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Plant of the Week

The California Nurseries Worth a Weekend Drive for Native Wildflower Seeds You Sow Before Winter Rains

Fall is the secret season for California wildflowers, because seeds scattered before the first big storm get watered for free all winter. By spring, a...

By John Miller CA · Oct 12, 2026

Field Notes

These North Carolina Perennials Establish So Deep You Plant Them Once and Never Replace Them

9 Florida Plants That Make Your Front Walkway Look Professionally Landscaped on Almost No Water

Texas Sage for Your Front Walk: A Tough Native Shrub, Not a Scorpion Fix

A Florida-Native Hydrangea That May Need Less Water Once Established

From the Garden

Your Clematis Climbed the Whole Trellis but Barely Bloomed, and These Common Mistakes Are Usually Why

Tomato Leaf Curl Is a Clue Worth Checking, Not a Reliable Warning

Your Snake Plant Is Tough, but These 6 Everyday Habits Quietly Rot It From the Roots

California Barn Owls Clear Gophers From Your Yard All Winter, but One Common Bait Habit Kills Them Off

Fresh Mole Ridges Across Your Yard This Fall Disappear With These 12 Things From Your Pantry

In Bloom

What It Really Means When Scorpions Show Up Near Your California Patio, and What to Do If One Stings

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs Already Indoors This Fall? Build This Easy Soapy-Water Trap Tonight

The California Native Mulch Trick That Stops Foxtails and Cheeseweed Before the First Rains Hit Your Beds

Gardener's Selection

Yellow, Stunted Cucumbers in Heavy Clay? Why Your Bed’s Soil Is Worth Investigating This Fall

Fall Changes Can Encourage Your Christmas Cactus to Form Buds Before the Holidays

Native North Carolina Ground Covers That Beat Pine Straw at Smothering Weeds Under Trees

That Cat-Like Mewing From Your Florida Hedge Is a Gray Winter Bird Hunting Berries

The California Nurseries Worth a Weekend Drive for Native Wildflower Seeds You Sow Before Winter Rains

The Potting Shed

Blue Jays Burying Acorns in Your Central Texas Yard Are Doing More Than Hiding Snacks

Lavender Winter Losses: Why Drainage and Excess Moisture Matter Most

Why Your Hydrangea May Keep Wilting After You Water It

How to Stop Moles From Wrecking Your North Carolina Lawn Before the Damage Adds Up

The California Groundcovers That Replace Your Patchy Side-Yard Lawn and Handle Dogs Running on Them All Year

Can Mantises Catch Hummingbirds at Texas Feeders? What the Evidence Shows

Your Hostas Come Back Fuller and Slug-Free When You Use These 12 Simple Care Tricks

Why North Carolina Gardeners Get Moles This Time of Year and How to Actually Stop Them

Your Cannas Come Back Bigger and Bolder Next Summer When You Do These Fall Jobs Before Frost

Fall Fig Care in Central Texas: A Mistake That Can Put Next Summer’s Figs at Risk

Sparse, Leggy ZZ Plant? How to Support Healthy Growth and Build a Fuller Pot

The One Thing North Carolina Fig Trees Need Now or Rust Spreads to Every Leaf by Fall

The Texas Perennials You Should Cut Back This Fall and the Ones Wildlife Needs Left Standing

Why Your Southern Lawn May Still Be Brown in October: How to Tell If It’s Dormant or Damaged

Your Hydrangeas Look Finished for the Year, but What You Do Before Frost Shapes Next Summer’s Blooms

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

Could Summersweet Be the Native Flowering Shrub Your North Carolina Yard Needs?

What It Means When Geckos Keep Showing Up by Your Central Texas Porch Light at Night

Brown Peace Lily Tips? Check the Soil Moisture Before You Water

Preparing Tropical Hibiscus for Florida’s Cooler Weather

Florida Rosemary at the Front Door: What the Plant Can and Cannot Do About Rats and Roaches

Clematis Full of Leaves but Few Flowers? Possible Causes to Check This Fall