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Plant of the Week

What It Means When California Towhees Start Scratching Under Your Shrubs All Day

If you have noticed a California towhee repeatedly working the ground beneath one of your shrubs, you are watching one of the most recognizable foraging...

By John Miller CA · Sep 28, 2026

Field Notes

Skip Invasive Wisteria in North Carolina and Plant This Native Vine That Covers Fast

Florida yards with fewer mosquitoes usually start with these 7 dragonfly-friendly plants

Your Central Texas Pepper Flowers Keep Dropping in Heat, and These Steps Can Help New Fruit Set After the Heat Breaks

Those giant yellow grasshoppers taking over Florida yards usually stop for these reasons

From the Garden

Your ZZ Plant Looks Sparse for a Few Fixable Reasons That Keep It Thin

Your Fig Tree Sets More Fruit When You Fix the Few Things That Hold It Back

Prune Your Fig Tree at the Right Time and Next Year’s Growth Pays You Back

Plant a California native bunchgrass once, and dragonflies keep using your yard as a hunting strip

This simple garden staple helps push moles out before they ruin more of your lawn

In Bloom

Most California yards lose tiny pest hunters at night, and porch lights are a big reason why

Your Peonies Set Better Blooms Next Year When You Don’t Skip This After-Flowering Step

Mourning Doves and California Yards: Woody Cover, Open Ground, and the Chance They Eat a Few Weed Seeds

Gardener's Selection

Your Yard Keeps Inviting Moles In Because These 13 Hidden Attractions Stay Put

Your House Siding Looks Older Than It Is When Algae Keeps Spreading

Skip Butterfly Bush in North Carolina Pollinator Beds and Plant This Native Magnet Instead

The Florida yard change that makes painted buntings start using your space in fall

What It Means When California Towhees Start Scratching Under Your Shrubs All Day

The Potting Shed

Why Armadillos Keep Choosing the Same Texas Yard Night After Night

Your Hydrangeas Set Fewer Blooms Next Year When These Problems Go Unchecked Now

Your Lawn Keeps Letting Clover Spread Because One or More Weak Spots Haven’t Been Fixed

Why Green Anoles Keep Camping on North Carolina Porch Plants and the Pests They’re Eating

This California Native Shrub Feeds Fall Birds and Gives Them Dense Cover in the Same Yard

Your Texas Fig Tree Gives You Another Weak Summer Crop When You Skip This Fall Step

These 9 Perennials Are Better Left Standing Through Fall Than Cut Back Early

Green Anoles Missing From North Carolina Gardens: What the Clues in Your Yard Are Actually Telling You

Your Lavender Turns Woody Faster When One Pruning Habit Keeps Hardening the Base

Armadillos Keep Tearing Up Texas Yards for the Same Reason They Keep Coming Back

Your hummingbirds stopped showing up for a few fixable reasons

Do This to Your North Carolina Compost Pile Before Cooler Weather Sets In or It Stalls Out

This invasive ant is taking over Texas yards faster than fire ants for a reason

Your Beets Taste Sweeter and Grow Bigger When You Harvest at These Signs

Your Bumpy Lawn Gets Smooth Again When You Fix It in Simple Passes

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

The North Carolina Vegetable to Sow Now for a Fall Harvest That’s Better Than Gardeners Expect

Bats Start Working Your Central Texas Yard All Night Once You Hang This Kind of House

Love flowering shrubs but want something easier than hydrangeas? Start with these 9

The Florida animals most likely to turn up around your home after storm cleanup starts

North Florida Gardenias Need This September Feeding More Than Any Other All Year

Your Tomato Plants Keep Struggling Because These Nearby Plants Compete Too Hard