Gardening Tips

A Fall Nest Box Can Give Eastern Screech-Owls a Possible Winter Shelter or Future Nesting Site in North Carolina

Eastern Screech-Owls are small, year-round North Carolina residents that hunt at night and nest inside tree cavities. Putting up a nest box this fall gives…

By Jasmine Hughes · Sep 17, 2026

Field Notes

A Fall Nest Box Can Give Eastern Screech-Owls a Possible Winter Shelter or Future Nesting Site in North Carolina

What It Really Means When Hummingbird Moths Start Hovering Over Your California Flowers at Dusk

Why Central Texas Yards Are Seeing More Rattlesnakes on the Move This Early Fall

Your Geraniums Are Slowing Down Before Frost – Here’s the Feeding Move That May Help

From the Garden

Your Hydrangeas Grew Full and Leafy but Refused to Bloom – Here’s the Pruning Cut Behind It

Copperheads May Be Found Around North Carolina Mulch, Wood Piles, and Yard Debris During Suitable Fall Conditions – Here’s How to Spot the Warning Signs

Your Central Texas Pansies Are Stalling and Turning Leggy Because You Planted Them Before the Soil Cooled

Your Hydrangeas Wilt by Afternoon Because of One Watering Mistake — Here’s How to Fix It

What It Really Means When Coyotes Start Howling Near Your North Carolina Yard at Night This Fall

In Bloom

7 Florida Native Plants That Bring Great Egrets and Wading Birds Right Up to Your Yard

Your Central Texas Sago Palm Is Yellowing From the Bottom Up Because of This Fall Manganese Shortage

Your Potted Spider Plant Gets Brown Tips Because of One Watering Habit — Here’s the Balance It Actually Wants

Gardener's Selection

Your Christmas Cactus Leaves Are Turning Red – Here’s the One Cause Behind It and Whether to Worry

What Your California Citrus Trees Really Need in September to Recover Before Summer’s Stress Catches Up With Them

Your Spider Plant’s Leaf Tips Turn Brown and Crispy — Here’s the Watering Slip Behind It

The California Backyard Fruit Tree That Shrugs Off Drought and Still Ripens Fruit With Almost No Water

Your Fall Fig Tree Still Has Time to Ripen a Real Harvest — Here’s the Move That Gets It There

The Potting Shed

Bringing Houseplants Inside for Fall? These Common Ones Sneak Pests and Trouble Indoors With Them

Compost Tea for Tomatoes: A Modest Homemade Supplement, Not a Size Guarantee

Your Hummingbird Feeder Draws Wasps Before the Birds Even Arrive — Here’s the Quick Fix That Sends Them Packing

Scatter These Native Seeds Across a Bare North Carolina Slope This Fall for a Wildflower Wall by Spring

The Native Texas Shade Tree Serious Homeowners Are Planting This Fall That Big-Box Stores Never Stock

Your Hummingbird Feeder Turns Cloudy and May Ferment Within Days – Here’s the Cause Behind It and How to Keep the Nectar Fresh

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native That Blankets a Dry Slope Where Store-Bought Plants Just Fry and Die

7 Florida Yard Conditions That Bring a Bobcat Prowling Through Your Property This Fall

What It Really Means When Your Central Texas Cardinals Turn Patchy and Bald-Headed This Fall

7 Things Making Those Small Holes Appear Across Your Florida Lawn – and What Actually Pulls Them In

Your Hummingbird Feeder Keeps Emptying but the Birds Won’t Come — Here’s the Hidden Thing Scaring Them Off

7 Florida Native Plants That Draw Web-Spinning Golden Silk Spiders In to Wipe Out Your Porch Mosquitoes

What Your California Garden Trees Need You to Deep-Water Now Before the September Heat Does the Damage

7 Florida Nurseries Stocking the Butterfly Host Plants Big Garden Centers Never Carry

These California Plants Quietly Pull in Butterflies While Making Your Yard Miserable for Mosquitoes

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

7 Florida Native Trees That Give You Fast Shade Instead of a Laurel Oak That Splits and Drops Limbs

The California Yard Habits That Quietly Roll Out the Welcome Mat for Cockroaches, and the Ones to Break First

Your Fall Cilantro Bolts to Seed and Turns Bitter Almost Overnight — Here’s the Warmth Slip Behind It

Bluebirds Stick Around North Carolina Yards All Winter When You Give Them This One Thing Now

Your Central Texas Citrus Leaves Are Curling and Yellowing Because Leafminers Tunneled Under Them This Fall

Your Potted Hydrangea Looks Limp and Worn Out — Here’s the Quick Move That Perks It Right Back Up