Plant Care

Most California homeowners never expect a neighbor to show up complaining about falling leaves from a backyard tree.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 26

California native trees do amazing things for your yard. They shade your home, save water during dry summers,…

By John Miller CA · Aug 26

A walkway lined with lush-looking plants makes any California home feel high-end, but the water bill behind that…

By John Miller CA · Aug 26

Living on a California hillside means thinking about fire every single summer, and the first five feet around…

By John Miller CA · Aug 26

Step outside on a warm August afternoon in California and you might find your rose bush or vegetable…

By John Miller CA · Aug 26

California pays homeowners to swap thirsty grass for water-wise plants, but the list of what actually qualifies is…

By John Miller CA · Aug 25

California summers are long, hot, and dry, and bare soil bakes like a sidewalk in July. The good…

By John Miller CA · Aug 25

Many California homeowners have stood in their backyard staring at a neighbor’s tree branches creeping over the fence,…

By John Miller CA · Aug 25

Your wood fence might look solid and harmless, but where it touches your house could be one of…

By John Miller CA · Aug 25

August in California can bring a surprise: your yard suddenly buzzing with more hummingbirds than you have seen…

By John Miller CA · Aug 25

A thirsty green lawn can drink more water in a California summer than almost anything else in your…

By John Miller CA · Aug 25

Most California backyard gardeners chase the same short list of fruit trees, planting citrus, stone fruit, or avocado…

By John Miller CA · Aug 24

If your patio faces west, you already know the pain of watching plant after plant crisp up by…

By John Miller CA · Aug 24

If you have ivy climbing your walls or spreading across the ground right up to your house, fire…

By John Miller CA · Aug 24

A familiar groundcover with thick, succulent leaves and bright flowers has been showing up on restricted and prohibited…

By John Miller CA · Aug 24

Late summer in California can push daytime temperatures well past 100 degrees for days at a stretch, and…

By John Miller CA · Aug 24

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