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Plant of the Week

How To Support California Barn Owls That Quietly Clear the Rodents Poison and Traps Never Fully Reach in Your Yard

Barn owls have hunted California yards and fields for centuries, and a well-placed nest box can give them a reason to stay close to yours....

By John Miller CA · Aug 11, 2026

Field Notes

If Your Tomatoes Split and Crack Open in Late-Summer Heat, Uneven Watering After Rain Is Usually Behind It

How To Support the California Garden Spiders That Quietly Trap the Aphids and Mosquitoes You Keep Spraying For

What It Really Means When Tree Frogs Start Showing Up In Your California Garden This Summer

If Your Tomato Leaves Roll Inward and Feel Leathery in Late-Summer Heat, Physiological Leaf Roll Is Usually Behind It

From the Garden

7 Native North Carolina Ground Covers That Crowd Out Weeds Along Walkways Better Than Liriope

That Purple Weed You Keep Pulling From Your Central Texas Lawn Is Actually a Native Pollinator Plant

If Your Tomato Leaves Turn Yellow From the Bottom Up in Late-Summer Heat, a Nitrogen Problem Is Usually Behind It

If Your Pepper Fruit Develops Soft Sunken Patches in Late-Summer Heat, Sunscald Is Usually Behind It

How To Support the California Alligator Lizards That Quietly Hunt the Black Widows Hiding Around Your Yard

In Bloom

If Your Zucchini Plants Stop Setting Fruit in Late-Summer Heat, Poor Pollination Is Usually Behind It

What It Really Means When You Start Seeing More Hawks Circling Your North Carolina Yard This Summer

More Bats Over Your Central Texas Yard Means Fewer Mosquitoes Every Summer Night

Gardener's Selection

What It Really Means When Dragonflies Start Patrolling Your California Yard During Mosquito Season

If Your Cucumber Plants Suddenly Wilt and Collapse Overnight in Late-Summer Heat, Bacterial Wilt Is a Real Possibility – But Not Always the Cause

If Your Pepper Leaves Curl and Cup Upward in Late-Summer Heat, Heat Stress Is Usually Behind It

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Tree That Feeds Wildlife All Season While Discouraging Ticks Near Your Yard

How To Support California Barn Owls That Quietly Clear the Rodents Poison and Traps Never Fully Reach in Your Yard

The Potting Shed

This Native Texas Vine Can Bring Repeated Hummingbird Visits To Your Central Texas Fence All Warm Season

That Powdery White Coating on Your Zucchini Leaves Is Most Likely Powdery Mildew, Not Downy Mildew

If Your Cucumber Fruit Turns Bitter and Tastes Off in Late-Summer Heat, Uneven Watering Stress Is Usually Behind It

This California Lizard Eats the Aphids and Caterpillars Ruining Your Garden, But Homeowners Keep Clearing It Out

If Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Silvery and Speckled in Late-Summer Heat, Spider Mites Are Usually Behind It

What It Really Means When Carpenter Bees Start Drilling Into Your North Carolina Porch This Summer

This Native Texas Plant Along Your Fence Brings Fireflies Back To Your Central Texas Yard Every Summer

If Your Cucumber Flowers Drop Off Without Setting Fruit in Late-Summer Heat, Warm Nights Are Often the First Thing to Check

What It Really Means When Spotted Lanternflies Start Showing Up In Your North Carolina Yard This Summer

Green Lynx Spiders in Your Central Texas Garden May Help With Caterpillars, But Here’s What the Evidence Actually Shows

If Your Cucumber Vines Suddenly Turn Crispy and Brown at the Edges in Late-Summer Heat, One Watering Habit Is Usually Behind It

If Your Squash Plants Wilt and Sawdust Piles Up at the Stem in Late-Summer Heat, Squash Vine Borers Are Usually Behind It

What It Really Means When Box Turtles Start Showing Up Near Your North Carolina Garden Beds

Bat Houses Support Central Texas Wildlife, But These Mosquito Controls Are More Dependable For Your Patio

Tomatoes With Leathery Blossom-End Rot in Late-Summer Heat: Inconsistent Soil Moisture Is Often the First Factor to Investigate

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

If Your Potted Tomatoes Stay Small and Weak in Late-Summer Heat, One Container Watering Habit Is Usually Behind It

What It Really Means When Tree Frogs Start Showing Up in Your California Garden This Summer

What It Really Means When Green Anoles Take Over Your North Carolina Yard This Summer

Yaupon Holly For Your Porch: What It Can Do For Wildlife And What It Cannot Do For Cockroaches

If Your Okra Pods Turn Woody and Tough Before You Pick Them in Late-Summer Heat, Slow Harvesting Is Usually Behind It

If Your Bell Peppers Get Sunken Brown Patches in Late-Summer Heat, Blossom-End Rot Is Usually the Cause