Field Journal
Field Journal
Field observations and practical advice on soil, water, planting, and landscape care.
All Field Notes
Let the Land Do the Work: Berms, Swales, and Rain Gardens
Berms, swales, and rain gardens can slow runoff and help water soak into the soil where conditions allow.
Planning a Wildfire-Resilient Landscape
Review vegetation, combustible materials, access, and maintenance needs, starting closest to your home and working outward.
We’re Burying Humboldt’s Landscapes in Woven Fabric
Why woven landscape fabric can complicate weeding, soil care, and future planting—and where it has a useful role.
Himalayan Blackberry: Identify, Remove, Restore
How to distinguish invasive Himalayan blackberry from native Pacific blackberry and plan for removal, regrowth, and replanting.
Poison Hemlock: Look Twice
Poison hemlock can resemble Queen Anne’s lace. Compare several identifying features, understand the toxicity risks, and confirm identification before handling or removal.
English Ivy, Cape Ivy, or Wild Cucumber? Know Your Vine
Compare climbing habits, leaves, and seasonal growth to distinguish native wild cucumber from invasive Cape ivy and English ivy before deciding what to remove.
Integrated Pest Management: Before You Spray
Before choosing a treatment, identify the problem, assess the damage, and check whether intervention is needed.
Let’s Rock It: Using Rocks and Boulders in the Landscape
From erosion control to focal points, well-placed stone does real work in a landscape — not just decorative work.
A Bee-Friendly Landscape Starts With One Corner
A small planting can support pollinators when you consider food, nesting habitat, and ongoing care.
Seed, Clay, Patience: A Trial in Oak Woodland Restoration
How little intervention is enough? An oak woodland seeding trial draws on Fukuoka’s work and follows what happens after sowing.
Calscape & Calflora: A Guide to Native Plant Selection
How to use Calscape and Calflora to research native plants and narrow your choices for the site.
Beyond the Lawn: Designing a Landscape That Works With Nature
Ditching the lawn isn’t a downgrade. It’s restoration, one yard at a time.
From Driveway to Garden Wall
From demolition debris to design feature. See how urbanite — salvaged concrete — creates eco-friendly walls, beds, and pathways in the garden.
The Reality of Deer & Your Landscape
If you’ve ever planted a beautiful new shrub, only to find it mysteriously reduced to twigs overnight, there’s a good chance you have deer.
Turning Your Lawn into a Meadow
Explore whether a native meadow could suit part of your yard and what it takes to get started.
When the Windows Stay Shut: Living With a High-Reactivity Cat
Cleaner indoor air for a cat with severe allergies.
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