Gardening Tips

The Native North Carolina Perennial That Fuels Migrating Monarchs Right Through October’s First Cold Snaps

Every fall, monarch butterflies pass through North Carolina on their long journey south, and they need every calorie they can find along the way. Most…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 10, 2026

Field Notes

The Native North Carolina Perennial That Fuels Migrating Monarchs Right Through October’s First Cold Snaps

7 Florida Native Fence Plants That Keep Bugs Out of Your Yard Better Than Any Spray

Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg Is Where Texas Buys Its Bluebonnet Seeds

7 Florida Native Wildflowers That Pull Butterflies Into Your Yard Better Than Anything at the Garden Center

From the Garden

That Opossum Slinking Through Your Yard at Night Is Actually Doing Your Garden a Favor

7 Blue-Flowering Perennials That Actually Take Florida Heat Instead of Fading by Midsummer

Who Actually Pays in California When a Shared Fence Falls Between You and Your Neighbor

7 Florida Yard Conditions That Draw Chuck-Will’s-Widows to Call Near Your House at Night

The California Native Plants That Quietly Bring the Most Birds Into Your Yard Year After Year

In Bloom

7 Florida Native Porch Plants That Push Both Armadillos and Mosquitoes Away at Once

The California Plants That Quietly Crowd Out Weeds and Feed Pollinators at the Same Time

Your Pepper Plants Grow Tall and Leafy but Refuse to Set a Single Pepper – Here’s the Nighttime Culprit

Gardener's Selection

What It Really Means When Joro Spiders Suddenly Web Up Your North Carolina Yard This Fall

What It Means When Barn Swallows Start Nesting Under Your Central Texas Eaves Each Fall

Your Fall Cauliflower Heads Turn Yellow and Loose Instead of Staying White and Tight – Here’s the Blanching Slip Behind It

Wasps and Ants Are Chasing Hummingbirds Off Your Feeder – Here’s How to Keep Them Away for Good

What Wilting Basil in the North Carolina Heat Is Really Telling You After You Already Watered It

The Potting Shed

What It Really Means When Ground Squirrels Start Tunneling Under Your California Yard, and How to Stop the Digging Fast

What It Means When Barn Owls Start Hunting Over Your Central Texas Yard at Dusk

Your Fall Lettuce Turns Bitter and Bolts Before You Can Harvest a Single Leaf

How North Carolina Gardeners Smooth Out a Bumpy Lawn by Hand Before Fall Seeding Season Ends

Simple Habits That Bring Screech Owls Back To Your Central Texas Yard And Cut Down the Rats

Your Petunias Look Tired Despite Regular Care — Here’s the One Watering Mistake Quietly Behind It

Incomplete Deadheading May Be Slowing Your Petunias – But Heat and Drought Could Be the Bigger Problem

The One Thing North Carolina Okra Needs Right Now or the Pods Turn Tough and Stringy Overnight

8 Florida Native Plants That Wrap Your Patio in Fragrance Through the Months You Actually Sit Outside

Why Central Texas Hummingbirds Keep Chasing Each Other Off Your Feeder During Fall Migration Season

You’re Mowing Your Lawn at the Wrong Time of Day – Here’s the Dry Window That Helps Protect Lawn Health

Your Christmas Cactus Sits Quiet Now but It’s Setting Buds – Here’s the Cool-Room and Dark-Night Trick That Encourages the Bloom

Why Your California Avocado Tree Develops Root Rot in Late Summer, and the Watering Habit That’s Quietly Causing It

Your Raised Beds Grow Weak, Struggling Crops After a Long Summer — Here’s the Soil Reset That Brings Them Back

What It Really Means When California Ground Squirrels Suddenly Disappear From Your Yard in Late Summer

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

Your Climbing Clematis Grows a Wall of Vines but Barely Blooms – Here’s the One Pruning Slip Behind It

Your Tomatoes Slow Their Ripening in the September Heat — Here’s the One Pantry Ingredient That Speeds Them Up

Your Potted Geraniums Run Out of Steam by September – Here’s the One Feeding Move That Brings the Blooms Back

Your Geranium Leaves Turn Yellow One by One — Here’s Exactly What the Plant Is Telling You

Why North Carolina Gardeners Plant Sage Between Their Beds to Cut Pest Pressure and Feed the Pollinators

The Common-Looking Texas Yard Tree That’s More Toxic Than Rattlesnake Venom