Complete Gardening -

Plant of the Week

The Native Prairie Grass That Once Blanketed Texas Is Quietly Returning to Central Texas Yards

Some Central Texas homeowners are trading thirsty turf for a grass that grew on the plains long before lawns existed. Buffalograss is a native shortgrass-prairie...

By Ella Brown T · Oct 9, 2026

Field Notes

Planting a Mango Tree Near Your Florida Home: Roof, Root, and Storm Questions to Settle First

Your Tomatoes and Cucumbers Pay Off Double Next Season When You Feed Them One of These 16 Things

Your Florida St. Augustine Lawn Needs These 7 Things Before the First Cold Snap Hits

The California Nurseries Worth a Weekend Drive for Native Oaks and Trees the Big Garden Centers Never Stock

From the Garden

7 Florida Native Plants That Turn the Soggy Strip Along Your Driveway Into a Rain Garden

7 Florida Native Edible Shrubs That Feed You and Look Better Than the Hedge You’re Replacing

The One California Native Shrub That Pulls Barn Swallows Into Your Yard to Eat Mosquitoes at Dusk

Your Lawn’s Bare Patches Stayed Bare After Aerating and Overseeding: Possible Reasons the Grass Isn’t Growing

What It Really Means When Cave Crickets Start Showing Up in Your North Carolina Basement This Fall

In Bloom

What Repeated Anole Sightings May Tell You About an Austin-Area Porch This Fall

Remove Spent Blackberry Canes and Keep Healthy New Ones to Support Next Year’s Crop

Why Crowded Beets Stay Small, and How Early Thinning Gives Roots Room

Gardener's Selection

What to Plant in Your California Yard This November So It Fills In Before Spring

These 16 Common Houseplants Are Sitting Within Reach of Your Kids and Pets, and Most People Never Check

Frogfruit Between Stepping Stones: A Native North Carolina Groundcover That May Cut Down on Upkeep

The California Plants That Keep Gophers Out of Your Beds Before Winter Rains Soften the Soil

The Native Prairie Grass That Once Blanketed Texas Is Quietly Returning to Central Texas Yards

The Potting Shed

What It Really Means When a Long-Tailed Weasel Shows Up in Your California Yard, and What We Know About Chasing It Off

Your Sage, Thyme and Mint Keep Growing on a Sunny Windowsill All Winter When You Take Cuttings Before Frost

Stink Bugs Keep Sneaking Into Your House This Fall, and These 7 Tricks Keep Them Out of Your Home and Garden

7 Florida Native Wildflowers That Bloom Through Winter in Sandy Beds Without a Drop of Extra Water

Leave the Southern Alligator Lizards in Your California Yard Alone, Because They Eat Snails and Black Widows

When to Plant Garlic in North Carolina: October Is a Good Window, With a May to June Harvest Ahead

Frogfruit May Be a Low-Growing Texas Native Groundcover for Some Driveway Borders

What It Really Means When Ground Skinks Keep Turning Up in Your North Carolina Leaf Litter This Fall

A Texas Native That Can Bloom Through Summer and Into Fall: Plant Turk’s Cap This Fall

Some Potted Begonias Can Keep Flowering Indoors This Winter, While Others Need a Rest to Return Next Spring

Southern Wax Myrtle vs. Red Tip Photinia: A Native Fence-Line Option for Eastern North Carolina

The Cluttered Garage Corners Where Black Widows Hide in Your Central Texas Home This Fall

Your Hydrangea Flower Buds Are Already Set for Next Summer, and Winter Wind Kills Them Unless You Protect the Stems Now

Your Daylilies Come Back Thicker Next Spring When You Do These Two Quick Jobs Before Winter

Blueberry Bushes Look Done for the Year, but Fall Care Can Help Protect Next Summer’s Potential Crop

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

Plant This One Native Tree in Your Florida Yard and Cardinals Start Showing Up Daily

Small Florida Yard? These 11 Compact Fruit Trees Still Load Up With Fruit Every Year

Why Healthy Potted Geraniums Barely Bloom: Check Heat, Light, and the Pot

7 Florida Native Wildflowers That Turn Your Mailbox Strip Into a Low-Maintenance Pollinator Patch

Is It Actually Legal in California to Keep Fruit That Falls From Your Neighbor’s Tree Into Your Yard?

Roseate spoonbills wading near your Florida yard this fall are telling you something about the water