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Plant of the Week

If Your Central Texas Bell Peppers Drop Their Blossoms In August Heat, One Nighttime Temperature Usually Starts It

Watching your bell pepper flowers fall off during an August heat wave is one of the more discouraging sights in a Central Texas garden. You...

By Ella Brown T · Aug 5, 2026

Field Notes

What It Really Means When Wolf Spiders Suddenly Show Up Along Your North Carolina Foundation This Fall

Texas Frogfruit May Support Lizard Habitat, But Sealing Your Home Keeps Roaches Out

What It Really Means When Katydids Suddenly Take Over Your North Carolina Yard In Late Summer

The California Bushtit Quietly Strips The Aphids And Scale Off Your Shrubs, But Homeowners Prune Away The Cover It Needs

From the Garden

If Your Central Texas Tomato Plants Stop Setting Fruit In August Heat, One Nighttime Temperature Usually Starts It

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Should Do When Fall Armyworms Appear: Inspect, Confirm, Then Act

The One Native Plant That Makes Your Central Texas Yard Far Less Inviting To Scorpions This August

What It Really Means When Carpenter Bees Start Drilling Into Your North Carolina Deck And Fence Rails

7 Florida Native Shrubs That Screen Your Fence Line Without the Areca Palm That Thins Out by Fall

In Bloom

If Your Central Texas Fig Tree Drops Unripe Figs In August Heat, One Watering Mistake Usually Starts It

The California Towhee Quietly Eats The Snails And Slugs Shredding Your Seedlings, But Homeowners Rake Away The Cover It Needs

The California Barn Owl Quietly Clears The Rats And Gophers No Trap Can Touch, But One Yard Habit Drives It Off

Gardener's Selection

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Shrub That Cuts Japanese Beetles Off From Your Roses And Beans

More Purple Martins Over Your Central Texas Yard Means Fewer Mosquitoes (Here’s How To Bring Them In)

What It Really Means When Green Anoles Suddenly Fill Your North Carolina Yard This Late Summer

7 Florida Native Plants That Turn Your Yard Into a Firefly Nursery Kids Will Watch Light Up

If Your Central Texas Bell Peppers Drop Their Blossoms In August Heat, One Nighttime Temperature Usually Starts It

The Potting Shed

The Florida Native Vines That Bring Painted Buntings Back to Yards That Stopped Getting Them

7 Common Florida Yard Shrubs That Poison Kids and Pets, and the Safe Natives That Replace Them

The California Praying Mantis Isn’t It – This Tiny Garden Spider Quietly Kills The Aphids Wrecking Your Beds, But Homeowners Sweep It Away

7 Florida Native Plants That Turn a Bare Patio Into a Spot Ticks and Mosquitoes Skip

7 Florida Native Vines That Hide a Warping Vinyl Fence and Turn It Into a Green Wall

The California Western Bluebird Quietly Eats The Caterpillars And Grasshoppers Wrecking Your Beds, But Homeowners Tear Out The Nest Spots It Needs

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

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

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

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

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