Jasmine Hughes

Every spring, millions of North Carolina gardeners fill their shady beds with annual impatiens, then do it all…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 1

Growing basil through a North Carolina summer sounds simple until the plant shoots up, flowers, and turns bitter…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 1

Spotting a small, fluffy fox kit curled up in your North Carolina garden can stop you in your…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 1

Imagine planting one tree today and letting it feed your kids, and maybe even your grandkids, for the…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 31

One morning you walk outside and realize the bluebirds that spent all spring nesting near your yard are…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 31

Cardinals are one of the friendliest sights in any North Carolina yard, and the good news is you…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 31

Fall is the right time to get bulbs in the ground in North Carolina, and choosing the right…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 31

Most North Carolina gardens hit a wall in late summer, when the heat cranks up and the flowers…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 31

Growing broccoli in the fall sounds simple until you end up with a yard full of leafy plants…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 31

If you have a shady bed under shrubs or trees and you’re tired of the same imported groundcover…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 30

Collard greens have fed North Carolina families for generations, and late summer is the moment many eastern and…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 30

August is when a lot of North Carolina cucumber vines seem to hit a wall, and gardeners are…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 30

Those so-called weeds popping up across your North Carolina yard might be doing more good than you think.…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 30

Most gardeners in North Carolina pack up their seed trays by midsummer, but one cool-season crop can still…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 30

Stepping onto your porch and finding a dark snake curled near the steps is startling enough once, but…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 30

Borage is a Mediterranean herb with bright blue, star-shaped flowers that most North Carolina gardeners walk right past…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 29

Most purple perennials throw a good show in May, then quietly quit when July heat settles in. One…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 29

Most North Carolina homeowners don’t expect to find a deer curled up in the corner of their yard…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 29

Something small, fuzzy, and surprisingly dangerous may already be resting on the oak or magnolia in your North…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 29

Burning bush looks pretty in fall, but it spreads into North Carolina woods and does almost nothing for…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 29

Summer heat has a way of testing every flower bed in North Carolina, but the right plants will…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 29

Late summer might feel like the garden is winding down, but for North Carolina yards it’s actually prime…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 28

Raised beds can turn any North Carolina yard into a food-growing machine, but not every vegetable is happy…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 28

Somewhere between the end of summer and the first cold snap, a native shrub quietly puts on one…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 28

Most herb gardens in North Carolina start looking rough by August, with wilted leaves, burnt edges, and plants…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 28

Your Knock Out roses put on a gorgeous show from spring through early summer, and now, in late…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 28

That shady, wet slope where nothing seems to grow but weeds and mud is actually prime real estate…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 28

Most flowers close up when the sun goes down, but one vine does the opposite, saving its biggest…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 27

Kohlrabi might be the most underrated vegetable in a North Carolina fall garden. It looks unusual, grows relatively…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 27

Stepping outside on a warm July morning and finding no butterflies where there were plenty last week can…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 27

Gardenias are one of those shrubs that reward a little attention before the heat arrives, and one practical…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 27

Most ornamental trees in a North Carolina yard give you one spectacular week and then blend into the…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 27

American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) earns its place in many North Carolina yards with clusters of vivid purple berries…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 27

Most backyard blueberry growers in North Carolina pack away their picking buckets and forget about the bushes until…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 26

Spot a low-growing plant with three rounded leaves taking over a corner of your yard and you may…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 26

Fall broccoli in North Carolina is one of those crops that rewards the gardener who acts at the…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 26

If you have a shady corner where grass just gives up, you are not alone. Lots of North…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 26

A recent lifestyle article made the rounds claiming that North Carolina gardeners have a habit of burying pine…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 26

That small, rust-colored bird bobbing in and out of your porch planter is not being random or reckless.…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 26

August heat can push North Carolina blueberry bushes to the edge of their comfort zone, and many gardeners…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 25

Confederate jasmine fills North Carolina fences and trellises with fragrant white flowers every spring, but this evergreen vine…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 25

A fence gets the job done, but it does not feed a single bee or shade a single…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 25

Some of the best shrubs for a North Carolina yard are the ones you almost never see at…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 25

Most North Carolina homeowners have never heard of American beautyberry, but this native shrub quietly earns its keep…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 25

Plenty of North Carolina yards have a privet hedge running along the fence line, and plenty of homeowners…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 25

Summer sun can turn a nice patio into a hot, unusable spot by early afternoon. The trick most…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 24

Okra shows up in nearly every North Carolina summer garden, and most folks assume it’s all about frying…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 24

Something sticky and black on your tomato leaves or a strange vinegar smell under your maple tree may…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 24

Crispy brown edges creeping across your hydrangea leaves in August are one of the most common and confusing…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 24