In the Garden

Fig leaves turning yellow and dropping in November is normal, but leftover fruit left hanging spreads rot next year

Fig leaves turning yellow and dropping in November is normal, but leftover fruit left hanging spreads rot next year

Your fig tree is dropping yellow leaves, and the branches still hold a few forgotten figs. Is that a normal fall chore or a warning…

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 1, 2026

Thin, Yellow Garlic Shoots in November? Check Planting Depth Before You Change Anything

Ethan Brooks · Nov 1

What North Carolina Gardenias Need Before Winter: A Practical Pre-Freeze Plan

Jasmine Hughes · Nov 1

Seed Libraries Across California Hand Out Free Native Seeds, and Here’s Where to Find One Near You

John Miller CA · Nov 1

From the Garden

Growing notes from every corner of the plot.

Keep Mulch Off Hosta Crowns This Fall to Lower Disease Risk

Keep Mulch Off Hosta Crowns This Fall to Lower Disease Risk

Mulch looks tidy around hostas, but the spot where the leaves meet the soil can stay damp when mulch and soggy leaves pile on top.…

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 1

Texas Gardening

The Texas Native Plants That Bounce Back Fastest Once the Brutal Summer Heat Finally Breaks

By Ella Brown T · Nov 1

Prune These 7 Plants in November and Your North Carolina Garden Wakes Up Ahead Next Spring

By Jasmine Hughes · Nov 1

Check Rosemary for Waterlogged Soil Before California’s Winter Rain

By John Miller CA · Nov 1

Texas Gardening

Sheltered Spots Near Central Texas Homes Where Brown Recluses May Hide

By Ella Brown T · Nov 1

In Bloom

What's thriving right now.

Why a Potted Tomato Stalls in the Garage: Darkness, Cold, or Both?

Why a Potted Tomato Stalls in the Garage: Darkness, Cold, or Both?

By Ethan Brooks

Wild Coffee for Florida Shade: A Native Shrub Whose Red Fruit May Attract Birds

Florida Gardening

Wild Coffee for Florida Shade: A Native Shrub Whose Red Fruit May Attract Birds

By Aria Moore F

What To Do When Your Potted California Avocado Droops Every Afternoon Even After Watering

What To Do When Your Potted California Avocado Droops Every Afternoon Even After Watering

By John Miller CA

Gardener's Selection

The guides worth your time — handpicked by our gardeners.

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Your fig cuttings taken after the leaves drop root all winter in a bucket of damp sand

Your fig cuttings taken after the leaves drop root all winter in a bucket of damp sand

By Ethan Brooks

Drain your garden hose and sprinkler before freezing temperatures reach your yard

Drain your garden hose and sprinkler before freezing temperatures reach your yard

By Ethan Brooks

Hardy Cyclamen for North Carolina Shade: Fall Flowers and Winter Leaves Under the Trees

Hardy Cyclamen for North Carolina Shade: Fall Flowers and Winter Leaves Under the Trees

By Jasmine Hughes

How to Tell When Your California Oranges and Mandarins Are Ready to Pick

How to Tell When Your California Oranges and Mandarins Are Ready to Pick

By John Miller CA

Sweet Autumn Clematis: The Fragrant Fall Vine Texas Gardeners Can Try on a Fence or Pergola

Plant of the Week

Texas Gardening

Sweet Autumn Clematis: The Fragrant Fall Vine Texas Gardeners Can Try on a Fence or Pergola

Picture a fence or pergola draped in foamy white flowers right when the garden usually starts to fade. One vine, sweet autumn clematis, is known...

By Ella Brown T · Nov 1, 2026

The Potting Shed

Moving your potted fig into the garage too early wakes it up, and the new growth freezes later

Moving your potted fig into the garage too early wakes it up, and the new growth freezes later

These 7 Flowers Keep Blooming in North Carolina Backyards for 20 Years Without Replanting

Texas Gardening

The Smells Quietly Pulling Coyotes Into Your Central Texas Yard Once Fall Arrives

Cold Exposure Can Stress Poinsettias on the Ride Home, So Sleeve Yours Before You Leave the Store

Cold Exposure Can Stress Poinsettias on the Ride Home, So Sleeve Yours Before You Leave the Store

Why Compost May Not Fix Soggy Clay in Some North Carolina Yards, and How to Assess the Site

Texas Gardening

Where Central Texas Gardeners Load Up on Free Mulch Before the First Freeze Hits

Hard frost turns your fall spinach to mush overnight unless you throw a sheet over the bed before dark

Hard frost turns your fall spinach to mush overnight unless you throw a sheet over the bed before dark

How to Turn a Snake Plant Offset Into a New Plant

One Soaking Fall Rain May Not Fully Relieve Drought Stress for North Carolina Trees and Shrubs

The Rose Tasks Texas Gardeners Finish in November to Protect Next Spring’s Blooms

Texas Gardening

The Rose Tasks Texas Gardeners Finish in November to Protect Next Spring’s Blooms

Never plant these 12 neighbors next to next year’s tomatoes, or your harvest comes up nearly empty

Florida Gardening

Hummingbirds Spend the Winter in Florida, and These 7 Native Plants Keep Them Feeding Until Spring

Florida-Friendly Landscaping in an HOA: What the Law Protects and How to Ask

Florida Gardening

Florida-Friendly Landscaping in an HOA: What the Law Protects and How to Ask

Can a banana peel really make potted peppers flower and fruit more?

How Leaving Some Seed Heads Standing May Offer Lesser Goldfinches Winter Food in Your California Yard

Field Notes

Why No-See-Ums Swarm Your Florida Patio While the Yard Next Door Stays Bite-Free

Florida Gardening

Why No-See-Ums Swarm Your Florida Patio While the Yard Next Door Stays Bite-Free

You sit down on the patio at dusk, and within minutes your ankles are itching. Next door, the neighbors are...

By Aria Moore F on Oct 31

Curled Citrus Leaves in a California Fall: Check the Soil and Weather Before You Water

Curled Citrus Leaves in a California Fall: Check the Soil and Weather Before You Water

Curled citrus leaves make a lot of gardeners reach for the hose. But curl can come from thirst, a freeze,...

By John Miller CA on Oct 31

Those Christmas Cactus Pieces That Snap Off Are a Free New Plant for Your North Carolina Windowsill

Those Christmas Cactus Pieces That Snap Off Are a Free New Plant for Your North Carolina Windowsill

A holiday cactus branch snaps off the plant, and most of us toss it in the trash. That broken piece...

By Jasmine Hughes on Oct 31

Your Florida Tomatoes Go in the Ground Now, and These 7 Varieties Handle Fall Heat Best

Florida Gardening

Your Florida Tomatoes Go in the Ground Now, and These 7 Varieties Handle Fall Heat Best

Florida’s fall tomato season starts while the garden still feels like summer. The trick is choosing varieties that can handle...

By Aria Moore F on Oct 31

Texas Bigtooth Maple: A Hill Country Fall Color Standout for Texas Yards

Texas Gardening

Texas Bigtooth Maple: A Hill Country Fall Color Standout for Texas Yards

Most Texas yards go from green to brown with barely a pause for color. One native tree can break that...

By Ella Brown T on Oct 31

8 Florida Natives That Fill Bare Patches Under Your Oak Trees Where Grass Gave Up

Florida Gardening

8 Florida Natives That Fill Bare Patches Under Your Oak Trees Where Grass Gave Up

That bare patch under your oak may need a different plant, not another bag of grass seed. Oak roots take...

By Aria Moore F on Oct 31