In the Garden

If your cucumbers keep growing stubby and misshapen in this heat, the trouble usually starts at the flowers

Gardening Tips

If your cucumbers keep growing stubby and misshapen in this heat, the trouble usually starts at the flowers

You worked hard to get those cucumber vines going, and now they’re sprawling and green – but the cucumbers coming off them look stubby, curved,…

By Ethan Brooks · Jul 27, 2026

If Your Cucumber Leaves Are Yellowing Between the Veins, Magnesium Is Worth Investigating – But It Is Not the Only Answer

Ethan Brooks · Jul 27

If your cucumber plants suddenly wilt and collapse in this heat even when the soil is wet, one hidden invader is usually behind it

Ethan Brooks · Jul 27

If your squash leaves turn silvery-white in this heat, the trouble usually starts long before you spot mildew

Ethan Brooks · Jul 27

From the Garden

Growing notes from every corner of the plot.

If your tomatoes crack open right after you water in this heat, one watering habit is usually behind it

Gardening Tips

If your tomatoes crack open right after you water in this heat, one watering habit is usually behind it

Reaching into your tomato plants on a hot afternoon and finding split fruit is one of the most discouraging sights in a summer garden. You…

By Ethan Brooks · Jul 27

Plant Care

The 10 Nectar Plants That Pull Orioles Into California Gardens and Keep Them Coming Back Every Season

By John Miller CA · Jul 27

Gardening Tips

If your tomatoes keep hanging green and won’t turn red in this heat, the trouble usually starts with how you’re feeding them

By Ethan Brooks · Jul 27

Gardening Tips

Your Cucumber Vines Are Not Stalling From Hunger – Here Is What to Check First

By Ethan Brooks · Jul 27

Gardening Tips

The Front Yard Trees That Beat Crape Myrtle for North Carolina Homes All Year Round

By Jasmine Hughes · Jul 27

In Bloom

What's thriving right now.

The Florida Native Plant Nurseries Quietly Growing the Storm-Tough Trees Big-Box Stores Won’t Stock

Florida Gardening

The Florida Native Plant Nurseries Quietly Growing the Storm-Tough Trees Big-Box Stores Won’t Stock

By Aria Moore F

California’s Proposed Restrictions on Combustible Fencing Near Homes: What the July 2026 Draft Zone 0 Rule Actually Says

Plant Care

California’s Proposed Restrictions on Combustible Fencing Near Homes: What the July 2026 Draft Zone 0 Rule Actually Says

By John Miller CA

The Fruit Trees That Actually Survive a Brutal South Texas Summer Instead of Cooking in the Heat

Texas Gardening

The Fruit Trees That Actually Survive a Brutal South Texas Summer Instead of Cooking in the Heat

By Ella Brown T

Gardener's Selection

The guides worth your time — handpicked by our gardeners.

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If your tomato leaves are rolling up tight in this heat, the trouble usually starts long before you notice it

Gardening Tips

If your tomato leaves are rolling up tight in this heat, the trouble usually starts long before you notice it

By Ethan Brooks

If your cucumber vines stall out in this heat, one thing in the watering can gets them climbing again

Gardening Tips

If your cucumber vines stall out in this heat, one thing in the watering can gets them climbing again

By Ethan Brooks

This Underrated North Carolina Native Shrub Blooms All Summer and Shrugs Off Dry Spells

Gardening Tips

This Underrated North Carolina Native Shrub Blooms All Summer and Shrugs Off Dry Spells

By Jasmine Hughes

The Drought-Proof California Native Shrubs That Replace Boxwood Along Driveways and Never Notice a Dry Summer

Plant Care

The Drought-Proof California Native Shrubs That Replace Boxwood Along Driveways and Never Notice a Dry Summer

By John Miller CA

The One Thing Your Texas Salvia Needs in July to Keep Blooming Instead of Quitting

Plant of the Week

Texas Gardening

The One Thing Your Texas Salvia Needs in July to Keep Blooming Instead of Quitting

Your salvia looked great in spring, covered in flowers, and now it has gone quiet in the July heat. Before you assume something is wrong,...

