Ten Years in the Native Plant Garden

Like the Friends of Hendricks Park, the Native PlantGarden (NPG) came into being through the Hendricks

Park Forest Management Plan. Prepared by David Reed &Associates and accepted by the Eugene City Council inJanuary 2000, that plan was born out of concerns of staff,neighbors and naturalists about the health, safety and welfareof the park’s forest and its trees, particularly in the areaknown as the saddle, at the top of Summit Avenue andbounded by Floral Hill Drive and Birch Lane, where largeDouglas-firs stand in close proximity to the picnic shelter and

a residential neighborhood. In March 1999, while work on the plan was alreadyunderway, a freak windstorm brought down many trees in the saddle area, dam-aging several homes and destroying all but the stone chimney of the picnic shelter.

The management plan calls for managing the entire park as a dynamic, succes-sional forest leading to old growth. Following a forester’s recommendation, theplan halted regular irrigation in the saddle to help stabilize the trees there, andsuggested replacing lost Douglas-firs with a diverse stand of lower, more wind-firm species, such as Oregon white oak. The plan also recommended that the areabe replanted with native plants that can handle summer drought.

The framers of the plan made a native plant garden in the saddle area a highpriority, envisioning it as a “living bridge” between the more formal rhododen-dron garden to the north and the native forest to the south. They also suggestedusing the garden as “a demonstration of how natives can be used in residential (orsimilar) landscaping settings and, if possible, as an educational tool regardinglocal ecological processes ...and... ethnobotanical uses.” Specimen non-nativeplants were allowed to remain “at the dis-cretion of the head gardener,” who wasMichael Robert at that time. He elected toleave a number of large rhododendronsthat were gifts of the founders of theRhododendron Garden, as well as othersome well-established specimen shrubs.

Staff and Friends were already workingon the NPG when the FoHP was officiallyincorporated in December 2001. Work hadshifted to a higher gear after Jerry Blakelyhad come across the management plan on

EUGENE’S FIRST PARK SPRING 2012

NEWS FROM THE

Park Bench

info@friendsofhendrickspark.org • www.friendsofhendrickspark.org • 541-607-4066

Completed MoonTerrace

continued on page 3 Ginny Alfriend

the Internet. Jerry and his wife, Mary RearBlakely, a committed teacher, gardener and loverof native plants, thought a native plant gardenwould make a perfect memorial for Mary, whowas dying of cancer. After Mary died in 2001,Jerry became the first president of FoHP, and heworked to make the garden a reality. He starteda fund for the garden, and worked all springwith Ginny Alfriend, then the park’s assistantgardener, who is a long-time champion of nativeplants. The garden was dedicated on May 4,2002, as wild iris, Mary’s favorite native,bloomed around the picnic shelter.

The first issue of the Park Bench, published inthe fall of 2002, refers to Ginny’s attention tothe native plant garden. The second issuereports that, in December 2002, 15 volunteershelped plant 30 sword ferns, many of them dugby Ginny and Jerry from the Blakely family’sfarm south of Cheshire. When the Oak Knolltrail was developed in the spring of 2003, vol-unteers dug natives from along the trail routeto be planted in the native garden. ‘Mary’sBench’ was placed beneath a large rhododen-dron native to Sichuan Province in China,where Mary lived and taught at a university fortwo years.

The five-acre garden’s layout was designed byChinese landscape architect Jin Chen, who hadbeen a student and friend of Mary Blakely. Hisdesign included improvements to the nearbythree-way intersection, and the curving MoonTerrace next to the picnic shelter. Completed in2004, the Moon Terrace is a great place to view

the native garden. It was built entirely withdonated funds, materials and labor.

Thanks to the Hendricks Park Native PlantGarden Fund, established by Jerry and Mary’sfamily, the garden is well tended. Money fromthis endowment fund compensates the city foran employee’s time spent in the garden. Staffwho have worked in the garden include TobiasPolicha, Star Stock, Cathy Misch, Mary Doyon,Melinda Penwell, Emily Aune and MichaelKennedy, who recently returned to work there.

