Category: Column: Josh Reilly

By Josh Reilly Maybe the best thing about December in SLV gardens is the slow pace. There is almost nothing urgent to do. Four months ago, I spent time in the garden every day, watering, weeding, and worrying about one thing or another (usually gophers). In December, however, the memory of that non-stop whirl of activity has faded. The only… Read More

By Josh Reilly Perhaps there should just be a September Garden Holiday. For the entire month. In September, we harvest whatever is left of our late Spring gardens. We thin and weed what we planted in August, short season leafy greens and brassicas, beets, turnips, leeks and carrots, for Fall harvest. Apples and stone fruits are becoming fully ripe and… Read More

By Josh Reilly I’m just going to come right out and say it: There is no such thing as a “deer-proof” plant. As for “deer-resistant,” take any such claims with a great big rock of salt. Deer are browsers. If they cannot find what they prefer, they’ll eat what they can find. At the same time, as browsers, they do… Read More

By Josh Reilly Gardeners are always looking for something new. Plant breeders want to stand out from the competition and step away from the past. New hybrids, cultivars, selections, and subspecies are arriving on the market in waves looking for acceptance and new homes. Many new arrivals sport blossoms with new colors and cute names, but are otherwise indistinguishable from… Read More

By Josh Reilly The Spring Equinox was a major garden holy day and worth a bit of reflection. On March 19, the hours of daylight equaled the hours of night. The path of the sun crossed the Earth’s equator and now for the next 6 months it will spend more time above than below the horizon. I attribute no special,… Read More

By Josh Reilly It’s February. We are at the Winter apogee, the balance point, after which time begins its vertiginous plunge toward Summer. The momentum of last Summer is gone, the rush of Spring hasn’t begun. Time seems suspended. In other, less lofty, romantic words, I don’t really know what to do with myself in the garden. Everything that was… Read More

By Josh Reilly Where to begin with garden trees? I could easily use up the whole column on just one species of tree.  Trees in the garden are so final. Planting them is a big task, requiring a hole as deep as the root system and twice as wide. Not to mention gopher protection. And what if your life takes… Read More

By Josh Reilly Some garden plants are a bit weedy. Indelicate and misbehaved, they sometimes “don’t play well with others.” Some of them will crowd and shade out other garden favorites. Native plant enthusiasts fear more catastrophic, apocalyptic outcomes, and in several notable cases, they are right. Miles of California riparian corridors are now choked with English Ivy, (Hedera sp).… Read More