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Plant of the Week

The California Fence Material Fire Officials Keep Flagging Too Close to the House, and What to Use Instead

Your wood fence might look solid and harmless, but where it touches your house could be one of the most overlooked fire risks on your...

By John Miller CA · Aug 25, 2026

Field Notes

7 Florida Wildflowers That Turn a Bare Corner Into a Low-Maintenance Meadow That Feeds Pollinators

Your Tomatoes Stay Green on the Vine Deep Into August – Here’s the One Reason They Refuse to Ripen

7 Florida Native Trees That Give Your Yard More Shade and Wildlife Per Square Foot Than Anything Else

The California Native Plants That Quietly Qualify for the 2026 Lawn Replacement Rebate That Most Homeowners Overlook

From the Garden

The Florida Native Milkweed Varieties Monarchs Actually Need – and the One Quietly Hurting Them

7 Florida Plants Being Banned in More Counties Every Season That May Still Be in Your Yard

The California Groundcovers That Cool the Soil and Quietly Cut Your Summer Watering in Half

Your Peace Lily Grows Lush and Green but Never Blooms – Here’s the One Reset That Finally Triggers Flowers

What North Carolina Blueberry Bushes Need in the Late-Summer Heat to Keep Fruiting Into September

In Bloom

The Texas Lemon Tree in a Pot That Fruits Through the Heat If You Get These Few Things Right

Your Petunias Fade and Struggle Fast in the Heat — Here’s the One Watering Slip Most Growers Miss

Big Tomato Harvests Start With One Kitchen Ingredient You Already Have – Here’s How to Feed Them

Gardener's Selection

Is It Actually Legal in California to Cut a Neighbor’s Branches That Hang Over Your Fence? Here’s the Catch

Your Tomatoes Set Fewer Fruit Than They Should — Here’s the One Neighboring Plant Quietly Holding Them Back

The One Thing North Carolina Confederate Jasmine Needs Before Fall or It Struggles Through Winter

The Underrated Texas Vegetable That Keeps Producing All Summer When Everything Else Quits in the Heat

The California Fence Material Fire Officials Keep Flagging Too Close to the House, and What to Use Instead

The Potting Shed

Where You Plant Hydrangeas Along the House Decides Whether They Bloom or Sulk for Years

Tired of Raking Leaves Every Fall? Here’s What Mowing Over Them Instead Does for Your Lawn

These Native North Carolina Vines Are Quietly Replacing Backyard Fences With a Living Privacy Screen

The Florida Bark Mulch That Quietly Invites Snakes Right Up Against Your Foundation

What It Really Means When Hummingbirds Suddenly Flood Your California Yard in Late Summer, and the One Bloom Pulling Them In

Why Your Texas Lantana Goes Leggy in the Late-Summer Heat and the Cut That Fills It Back Out

Your Christmas Cactus Leaves Fade Pale in the Late-Summer Heat – Here’s the Hidden Stress Usually Behind It

Your Coneflowers Bloom Weaker Each Round – Here’s the Exact Late-Summer Moment to Cut Them Back

The California Groundcovers That Cover a Lawn’s Whole Footprint on a Fraction of the Summer Water

Your Yard Is Quietly Signaling That Snakes Feel Right at Home — Here Are the Warning Signs to Read

The Hard-to-Find Native North Carolina Shrubs That Become the Best Plants in Any Yard That Hunts Them Down

The One Texas Porch Plant Wasps Refuse To Nest Near All Summer Without a Single Spray

Your Zucchini Sets Flowers but Never Any Fruit in the Late-Summer Heat – Here’s the One Fix Behind It

The Most Underrated North Carolina Perennial Shrub With Laboratory Tick-Repellent Potential, Summer Flowers, and Fall Berries

The Strong-Scented Texas Porch Plant Scorpions Refuse To Crawl Past Before They Reach Your Door

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

Start These Fall Flowers Now or You’ll Miss the Window for Autumn Color Entirely

9 Things Hiding in Your Yard That Quietly Invite Snakes In – Here’s What to Clear Out

Skip Privet in Your North Carolina Yard and Plant This Native Screen That Stays Put and Feeds Birds

Cut Back Your Texas Lantana This Way Now So It Blooms Hard Through the Fall Heat

Your Peace Lily Stays Leafy but Never Blooms — Here’s the One Hidden Condition Usually Behind It

7 Florida Native Plants That Pull Painted Buntings Into Your Yard for the First Time