Why Stored Garlic and Onions Sprout or Soften: Is Your Warm Counter a Factor?
You pulled a beautiful harvest of garlic and onions from the garden, and now some bulbs are sprouting or feeling soft. It is a frustrating…
By Ethan Brooks · Nov 2, 2026
In the Garden
When North Carolina Gardeners Should Really Fill the Bird Feeders for Winter, and Why Early Matters
Jasmine Hughes · Nov 2
Could Tarantulas Prey on Scorpions? What One Mexico Study Means for Central Texas Yards
Ella Brown T · Nov 2
When Garlic Needs Straw Cover to Stop Freeze-Thaw Heaving
Ethan Brooks · Nov 2
From the Garden
Crimson Clover as a Winter Cover Crop for Southern Vegetable Beds
An empty garden bed in winter can turn into a patch of weeds before you know it. Crimson clover is one cover crop that Southern…
By Ethan Brooks · Nov 2
Forsythia Suits Dormant Hardwood Cuttings in North Carolina, but Timing and Care Shape Success
By Jasmine Hughes · Nov 2
This Texas Border Plant Keeps Squirrels Out of Your Central Texas Beds All Fall and Winter
By Ella Brown T · Nov 2
Leaving your tomato cages and stakes out all winter carries blight spores straight into next year’s plants, so scrub them now
By Ethan Brooks · Nov 2
Butterflies Keep Flying Through Florida Winters, and These 7 Native Plants Keep Them Fed
By Aria Moore F · Nov 2
In Bloom
What's thriving right now.
Swap Your Florida Pampas Grass for These 7 Native Grasses That Never Turn Invasive
By Aria Moore F
Blue Plumbago Brings Recurring Blue Blooms to Florida Yards With a Relaxed, Romantic Feel
By Aria Moore F
Barn Owls and Gophers in California Yards: What a Nest Box Can and Cannot Do
Why Are My Potted Mums Turning Brown? Check the Soil Before You Water
By Ethan Brooks
Plant of the Week
Some California Dragonflies Show Up in Fall, but They Are Not a Mosquito-Control Plan
Dragonflies zipping over a California yard in autumn feel like a gift, and it is tempting to believe they are cleaning up the mosquitoes for...
By John Miller CA · Nov 1, 2026
Read MoreThe Potting Shed
Field Notes
Hardy Cyclamen for North Carolina Shade: Fall Flowers and Winter Leaves Under the Trees
Under the bare edge of a tree canopy, a small plant can add pink or white blooms and silver-marbled leaves...
By Jasmine Hughes on Nov 1
How to Tell When Your California Oranges and Mandarins Are Ready to Pick
Few things disappoint like biting into a homegrown orange that is sharp and sour. Many gardeners hear that one November...
By John Miller CA on Nov 1
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,...
By Ella Brown T on Nov 1
Moving your potted fig into the garage too early wakes it up, and the new growth freezes later
You carry your potted fig into the garage to keep it safe, then a warm spell hits and tiny green...
By Ethan Brooks on Nov 1
These 7 Flowers Keep Blooming in North Carolina Backyards for 20 Years Without Replanting
Some flowers fade after a season or two, but a few tough plants come back every spring for decades. In...
By Jasmine Hughes on Nov 1
The Smells Quietly Pulling Coyotes Into Your Central Texas Yard Once Fall Arrives
When the first cool front rolls through Central Texas, coyotes start moving more, and their noses lead the way. Young...
By Ella Brown T on Nov 1