Complete Gardening

Plant of the Week

Your Basil Bolts to Flower in July – It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Harvest Cut You’re Skipping

Basil is one of summer’s most rewarding herbs until the day you walk outside and find it covered in flower spikes instead of the lush,...

By Ethan Brooks · Jul 20, 2026

Field Notes

Florida Perennials for Pots That Keep Coming Back Year After Year Without the Fuss

Before You Chase Off Every Chipmunk, a Few of Them May Be Quietly Working for Your Garden

The 7 Rat-Repelling Flowers Florida Gardeners Are Planting Before Roof Rats Settle In for Good

Native Florida Trees That Replace a Silent Podocarpus Hedge With One That’s Loud With Wildlife

From the Garden

The Native Texas Plants That Should Replace Every Crape Myrtle Along Your Fence Line

The Only Pink Perennials Worth Making Room For in Florida’s Hot, Humid Summers

Your Marigolds and Roses Look Chewed to Nubs – Japanese Beetles May Be Signaling One Bigger Problem

If Your Fall Cabbage and Broccoli Aren’t Started Yet, August Is the Window You Can’t Miss

Late July Is a Squash-Bug Scouting Checkpoint, Not a Guaranteed Second Wave

In Bloom

Your Tomatoes Rot Black on the Bottom – It’s Not a Disease, It’s How You’re Watering

Your Carrots Come Up Short and Forked – It’s Probably Not Bad Seed, It’s the Soil You Sowed Into

Your Squash Leaves Are Wilting and Speckled – Squash Bug Eggs Under the Leaves May Be an Early Warning Sign

Gardener's Selection

If Your Blueberry Leaves Are Turning Red in Summer, It’s Not Necessarily Fall Color – Your Soil May Need Investigating

The One Native Florida Plant That Brings Luna Moths Back to Your Backyard

The Texas Flowering Plants Whose Nectar Adult Fireflies Actually Come Back to Feed On

Your Zucchini Suddenly Stops Producing in Late July – It’s Not Done, It’s the Fruit You Left On

Your Basil Bolts to Flower in July – It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Harvest Cut You’re Skipping

The Potting Shed

Heat-Loving Texas Vines That Blanket a Pergola Without Ever Arguing With the July Sun

Your Rose and Bean Leaves Turned to Lace Seemingly Overnight – Japanese Beetles Often Cluster in July

If Your Squash Leaves Turn Powdery White in Late Summer, This One Airflow Fix Slows It Down

How to Grow Plumeria in Pots in Texas for a Summer Full of Tropical Blooms

If Your Marigolds Get Leggy and Stop Blooming, This One Deadheading Habit Brings Them Back Fast

The Texas Flowers That Keep Blooming Through a Heatwave Even When You Never Water Them

If Weeds Keep Creeping Back Into Your Beds, This One Groundcover Smothers Them and Looks Good Doing It

If Your Zucchini Flowers but Never Sets Fruit, Poor Pollination May Be the First Thing to Check

7 Heat-Loving Fruits That Actually Taste Better Because of the Texas Summer

Your Pepper Plants Keep Dropping Their Blossoms – Hot Days and Warm Nights May Both Be to Blame

The 8 Native Florida Plants That Cover The Ground Better Than Mulch And Look Designed

The Florida-Friendly Plant That Shrugs Off Full Sun and Still Looks Fresh When Everything Else Wilts

Your Hosta Leaves Are Full of Holes Overnight – It’s Probably Not Slugs, It’s This Nighttime Feeder

How Florida Gardeners Prune Basil in the Heat So It Keeps Coming Back Fuller

The Shade Tree Florida Neighborhoods Are Quietly Adding For Real Cooling Without The Mess

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

The Native Florida Plants Quietly Retiring Liriope Borders Because They Look Better and Skip the Hose

Your Squash Vines Wilt and Collapse Overnight – It’s Not the Heat, It’s a Borer Inside the Stem

Your Hydrangeas Wilt Every Afternoon – It May Not Be Thirst, It May Be the Roots

Before You Spray Every Aphid, a Few of Them May Be Recruiting the Bugs That Save Your Garden

Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Yellow Overnight – Here’s the One Nutrient They’re Quietly Starving For

Your Tomato Plants Are All Leaves and No Fruit — Here’s the Shift That Finally Sets the Harvest