Tag Archives: Irvington NY

October 19, 2025 · 8:41 pm

The O’Hara Nature Center’s CJ Reilly: What It Really Means to be an Influencer

If you’re not already a fan of CJ Reilly, meet the heart and soul of the O’Hara Nature Center and Irvington Woods Park.

With a passion for nature and a gift for teaching, CJ has been greening our community for the past five years. He’s not only an arborist, ecologist and plant scientist, he’s a mentor, leader, and friend to many.

CJ’s journey is as diverse as the land he cares for. As director of the O’Hara Nature Center (ONC) and Irvington Woods Park for the past five years, Charles J. Reilly III has been leading the stewardship of a 251-acre forest, selecting and caring for the trees and plants and supervising staff, contractors and volunteers. With grants from the New York State Department of Conservation, Harvard Forest, Cornell, and Westchester County agencies, CJ manages more than $500,000 for invasive species control, deer mitigation, tree planting and youth-led programs.

CJ in his ‘office’ at the O’Hara Nature Center

“My first — and continuing — passion is teaching,” he says. That’s evident in the many ways he’s teaching us how to take care of our planet and the living things growing on it. Consultant and project manager for the Irvington and Mamaroneck School Districts, he’s develops K–8 sustainability and climate education projects and aligning curricula to State and NextGen standards. In the Village of Irvington, he’s responsible for the street trees. At the ONC, he leads innovative, hands-on horticulture and land management programs, including monthly volunteer Stewardship Saturdays for adults and families.

Budding Naturalists conduct water-quality and wildlife surveys

Participants in the  2nd through 4th grade Budding Naturalists gain exposure to “backyard ecology” and learn about everything from the animals in the environment to the impact of climate change.

Changing Forest students with the Norway maple they helped take down

The 6th through 12th grade Changing Forest students are involved in projects like taking down invasive trees, making what now looks like “a messy pile of branches” into an area that in 30 to 40 years will be a sustainable host forest for varied bird and insect life.

“My family loves CJ, and the kids grow in so many ways under his instruction,” says Katherine Lark, mom of two high school students who participate in the ONC’s programs. “My husband Fritz and I couldn’t be happier with their experiences. The programs provide so many benefits, including learning about nature and environmental conservation, doing hands-on work that develops practical skills, and getting leadership, citizen-scientist and community service opportunities — welcome breaks from screen time!”

At the Old-Growth Network recognition ceremony last spring

CJ’s efforts have received many accolades, including the Old Growth Network Award for Community Forest Recognition; a Google Geo for Good Impact Award; and a Cornell Graduate Student Research Award. The Garden Club of America (GCA) awarded him the 2023 GCA Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award for Youth Environmental Education.

Garden Club of Irvington members are longtime CJ fans; he’s been one of our most influential voices, leading us in workshops where we learned to propagate citrus trees using air-layering techniques. He’s assisted our members in planning hands-on workshops on topics like making bee hotels. Our club will be playing a growing role as ONC docents and community educators.

This past June, CJ was a keynote speaker at the GCA’s Zone III Meeting, where he shared with presidents and representatives of the 23 GCA garden clubs in New York State his successful strategies for partnering with parks departments, school districts, nature centers and community volunteers. Says Meeting Chair Anne Myers, “CJ’s training, experience and passion for forest ecology and community land stewardship captivated the audience and sent attendees home motivated to get more involved in their own communities.”

We invite you to visit the O’Hara Nature Center and Irvington Woods. “The grounds and woods are open every day from dawn to dusk,” CJ explains. “It’s a great place to come for hiking, walking and birdwatching.”

The O’Hara Nature Center is located at 170 Mountain Road, Irvington, NY 10533. Preregistration is required for the free Stewardship Saturdays. (The upcoming meetups this year are 10/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/6 and 12/13.) The afterschool programs, have a fee. Much more information here.

Filed under Conservation, Family Events, Horticulture, Native Plants, Rivertowns Westchester NY

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September 27, 2025 · 8:32 pm

Window Boxes Continue to Brighten Irvington

September is ending, and the windowsills at the Irvington Post Office on Buckhout Street sport garlands of fall leaves. Two cartons are already set up for kids to post their letters to Santa. However, the window boxes planted by Garden Club of Irvington members and friends are still going strong.

On June 1 (above): Planting at the Post Office — and then in window boxes in front of stores along Main Street —  (l-r): Judy Frimer, Jo-Anne Kelly, Marilyn Ghilardi, Tracy O’Neil, Anne Myers, Joan Nelson, Renee Shamosh, Christine Plazas, Sarah Ostrower, Mary Toomy.

