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Plant of the Week

What California Plumeria Owners Need to Do Right Now Before the First Cool Nights Steal Their Blooms

Plumeria is one of the most rewarding plants you can grow in California, filling late summer and early fall with fragrant, tropical blooms. But as...

By John Miller CA · Aug 23, 2026

Field Notes

7 Florida Native Trees That Replace Crape Myrtle and Skip the Endless Pruning and Cleanup

Why California Sweetgum Trees Are Quietly Being Ripped Out of Neighborhoods, and What It Means for Your Yard

Your Tomato Leaves Curl and Cup in the Late-Summer Heat — Here’s the Watering Slip Usually Behind It

Start These California Fall Vegetables Now in Late Summer So You Harvest Before the First Cold Snap

From the Garden

If Your Lawn Struggles in the Summer Heat, Here’s the Truth About Watering It in Full Sun

Your Coneflowers Bloom Weaker Every Year – Here’s the Late-Summer Habit That Can Help

Your Clematis Multiplies Free From a Few Soft Stem Cuttings — Here’s the Late-Summer Window to Take Them

The Native North Carolina Ground Covers That Lock Down a Steep Slope and Smother Weeds Better Than Vinca

The California Groundcover That Suddenly Got Banned in Your County, and Most Homeowners Find Out the Worst Way

In Bloom

Your Coneflower Seed Heads Dry Out Fast in Late Summer – Here’s the Window to Collect Them Before You Lose the Chance

Texas Lantana: The Strongly Scented Native Shrub and What the Evidence Actually Says About Cockroaches

Native North Carolina Shrubs That Screen Out Neighbors Better Than Leyland Cypress Ever Held Up

Gardener's Selection

How To Summer Prune California Blueberries Now So Next Year’s Harvest Comes In Twice as Heavy

The Native Texas Shrub That Replaces Struggling Photinia Along Your Fence and Actually Thrives in the Heat

Your Indoor Plants Turn Purple and Blotchy – Here’s the Hidden Stress Usually Behind It

The South Florida Yard Tree That Blisters Skin and Explodes Its Seed Pods With a Loud Report

What California Plumeria Owners Need to Do Right Now Before the First Cool Nights Steal Their Blooms

The Potting Shed

Your Petunias Bloom Thinner Every Week — Here’s the One Care Slip Quietly Behind It

Your Hydrangeas Skip the Blooms in Late-Summer Heat – Here Is the One Feeding Habit Myth Worth Correcting

Where Pine Straw Beats Mulch in Your North Carolina Beds and Where It Quietly Fails You

This Low-Water California Shrub Is Quietly Replacing Lantana in Yards, and Gardeners Who Switched Won’t Go Back

Why Your Texas Lantana Stopped Blooming in the Heat and the One Fix That Brings the Flowers Back

Squirrels and Chipmunks Keep Raiding Your Garden — Here Are the Strong Smells That Send Them Packing

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Must Do to Lantana Now or It Just Coasts Through the Rest of Summer

The Texas Lawn Swap That Qualifies for a Water Rebate Check From Your City Right Now

Your Peace Lily Leaves Turn Black and Blotchy – Here’s the Hidden Stress Usually Behind It

Why Beets Seeded Right Now in North Carolina Give You the Sweetest Fall Harvest You’ve Been Missing

The Native Texas Groundcover That Blankets a Bare, Rocky Slope Nothing Else Would Cover

Your Tomato Leaves Curl Tight in the Late-Summer Heat – Here’s the One Watering Reset That Uncurls Them

Moles Are Tunneling Up Your Lawn – Here Are the Strong Smells That Send Them Packing

The One Thing North Carolina Butterfly Bushes Need Now or They Struggle Through the Rest of Summer

Do This One Thing to Your Central Texas Crape Myrtles Before August Ends or They’ll Struggle Next Year

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

If Your Pepper Plants Wilt at Midday Even With Wet Soil in Late-Summer Heat, Here’s Why

7 Florida Native Plants That Pull Ibis Flocks Onto Your Lawn to Clear the Grubs Underneath

The Florida Native Grasses to Plant This Fall So Next Summer’s Fireflies Come Back

Your Patio and Porch Roof Turn Green and Slick in the Humidity – Here’s the Cheap Fix That Wipes It Off

Can California Fine You for a Banned Plant You Never Knew Was Illegal in Your Own Yard?

7 Florida Yard Changes That Bring Butterflies Rushing Back to Yards That Went Empty Years Ago