In the Garden

Fall Pruning Can Remove Next Spring’s Blueberry Buds, So Check What You Cut and Follow Local Timing

Fall Pruning Can Remove Next Spring’s Blueberry Buds, So Check What You Cut and Follow Local Timing

Those plump little buds on your blueberry branches are next year’s berries in waiting. A tidy-up trim in fall can snip some of them off…

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 4, 2026

These California Shrubs Screen Your Fence Line Fast Without Roots That Lift Concrete or Crack Walls

John Miller CA · Nov 4

Leeks you leave standing in the garden this winter stay sweet when you hill soil around the stems now

Ethan Brooks · Nov 4

California Native Plant Societies Hold Fall Sales Where Rare Natives Cost Less Than Big-Box Nurseries

John Miller CA · Nov 4

From the Garden

Growing notes from every corner of the plot.

Cool Fall Nights May Slow Cucumbers, but Bitter Fruit Has Other Possible Causes

Cool Fall Nights May Slow Cucumbers, but Bitter Fruit Has Other Possible Causes

Your fall cucumber vines were cranking out fruit, and then a cool snap hit. Now the growth has slowed and the cucumbers taste sharp. Cold…

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 4

Is your amaryllis bulb sitting in a pot doing nothing? Here’s how to wake it up for Christmas blooms

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 4

Ragged Holes in Fall Lettuce: Caterpillars or Slugs? How to Tell Before You Treat

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 4

Gray or brittle rosemary and thyme indoors? How to check the plant, the room, and the pot

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 4

These 9 Native Shrubs Keep Birds Fed and Sheltered in Your North Carolina Yard All Winter

By Jasmine Hughes · Nov 4

In Bloom

What's thriving right now.

Agarita in Central Texas: Yellow Winter Blooms Now, Tart Red Berries Later

Texas Gardening

Agarita in Central Texas: Yellow Winter Blooms Now, Tart Red Berries Later

By Ella Brown T

How to Lower the Risk of Leaf Drop When You Move a Potted Citrus Tree Indoors

How to Lower the Risk of Leaf Drop When You Move a Potted Citrus Tree Indoors

By Ethan Brooks

A Cut-Stump Method That Can Help Control Climbing Poison Ivy and Reduce Regrowth

A Cut-Stump Method That Can Help Control Climbing Poison Ivy and Reduce Regrowth

By Jasmine Hughes

Gardener's Selection

The guides worth your time — handpicked by our gardeners.

Subscribe View All

Florida Bougainvillea Winter Color: Bract Loss, Freeze Injury, and Bloom Care

Florida Gardening

Florida Bougainvillea Winter Color: Bract Loss, Freeze Injury, and Bloom Care

By Aria Moore F

Leave the Brush Pile in Your Central Texas Yard and Box Turtles Will Spend the Winter Safely

Texas Gardening

Leave the Brush Pile in Your Central Texas Yard and Box Turtles Will Spend the Winter Safely

By Ella Brown T

Skip the Crape Myrtle: These 8 Florida Natives Line Your Driveway and Fence With Less Work

Florida Gardening

Skip the Crape Myrtle: These 8 Florida Natives Line Your Driveway and Fence With Less Work

By Aria Moore F

Snipping your lemongrass to the ground before frost and potting one clump saves it for next spring

Snipping your lemongrass to the ground before frost and potting one clump saves it for next spring

By Ethan Brooks

These Winter Birds Showing Up at Your Florida Feeder Prove Your Yard Is Built Right

Plant of the Week

Florida Gardening

These Winter Birds Showing Up at Your Florida Feeder Prove Your Yard Is Built Right

A busy feeder can tell you more about your yard than a perfect lawn ever will. Florida’s winter birds look for food, fresh water, and...