Ginny led tours of the native garden almostfrom its inception. It has since been the site ofmany educational garden tours led by peoplefrom a variety of disciplines. In line with thestated educational role of the garden, the plancalls for interpretive signage identifying eachspecies. That project is now getting underwaythrough the efforts of FoHP board member JoanKelley. The labels will be a great addition to thegarden.

2 Spring 2012

Love the Native Plant Garden?Make a donation to The Hendricks Park Native Plant Garden Fund, part of

an endowment fund held by the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF).Friends of Hendricks Park established a general endowment fund and threesubsidiary funds for the Native Plant Garden, the Rhododendron Gardenand the Urban Forest. Contact the Friends (541-607-4066) or the OregonCommunity Foundation (541-431-7099) to find out how to donate to thesefunds.

You may also designate the Native Plant Garden, the Urban Forest or theRhododendron Garden when you make regular donations to FoHP. And ifyou see one of the volunteers working in the garden, ask how you can bepart of the community of Friends.

Native Plant Garden, from page 1

Mary’s Bench

Aunt Rhodie tells all…Dear Aunt Rhodie: Are there glowworms atHendricks Park? If so, what are they?

Dear Reader:Just last fall, glowworms were sighted

at the park one night. I have never seenthem myself, however. I believe they arerather rare, given the use of pesticidesand increased development over theyears.

On the Internet, I found a lot of entriesdescribing glowworms in the Northwest:Plerotus obscuripennis or the Douglas-firglowworm. They are a different speciesthan fireflies; they glow as larvae, andthe adult female retains its luminescenceeven after reaching maturity. The flyingmales are attracted to the glow for repro-ductive purposes.

I first read about glowworms in EvelynSearle Hess’s book “To the Woods.”Evelyn was walking at night on herproperty and looking at the amazingnight sky. Then she looked down to theground to give her neck a rest. “I wassurrounded by minute dazzling dots,glimmering embers glowing not red, butsilver,” she says, describing her firstencounter with glowworms. She has alsolearned that some glowworms are preda-tors of slugs—good news! One Internetsite suggests the insects (glowworms arenot worms) are more prevalent after rain.

I plan to visit Hendricks Park forest atnight this autumn to see if I can find anyglowworms—it should be an adventureto wander around in the dark. If you dothe same, remember to stay on the trails.The park closes at 11 p.m.

Yours truly, Aunt Rhodie

Send questions to: Aunt Rhodie, Friends of Hendricks ParkP.O. Box 3784, Eugene, OR 97403or call 607-4066 and leave a message.

Seeing Stars in theNative Plant Garden

Little magenta rockets, ringed gold beforethe purple nose cones, seem to fly on

their naked stems, up to a foot above a whorlof spoon-shaped leaves. These are the lovelyDodocatheon hendersonii,Henderson’s, or broad-leafed, shooting star,found in meadows,open woods andHendricks Park’sNative Plant Gardenfrom April to June.With reflexed petalssweeping behind anda pointed tube of repro-ductive organs shootingforward, the flowers do give anappearance of flying through space. Theirdeep maroon tube of stamen filaments,joined at the base, with female stigma andstyle protruding through a pointed tip ofanthers, give shooting stars a second com-mon name of “mosquito bills.”

A member of the primrose family, shoot-ing star grows west of the mountains fromCalifornia north to southern B.C., favoringopen woodlands and moist meadows. It willsparkle in your yard under oak trees, in awoodland garden or in other lightly shadedplaces. Shooting star prefers it moist in thespring (and where around here is it not?) butneeds to dry out in the summer, when itgoes dormant. Seeds mature in the summerand can be planted out right away.Henderson’s shooting star also develops bul-blets around the crown at flowering time,though I confess to never having seen themmyself. — Evelyn Hess

News from the Park Bench 3

Jin Chen, a noted landscape architect fromChina and a friend of the Blakely family,

designed the Moon Terrace, which honors thelate Mary Rear Blakely. At thattime, Jin also produced drawingsfor the entryway project, whichis located in front of the picnicshelter at the top of SummitAvenue, where three roads cometogether. That is considered themain entrance to the park.

