If your basil plant suddenly looks like it’s trying to become a different species entirely — tall, sparse, with weird…
Walk out to the garden this week and your zucchini or yellow squash leaves might look like someone came through…
If your bearded irises bloomed less enthusiastically this spring than they did a couple years ago, or if the clump…
If your crepe myrtle looks like someone dumped a bucket of dark syrup over it, you’re not imagining things, and…
If your basil suddenly sprouted little white or purple flower spikes sometime in the last couple weeks, congratulations, you have officially entered bolting season. It happens to basically everyone’s basil in July. The heat spikes, the days are long, and your plant decides its life’s purpose is now reproduction instead of making pesto for you.…
You mow on Saturday, everything looks normal, and by Tuesday your lawn has sprouted a fairy ring of little tan umbrellas like it’s auditioning for a storybook. Welcome to mushroom season, courtesy of all that July rain followed by a heat wave. It’s annoying, it’s a little gross if you’ve got dogs or toddlers who…
You did everything right. You watered, you weeded, you watched those cucumbers fatten up on the vine like a proud parent. Then you bit into one and got a mouthful of something closer to aspirin than salad. Bitter cucumbers are one of those garden mysteries that feel personal, but the science behind them is pretty…
Your zucchini plant is the size of a golden retriever, it’s covered in bright yellow blooms, and yet somehow you’ve harvested exactly zero squash. Meanwhile your neighbor is leaving bags of the stuff on porches like it’s a public service announcement. Annoying, right? Before you blame your soil or start talking to the plant like…
Somewhere around the Fourth of July, hydrangea owners everywhere start sending panicked texts to their more plant-literate friends: “why is my hydrangea turning green?? did I kill it??” Short answer: probably not. Long answer: it depends on what kind of hydrangea you’re growing, and whether this is a feature or a symptom. First, figure out…
You go out to check on your tomatoes, feeling pretty good about the season, and there it is: a sunken, leathery, brownish-black splotch on the bottom of an otherwise perfect fruit. Your first thought is probably “blight” or “some horrible fungus is going to wipe out the whole plant.” Take a breath. It’s blossom end…
