Category: Column: Josh Reilly

By Josh Reilly It’s February and garden columnists, gurus and boosters are telling us it’s no time to slow down. We are to plan vigorously, catalog our successes and failures, take photos of our gardens and mark them up with colored ink markers (as you might, when willing a hurricane to go where you want, rather than where it’s going).  We’re… Read More

By Josh Reilly In January, perhaps more than any month, I appreciate the big south-facing window looking out onto my garden. I can see almost the whole backyard without having to step outside, crunching through the film of frost that forms in the shade of my neighbor’s 120-foot Ponderosa pines.  Inside of the window, it’s about 40 F warmer than… Read More

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