Last fall, the planting beds atthe entryway project were fin-ished. The original plans alsoshowed elevated crosswalks and lighted rockpillars at pathway entrances to the differentareas. Due to the enormous expense, there areno plans at this time to continue with that partof the project.

Two very important gardeners about town—Rachel Foster and Evelyn Hess—were integralto getting this project off the ground and fin-ished. They spent countless hours in design, sitepreparation, plant selection and directing workparties. The project would never have been real-ized without their significant help. Thank you,Rachel and Evelyn.

The entryway beds exemplify the three areas

of the park: the Rhododendron Garden, NativePlant Garden and forest. Each has plantings ofspecies typical of the area it represents. The first

to be finished, in February 2006,was the Native Plant Garden bedat the top of Summit. The sec-ond, the north bed, was fundedby donations from the family ofJack Simon, one of the foundersof the Rhododendron Garden. Itwas sheet-mulched in July 2009and planted in October 2009. Thethird, the south bed, was sheet-mulched in October 2010 and

planted in November 2011. It exemplifies theforested region of the park.

This project was funded by the Friends,through membership and memorial donations.Many hours of volunteer work were given toprepare the sites and do the planting. TheTuesday morning volunteer group was integralto getting the project finished.

Thank you, park staff and Parks and OpenSpace, for your help and support for the projectduring a tough transition time and staff cuts.Thanks, Ginny Alfriend, Keith Stanley, EmilyAune and Kate Hirst. And as always, thanks tothe many volunteers. —Sandra Austin

Volunteer Spotlight: Michael ReevesMichael Reeves, neighbor and frequent jogger in Hendricks Park, began volun-

teering on Tuesday Mornings in the Rhododendron Garden four years ago, soon

after his retirement as a clinical psychiatrist and medical director of Lane County

Mental Health. When asked, “What keeps you coming back?” he quickly respond-

ed, “The other volunteers. It’s a great group!” The enthusiasm, passion and commit-

ment of this group makes every Tuesday a day to join the other volunteers.

These days, Michael is actually semi-retired, as he admits to having flunked retirement.

He is functioning as a medical director in the Governor’s new approach to health care in the state of

Oregon, carrying out Senate Bill 1580. It is a daunting task of establishing teams of specialists to coordinate

medical treatment — the community care organizations (CCOs) — to better coordinate members in the

Oregon Health Care Plan.

After working in a social networking situation, being in the garden is easy for Michael. As he says, “You just

plant something, and it grows.” It isn’t always that easy, but Michael makes it seem that way.

Thanks, Michael, for everything you do for the park and community.

Entryway Beds Completed

4 Spring 2012

Evelyn Hess and Rachel Foster

Donors from 10/20/11 -3/1/12

BenefactorsTerry West & Jack Viscardi

Fund

GuarantorsBrad & Elizabeth

CopelandFred and Sandra Austin

Sustaining MembersAnita & Art JohnsonJulie Bryant & William

RoachMcKay SohlbergDennis & Pat Murphy

(D & P Murphy Trust)

Sponsoring MembersMartin Jones & Gayle

LandtJerry BlakelyMargot FetzRachel Foster & Randy

McGowenHannah & Daniel

GoldrichJim & Maria KiplingerBen & Mary LubbersSharon & Michael PosnerMartin & Linda SageRichard & Jean WeickSarah & James WestonHarriet & John KellyLynn & David

Frohnmayer

Mai-lin Cheng & DanielRosenberg

David & CatherineJohnson

John Moriarty & KitKirkpatrick

Rogene ManasMark SagePauline & James Rear

Family and FriendsJerry Lidz & Melinda

GrierPeter Tag & Sandy

GlaudinAlan Zelenka & Susan

SmithDorothy & Frank

AndersonTree BressenFaris & Sidney CassellBrian & Polly CaugheySusan & Douglas DaniellDavid & Ann FidanqueMathews & Nonie FishJim & Mary GentTheresa & Bob JonesKermit Larsen & Marylyn

