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Plant of the Week

Ants Take Over Your Hummingbird Feeder Fast – Here’s How to Keep Them Off for Good

Every summer, Southern gardeners hang out a fresh hummingbird feeder only to find it crawling with ants within days. The tiny insects zero in on...

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 27, 2026

Field Notes

7 Florida Native Edible Plants That Look Beautiful Enough for the Front Yard and Feed You All Season

Your Hydrangeas Push Out Leaves but Won’t Bloom – Here’s the First Thing to Check for Old-Wood Types

7 Hydrangea Varieties That Actually Survive Florida Heat and Humidity Instead of Wilting by July

The California Native Plants Quietly Replacing Lavender in Yards, and Why Gardeners Who Switched Won’t Go Back

From the Garden

7 Florida Native Berry Shrubs That Keep Songbirds Fed Through the Worst of the September Heat

The California Plants That Quietly Keep Mosquitoes Off Your Patio So Evenings Are Yours Again

7 Florida Native Shrubs That Replace a Privacy Fence and Fill In Patchy Lawn Spots at the Same Time

Your Christmas Cactus Leaves Go Limp and Wrinkled – Here’s the One Care Reset That Firms Them Back Up

Why Moonflowers Open After Dark in North Carolina and Fill Evening Gardens With Fragrant White Blooms

In Bloom

What It Really Means When Alligator Lizards Start Hunting Along Your California Woodpile, and the Pests They Clear Out

The Native Texas Flower That Blazes Reliable Red All Summer While Everything Else Fades in the Heat

Your Hummingbird Feeder Isn’t Pulling Them In – Here’s What to Offer Instead of Plain Sugar Water

Gardener's Selection

Your Hydrangeas Wilt and Droop in the Late-Summer Heat — Here’s How to Revive Them Before It’s Too Late

Why Kohlrabi Is the Fast Fall Crop North Carolina Gardeners Should Seed Right Now for a Crisp Late-October Harvest

This Native California Shrub Is Quietly Replacing Backyard Privacy Fences, and It Never Needs Repairs

What To Do With Your Texas Esperanza Now So It Blooms Hard Through the Fall Heat

Ants Take Over Your Hummingbird Feeder Fast – Here’s How to Keep Them Off for Good

The Potting Shed

Raccoons Keep Tearing Through Your Yard at Night – Here Are the Strong Smells That Send Them Packing

What It Really Means When the Butterflies Suddenly Vanish From Your North Carolina Yard This Summer

The Deep-Rooted Native Texas Flower That Thrives in Rock-Hard Clay Where Everything Else Fails

These Perennials Come Back Fuller and More Spectacular Every Single Year – Here’s What to Plant Now

The One Thing North Carolina Gardenias Need Right Now So They Don’t Struggle Through Next Summer’s Heat

7 Florida Native Plants That Bring Even More Butterflies Than Pentas and Keep Them Around Longer

The Texas Flower to Sow Starting September 1 for a Colorful Spring

Your Hydrangeas Bloomed Weak This Year — Here’s the One Late-Summer Care Slip That Sets Up Next Season’s Show

Your Hydrangeas Keep Disappointing Year After Year – Here Are the Flowering Shrubs That Never Let You Down

California Tree-Planting Incentive: How to Claim the SoCal Water$mart Turf Replacement Add-On

Creeping Charlie Keeps Coming Back No Matter How Much You Pull – Here’s the Chemical-Free Fix That Finally Stops It

What Potted Plumeria in California Need Right Now to Keep Growing Before the Cool Nights Arrive

Your Climbing Clematis Grows Leafy but Never Climbs — Here’s the One Mistake Quietly Holding It Back

Your Lavender Turns Woody and Struggles in the Heat – Here’s the One Reset That Brings It Back to Life

Your Christmas Cactus Drops Its Buds Before They Ever Open – Here’s a Common Setup Slip Worth Investigating

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

Late-Summer Geranium Blooms Fading Fast? Afternoon Heat Exposure Is the First Thing to Check

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Tree For Small Yards That Earns Its Space From Spring Through Fall

The Fragrant Texas Vine That Turns a Bare Fence Into a Wall of Scent All Along Your Central Texas Yard

Your Coneflowers Never Reach Full Size — Here’s the Wrong Spot Quietly Holding Them Back

Why Beautyberry Is the Native North Carolina Shrub Almost Nobody Plants But Every Yard Should Have

7 Florida Native Trees That Screen Your Yard Better Than Podocarpus and Actually Belong Here