Jasmine Hughes

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

Every summer, North Carolina gardeners watch their squash plants collapse almost overnight, and a small moth larva tunneling…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 14

Fire ants have been quietly building their colonies across much of North Carolina, and the mound you do…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 14

Late summer in North Carolina is brutal on vegetable gardens, with temperatures staying high well into September across…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 13

Fall collard season in North Carolina is one of those satisfying stretches when the garden finally cools down…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 13

Spotting a large, bristly fly hovering around your tomatoes or pepper plants can catch any gardener off guard.…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 13

Planting garlic in the fall sets the stage for everything you pull out of the ground next summer,…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 13

North Carolina summers bring pop-up thunderstorms that can turn a pretty garden path into a soggy mess in…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 13

Watch a hummingbird feeder long enough in a North Carolina yard and you will almost certainly see one…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 13

That narrow strip of ground between the sidewalk and the street looks harmless enough, but it might be…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 12

Gladiolus put on one of the most dramatic flower shows a North Carolina garden can offer, but keeping…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 12

If you’ve heard that one native grass can single-handedly keep fleas out of your backyard, the truth is…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 12

Bare mulch between flagstone looks tidy for about a month, then weeds move in and you are back…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 12

Planting a fig tree too close to your house is one of those mistakes that looks harmless at…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 12

Finding a tunnel beneath your mulch bed can make you wonder what is living down there and whether…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 12