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Plant of the Week

Why Weeds Keep Coming Back in Your California Gravel, and the Causes Most People Never Fully Fix

Gravel paths and rock-mulched beds are supposed to make yard maintenance easier, but for many California homeowners, the weeds just keep coming back no matter...

By John Miller CA · Sep 13, 2026

Field Notes

7 Florida Native Shrubs That Give You Beautyberry Color Without Taking Over the Whole Bed

Woody Lavender Doesn’t Mean the Plant Is Dead — Here’s the Cut That Brings It Back

7 Florida Yard Conditions That Keep Manatees Lingering Near Your Dock This Fall

7 Florida Native Trees and Shrubs That Fill With Chimney Swifts and Swallows at Dusk This September

From the Garden

Roseate Spoonbills Land in Florida Yards With Standing Water – These Natives Bring Them Closer

The California Perennials That Quietly Fill Every Bare Gap in Your Beds but Know Exactly Where to Stop

That Woody, Sprawling Rosemary Bush Still Bounces Back if You Cut It This One Way

The California Fruit Trees That Actually Produce Big Harvests in Pots, Even on a Small Patio

Overwintering Rosemary Indoors Kills It Fast Unless You Move It Before the First Frost

In Bloom

Your Geraniums Are Quietly Telling You It’s Time to Deadhead — Here’s the Sign That Wakes Up More Fall Blooms

Coneflowers Never Reach Full Size Because of Where You Planted Them – Here’s the Spot They Actually Thrive In

The Watering Mistake North Carolina Gardeners Make in Late-Summer Heat That Quietly Cooks Their Vegetables

Gardener's Selection

The Popular California Yard Trees That Quietly Bury Your Yard in Mess Nobody Warns You About

Your Fall Raised Beds Grow Weak Crops Because the Soil Is Missing These Three Ingredients

Could Texas Leafcutting Ants Be Stripping Your Rose Bushes Overnight?

The One Thing North Carolina Collards Need Right After a Heavy Fall Rain or the Leaves Turn Bitter

Why Weeds Keep Coming Back in Your California Gravel, and the Causes Most People Never Fully Fix

The Potting Shed

Your Central Texas Pecan Leaves Are Turning Yellow and Dropping Early – Is a Zinc Shortage to Blame?

Your Potted Lavender Turns Woody and Stops Blooming – Here’s a Common Fall Care Slip Behind It

7 Palm Pruning Mistakes Florida Homeowners Make Right Before Hurricane Season Peaks

California Barn Owls Hunt More Rats Than Any Trap, but One Yard Habit Sends Them Away

Your Fig Tree Grows Leafy Branches but Barely Sets Fruit — Here’s the One Move That Loads It Up

Bring Your Houseplants Back Inside for Fall Without Dragging Pests In – Here’s What to Check First

What It Really Means When Robber Flies Start Patrolling Your North Carolina Vegetable Garden This Summer

The California Native Fuchsia That Feeds Hummingbirds From Summer Into Fall, and Where to Plant It

Your Central Texas Fig Tree Drops Its Leaves in Fall Because of This Root Stress, Not Disease

Your Fall Mums Die Off After One Season — Here’s How to Get Them to Come Back Next Year

The Fall Garlic Bed Mistake North Carolina Gardeners Make That Leaves You With Tiny Cloves Next Summer

Your Central Texas Pecan Tree Is Dropping Half-Formed Nuts Because of This Fall Stress

Your Hummingbirds Are Suddenly Swarming Your Feeder This September — Here’s the Fall Migration Reason Behind It

Gravel Or Mulched Garden Paths In North Carolina: Which One Actually Stays Clean After a Summer Storm

The Tough Native Grass Central Texas Homeowners Are Planting the Moment They Rip Out Their Bermuda

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

Something Is Punching Ragged Holes in Your Fall Zinnias Overnight – Here’s the Chewing Culprit Behind It

Your Hydrangeas Head Into Winter Weak Because of One Late-Summer Slip – Here’s What to Stop Now

Why Hummingbirds Keep Dive-Bombing Each Other Away From Your North Carolina Feeders

Why Your Central Texas Hummingbird Feeder Suddenly Empties Twice a Day in September

Your Hummingbirds Vanish the Moment You Hang a New Feeder Nearby — Here’s the Bully Bird Driving Them Off

The Florida Native Grass That Blanketed Pine Forests for Centuries Is Coming Back to Home Yards