In the Garden

If your kale leaves are riddled with tiny holes this November, cabbage worms are still feeding underneath

If your kale leaves are riddled with tiny holes this November, cabbage worms are still feeding underneath

Tiny holes in your fall kale can be alarming, especially when the weather turns cool and you expect the bugs to be gone. Many gardeners…

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 2, 2026

Pruning last year’s fig branches can reduce your breba crop, whatever the season

Ethan Brooks · Nov 2

Before You Rip Out That Boxwood Hedge, Try These California Natives That Stay Green on Half the Water

John Miller CA · Nov 2

Your Christmas cactus blooms right on time for the holidays when you give it these 8 conditions starting this week

Ethan Brooks · Nov 2

From the Garden

Growing notes from every corner of the plot.

Could a Red-Tailed Hawk Be Hunting Gophers in Your California Yard This Winter?

Could a Red-Tailed Hawk Be Hunting Gophers in Your California Yard This Winter?

A big hawk sitting on a fence post or tree limb above your garden can make you wonder what it is watching for. Gophers may…

By John Miller CA · Nov 2

Why Your Potted Meyer Lemon Drops Tiny Fruit When the Heater Starts: Clues to Check

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 2

Garden Spiders Strung Across Your California Yard This Fall Are Catching the Pests Chewing Your Winter Greens

By John Miller CA · Nov 2

Carrots left in the ground under a thick leaf blanket taste sweeter after every frost, so stop rushing to dig them

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 2

Deer start stripping your shrubs and fall greens in November, and a few strong scents near the beds send them elsewhere

By Ethan Brooks · Nov 2

In Bloom

What's thriving right now.

Blue Mistflower: A North Carolina Native That Brings Blue-Violet Color to Late-Season Beds

Blue Mistflower: A North Carolina Native That Brings Blue-Violet Color to Late-Season Beds

By Jasmine Hughes

Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnakes in Florida Yards: How to Spot Them and Garden Safely

Florida Gardening

Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnakes in Florida Yards: How to Spot Them and Garden Safely

By Aria Moore F

These California Vines Cover Your Fence in Green Without Cracking Wood or Pulling Off Stucco

These California Vines Cover Your Fence in Green Without Cracking Wood or Pulling Off Stucco

By John Miller CA

Gardener's Selection

The guides worth your time — handpicked by our gardeners.

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Pecan Weevil in Central Texas: How Some Pecans Get Damaged From the Inside

Texas Gardening

Pecan Weevil in Central Texas: How Some Pecans Get Damaged From the Inside

By Ella Brown T

These 7 November lawn habits quietly leave your grass thin and patchy come spring

These 7 November lawn habits quietly leave your grass thin and patchy come spring

By Ethan Brooks

Peace lilies brought in from the porch droop every afternoon indoors because the pot stays cold and wet

Peace lilies brought in from the porch droop every afternoon indoors because the pot stays cold and wet

By Ethan Brooks

Why North Carolina Gardeners Who Lime Their Clay Now Get Greener Lawns and Gardens by Spring

Why North Carolina Gardeners Who Lime Their Clay Now Get Greener Lawns and Gardens by Spring

By Jasmine Hughes

Creeping Snowberry: The California Native Groundcover With Branches That Can Root as They Spread

Plant of the Week

Creeping Snowberry: The California Native Groundcover With Branches That Can Root as They Spread

Bare slopes and dry corners can be hard to fill in a California yard. Creeping snowberry is a low native shrub whose branches can root...

By John Miller CA · Nov 2, 2026

The Potting Shed

Texas Vines That May Regrow After Cutting: Identify First, Then Choose a Control Plan

Texas Gardening

Texas Vines That May Regrow After Cutting: Identify First, Then Choose a Control Plan

Daily checks and the right care may help your potted mum look good longer into the holiday season

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Do This Fall to Revive a Struggling Clematis by Spring

Fall Strawberry Runners: When to Cut Them and When to Keep Them

Fall Strawberry Runners: When to Cut Them and When to Keep Them

Texas Gardening

Frostweed: A Shade-Loving Texas Native That Flowers as Fall Arrives

Why Stored Garlic and Onions Sprout or Soften: Is Your Warm Counter a Factor?

When North Carolina Gardeners Should Really Fill the Bird Feeders for Winter, and Why Early Matters

When North Carolina Gardeners Should Really Fill the Bird Feeders for Winter, and Why Early Matters

Texas Gardening

Could Tarantulas Prey on Scorpions? What One Mexico Study Means for Central Texas Yards

When Garlic Needs Straw Cover to Stop Freeze-Thaw Heaving

Crimson Clover as a Winter Cover Crop for Southern Vegetable Beds

Crimson Clover as a Winter Cover Crop for Southern Vegetable Beds

Forsythia Suits Dormant Hardwood Cuttings in North Carolina, but Timing and Care Shape Success

Texas Gardening

This Texas Border Plant Keeps Squirrels Out of Your Central Texas Beds All Fall and Winter

Leaving your tomato cages and stakes out all winter carries blight spores straight into next year’s plants, so scrub them now

Leaving your tomato cages and stakes out all winter carries blight spores straight into next year’s plants, so scrub them now

Florida Gardening

Butterflies Keep Flying Through Florida Winters, and These 7 Native Plants Keep Them Fed

Florida Gardening

Cold Snaps Are Coming, and These 7 Florida Natives Shrug Off Frost While Tropicals Turn to Mush

Field Notes

Check the Soil First: How Smart Watering Helps Protect Your Christmas Cactus Buds

Check the Soil First: How Smart Watering Helps Protect Your Christmas Cactus Buds

Your holiday cactus may be loaded with tiny buds right now, and one wrong move can send them tumbling to...

By Ethan Brooks on Nov 1

Firespike in Florida Gardens: Red Flowers and a Possible Nectar Source for Hummingbirds

Florida Gardening

Firespike in Florida Gardens: Red Flowers and a Possible Nectar Source for Hummingbirds

Few plants bring bright red color to a partly shaded Florida yard as reliably as firespike. Its tall spikes of...

By Aria Moore F on Nov 1

Swap Your Florida Pampas Grass for These 7 Native Grasses That Never Turn Invasive

Florida Gardening

Swap Your Florida Pampas Grass for These 7 Native Grasses That Never Turn Invasive

Big plumes look great until a grass outgrows the space you gave it. Florida has native grasses that bring color,...

By Aria Moore F on Nov 1

Blue Plumbago Brings Recurring Blue Blooms to Florida Yards With a Relaxed, Romantic Feel

Florida Gardening

Blue Plumbago Brings Recurring Blue Blooms to Florida Yards With a Relaxed, Romantic Feel

Many Florida gardeners dream of soft blue flowers that keep coming back. Hydrangeas get most of the attention, but they...

By Aria Moore F on Nov 1

Barn Owls and Gophers in California Yards: What a Nest Box Can and Cannot Do

Barn Owls and Gophers in California Yards: What a Nest Box Can and Cannot Do

A barn owl gliding over a dark California yard looks like the perfect pest control crew. Barn owls do eat...

By John Miller CA on Nov 1

Why Are My Potted Mums Turning Brown? Check the Soil Before You Water

Why Are My Potted Mums Turning Brown? Check the Soil Before You Water

That pot of mums looked perfect on the porch a few weeks ago, and now it is brown and crunchy....

By Ethan Brooks on Nov 1