By Aria Moore F · Nov 3, 2026

The Potting Shed

Western Toads Under California Pots May Eat Snails, But They Won’t Guard Your Winter Greens

Western Toads Under California Pots May Eat Snails, But They Won’t Guard Your Winter Greens

Florida Gardening

Cut Back Your Tropical Milkweed This Fall and Florida Monarchs Stay Healthier Through Winter

Florida Gardening

Florida HOA Yard Rules Are Shifting, and These 8 Natives Keep Your Lawn Ahead of the Change

Lacewings May Overwinter in Your California Garden, So Think Twice Before a Routine Fall Spray on Roses

Lacewings May Overwinter in Your California Garden, So Think Twice Before a Routine Fall Spray on Roses

Brown, Crispy Peace Lily Tips: Could Your Water Be a Hidden Factor?

Spotted Lanternfly Egg Masses: The Cold-Season Scrape Method Recommended for North Carolina Quarantined Areas

Possumhaw Holly in Central Texas: A Native Shrub That May Bring Red or Orange Winter Berries

Texas Gardening

Possumhaw Holly in Central Texas: A Native Shrub That May Bring Red or Orange Winter Berries

Should You Prune Geraniums Before Bringing Them Inside? What the Extension Guides Say

Mature cabbage heads can split when heavy rain follows a dry spell

Do This For Your California Gardenias Before Winter Rains Hit Or Next Spring’s Blooms Pay the Price

Do This For Your California Gardenias Before Winter Rains Hit Or Next Spring’s Blooms Pay the Price

Why your potted geraniums stretch leggy and flower less once they come indoors for winter

Meyer Lemon Leaf Drop After Moving Indoors in North Carolina: Ways to Reduce Stress

Coralberry Under Central Texas Trees: A Possible Winter Berry Source for Birds, If Your Site Fits

Texas Gardening

Coralberry Under Central Texas Trees: A Possible Winter Berry Source for Birds, If Your Site Fits

These Cool-Season Vegetables Still Go In Now and Sweeten Up in Your California Garden as Nights Turn Colder

Keep Mulch Off Pansy Crowns in Texas and Florida Beds: Planting Depth, Moisture, and Wilting Plants

Field Notes

Lower or outer leaves are a smart way to harvest collards again and again

Lower or outer leaves are a smart way to harvest collards again and again

Collards are a fall and winter favorite across the South, and a few good picking habits can keep them coming...

By Ethan Brooks on Nov 3

Skip Burning Bush in Your North Carolina Yard and Plant This Native That Turns Brighter Red Every Fall

Skip Burning Bush in Your North Carolina Yard and Plant This Native That Turns Brighter Red Every Fall

Burning bush earns its spot in many North Carolina yards for one reason: that glowing red in autumn. But the...

By Jasmine Hughes on Nov 3

Firebush Gives Florida Yards Months of Fiery Orange Blooms

Florida Gardening

Firebush Gives Florida Yards Months of Fiery Orange Blooms

Few shrubs can handle a sunny Florida yard with sandy soil and still put on a show for months. Firebush...

By Aria Moore F on Nov 3

These California Wildflowers Bloom Right in Heavy Clay Soil, No Bags of Amendments Needed

These California Wildflowers Bloom Right in Heavy Clay Soil, No Bags of Amendments Needed

If your shovel bounces off rock-hard ground every summer and turns into sticky glue every winter, you probably have clay...

By John Miller CA on Nov 3

How to Protect Your Texas Citrus Tree and Reduce Freeze Risk Before a Hard Freeze

Texas Gardening

How to Protect Your Texas Citrus Tree and Reduce Freeze Risk Before a Hard Freeze

A lemon, satsuma, or orange tree can take years to bring into fruit, and one hard freeze can undo that...

By Ella Brown T on Nov 3

Hard frost is coming, so dig your sweet potatoes this week or the tubers rot in the ground

Hard frost is coming, so dig your sweet potatoes this week or the tubers rot in the ground

Sweet potatoes grow out of sight, so it is hard to know when cold weather starts to matter. Frost can...

By Ethan Brooks on Nov 3