."As local residents expect more from their food, they also look for the same freshness, diversity and economic sustainability in the flowers that grace their tables and special events," says Thorndike.In June, she is picking lilies, hydrangeas and garden roses blooming in Medford, one of three parcels her parent farm, Fry Family Farm, leases in southern Oregon's Rogue Valley.Thorndike depends on the region's long growing season to produce an enormous variety of unique flowers such as the much-coveted Cafe au Lait dahlia. She also grows seasonal herbs and foliages used in Fry Family Farm's mixed bouquets.Suzi Fry says the farm sells 600 to 700 bouquets a week during the summer in addition to the many hundreds of bunches sold to florists, event planners and wedding parties.This week, Thorndike is placing American Flowers Week stickers next to the Fry Family Farm sticker she already puts on mixed bouquets sold in grocery stores and at the growers markets. And she's taking orders for a "grower's choice bucket" for pick up in Talent (call 541-857-8223 to place an order)."I think it is safe to say that people from many walks of life love flowers," says Thorndike. "More poignant is the realization that my fellow residents tangibly support our locally grown, fresh flowers."American Flowers Week For American Flowers Week, Slow Flowers has commissioned five floral-style fashion shoots featuring American-grown sunflowers, roses, peonies and other iconic blooms.The wearable floral fashions were designed by Riz Reyes of RHR Horticulture in Seattle, Teresa Sabankaya of Bonny Doon Garden Co. in Santa Cruz, California, and others.A sunflower ballgown, the creation of Amy Kunkel-Patterson of Seattle-based Gather Design Co., features Pacific Northwest sunflowers in all shapes and sizes, including a dazzling selection grown by Erin McMullen and Aaron Gaskey of Rain Drop Farms in Philomath, Oregon.Flowers and foliages were donated by the farmers of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market and The Fresh Herb Co. in Denver, Colorado, among others.Talent grower Thorndike observes that more people are longing for a true connection to the planet, and farmers and growers can help foster appreciation for American land and U.S. grown flowers that can last for generations.Thinking about American Flower Week, she asks: "What better way to celebrate the independence of our country than to support a local farm?"-- Janet Eastman jeastman@oregonian.com503-799-8739@janeteastman... (OregonLive.com)

Dec 22, 2016

Western Innovator: Flower grower Joan Ewer Thorndike follows her love

From a base in Ashland, the combined companies have fields, propagation greenhouses and hoop houses in Medford, Phoenix and Talent, Ore. She continues doing it her way. “We don’t have automation,” she said. “You cannot pick a good flower without using your hands and your eyes.” The business sells to flower shops and a grocery chain, and does a thriving trade with people who are assembling their wedding bouquets. “It’s our responsibility to send flowers out the starting gate in the best possible condition,” Thorndike said. Over the years, she’s seen Americans increase their appreciation for and knowledge of real flowers. She credits farmers’ markets with doing for flowers what it did for local food. In Oregon, production of cut flowers is a $13.3 million annual business. In early December, Thorndike was among three women chosen to be part of a “trailblazers” panel discussion at the Women in Sustainable Agriculture conference in Portland. Thorndike told the 400 women attending, many of them beginning farmers, that she fell in love with growing flowers and enjoys that romance to this day. She said sustainability can mean “sticking with it.” “For all of you, that’s what I hope — that you will stick to it,” she said. Joan Ewer Thorndike Occupation: Owner of Le Mera Gardens, an organic cut flower business in Talent, Ore., that is associated with Fry Family Farms. Personal: Age 59, married to Dan Thorndike, third-generation operator of a family metal fabrication business. Lives in an old farmhouse in Ashland, Ore. Two grown daughters, Camila and Isabella. Background: Grew up in Chile with an Australian mother and an English father. Spoke English at home, Spanish on the streets and attended a French immersion school, so is fluent in all three languages. From there to here: Emigrated to British Columbia when she was 22 because Chile was ruled by a repressive military regime and young women were expected to be attending university or married, not at loose ends. Met her husband and moved to the U.S. in 1984. About Le Mera: Grows about 150 varieties of flowers, branches and greens. Sells to 11 flower shops in Southern Oregon, and to New Seasons grocery stores in the Portland area. About half of her business is do-it-yourself wedding arrangements. Guiding business principle: “My first partner is my land.” Online: www.lemeragardens.com Marketplace Our Guidelines Stay on topic - This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article. Share with Us - We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism. Be Civil - It's OK to have a difference in opinion but there's no need to be a jerk. We reserve the right to delete any comments that we feel are spammy, off-topic, or reckless to the community. Be proactive - Use the 'Flag as Inappropriate' link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts. × Let's block ads!/st... (Capital Press)

Jul 5, 2016

Get to know your grower: American Flowers Week (photos)

Organic flower grower Joan Ewer Thorndike of Le Mera Gardens in Talent, south of Medford, is sentimental about seasonal blooms. She tells brides that each year they see the flowers they chose for their bouquet blossom again, they are reminded of their big day. The idea of buying flowers that grow nearby is an offshoot of the larger buy local campaign that supports neighborhood food, beer and wine producers. Certified American Grown Flowers, which advocates that the flowers on your table should be as fresh as the food on your plate, hosts a series of Field to Vase dinners, much like winemakers dinners. Seattle-based author Debra Prinzing, a longtime supporter of domestic growers, started the online resource Slow Flowers to help customers find U.S. cut-flower farms. Last year, Prinzing dreamed up American Flowers Week to throw the social media spotlight on locally grown flowers, foliage and other botanicals. The #AmericanFlowersWeek effort generated more than 400,000 impressions on Twitter and Instagram, says Prinzing. This year, American Flowers Week is June 28-July 4, the patriotic days leading up to Independence Day. It's a natural time to celebrate U.S. products, say supporters. New Seasons floral manager Katie McConahay, who works with Northwest flower growers year... (OregonLive.com)