Some of the plants at Tim MacCurdy’s Liberty Street home are descended from Japan and his international travels
By Ruth Sloan
Tim MacCurdy started gardening at 600 Liberty St. in 2018. Now his home showcases the Ashland Garden Club’s Garden of the Month for August.
Tim lives with his wife, Tricia, and son Luca. When they first purchased their house little grew in the yard except a few trees. Now it is dense with food and ornamentals.
Tim has had an interest in gardening since he was a child. He grew up in Atascadero, California, where his father inspired hard work on the family acreage.
A kindergarten teacher whose husband was on the botany faculty at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, also encouraged Tim’s interest in plants, to the point where Tim was known as the “flower boy” to other students and their families.
Later, Tim earned a degree at in environmental sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. He started his own business tending other people’s gardens soon after his graduation.
After worldwide travels he settled in Japan where, once again, his interest in plants and gardens was piqued, even though his primary concentration at that time was photography. He has plants now that are descended through generations from seeds he collected in Japan.
Since his professional gardening days, Tim has gone on to pursue a career in medicine and now practices dermatology.
He does all the work himself in this garden. He estimates he averages two hours per day — more from May through September — in the garden and considers his plants (soil and structure) as part of his extended family.
The back yard is steeply sloped. Fruit trees, including persimmon, Asian pears, plums, olives, figs and yuzu are dotted throughout the property. Among his favorite plants are cleome, nicotiana, echinacea, ginkgo, persimmon and Japanese maples (some from seeds collected in Japan).
Trees of all kinds have traveled with Tim and his family to homes in different parts of the Western United States.
Given current climate conditions, Tim encourages gardeners to lean toward drought-tolerant plants.
He encourages others to find find “clues from your environment” and love your plants.
Tim also suggests that gardeners don’t always have to follow the rules of gardening and garden design, but instead “should make your own rules.”
He also advises that gardeners: “Engage with your garden, truly engage. Dedicate yourself to knowledge and spirit, and become an expert.”
The Ashland Garden Club has been selecting Gardens of the Month, from April through September, since 2000. Nominations are gratefully received at [email protected]. Check out the club’s website at ashlandorgardenclub.org for information on meeting times and places.
