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604 Articles
If you live in California, your yard could be doing more than looking pretty. Some common plants act like kindling once the long, dry summer…
By John Miller CA · Sep 5, 2026
Plant Care
Plenty of California homeowners want a vine that fills in a fence quickly, adds some privacy, and does…
By John Miller CA · Sep 5
Plant Care
Those little gaps between your patio pavers are like open doors for weeds. Instead of pulling them out…
By John Miller CA · Sep 5
Plant Care
Most California homeowners with an avocado tree in the yard assume that if the tree is getting water…
By John Miller CA · Sep 5
Plant Care
Crispy brown tips creeping along your avocado leaves in August or September are one of the most frustrating…
By John Miller CA · Sep 5
Plant Care
Spotting a bobcat crouched at the edge of your yard can stop you cold, and the first instinct…
By John Miller CA · Sep 5
Plant Care
Spotting an owl gliding past your fence line after dark is one of those backyard moments that sticks…
By John Miller CA · Sep 4
Plant Care
Bamboo promises a fast green wall, but in California yards it often escapes its bed and marches into…
By John Miller CA · Sep 4
Plant Care
Seeing yellow leaves spread across your tomato plants in August can feel like something has gone badly wrong,…
By John Miller CA · Sep 4
Plant Care
Curling leaves on a backyard citrus tree can send a California homeowner into a panic, especially when early-fall…
By John Miller CA · Sep 4
Plant Care
Lantana is one of the toughest flowering plants you can grow in a California yard, but even heat-loving,…
By John Miller CA · Sep 4
Plant Care
Walking out to your backyard after a brutal California heat wave and finding a carpet of fallen avocado…
By John Miller CA · Sep 4
Plant Care
Gardenias are one of those plants that look perfectly healthy right up until the buds start dropping, and…
By John Miller CA · Sep 3
Plant Care
Rose leaves turning yellow in late summer can send even experienced California gardeners straight to the fertilizer bag…
By John Miller CA · Sep 3
Plant Care
Spotting a striped snake gliding through your garden beds can stop you in your tracks. For many California…
By John Miller CA · Sep 3
Plant Care
Something smaller than a watermelon seed could be quietly threatening your backyard citrus tree right now. The Asian…
By John Miller CA · Sep 3
Plant Care
Wildfire embers can travel more than a mile ahead of a fire and land right next to your…
By John Miller CA · Sep 3
Plant Care
A dark, narrow insect with folded wings and a long pointed head might show up near your porch…
By John Miller CA · Sep 3
Plant Care
Dragon fruit looks like something out of a fantasy novel, but gardeners in mild Southern California have been…
By John Miller CA · Sep 2
Plant Care
That skinny strip of dirt along your fence or the shadowy patch behind a wall is usually where…
By John Miller CA · Sep 2
Plant Care
Lavender is one of the most forgiving plants in a California garden, but even tough plants have a…
By John Miller CA · Sep 2
Plant Care
If you want a yard that survives California’s long dry summers and still feeds bees, birds, and butterflies,…
By John Miller CA · Sep 2
Plant Care
Hydrangeas look amazing on the nursery shelf, all puffy blooms and rich green leaves. But once you get…
By John Miller CA · Sep 2
Plant Care
Plumeria owners across California often notice their plants dropping yellow leaves right around the time fall nights start…
By John Miller CA · Sep 2
Plant Care
Pulling weeds every weekend gets old fast, especially through a long, dry California summer. The good news is…
By John Miller CA · Sep 1
Plant Care
California’s warm valleys and mild coastal pockets can grow tropical fruit trees you will never spot at the…
By John Miller CA · Sep 1
Plant Care
Ground squirrels have a way of appearing in California yards without much warning, and most homeowners are left…
By John Miller CA · Sep 1
Plant Care
California is packed with living plant museums where you can wander through towering trees, drought-tolerant gardens, and beds…
By John Miller CA · Sep 1
Plant Care
If you have a slope in your California yard, you already know the struggle. Weeds move in fast,…
By John Miller CA · Sep 1
Plant Care
If you have ever watched one tiny hummingbird sit guard over your feeder and chase away every other…
By John Miller CA · Sep 1
Plant Care
Late summer in California can feel like the wrong time to plant anything, but a handful of flowers…
By John Miller CA · Aug 31
Plant Care
Roses look gorgeous, but keeping them happy through a long California summer means dragging out the hose again…
By John Miller CA · Aug 31
Plant Care
Every summer, well-meaning California homeowners fill their hummingbird feeders and feel good about helping wildlife. But one easy-to-overlook…
By John Miller CA · Aug 31
Plant Care
Your citrus tree looks fine in August – full canopy, deep green leaves, no obvious signs of trouble.…
By John Miller CA · Aug 31
Plant Care
Tree roots have a way of going wherever they please, and when they slip under the fence into…
By John Miller CA · Aug 31
Plant Care
Spotting a black widow in your California garden can stop you cold, and the fear that follows is…
By John Miller CA · Aug 31
Plant Care
You water it, you fertilize it, and the leaves are as green as ever, yet come harvest time…
By John Miller CA · Aug 30
Plant Care
Plenty of California homeowners discover a tick on themselves or a pet and immediately wonder what they did…
By John Miller CA · Aug 30
Plant Care
Finding a large, dark spider in your California garden or garage can stop you cold, especially when black…
By John Miller CA · Aug 30
Plant Care
Rosemary is one of the most forgiving plants you can grow in a California yard, but a lot…
By John Miller CA · Aug 30
Plant Care
If your California yard eats up water and still looks tired by August, the problem might be that…
By John Miller CA · Aug 30
Plant Care
If you have ever walked into a big box garden center hoping for a hedge that smells amazing…
By John Miller CA · Aug 30
Plant Care
Plenty of California gardeners walk outside one morning and notice that their rosemary looks fine on the outside…
By John Miller CA · Aug 29
Plant Care
Most California homeowners assume the answer is simple: if fruit hangs over your fence, it belongs to whoever…
By John Miller CA · Aug 29
Plant Care
Crape myrtles are one of the most rewarding flowering trees in California yards, putting on a vivid summer…
By John Miller CA · Aug 29
Plant Care
California summers can cook a rose bush right in the ground, and many fancy modern hybrids sulk, scorch,…
By John Miller CA · Aug 29
Plant Care
Bark mulch is one of those yard staples most California homeowners never think twice about, but fire officials…
By John Miller CA · Aug 29
Plant Care
California summers can bake a yard until half your plants look crispy and sad. But a handful of…
By John Miller CA · Aug 29
Plant Care
Step outside on a scorching California afternoon and you might find your stucco wall, wood fence, or garden…
By John Miller CA · Aug 28
Plant Care
Most California homeowners never look up and wonder whether a tree in their yard could start a fire…
By John Miller CA · Aug 28