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Plant of the Week

The Underrated Native Texas Plant That Makes Scorpions Find Your Yard Less Inviting Before Fall

Scorpions are a real concern for Texas homeowners, and it is tempting to believe that one well-chosen plant could keep them at bay. A popular...

By Ella Brown T · Aug 4, 2026

Field Notes

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Should Do When Fall Webworm Nests Appear, Or They Come Back Worse Next Summer

If Your Central Texas Squash Vines Suddenly Collapse in August Heat, One Borer Usually Starts It

The California Praying Mantis In Your Garden Quietly Hunts The Aphids And Grasshoppers Wrecking Your Beds, But Homeowners Toss Its Egg Case Every Fall

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Should Do When Spotted Lanternflies Show Up, Or They Swarm Back Worse In Spring

From the Garden

More Toads In Your Central Texas Garden Means Fewer Grubs Chewing Your Roots (Here’s How To Bring Them In)

How To Keep California Fence Lizards In Your Yard, Where They Quietly Clear The Ticks That Spread Lyme Disease

What It Really Means When Wolf Spiders Suddenly Take Over Your North Carolina Yard This Summer

7 Florida Native Plants That Deter Roaches From Your Patio and Still Look Good Doing It

The Alligator Lizard In Your California Yard Quietly Eats The Ticks And Snails Wrecking Your Beds, But Homeowners Kill It On Sight

In Bloom

Green Anoles On Your Central Texas Fence: Useful Native Predators, Not A Proven Mosquito Fix

The California Gopher Snake In Your Yard Quietly Hunts The Rats And Gophers Wrecking Your Beds, But Homeowners Kill It On Sight

If your tomato plants suddenly wilt from the bottom up this August, one soilborne fungus usually starts it

Gardener's Selection

The One Tree North Carolina Gardeners Should Cut Down Now Before It Fills the Yard With Spotted Lanternfly

If your okra pods turn woody and tough before you pick them this August, one harvest-timing slip usually starts it

If your zucchini fruit rots at the tip and stays small this August, one pollination gap usually starts it

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native That Fills a Bare Fall Bed With Berries Birds Strip in Weeks

The Underrated Native Texas Plant That Makes Scorpions Find Your Yard Less Inviting Before Fall

The Potting Shed

If your tomato fruit cracks in concentric rings this August, one watering swing usually starts it

Purple Undersides on Tomato Leaves: Could It Be a Phosphorus Uptake Problem?

What It Really Means When Skinks Suddenly Take Over Your North Carolina Yard This Summer

Do Barn Swallows Nesting Under Your Texas Eaves Actually Reduce Mosquitoes?

If your cucumbers keep turning fat, yellow, and bitter this August, one harvest-timing habit usually starts it

7 Florida Native Ground Covers That Choke Out Weeds and Replace St. Augustine Grass for Good

7 Florida Native Vines That Cover a Rotting Wooden Trellis and Never Need Replacing

If your pepper leaves curl upward and thicken this August, one heat-and-water swing usually starts it

The California Toad Under Your Porch Quietly Eats The Slugs And Earwigs Wrecking Your Beds, But Homeowners Keep Sealing It Out

7 Florida Native Flowering Vines That Cover a Hot West-Facing Fence and Feed Hummingbirds All Season

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Should Do When Japanese Beetles Swarm The Roses, Or They Come Back Worse Next Year

7 Florida Native Plants That Turn Your Yard Into a Bat Highway and Cut the Mosquitoes Down

Toads Under Your Central Texas Porch May Eat Scorpions, But Sealing Your House Keeps Them Out

7 Florida Native Plants That Attract Hunting Owls and Clear the Rats From Your Yard

If Your Cucumber Leaves Develop Pale Yellow Patches This August, Downy Mildew May Be the Cause

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

If your cucumber leaves turn silver and speckled this August, spider mites usually start the damage

If your cucumber vines keep flowering but set no fruit this August, one hidden mistake usually stops it

The California Ground Beetle Quietly Eats The Snails And Cutworms Wrecking Your Beds, But Snail Bait Kills It Too

If your cucumber vines wilt fast in this August heat, bacterial wilt usually starts it

The California Scrub Jay Quietly Eats The Grubs And Grasshoppers Wrecking Your Beds, But Homeowners Keep Chasing It Off

If your zucchini plants suddenly wilt and collapse in this August heat, squash vine borers usually start it