Long Nights May Encourage Your Holiday Cactus to Set Buds This Fall
Few houseplants are as frustrating as a holiday cactus that grows healthy green stems and then never blooms. The fix often has less to do…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30, 2026
Written by
Ethan Brooks
1,178 Articles
Gardening Tips
Leggy Thyme in the South: Why a Light Trim Beats a Hard Fall Cut
Thyme that looks stretched out, bare in the middle, and a little sad makes many gardeners reach for…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Crabgrass Keeps Returning to Southern Lawns: Why Spring Timing Matters More Than Fall
Nothing stings quite like pulling crabgrass all summer and seeing it fill the lawn again the next year.…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Your Favorite Blueberry Bush Turns Into More Free Plants When You Take Cuttings Before Winter
Making a new blueberry plant from one you already love is a tempting idea, and it can work.…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Fall Broccoli Growing Leaves but No Normal Head? A Symptom-by-Symptom Troubleshooting Guide
Your broccoli looks lush and healthy, yet the center of the plant is not giving you the crown…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Your Christmas Cactus Drops Its Buds Right Before the Holidays Because of One Indoor Move
You finally got your holiday cactus loaded with buds, and now they are dropping just before the big…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Your Fall Carrots Grow Big Leafy Tops but Skinny Forked Roots, and Soil May Be One Reason
You pull a carrot from the garden and find a thick crown of feathery green leaves on top…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Your New Grass Seed Sprouts Then Dies Because the Watering Schedule Changes Too Soon
You spread seed, watered faithfully, and finally saw green shoots. Then the patches started thinning out and turning…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Dull Mower Blades May Leave Ragged, Discolored Grass Tips and Add Stress to Your Lawn
Walk across your lawn an hour after mowing and look closely at the grass tips. If they look…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
These Smells Keep Deer From Eating Your Fall Garden Down to the Stems
You plant a row of fall lettuce and collards, and two nights later there’s nothing left but chewed…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Your Favorite Rosemary Bush Turns Into a Dozen Free Plants When You Take Cuttings This Fall
That rosemary bush by your back steps is hiding a secret stash of free plants. With a pair…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Your Raised Beds Keep Sinking Every Year, and Here’s How to Refill Them Without Starting Over
You walk out to your raised bed and the soil sits a few inches below the top board.…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Why Persimmon Fruit Drops: Moisture and Other Factors to Check
Your persimmon tree is leafy and green, yet fruit keeps landing on the ground. That can feel alarming,…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Your Daylilies Come Back Fuller Next Spring When You Do These 7 Things Now
Daylilies are tough plants, but even tough plants can start looking tired after a long Southern summer. If…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 30
Gardening Tips
Fewer Dandelions Next Spring: What a Fall Treatment Can Do for Your Southern Lawn
Pull one dandelion and three more seem to pop up by spring. These weeds are tougher than they…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
White Powdery Patches on Squash Leaves: How to Limit the Spread
You walk out to the garden and find flour-like white patches spreading across your squash leaves. It looks…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
A Better Spot for Your Hummingbird Feeder: What to Try When Birds Aren’t Visiting
You filled the feeder, hung it up, and now it just sits there while you wait. Before you…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Your Fresh Hummingbird Nectar Goes Untouched When You Make These 9 Common Mixing Mistakes
You filled the feeder, hung it by the porch, and waited, but the hummingbirds flew right past it.…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Your Azaleas May Already Be Setting Next Spring’s Flowers, So Hold Off on Routine Shaping
That neat fall trim on your azaleas might cost you flowers next spring. Many common azaleas are already…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Thin Turf Can Invite Weeds, and Repair Timing Depends on Your Grass and Location
Bare, thin patches in a lawn seem to fill with weeds almost overnight. It is tempting to blame…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Shasta Daisies Dying Out in the Middle? Division May Help Renew the Clump
You planted a bright clump of Shasta daisies, and now the middle looks bare while the flowers around…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Yellow Pothos Leaves: Could Root Stress Be Part of the Problem?
