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

Plenty of California gardeners walk outside one morning and notice that their rosemary looks fine on the outside…

By John Miller CA · Aug 29

Most California homeowners assume the answer is simple: if fruit hangs over your fence, it belongs to whoever…

By John Miller CA · Aug 29

Crape myrtles are one of the most rewarding flowering trees in California yards, putting on a vivid summer…

By John Miller CA · Aug 29

California summers can cook a rose bush right in the ground, and many fancy modern hybrids sulk, scorch,…

By John Miller CA · Aug 29

Bark mulch is one of those yard staples most California homeowners never think twice about, but fire officials…

By John Miller CA · Aug 29

California summers can bake a yard until half your plants look crispy and sad. But a handful of…

By John Miller CA · Aug 29

Step outside on a scorching California afternoon and you might find your stucco wall, wood fence, or garden…

By John Miller CA · Aug 28

Most California homeowners never look up and wonder whether a tree in their yard could start a fire…

By John Miller CA · Aug 28

Most California homeowners assume that planting a hedge on their own side of the fence settles the matter…

By John Miller CA · Aug 28

A bare hillside in California is more than an eyesore. When the long dry summer rolls in, that…

By John Miller CA · Aug 28

Late September heat in California can leave backyard avocado growers staring at a pile of dropped fruit and…

By John Miller CA · Aug 28

Crows landing in your yard by the dozen can stop you mid-coffee and make you wonder what is…

By John Miller CA · Aug 28

Lavender looks lovely, but in a lot of California yards it struggles once the long dry summer settles…

By John Miller CA · Aug 27

Warm California evenings on the patio should feel relaxing, not like a fight with buzzing mosquitoes. The good…

By John Miller CA · Aug 27

Spotting a long, scaly lizard threading its way through your stacked firewood can stop you in your tracks.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 27

A native California shrub called toyon has been catching the attention of homeowners who want year-round greenery along…

By John Miller CA · Aug 27

Southern California homeowners who are planning to swap out their lawns for water-wise landscaping may be eligible for…

By John Miller CA · Aug 27

Plumeria in pots can keep blooming and pushing new leaves well into late summer, but the window to…

By John Miller CA · Aug 27

Finding a rattlesnake coiled near your back steps is enough to stop anyone cold, and in California it…

By John Miller CA · Aug 26

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