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Plant of the Week

Your Hummingbird Feeder Sits Empty All Summer – Here’s the One Spot That Quietly Scares Them Off

Watching a hummingbird feeder hang untouched all summer is genuinely frustrating, especially when you filled it carefully and picked what seemed like a good spot....

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 24, 2026

Field Notes

7 Florida Native Plants Mockingbirds Feed On All Year While Your Neighbor’s Feeder Sits Untouched

Your Cucumber Vines Struggle No Matter What — Here’s the One Companion Plant That Quietly Strengthens Them

This Is the Easiest Fruit Tree California Gardeners Haven’t Planted Yet, and It Barely Asks for Anything

7 Florida Native Plants That Replace Boring Liriope Borders and Actually Feed the Wildlife It Never Could

From the Garden

The 7 Fast-Growing Shade Trees North Carolina Homeowners Plant Near Patios Without Wrecking the Foundation

What To Do With Your Florida Bird of Paradise Right Now So It Pushes Out Bigger Leaves and Blooms This Fall

The Bermuda Grass Mowing Mistake That’s Scorching Central Texas Lawns Right Through the Late-Summer Heat

7 Fast-Growing Shade Trees South Floridians Plant Now to Drop Yard Temps 20 Degrees Below the Open Lawn

Your Tomato Leaves Curl and Pucker in the Late-Summer Heat — Here’s the One Cause Most Growers Miss

In Bloom

These Backyard Plants Are Actually Banned Across the US – Here’s Which Ones You May Be Growing

Your Zucchini Plants Set Flowers but the Fruit Rots Before It Grows – Here’s the One Care Slip Behind It

The California Patio Plants That Actually Thrive in Blazing Afternoon Sun Where Everything Else Fries

Gardener's Selection

Your Shady Border Grows Nothing but You’ve Been Planting the Wrong Things – Here Are the Ones That Thrive There

The One California Groundcover That Should Never Touch Your House in Fire Season, and Where to Move It Instead

Crabgrass Keeps Taking Over Your Lawn Every Summer – Here’s What Actually Stops It (And Why Vinegar Isn’t the Root Fix You Think)

Highway Ice Plant Is Restricted in Parts of California, and It Was Widely Planted for Decades

Your Hummingbird Feeder Sits Empty All Summer – Here’s the One Spot That Quietly Scares Them Off

The Potting Shed

Your Christmas Cactus Struggles All Summer – Here’s the One Care Habit Most Growers Get Wrong

The Reasons North Carolina Gardeners Plant Okra Every Summer That Have Nothing To Do With the Harvest

The Big Yellow Grasshoppers Swarming Florida Yards Right Now and What Actually Stops Them

The One Thing California Backyard Birds Need to Survive a Late-Summer Heat Wave, and Most Yards Are Missing It

The Native Texas Shrub That Stays Vibrant Through 2026’s Water Restrictions Without the Constant Watering Battle

Your Gravel Path Sprouts Weeds Faster Than You Can Pull Them — Here’s the Smarter Fix That Finally Stops Them

Your Cucumber Vines Grow Long but Stay Bare of Fruit – Here’s the One Care Slip Behind It

Early Spotted Lanternfly Signs North Carolina Gardeners May Notice Before the Insect

The California Climbing Plants That Cover a Fence Fast Without Tearing Apart the Foundation Underneath

The Invasive Insect Tearing Through Texas Vegetable Gardens Right Now and How To Stop It

Your Delphiniums Finished Blooming – Here’s the One Thing to Do Now for a Possible Same-Season Rebloom

What Brown Edges on Your North Carolina Hydrangea Leaves Are Really Telling You in the Late-Summer Heat

Your Crabgrass Keeps Coming Back No Matter What — Here’s the One Product Already Sitting in Your Garage

The Texas Weather Shift That Sends Scorpions Indoors Right Before You Notice Them

Your Coneflower Blooms Are Drying Out Now – Here’s How to Save the Seeds Before You Lose Next Year’s Flowers

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

What It Really Means When Opossums Start Visiting Your North Carolina Yard Every Night This Summer

The Native Texas Shade Tree Homeowners Are Planting Now That Shrugs Off Water Restrictions

Your Lawn Browns Out the Moment Summer Heat Hits – Here’s the Hidden Cause That Isn’t Just Dry Weather

Your Clematis Grows Leafy but Refuses to Bloom — Here’s the One Overlooked Condition Usually Behind It

The One Thing North Carolina Gardenias Need Right Now to Keep Blooming Straight Through Fall

The Underrated Texas Vine That Blooms All Summer in a Single Patio Pot Without Ever Touching the Ground