A yellow leaf on your pothos can make your stomach drop, especially when you are not sure what…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Your Green Tomatoes Still Ripen Indoors Before Frost When You Pick Them at the Right Stage
A cold snap is on the way, and your vines are still hung with hard green tomatoes. Some…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Your Peppers Stay Green Into Fall Because One Late-Season Feeding Habit Holds Them Back
You walk out to the garden and find big, glossy peppers that just will not change color. It…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Your Lilacs Bloom Less Next Spring When You Prune Them This Fall
You look at your lilac in October and see a few stray branches begging for a trim. Grab…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Your Hummingbirds Keep Coming Through October When You Plant These 7 Late-Blooming Flowers
Most people take their feeders down in September and think the hummingbird show is over. In the South,…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Why Daylilies Brown or Turn Mushy in Fall and How to Clean Them Up Safely
Walk out to your daylily bed after the first cold snap and you may find leaves that are…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Your Hummingbird Feeder Sits Full but No Birds Come Because One Fall Signal Changed
A full feeder with no visitors can feel strange, especially when the yard was busy a few weeks…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 29
Gardening Tips
Your Hummingbird Feeder Grows Black Mold Fast, and Here’s How to Stop It Before Birds Drink
You lift your hummingbird feeder and spot dark specks tucked around a port or along a seam. It…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your ZZ Plant Looks Sparse for a Few Fixable Reasons That Keep It Thin
A ZZ plant that looks bare or uneven can worry even an experienced plant owner, but the cause…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Fig Tree Sets More Fruit When You Fix the Few Things That Hold It Back
A fig tree that pushes out lush, dark leaves all season but hands you almost nothing to eat…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Prune Your Fig Tree at the Right Time and Next Year’s Growth Pays You Back
A fig tree can keep producing fruit year after year with surprisingly little pruning, but one poorly timed…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
This simple garden staple helps push moles out before they ruin more of your lawn
Raised ridges snaking across your lawn and small volcano-shaped mounds appearing overnight are signs that a mole has…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Peonies Set Better Blooms Next Year When You Don’t Skip This After-Flowering Step
Peony season ends fast, and what you do right after the last flower fades matters more than most…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Yard Keeps Inviting Moles In Because These 13 Hidden Attractions Stay Put
Moles do not show up just to cause trouble. They move in because your yard keeps offering food,…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your House Siding Looks Older Than It Is When Algae Keeps Spreading
Green film creeping across your siding can make a perfectly solid house look worn-out and neglected almost overnight.…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Hydrangeas Set Fewer Blooms Next Year When These Problems Go Unchecked Now
If your hydrangeas gave you a disappointing show this season, the decisions you make right now can either…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Lawn Keeps Letting Clover Spread Because One or More Weak Spots Haven’t Been Fixed
White clover creeping through your lawn is a signal worth paying attention to, but it rarely points to…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
These 9 Perennials Are Better Left Standing Through Fall Than Cut Back Early
A lot of gardeners feel the urge to clean everything up as soon as flowers fade. But some…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Lavender Turns Woody Faster When One Pruning Habit Keeps Hardening the Base
Lavender is one of those plants that looks effortless until it suddenly doesn’t. Many Southern gardeners walk outside…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your hummingbirds stopped showing up for a few fixable reasons
Walking out to check your hummingbird feeder and finding it untouched can feel like something went wrong overnight.…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Beets Taste Sweeter and Grow Bigger When You Harvest at These Signs
Pulling beets at the right size can make a real difference in how tender and flavorful they turn…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Bumpy Lawn Gets Smooth Again When You Fix It in Simple Passes
A rough, uneven lawn is more than an eyesore – it can make mowing miserable and hide real…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Love flowering shrubs but want something easier than hydrangeas? Start with these 9
Hydrangeas are beautiful, but they can be fussy about water, pruning, and even the kind of sun they…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 28
Gardening Tips
Your Tomato Plants Keep Struggling Because These Nearby Plants Compete Too Hard
Tomatoes are not always the easiest crop to grow, and when they start yellowing, wilting, or producing poorly,…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 27
Gardening Tips
These Easy-Care Perennials Keep the Color Coming Without Turning Into More Weekend Work
A colorful yard does not have to mean spending every Saturday pulling, pruning, and fussing over plants. The…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 27
Gardening Tips
Your Petunias Stop Blooming in Late Summer for a Few Fixable Reasons
Petunias can put on a stunning show from spring through early summer, but by August many gardeners notice…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 27
Gardening Tips
Your Peace Lily’s Brown Leaves Keep Spreading Because One Stress Problem Isn’t Fixed Yet
Brown tips and edges on a peace lily are frustrating enough the first time, but watching the damage…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 27
Gardening Tips
Feed Lavender at the Wrong Time and You Get Leaves Instead of Fragrant Blooms
Lavender is one of those plants that rewards a little neglect more than a lot of attention, especially…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 27
Gardening Tips
Prune Your Lavender This Way and It Stays Fuller, Neater, and Healthier
Lavender is one of those plants that looks effortlessly tidy in photos but can turn into a sprawling,…
By Ethan Brooks · Sep 27