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Plant of the Week

If Your Coneflowers Fade by Mid-July, They May Not Be Worn Out – One Habit May Be Cutting Them Short

Watching your coneflowers go quiet in mid-July can feel like something went seriously wrong, especially when the rest of the garden is hitting its stride....

By Ethan Brooks · Jul 17, 2026

Field Notes

The Underrated Florida Porch Plant That Keeps Rats and Roaches Away While Looking Purely Decorative

Chipmunks Are Tunneling Under Your Raised Beds – Here’s How to Get Them to Move On

What It Really Means When Blue Jays Keep Screaming From Your Florida Oak Every Morning

Why Coral Honeysuckle Is the Native Vine That Turns a Bare Florida Fence Into a Hummingbird Magnet

From the Garden

The Front-Lawn Groundcover Florida Homeowners Are Planting That HOAs Can’t Legally Touch

Your Fig Tree Leaves Are Turning Yellow and Dropping — Here’s What They’re Telling You

This Toxic Texas Shrub Hides in Ordinary Yards and Gets Less Attention Than a Copperhead

Your Cucumber Leaves Are Speckled and Turning Bronze — Here’s the Spider Mite Fix

Your Cucumbers Are Growing Curled and Misshapen – Here’s the Pollination Fix That Straightens Them Out

In Bloom

If Your Hydrangeas Green Up Beautifully but Never Bloom, One Pruning Slip May Be the Reason

What Texas Plumeria Needs Right Now to Keep Blooming Straight Through October

Why Painted Buntings Skip Most Florida Yards — and the Few Changes That Finally Bring Them In

Gardener's Selection

A Texas-Native Wildflower That Can Return Year After Year From Self-Sown Seed

More Roadrunners Around Your Texas Yard Means Fewer Scorpions, and Here’s How to Draw Them In

What Repeated Cardinal Visits to Your Texas Yard Are Really Telling You

The Texas Native Wildflowers That Bring In Dragonflies and Send Mosquitoes Packing

If Your Coneflowers Fade by Mid-July, They May Not Be Worn Out – One Habit May Be Cutting Them Short

The Potting Shed

If Your Zucchini Stops Setting Fruit in the Summer Heat, One Overlooked Habit May Be to Blame

8 Florida Plants That Bring Sandhill Cranes Into Your Yard and Put the Bug Population on Notice

This Native Shrub Is Quietly Replacing the Tired Foundation Plantings Around Florida Homes

If Your Tomatoes Stall in the July Heat, One Cheap Kitchen Ingredient May Get Them Growing Again

The Native Florida Edibles That Keep Producing Food Through Summer Heat Without Constant Watering

10 Calm Things to Do When an Opossum Starts Making Nightly Rounds in Your Florida Yard

8 Florida Plants That Give Fireflies the Cover They Need to Light Up Your Yard Again

If Your Petunias Quit Blooming by Midsummer, One Overlooked Habit May Be Cutting the Season Short

The Native Texas Groundcovers That Choke Out Weeds Better Than Any Bag of Mulch

If Your Cucumbers Keep Yellowing in the July Heat, One Missing Nutrient May Be to Blame

Your Wilting Hydrangeas May Not Be Thirsty – They May Be Drowning in the July Heat

What It Really Means When a Mourning Dove Keeps Cooing in Your Texas Yard

If Your Pepper Plants Drop Their Blossoms in the July Heat, One Simple Fix Slows the Falling

If Your Tomato Leaves Are Curling Upward in the Heat, It May Not Be Thirst – It May Be This Instead

7 Simple Yard Habits That Bring Fireflies Back to Texas Summer Nights

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

If Your Summer Squash Leaves Are Yellowing Between the Veins, It May Be a Magnesium Problem – Diagnose Before You Treat

How to Layer Florida Natives So Painted Buntings Actually Show Up in Your Yard

8 Texas Native Plants That Give Fireflies Everything They Need to Light Up Your Yard Again

If Weeds Keep Reclaiming the Bare Spots in Your Beds, One Spreading Groundcover Can Help Suppress Them

17 Single-Ingredient Feeds That Power Your Tomatoes to a Bigger Harvest Without Overcomplicating It

Your Hydrangea Blooms Look Weak This Summer — Here’s the Bloom-Focused Reset That Fixes It