Complete Gardening

Plant of the Week

What It Really Means When Hummingbirds Keep Chasing Each Other Off Your California Feeder, and How to Give Them Peace

If you have ever watched one tiny hummingbird sit guard over your feeder and chase away every other bird that dares to approach, you are...

By John Miller CA · Sep 1, 2026

Field Notes

What To Do With Your Central Texas Fig Tree Now So It Keeps Setting Fruit Through the Late-Summer Heat

Your Geraniums Stall in the Late-Summer Heat – Here’s the One Reset That Brings the Blooms Back

When Cold Soil May Have Set Your Tomatoes Back – A Diagnostic Guide for Southern Gardeners

What It Really Means When Ground Squirrels Move Into Your California Yard, and the Useful Thing They Quietly Do

From the Garden

Your Christmas Cactus Leaves Turn Purple Instead of Green – Here’s What the Stress Is Telling You to Fix

Why North Carolina Tomato Plants Suddenly Stop Setting Fruit When Late-Summer Heat Won’t Let Up

The One Trick That Keeps a Potted Lavender Thriving Through the Central Texas Heat Instead of Slowly Dying

The Best California Arboretums Worth Driving Out to for a Weekend, and What Makes Each One Special

Your Clematis Grows Lush Vines but Won’t Flower – Here’s the One Hidden Mistake Behind It

In Bloom

Your Cucumber Flowers Bloom but You’re Not Sure They’re Setting Fruit – Here’s How to Tell If They Got Pollinated

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Must Prune in September or Next Spring’s Blooms Won’t Show Up

7 Roses That Keep Blooming Through Florida Heat Instead of Melting by August

Gardener's Selection

The California Groundcovers That Choke Out Slope Weeds and Spread on Their Own Without Any Help

Do This to Your Central Texas Bougainvillea Now So It Keeps Exploding With Color Through the Fall Heat

Your Hummingbirds Vanished and It’s Not the Nectar – Here Are the Yard Spots Quietly Scaring Them Off

Your Tomatoes and Cucumbers Slow Their Yields Late in the Season — Here’s the One Feeding Change That Doubles the Harvest

What It Really Means When Hummingbirds Keep Chasing Each Other Off Your California Feeder, and How to Give Them Peace

The Potting Shed

The 12 Nectar Swaps That Draw Hummingbirds In and 6 Mixes That Quietly Drive Them Off

Skip Annual Impatiens in Your Shady North Carolina Beds and Plant This Native Perennial That Comes Back Stronger Every Year

The Forgotten Texas Herb That Thrives in Triple-Digit Heat When Basil Gives Up

Your Peace Lily Leaves Turn Black Instead of the Usual Brown – Here’s What the Roots Are Telling You to Fix

What North Carolina Gardeners Do To Get Basil That Keeps Producing Long After the Summer Heat Tries To Bolt It

Simple Yard Habits That Pull Dragonflies Over Your Central Texas Garden All Summer Long

Something Keeps Digging Up Your Beds and Nibbling Bulbs – Here’s the Scent Strategy That May Reduce Squirrel and Chipmunk Visits

Your Petunias Turn Wilted, Thin, and Tired by Late Summer — Here’s the One Reset That Brings Them Back Full

What North Carolina Gardeners Should Do The Moment They Spot A Baby Fox Curled Up In The Yard

The Silvery Texas Native Shrub That Bursts Into Purple Bloom Right After a Late-Summer Rain

Your Petunias Bloom Less and Less as Summer Winds Down – Here’s the One Mistake Quietly Behind It

7 Florida Native Shrubs Neighbors Are Quietly Planting Along Property Lines to Cool the Whole Yard Down

7 Florida Native Shrubs That Keep Blooming Right Through Fall While Plumeria Quits Early

Your Hollyhocks Grow Short and Sparse – Here’s the One Planting Choice That Builds Those Tall Towers

The California Flowers That Actually Thrive When You Plant Them Into Late-Summer Heat, and Bloom Fast

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

7 Florida Yard Features That Bring Eastern Bluebirds Back Year After Year Without a Feeder

The Native North Carolina Fruit Trees That Keep Feeding Your Family Decades After a Single Planting

Catnip and Mosquitoes: What the Oil Research Really Means for Your Florida Porch

The Tough Texas Plant That Shrugs Off One-Day-a-Week Watering Under Stage 2 Restrictions

7 Florida Native Plants You Can Set Out This September for a Yard That Comes Alive This Fall

Your Zucchini Suddenly Wilts and Collapses in the Late-Summer Heat – Here’s a Key Cause to Check and How to Respond