Category: Column: Josh Reilly

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