Gardening Archives - Page 5 of 5 - San Lorenzo Valley Post

Spring Gardening: Arbors and Trellises

April 4, 2021June 7, 2023 slvpost.comgardening0 comment

By Josh Reilly “Arbors and Trellises” sounds like the title of a 70s soft-rock album, brimming with meaning. A reference to lofty, light weight, airy structures, often geometric and angular in form, but built to provide living space for winding, cascading plants, all curves and knots, billows and waves, tendrils and holdfasts. Things that prefer to live up in the breeze.… Read More

Column: Josh Reilly Columns Gardening

A March Garden

March 1, 2021June 7, 2023 slvpost.comben lomond, gardening, san lorenzo valley1 Comment

by Josh Reilly In February, a gardener’s anticipation borders on intolerable. Especially in those parts of the SLV subject to frost. A lot of what we see growing happily in Santa Cruz, right now, undamaged by frost, is under threat here. Alas, many winter-flowering plants are a lost cause here, with a few very worthwhile exceptions (see below). Flower buds… Read More

Columns Gardening

February in the Garden

February 1, 2021February 24, 2021 slvpost.com0 comment

By Marielle Martin Gardening in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains means contending with a variety of microclimates and conditions. We have forested mountainous terrain offering sunlight challenges, a marine influence, and a range of soil types. Fortunately, our temperate climate makes for a longer gardening season and a variety of plants thrive here. In general, our frost-free season begins the… Read More

Column: Josh Reilly Columns Gardening

Ben Lomond Gardener: Nip and Tuck for the New Year

January 17, 2021June 7, 2023 slvpost.comgardening, winter gardening0 comment

On December 21, the Winter Solstice, we rounded the corner at the wintery end of the year’s ellipse. After this most sacred of all garden holy days, the hours of sunlight begin to increase again, as the Northern Hemisphere starts tilting back towards the sun. Meanwhile, the winter garden is a cool, calm, relaxing place. The bones (roots, branches and... Read More

Column: Josh Reilly Columns Gardening

Soil’s Renewed Purpose

December 1, 2020June 7, 2023 slvpost.comgardening0 comment

The Ben Lomond Gardener By Uncle Skip It is not easy to express the joy and relief a gardener feels with the season’s first real rain. You’ve spent months zealously tracking temperatures and watching your plants for the least hint of water stress. You might have overwatered, a time or two, just to be safe. You might also have watched,… Read More

Columns Gardening

The Valley Gardener: Digging Deep into Autumn

November 9, 2020December 30, 2020 slvpost.comautumn, gardening0 comment

By Marielle Martin As fall folds toward winter it’s time to get into the garden and prepare for new weather. We’re lucky here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, blessed with a mild autumn favorable to working outside. Aside from our evergreens, colder temps lay much in the garden bare, exposing the bones or architecture of our outdoor spaces. Those bones… Read More

Column: Josh Reilly Columns Gardening

Focus on Fall

October 1, 2020June 7, 2023 slvpost.comautumn, gardening0 comment

The Ben Lomond Gardener By Uncle Skip Early Fall is a critical season for garden planning and renovation. Bulbs must be planted or lifted and divided. Perennials, herbs, and shrubs are best planted in advance of Fall rains (oh please, dear goddess). Next year’s sweet peas, garlic, chives, and onions should be started now (or soon). Now’s the time to… Read More

Column: Josh Reilly Columns Gardening

Yuccas and Other Spiky Plants

August 4, 2020June 7, 2023 slvpost.comgardening0 comment

Yuccas. An easy, overused California garden cliché? A lazy, drought-tolerant landscape filler? Something to plant at the far end of the property where the hose doesn’t reach? Read More