Jasmine Hughes

Rock mulch might look tidy, but it soaks up summer heat and cooks the soil right next to…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 22

Azaleas are gorgeous in spring, but plant them where the afternoon sun pounds down and they scorch by…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 22

That glossy shrub lining your North Carolina foundation might look tidy, but if it is a fruiting nandina,…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 22

Fig trees in North Carolina can grow into a tangled thicket fast, especially after a mild winter, and…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 21

Every spring, neighborhoods across North Carolina light up with clouds of white blossoms from Bradford pear trees, but…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 21

Most bed-edge plants in North Carolina look great in a nursery pot and fall apart by August, flattened…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 21

Growing more than one vegetable type in the same bed is a trick many North Carolina gardeners swear…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 21

Every fall, North Carolina gardeners watch the calendar with one eye and their tomato vines with the other,…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 21

Dry fall weather sneaks up on container gardeners across North Carolina, leaving pots parched faster than expected. A…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 21

Cilantro might be the most overlooked herb for a North Carolina fall garden, yet it is one of…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 20

Mailbox beds are easy to overlook, but a well-chosen planting can turn that strip of roadside dirt into…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 20

Coneflowers are supposed to be tough, cheerful, and nearly impossible to kill in a North Carolina yard. Yet…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 20

Most North Carolina gardeners spend October pulling spent plants and putting tools away, but one quiet task often…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 20

Every fall, North Carolina homeowners start noticing more wasp activity around their eaves, and many wonder if something…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 20

Knockout roses are the workhorses of North Carolina yards, blooming from spring through fall with almost no fuss.…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 20

If your shady fence line has been host to struggling boxwoods, you might be wondering whether there is…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 19

Tucked into the edges of North Carolina woodlands, sourwood is a native tree that earns its place twice…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 19

A native shrub called American beautyberry has been getting attention from North Carolina homeowners who want a natural…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 19

Small holes appearing near garden beds this fall have some North Carolina homeowners wondering whether chipmunks are to…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 19

Every fall, North Carolina homeowners start noticing a lot more yellowjackets buzzing around picnic tables, garbage cans, and…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 19

Purple coneflowers are one of the easiest perennials to grow in North Carolina, and many gardeners want more…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 19

Ornamental alliums are one of those plants that look effortless in a neighbor’s yard but frustrating in your…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 18

Walk past your shrubs before you grab the pruning shears this fall, and you might spot something that…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 18

Spotted lanternfly egg masses can show up on fence posts, firewood, and dozens of other outdoor surfaces, not…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 18

A fast-spreading invasive insect called the spotted lanternfly has found a foothold in North Carolina, and one invasive…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 18

A video or social post claiming that a single opossum eats thousands of ticks every week sounds like…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 18

Something is chewing through your North Carolina garden beds, and the damage gets worse every fall. Small tunnels,…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 18

Eastern box turtles are a familiar sight in North Carolina yards, and most people who spot one want…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 17

Eastern Screech-Owls are small, year-round North Carolina residents that hunt at night and nest inside tree cavities. Putting…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 17

On a mild October afternoon in North Carolina, a copperhead might be the last thing on your mind…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 17

Hearing a coyote howl outside your window on a fall night can stop you cold, especially when it…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 17

That bare slope in your yard, the one that washes out every time it rains, can turn into…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 17

A sunny, rocky slope in a North Carolina yard can be one of the hardest spots to plant.…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 17

Eastern Bluebirds are one of North Carolina’s most beloved backyard visitors, and many homeowners are surprised to learn…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 16

A shrub covered in bright purple berries might be the most underappreciated plant in a North Carolina yard.…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 16

If you have noticed small lizards perching on your potted plants or darting along porch railings lately, you…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 16

Fall is a great time to divide perennials and renovate garden beds, but it comes with a small…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 16

A weedy tree growing along your fence line or the edge of your driveway might be the first…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 16

Spotted lanternfly egg masses are showing up on tree bark, fences, and outdoor gear across parts of North…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 16

Something colorful and unwelcome may be clinging to your backyard grapevines right now, and it is not a…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 15

Rows of Leyland cypress once promised fast, thick privacy along North Carolina property lines, but many of those…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 15

An invasive insect that first made headlines in Pennsylvania has now put down roots in parts of North…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 15

Finding a box turtle tucked into your garden bed feels like a sign that you are doing something…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 15

A colorful but destructive insect called the spotted lanternfly has been turning up in North Carolina yards, and…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 15

A row of crape myrtles looks tidy and promising the day you plant it, but give those trees…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 15

Walk under a Southern magnolia in late summer and you might spot something that looks almost alien: a…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 14

A dry summer can leave your perennial bed looking ragged, but the plants you wrote off might not…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 14

Pine straw is one of the most popular mulches in North Carolina, but a thin or uneven layer…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 14

Summer heat in North Carolina hits fast, and a porch pot full of flowers or herbs can go…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 14