In the Garden

If your beets have leafy tops and tiny roots this fall, late thinning may help if they’re crowded

If your beets have leafy tops and tiny roots this fall, late thinning may help if they’re crowded

Few things feel more puzzling than a fall bed of beets with big, glossy leaves and roots the size of marbles. Before you give up…

By Ethan Brooks · Oct 31, 2026

Trying the Mason Jar Method to Root Fall Rose Cuttings in North Carolina

Jasmine Hughes · Oct 31

Florida Gardening

Tired of Mowing St. Augustine All Winter? These 7 Florida Natives Stay Green Without It

Aria Moore F · Oct 31

Texas Gardening

The Winter Bird That Shows Up in the Texas Panhandle and Almost Nowhere Else in the State

Ella Brown T · Oct 31

From the Garden

Growing notes from every corner of the plot.

A coyote in your backyard this fall means doing these 9 things before you ever turn and run

A coyote in your backyard this fall means doing these 9 things before you ever turn and run

You step outside with your morning coffee and spot a lean, gray-brown animal staring back at you from the edge of the garden. Coyotes now…

By Ethan Brooks · Oct 31

If your fig tree still has hard green fruit on it now, pinch the tips and next year’s crop comes in earlier

By Ethan Brooks · Oct 31

Lavender Is Gorgeous and Fragrant, but Is It Really a Rat Deterrent for Your Yard?

By John Miller CA · Oct 31

Why your fall-planted onion sets bolt and send up flower stalks before they ever bulb

By Ethan Brooks · Oct 31

Rake Smart Under Your California Oaks: Some Bumblebee Queens Overwinter in Leaf Litter

By John Miller CA · Oct 31

In Bloom

What's thriving right now.

Your potted aloe turns mushy and brown at the base indoors this winter because the pot never drains

Your potted aloe turns mushy and brown at the base indoors this winter because the pot never drains

By Ethan Brooks

Fall peas flowering without pods? Check for frost, heat, water stress, and a row cover

Fall peas flowering without pods? Check for frost, heat, water stress, and a row cover

By Ethan Brooks

Is your potted lavender sitting in soggy mix this winter? Check the pot’s drainage first

Is your potted lavender sitting in soggy mix this winter? Check the pot’s drainage first

By Ethan Brooks

Gardener's Selection

The guides worth your time — handpicked by our gardeners.

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These 12 Common Houseplants Hide Toxic Sap That Sickens Curious Cats, Dogs and Toddlers

These 12 Common Houseplants Hide Toxic Sap That Sickens Curious Cats, Dogs and Toddlers

By Ethan Brooks

How North Carolina Mums Get a Better Chance of Returning Next Fall

How North Carolina Mums Get a Better Chance of Returning Next Fall

By Jasmine Hughes

Turk’s Cap Can Give Passing Hummingbirds Another Place to Feed in Central Texas

Texas Gardening

Turk’s Cap Can Give Passing Hummingbirds Another Place to Feed in Central Texas

By Ella Brown T

Potted peppers you bring indoors before frost may survive winter, and some might even fruit

Potted peppers you bring indoors before frost may survive winter, and some might even fruit

By Ethan Brooks

When to Leave a Box Turtle in Your North Carolina Garden and When a Short Move Is Okay

Plant of the Week

When to Leave a Box Turtle in Your North Carolina Garden and When a Short Move Is Okay

A turtle plodding through your hostas can make you want to step in and help. But for an eastern box turtle, the kindest move is...

By Jasmine Hughes · Oct 31, 2026

The Potting Shed

Missed the Big Fall Native Plant Sale? Here’s Where Florida Gardeners Still Shop

Florida Gardening

Missed the Big Fall Native Plant Sale? Here’s Where Florida Gardeners Still Shop

Texas Gardening

What Catnip Can and Can’t Do Against Texas Rats and Roaches This Winter

Florida Gardening

Plant These 7 Florida Natives Now and Your Yard Feeds Robins and Warblers All Winter

Why Orchid Buds Drop Before Opening: Is Watering to Blame?

Why Orchid Buds Drop Before Opening: Is Watering to Blame?

Florida Gardening

8 Florida Natives That Replace Your Boxwood Edging and Never Brown Out After a Cold Snap

Why Your California Lime Tree Keeps Giving You a Handful of Fruit, and the One Change That Fixes It

Swap Your Florida Vinyl Fence Line for These 8 Native Shrubs That Never Warp in the Heat

Florida Gardening

Swap Your Florida Vinyl Fence Line for These 8 Native Shrubs That Never Warp in the Heat

Florida Gardening

Skip the Annual Impatiens: These 8 Florida Natives Keep Shady Beds Blooming All Winter

These Everyday California Yard Habits Are Quietly Inviting Skunks to Dig Up Your Lawn Every Night

Could a Heater Vent Be Behind Your Christmas Cactus Dropping Its Buds?

Could a Heater Vent Be Behind Your Christmas Cactus Dropping Its Buds?

Which North Carolina Trees You Should Prune This Winter and Which Ones to Leave Alone Until Spring

Texas Gardening

Texas Bermuda Grass Fall Care: When to Fertilize, Mow, and Water Before Dormancy

Your amaryllis bulb sits leafy and bloomless every December because it never got its fall rest, and here’s how to give it one now

Your amaryllis bulb sits leafy and bloomless every December because it never got its fall rest, and here’s how to give it one now

Your fall lettuce bolts and turns bitter after a warm November spell, and shade cloth saves the rest of the bed

Can Your California Neighbor Make You Cut Back a Hedge That Sits Entirely on Your Side?

Field Notes

Potted Rosemary Gray and Brittle After a Cold Night? Check for Cold Injury

Potted Rosemary Gray and Brittle After a Cold Night? Check for Cold Injury

You step onto the porch after the first chilly night and your rosemary looks dull and feels crisp. It is...

By Ethan Brooks on Oct 30

Should North Carolina Gardeners Still Plant Trees This Fall After Such a Long Drought?

Should North Carolina Gardeners Still Plant Trees This Fall After Such a Long Drought?

Fall is the season most North Carolina gardeners circle on the calendar for planting trees. But dry soil can turn...

By Jasmine Hughes on Oct 30

How To Adjust Your California Avocado Tree’s Watering as Fall Weather Changes

How To Adjust Your California Avocado Tree’s Watering as Fall Weather Changes

Your avocado tree drank deeply all summer, but October brings cooler days, shorter light, and maybe your first real rain....

By John Miller CA on Oct 30

These White Perennials Come Back in Your Texas Yard Every Year Through Heat and Drought

Texas Gardening

These White Perennials Come Back in Your Texas Yard Every Year Through Heat and Drought

Texas summers can turn a pretty flower bed into a crispy mess by July. The good news is that some...

By Ella Brown T on Oct 30

What Those Curled, Silver-Streaked Leaves on Your California Lemon Tree Are Really Telling You This Fall

What Those Curled, Silver-Streaked Leaves on Your California Lemon Tree Are Really Telling You This Fall

Your lemon tree put out fresh fall growth, and now some of the new leaves are twisted, curled, or marked...

By John Miller CA on Oct 30

Overwintered lettuce in a cold frame wilts on sunny afternoons because you forgot to crack the lid

Overwintered lettuce in a cold frame wilts on sunny afternoons because you forgot to crack the lid

You walk out on a bright winter afternoon and find your lettuce flopped over like it gave up. A cold...

By Ethan Brooks on Oct 30