By Ella Brown T · Jul 27, 2026

The Potting Shed

If your watermelons keep rotting at the blossom end in this heat, the trouble usually starts in the soil before the fruit even sets

Gardening Tips

If your watermelons keep rotting at the blossom end in this heat, the trouble usually starts in the soil before the fruit even sets

Gardening Tips

Plant Butterfly Weed in This Narrow North Carolina Window or You Wait Another Whole Year

Gardening Tips

If your cantaloupe vines keep sprawling but never setting fruit in this heat, the trouble usually starts at the flowers

Stop Replanting Knock Out Roses in Texas – These Tougher Shrubs Bloom Far Longer

Texas Gardening

Stop Replanting Knock Out Roses in Texas – These Tougher Shrubs Bloom Far Longer

Gardening Tips

If your pepper plants keep growing bushy but never setting fruit in this heat, one overnight detail is usually behind it

Gardening Tips

Why More North Carolina Homeowners Are Putting Up Owl Houses for Free Pest Control

Stunning Native Texas Shrubs to Plant Instead of Crape Myrtle That Handle Our Heat Better

Texas Gardening

Stunning Native Texas Shrubs to Plant Instead of Crape Myrtle That Handle Our Heat Better

Gardening Tips

If your eggplants keep dropping their blossoms in this heat, the trouble usually starts at the flowers

Gardening Tips

If your carrots keep growing forked and split underground, the trouble usually starts in how you prepped the soil

What It Really Means When a Fox Starts Passing Through Your North Carolina Backyard at Dusk

Gardening Tips

What It Really Means When a Fox Starts Passing Through Your North Carolina Backyard at Dusk

Texas Gardening

This Is What Your Texas Roses Need Right Now Before the Worst of the Summer Heat Hits

Gardening Tips

If your bean plants keep flowering but never fill their pods in this heat, the trouble usually starts at the blossoms

The Florida Native Plants That Look Expensive but Basically Take Care of Themselves Once They Settle In

Florida Gardening

The Florida Native Plants That Look Expensive but Basically Take Care of Themselves Once They Settle In

Florida Gardening

Beautiful Florida Native Plants to Grow Instead of Hydrangeas That Actually Love the Humidity

Gardening Tips

If your zucchini keeps rotting at the tip in this heat, the trouble usually starts at the flower

Field Notes

The One Yard Change That Finally Brought Painted Buntings Back – Not the Feeder You’d Expect

Florida Gardening

The One Yard Change That Finally Brought Painted Buntings Back – Not the Feeder You’d Expect

Painted buntings are among the most colorful birds in North America, and Florida gardeners often wonder why these little gems...

By Aria Moore F on Jul 26

Why Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds May Skip Your Florida Yard – and the Habitat Changes That Can Make It Worth a Stop

Florida Gardening

Why Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds May Skip Your Florida Yard – and the Habitat Changes That Can Make It Worth a Stop

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the most commonly seen hummingbirds in Florida, and they do visit residential yards more often than many...

By Aria Moore F on Jul 26

These Florida Plants Smother Weeds Year-Round So You Can Finally Put the Chemicals Away

Florida Gardening

These Florida Plants Smother Weeds Year-Round So You Can Finally Put the Chemicals Away

Weeds love Florida almost as much as gardeners do. Our warm weather, sandy soil, heavy rain, and long growing season...

By Aria Moore F on Jul 26

The Fire-Resistant California Groundcovers Homeowners Are Laying Down Instead of Bark Mulch

Plant Care

The Fire-Resistant California Groundcovers Homeowners Are Laying Down Instead of Bark Mulch

If you live in a fire-prone part of California, that ring of bark mulch around your house might be doing...

By John Miller CA on Jul 26

If your pepper plants keep sunburning their fruit in this heat, the trouble usually starts with the leaves

Gardening Tips

If your pepper plants keep sunburning their fruit in this heat, the trouble usually starts with the leaves

That pale, papery patch on your pepper is frustrating, especially when the rest of the fruit looks perfectly fine. What...

By Ethan Brooks on Jul 26

The California Native Groundcovers That Choke Out Weeds All Summer Without a Drop of Herbicide

Plant Care

The California Native Groundcovers That Choke Out Weeds All Summer Without a Drop of Herbicide

Pulling weeds all summer gets old fast, especially when California’s dry heat makes bending over the garden feel like a...

By John Miller CA on Jul 26