August Yard of the Month

Congratulations to Janine and Mike McFall, 11486 S Mulino Rd. for having their garden chosen as the August 2026 Club Yard of the Month.

Janine said gardening in the country comes with its own set of challenges.

“Having a country flower garden has taken me years to accomplish: the difficulties of being surrounded by weed fields, needing to keep coyotes away with fences and somehow keep those fences attractive. Then there is the problems of gopher and mole holes, and the proverbial deer. I remember putting salt blocks out and trying to feed apples from my hand until I learned the hard way that they thought rose buds were candy.”

She added “I love flower gardening because it checks so many boxes. You can be creative through garden art. You can benefit the environment by wise plantings for all kinds of pollinators. I love the research in finding the unusual such as Grevillea from Australia that blooms heavily in the winter and hummers love, or Impatiens balfourii that grows in full shade but is very difficult to find. It is another Hummer favorite. I got my first seeds from Portland Nursery who allowed me to collect the seeds from their display plants.”

Janine said she also loves helping a plant to survive and thrive and the joy of creating beauty whether in the country or city and spreading that joy with others.

“It just hit home with this contest that every shrub, rose bush (60 ), fruit tree, annual, perennial, hanging basket, etc. I put in the ground. That was a lot of work and quite an accomplishment and could only come from a passion. I just never thought of it that way before. “

July Yard of the Month

Congratulations to Jan Palmer and Randy Rosane of 390 SE 13th Place for having their home garden chosen as the Canby Garden Club’s July 2026 Yard of the Month.

“As original owners we had the house built in 2002. The topsoil had been stripped away and discarded during construction leaving a hard pan layer of clay,” Jan said. “The first year or two was spent clearing the lot of construction debris consisting of concrete and rock. We then began importing topsoil and amending it before attempting to plant.”

She added the difficulty with choosing landscaping was a lack of drainage combined with a southern exposure.

“Although we tried to penetrate the hardpan, we had very little success improving the drainage. Plants in this area needed to tolerate wet feet and hot sun. We wanted to coordinate the landscaping colors with the house colors, so we initially added dark red Flax with Nandina bordered by grasses and plum Heuchera. The Heuchera did not appreciate the soggy soil so we switched that out with Barberry and added deep pink Echinacea for color. “

The owners decided to accent the landscape with wrought iron stands of hanging baskets to provide more color accents. They are replanted every fall and spring with various annuals using perennials as a base.

June Yard of the Month

Congratulations to Sue Millar and her beautiful yard for being selected as our June 2026 Yard of the Month. Her home at 162 NE 14th was inspired by her British heritage. Here is what Sue told us about her garden home.

“As an Oregon native raised by a British mother, I am inspired by the charm of a classic English cottage garden. My gardening journey began with zero knowledge of the basics – you know, those “little things” like which part of my yard needed to handle harsh sun while another stayed cool and that deer-in-the-headlights stare when some asked what zone I’m in.  It truly was more of a trial-by-fire experience! Like most first-time gardeners, I dove in with a passionate “more is more” approach trying to collect one of nearly every perennial available.

Thanks to a good friend, who is an avid gardener, I learned the important basics. Before I knew it, it became a passion project! I pulled out an old garden hose and some spray paint and turned those rectangular flower beds into curves to draw your eye. I narrowed my focus to the colors that make me smile – a bright palette of pinks, whites, and blues. I got rid of the 20’ overgrown juniper hedge across the front near the street. I designed my sanctuary around a charming white picket fence, training pink climbing roses to wind freely through the pickets to create that quintessential romantic look. Today, my garden is a labor of love filled with beloved perennials like moody white and pink peonies, dramatic clematis vines, hydrangeas, Mountain Laurel, Sky Pencil Holly, Viburnum, intoxicating Daphne, and steady, reliable Erysimum ‘Bowles’ Mauve and daylilies. The 14-page spreadsheet I’ve filled with all the important details on the plants in my garden over the last 15 years is a testament to my love for gardening (and shopping!). While the goal is beauty, it is also an adventure in nurturing, which includes fighting a constant, epic battle against the neighborhood’s slimiest inhabitants—snails and slugs—to keep my blooms pristine. It is a joy to share this little corner of “pretty” with our town and to bring a little bit of British charm to Oregon.”

May Yard of the Month

Congratulations to Judy Dillion and Bob Simmons for having their home in Canby chosen as our May 2026 Yard of the Month. This lovely garden at 205 NW 12th was the old Canby Nursery Property. Judy said she and Bob do all their own yardwork and have chosen a Asian theme. “We like a lot of natural, Oregon-related shrubs,” she said. She added most of her plants come from her son’s nursery in Aurora. The house was built in 1974 and Judy and Don have lived in Canby for 52 years.