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Plant of the Week

How to Stop Hornworms From Stripping Your California Tomato Plants Bare Before They Ruin the Harvest

Hornworms are among the most destructive caterpillars a California tomato gardener can face, capable of consuming large amounts of foliage in a short stretch of...

By John Miller CA · Sep 8, 2026

Field Notes

7 Florida Native Vines That Climb Fast and Give You Summer Cover Without Taking Over the Yard

Your Hydrangeas Went a Whole Season Without Blooming — Here’s the Care Reset That Wakes Them Back Up

7 Underused Florida Native Trees That Are Built for the Heat and Sized Right for a Front Yard

The Fire-Resistant California Plants That Guard Your Home’s Defensible Space and Still Look Beautiful All Year

From the Garden

7 Florida Native Plants That Build Your Sandy Soil for Good So You Stop Buying Fertilizer Every Season

7 Florida Native Plants That Turn an Opossum Visit Into Free Pest Control for Your Yard

Kurapia: The Low-Water Ground Cover California Homeowners Are Testing as a Lawn Alternative

Your Fall Broccoli Heads Stay Loose and Grainy Instead of Tightening Up – Here’s the Temperature Slip Behind It

The Underrated North Carolina Native Ferns That Fill Your Toughest Clay Corners Where Nothing Else Will Grow

In Bloom

Why Central Texas Homeowners Keep Spotting Roadrunners Claiming Their Yards This Fall

Your Fall Turnips Grow Big Leafy Tops but the Roots Stay Small and Bitter – Here’s the Feeding Slip Behind It

Your Hydrangeas Sulk on One Side of the House but Thrive on the Other — Here’s the Spot They Actually Want

Gardener's Selection

These California Native Grasses Quietly Choke Out Weeds and Never Need a Drop of Extra Water Once Established

Fall Beets Grow Lush Tops but the Roots Stay Tiny and Woody – Here’s the Soil Slip Behind It

The Native North Carolina Border Plant That Lines Your Walkway and Never Needs Edging Again

The Native Texas Vine Homeowners Are Planting Instead of Thirsty Wisteria for Drama Without the Wrestling Match

How to Stop Hornworms From Stripping Your California Tomato Plants Bare Before They Ruin the Harvest

The Potting Shed

Your Fall Garlic Fails to Sprout – What to Check Before Blaming Planting Depth

Fall Kale Leaves Turn Purple and Stunted in the Bed – Here’s the Cold-Soil Nutrient Lockout Behind It

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Shrub That Soaks Up the Soggy Spot Where Water Pools After Every Storm

7 Florida Native Trees That Give Your Yard Live Oak Shade Without the Roots That Wreck Driveways

The California Climbing Plants That Screen Your Yard by Growing Up, Not Out, When Space Is Tight

The One Native Texas Shrub Worth Planting This Fall Because It Roots Faster in Cool Weather Than Summer

Your Fall Spinach Sprouts Then Suddenly Yellows and Flops in the Bed – Here’s the Watering Slip Behind It

Why Your Fall Cabbage Heads Split Open Right Before You’re Ready to Harvest

What to Plant in Your California Yard This September for a Fall Garden That Actually Thrives

Fall Carrots Split and Fork in the Ground — Here’s the Soil Slip Behind the Deformed Roots

The Underrated North Carolina Herb You Should Cut and Dry Right Now Before Its Flavor Fades This Fall

Why More Central Texas Homeowners Are Ripping Out Bermuda and Switching to Buffalo Grass Instead

Skip These Houseplants Before You Bring Them Indoors This Fall – Here Are the 8 That Quietly Cause Trouble

Skip Landscape Fabric in Your North Carolina Beds and Lay Down These Native Ground Covers That Smother Weeds Instead

The Yard Mistakes Quietly Drawing Black Widows Right Up Against Your Central Texas House

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

Your Lavender Turns Woody and Stops Flowering — Here’s the Late-Season Pruning Slip That Causes It

Skip These Two Fall Hydrangea Moves or You’ll Quietly Cut Next Year’s Blooms – Here’s What to Do Instead

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Must Do to Peonies in September or They Won’t Bloom Next Spring

The Tough Native Texas Shrub Worth Planting Along Your Fence Instead of Rough-Looking Photinia

Your Coneflowers Sulk and Barely Bloom — Here Are the Spots Where They Finally Take Off

7 Florida Porch Plants That Quietly Push Mosquitoes Off Your Patio Better Than a Citronella Candle