The Northwest Nature Shop, a family-owned-and-operated business located at 154 Oak St., is not only an informative, wonderful and fun shop inside, but a home to numerous medicinal, great-smelling, eye-catching, butterfly- and hummingbird-seeking plants outside. When you look close you will find more than two dozen different plants snuggled together, each with their own purpose.

Kathy Uhtoff and her late husband opened their shop in 1985 and Kathy and her grown children, Marie and Chris, continue to take care of it from day to day. The shop's garden was designed three years ago by Jane Hardgrove and planted by Henry Garvey and was done with native planting in mind. Kathy, a gardener for 15 years and the primary garden keeper, says that she gardens for the "satisfaction of it."

As you get to the shop after strolling down Oak Street from the center of town, you will first notice two lovely trailing petunia baskets hanging from the lamp posts close to the street. Kathy orders these baskets months before they are hung from Four Seasons Nursery in Medford and there is very much a reminiscent feel of old Victorian days. The feeling is sweet, homey and sure to bring smiles to one's heart.

As you look around, before heading up the few steps to the property, you will find plants tucked in amongst one another on either side of the sidewalk. Attention was given to plants such as butterfly bushes, red hot pokers, thistles and mums with the hopes that butterflies and hummingbirds would come. The milk weed was planted specially for the annual arrival of the Monarch butterflies.

Continuing down the sidewalk or up the steps, you will notice Daphne, yarrows, Oregon grape, verbena, lemon verbena, flowering currant, Manzanita, roses and lavender — all with known medicinal, aromatic or flower essence properties. Look for the low-growing thyme that would be tasty in soups and stews. A Japanese maple sits, surrounded by ferns, with a soft, majestic feel about it. Poppies, columbines, portulacas, pansies, iris and bleeding hearts all have flowers that pull eyes toward them for second looks.

When looking at this lovely nature scape, one can't help but notice a bit of whimsy: an old bicycle with all its rustic glory decked out with baskets full of flowering plants; an angel flying amongst the mint and a frog perched at the side of the small water feature hoping to catch water droplets. Come and spend some time on the wooden bench and take in the glory of this wonderful garden.

If you know of a garden in town that you think would be a great garden for the Ashland Garden Club's monthly award, call Kristi Gomez at 261-2094, Sherri Morgan at 488-9211 or Judie Richardson-Loveless at 482-6310.