John Miller CA

A bare fence can make even a nice California yard feel unfinished, and plenty of homeowners want it…

By John Miller CA · Aug 24

A familiar street tree is disappearing from some California neighborhoods, and most homeowners have no idea why. American…

By John Miller CA · Aug 23

Late summer in California feels endless, with warm days that seem to stretch on forever. But the calendar…

By John Miller CA · Aug 23

A thick, spreading groundcover that blankets coastal slopes in bright magenta flowers sounds like a landscaping win, but…

By John Miller CA · Aug 23

Blueberry plants are one of those backyard crops that reward you for paying attention to them at the…

By John Miller CA · Aug 23

Plumeria is one of the most rewarding plants you can grow in California, filling late summer and early…

By John Miller CA · Aug 23

A silvery Mediterranean shrub called bush germander has been catching the attention of California gardeners who want something…

By John Miller CA · Aug 23

A neighbor mentions your trumpet vine is “illegal,” or a social-media post claims your yard plant could cost…

By John Miller CA · Aug 22

Finding fresh holes, mounds, or rolled-up turf in your yard is frustrating, and grabbing a live trap feels…

By John Miller CA · Aug 22

Plumeria can put on a spectacular show of fragrant blooms through a California summer, and late August often…

By John Miller CA · Aug 22

Gophers can turn a beautiful California yard into a lumpy mess of dirt mounds and chewed-up roots overnight.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 22

California toads are a native part of many backyard ecosystems, and homeowners who share their yards with these…

By John Miller CA · Aug 22

August in California can feel like the sun turned up the dial and forgot to turn it back…

By John Miller CA · Aug 22

Somewhere on your rose canes right now, a tiny insect larva may be hunting the aphids you have…

By John Miller CA · Aug 21

Spotting a flash of blue and rusty orange in your California yard can stop you in your tracks.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 21

Walk through any California garden center and you’ll likely spot rosemary near the herb display, often with a…

By John Miller CA · Aug 21

Weeds love bare soil, and every open patch in your yard is basically an invitation for them to…

By John Miller CA · Aug 21

If you live in a fire-prone part of California, the first five feet around your home matter more…

By John Miller CA · Aug 21

When California fuchsia starts winding down in fall, hummingbirds in your yard may have fewer natural nectar sources…

By John Miller CA · Aug 21

That worn-out dirt path across your yard doesn’t have to stay bare and dusty. There are tough little…

By John Miller CA · Aug 20

Spotting a barn owl nesting in your California yard feels like something out of a nature documentary, and…

By John Miller CA · Aug 20

Plenty of California homeowners have heard that planting the right shrubs around their foundation will send rats packing,…

By John Miller CA · Aug 20

Gardenias have a way of looking perfectly healthy right up until the buds hit the ground. In California,…

By John Miller CA · Aug 20

If you have ever hunted for a real California native plant at a big-box garden center, you already…

By John Miller CA · Aug 20

Pull back a rock or dig into a garden bed in California, and you might come face to…

By John Miller CA · Aug 20

A silvery-leaved herb has been making the rounds online as a secret weapon against roof rats, and the…

By John Miller CA · Aug 19

Summer in California brings long, dry days and the occasional heat wave, and many homeowners start noticing spiders…

By John Miller CA · Aug 19

Spotting a coyote trotting through your California backyard can stop you cold, and the first instinct for many…

By John Miller CA · Aug 19

Rosemary is one of the most popular plants in California gardens, and for good reason. It smells great,…

By John Miller CA · Aug 19

Most California gardeners who spot a long-legged, sharp-beaked bug stalking their tomato plants reach for a shoe first…

By John Miller CA · Aug 19

Growing a water-wise, wildlife-friendly yard in California starts with the right seeds, and you might be surprised that…

By John Miller CA · Aug 19

A small lizard with coppery stripes and a flash of blue tail may be slipping through your garden…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

Spotting a thick-bodied, rough-scaled lizard working its way along your fence line can stop you mid-watering. Alligator lizards…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

California quail are one of the most recognizable birds in the state, with their bobbing topknot feathers and…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

Most California homeowners grab a broom the moment they spot a large circular web stretched between the fence…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

Spotting a large snake gliding through your California garden can stop you cold, especially if it looks a…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

Step outside on a warm California evening and you might spot a small, sticky-toed frog clinging to your…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

Most California homeowners know the western fence lizard, that bold little reptile doing push-ups on every sun-baked wall…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Spotting a small covey of California quail picking across your yard on a hot July morning is genuinely…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Dragonflies are one of the more satisfying things to watch in a California yard, and they do eat…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Most California homeowners who spot a large, patterned snake in the yard reach for a shovel without a…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Barn owls are one of California’s most effective natural hunters of small rodents, and a well-placed nest box…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

A small brown bird scratching quietly under your backyard shrubs might be doing more than looking for lunch.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Spot a small, quick spider darting across your tomato leaves or crouching on a sun-warmed garden wall, and…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Mosquitoes are a real problem in California yards, and it makes sense to want nature’s help dealing with…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Barn owls are one of California’s most effective nocturnal hunters, quietly patrolling open fields and vineyard edges in…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Finding a California quail nest tucked into a corner of your yard this summer is one of those…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Somewhere in a California backyard right now, a southern alligator lizard is working its way through the leaf…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Western fence lizards are a familiar sight on California fences, garden walls, and sun-warmed rocks, and there is…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16