Klein LarsenLallie & Stephen

McKenzieJeannine MercerChristine NordensonSue & Hugh PrichardJosh & Nancy ReckordPatria RobbinsGary & Sheila SeitzGayle SmithMiriam Starlin

Charles & Vicki SwansonJohn & Nita PostlethwaitSharon PotichaLarry & Wendy Maltz

(Maltz CounselingAssoc.)

Jill HubbardAudrey EricksonRebecca MikesellFrances MunkenbeckDavid & Lanara RosenAlan ReederJon HeritagePauline Andrews

Mary Beth LlorensSaul & Nancy NaishtatDick & Nina HendersonBaihua Wu & Zemo YangNathanial Teich

MemorialsIn Memory of Mary Rear

Blakely: Brad &Elizabeth Copeland

In Memory of John E.Chamness: WilliamWilgus & SharonChamness-Wilgus

Please Support ourIn-kind ContributorsRudy Fox, Fox GraphicsTim Clancey,

Clancey PrintersEugene City BakeryNaomi Levit, Levit

PhotographyVic Sabin

Thanks to all our contribu-tors, and we regret any omis-sions or errors.

New and Renewing Friends of Hendricks ParkOn behalf of the FoHP Board, thank you to the many people who contribute financially to our organization.

Your donation allows us to fulfill our mission with Hendricks Park.

News from the Park Bench 5

• Sunday, August 19, 10 a.m. Tour the RhododendronGarden and Native Plant Garden with Kate Hirst, whowill focus on medicines of the Northwest from theAyurvedic perspective. Ayurveda is the traditionalmedicine system of India. Kate has headed up thevolunteer program for 3 years at Hendricks ParkRhododendron Garden.

• Sunday, November 4, 1 p.m. Join Roger Gossler for aRhododendron Garden tour exploring the late fall gardenand plants of fall color. Roger is a walking encyclopediaof plant and garden knowledge. He recently co-authoredthe “Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs.”

Tours, continued from page 6

Friends of Hendricks ParkP.O. Box 3784Eugene, OR 97403-0784

Board of DirectorsPresident Erik FisherVice President Jim BeyerSecretary Sandra AustinTreasurer David MoonRachel FosterGreg SmalleyFred AustinJoan M. Kelley

Newsletter by Sandra Austin, Rachel Foster, Linda Sage and Beneda Design

NONPROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDEUGENE OR

PERMIT NO. 532

All tours last for 1–2 hours.Meet at the F.M. Wilkins PicnicShelter, 2200 Summit Ave.Dress for the weather. Adonation of $3 is suggested tohelp support Friends ofHendricks Park educationprograms.

Friends of Hendricks Park:541-607-4066 for information.

• Sunday, April 22, 1 p.m.Native plant enthusiast andHendricks Park staff memberEmily Aune will guide youthrough Hendricks Park’sNative Plant Garden. We willlearn about and sampleseveral edible plants that growin our native Oregon soils.

• Sunday, April 29, 1 p.m. Take a stroll through theRhododendron Garden with former head gardenerMichael Robert. He will share his knowledge ofrhododendrons, providegardening tips and speakabout the history ofHendricks Park.

• Sunday, May 20, 1 p.m. Local naturalist, botanist andauthor Evelyn Hess will leadyou on a tour through theNative Plant Garden and theforest, focusing on plantidentification, gardeningpotential, habitat and ecology.

• Sunday, June 3, 7:30 a.m.Enjoy an early morningbirding tour with Allison andTom Mickel, long-timemembers of the Lane CountyAudubon Society and birdersfor 35 years locally andinternationally. Learn toidentify the park’s residentbirds and their songs.

Hendricks Park Tours 2012

Tours, continued on page 5