Later in June, we caught Irvington letter carrier Ahmed Khursed (l) and and postal supervisor Vernon Searight admiring the blooms.

On September 26, still blooming: Supertunia® ‘Tiara Blue’ Petunia; ‘Million Bells’ calibrachoa petunia hybrid; and ‘Angelface White’ angelonia summer snapdragon.

For long-lasting color and continuous bloom in containers, choose heat- and drought- tolerant annuals like alyssum, lantana, petunias, verbena, and vinca for sun and/or begonias and impatiens for shade. Here are more ideas: https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/top-ten-lists/21-annuals-sun-scorched-patios-and-window-boxes

Filed under Annuals and Perennials, Horticulture, Rivertowns Westchester NY

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April 10, 2024 · 1:29 pm

While the Forsythias are Blooming…

It was standing room only when members and friends of The Garden Club met recently to enjoy a demonstration by floral artists Miko Akasaka and her husband Yusuke of Seasons On The Hudson, Irvington’s local floral design and accessories shop. Miko was a wealth of new information, including advice on how to incorporate stems purchased at the florist with flowers from your own garden. She began with tall branches of forsythia, the yellow shrubs now in bloom everywhere—some in full bloom, others she called “really tight,” to open later and give the arrangement longevity. She then added branches of curly willow and pussy willow and stems of delphinium, clematis, bells of Ireland, and orchids. “We don’t force nature. We let nature do its thing,” she said. “This is English Garden style, not too symmetrical.”

Among Miko’s other advice: Use Japanese clippers to split-cut the base of hydrangeas and of other flowers with woody stems. Put the stems in a vase of hot water. Let the water cool a bit before adding other flowers.  Use hairdressers’ gloves to protect your hands. And “Go bold! It takes courage, but do it.”

It’s always a pleasure to watch artists at work. Here, Yusuke is demonstrating how to fold leaves to line a simple glass vase and make it special.

Seasons On The Hudson is located at 45 Main Street, Irvington, NY 10533.

Filed under Flower Arranging, Irvington Garden Club Events, Irvington NY

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October 21, 2023 · 8:26 am

Members Learn Air Layering to Clone Fruit Trees

Woman propagating citrus

Garden club members learned a challenging and rewarding new skill: How to air-layer citrus plants — lemon, orange, kumquat — to create offspring that will bear fruit identical to that of the parent.

CJ Reilly, Director of Education and Head of Grounds and Operations at the O’Hara Nature Center and Irvington Woods Park, led us through a process that included:

  • Locating a healthy, straight branch about the diameter of a pencil and selecting a 1″ long area of the branch to work on.
  • Clipping off the leaves adjacent to the area, then scraping of the bark to expose the inner wood.
  • Mixing one part each moss and organic soil into a rough ball, moistening it, and wrapping it around the exposed inner wood.
  • Covering the rounded mass with a plastic baggie and sealing it with tape or twine.

CJ Reilly demonstrates how to strip off an inch of bark without injuring the young tree.

Air layering is an age-old and important skill, CJ explained, because you can successfully clone many fruit trees, including apple, peach, fig and lychee—all of which usually take eight to ten years to bear fruit if planted from seed. And the fruit from seed will often different from that of the parent. With air layering, flowering and fruit typically occur in one to two years for limes and lemons and in two to three years for oranges. This method can also be successful for perennial shrubs like azaleas.

The Nature Center graciously supplied all the materials and most of the plants,

The plants Garden Club members worked on will live at the Nature Center until the mossy spheres in their plastic skins sprout roots. Then the root balls will be transplanted into new containers. The young plants can be left outdoors when there is no chance of frost. “Your air-layered branches should be ready to transplant in two to three months,” CJ said. “You’re all taking them home at the end of December.”

 

“We all look intense and immersed in what we are doing,” commented Club co-president Linda Azif. “These photos reflect how our members work, learn and support each other.”

 

For further information, please contact the  O’Hara Nature Center.

Photographs by Edna Kornberg and CJ Reilly.

Filed under Horticulture

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May 14, 2012 · 10:38 pm

Annual Garden Fair & Plant Sale a GCI Tradition

What should I plant in the shade? Does this plant like to be wet or dry? Should I let it grow or pinch it back? Will the deer eat it? Every year, on the Saturday before Mothers Day, Garden Club members help guests to our Garden Fair and Plant Sale at the Lyndhurst Greenhouses choose plants and provide tips on care that, we hope, will contribute to the success and beauty of many gardens in the area. An added bonus: the daylilies, coleus and hostas that are unsold are donated to Lyndhurst to enhance the plantings at this National Trust property.

Filed under Horticulture, Irvington Garden Club Events, Plant Sale, Rivertowns Westchester NY, Tarrytown NY

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