Author: Taylor Adams

St. Augustine grass can reach September looking tired even when you cared for it faithfully all summer. Weeks of heat can leave behind clues worth noticing now. Those clues matter because the lawn is entering a different stage of its growing season. Growth may continue during warm weather, but the way you manage the turf…

Striped caterpillars clustered on an oak trunk can make you wonder what happened while you were not looking. Their sudden appearance is hard to miss once they gather together. These caterpillars may spend their earlier stages feeding higher in the canopy, where you are less likely to notice them. Later, their movement down the tree…

Hydrangeas can still look unruly in September, especially after months of vigorous growth and fading summer flowers. That messy appearance can make one garden task feel overdue. Unfortunately, tidying the wrong hydrangea now may quietly remove something you were hoping to enjoy next year. Some popular varieties form their future flower buds on older stems…

Something spiky clinging to your fence can look surprising when you notice it watching the yard from above. Its rough appearance makes this little visitor seem tougher than it really is. That first impression changes once you know what the lizard is doing there. Eastern fence lizards are native to Georgia and often use fences,…

You walk out on a cool Georgia morning and something has changed overnight. Those vines were bright green all summer. Now there’s yellow spreading through them. Your first thought is probably the right question. Does this mean it’s time to dig? Maybe. It could also mean something else entirely, and the difference matters enormously. Here’s…

Standing water can turn an otherwise promising planting spot into a frustrating problem, especially when ordinary landscape trees struggle there. Instead of fighting the site, choose a tree suited to it. That approach becomes especially useful in yards where rain collects and drainage stays slow. One Georgia native naturally handles wetter ground better than many…

You reach for the pruners on a cool Georgia morning with a plan. Everything brown comes down. Every faded stem, every dry seed head, the whole bed cleared before the weather turns. Most of that is fine. Some of it will empty out a habitat you didn’t know you had. Here’s the part that surprises…

The summer garden is not finished yet. That is the tricky part. Your peppers may still be producing. Your tomatoes may still be hanging on. The afternoon heat may still feel like July. But underneath that stubborn summer weather, Georgia’s fall garden is quietly waiting for its turn. A few seeds planted at the right…

Some vines look harmless when they first appear along a fence or at the edge of a garden bed. Give them enough time, however, and that small patch can begin climbing into nearby shrubs and trees. That is where the problem becomes harder to ignore. Fast growth can carry a vine through branches before you…

Your tomatoes look fine from the porch. Walk closer and something has been happening on the underside of that fruit cluster. Small sunken spots. Pale, hardened patches under the skin. Nothing dramatic, and nothing that announced itself while it was happening. Whatever caused it left before you got there. It usually does. Georgia gardens run…

Blackberry harvest may be over, but the canes left behind still have an important job to tell you. Knowing which stems produced fruit changes what you should do next. That distinction matters because blackberry canes do not all follow the same schedule. Some canes have finished their productive cycle, while newer growth is preparing for…

September can bring one of the final opportunities to catch a glimpse of a painted bunting before seasonal movement carries many farther south. Their brilliant colors make even a brief backyard appearance difficult to overlook. That timing makes every sighting feel a little more special. Painted buntings that spent the warmer months around coastal Georgia…

That stubborn weed in your lawn may need more than a quick pull. Using the wrong technique can actually leave you with an even bigger problem. Some weeds are surprisingly good at turning your cleanup efforts against you. Small pieces left behind can be enough to keep the trouble going. Before reaching down and yanking,…

Hydrangeas can be beautiful, but keeping them happy in the wrong spot can become frustrating fast. Some yards simply need a tougher shrub that asks less from you throughout the growing season. That is where one native alternative starts looking especially appealing. Georgia gardeners searching for easier landscaping can find plenty to like about a…

Fall color does not have to come from towering trees that take years to fill your yard. Fothergilla brings that seasonal display down to an easier size. Georgia gardeners may know this native shrub for its white spring flowers, but autumn reveals another side. Its foliage can develop striking shades as cooler weather settles in….

Woodland edges can look perfectly natural while one unwanted shrub slowly takes up more space each season. That quiet spread is exactly why this plant deserves closer attention. Across Georgia, invasive shrubs can establish along roadsides, forest borders, and disturbed areas before many homeowners recognize them. Once established, some can form thick growth that crowds…

September can bring a surprising change to your yard when orange wings begin appearing around flowers more often. Those monarch visits are worth noticing because many butterflies are beginning a seasonal journey. Georgia sits along routes used by monarchs moving south toward their wintering grounds in Mexico. Your garden can become a useful stopping place…

Spotting an opossum wandering across your yard after sunset can make you wonder what brought this unusual visitor so close. Its appearance usually has a simple explanation tied to what the property offers. Georgia homeowners may see opossums searching through yards while moving between places that provide food, water, or shelter. Their nighttime habits mean…

That stubborn patch of dollarweed may be telling you something important about your lawn. Pulling the leaves repeatedly will not change the conditions helping it return. Georgia homeowners often notice this weed where the ground stays wetter than surrounding turf. Its round leaves can quickly become familiar when the same patch keeps filling back in….

That soggy corner of your yard does not have to remain an empty space where shrubs keep struggling. Some plants are simply better prepared for soil that stays damp after rain. Boxwoods prefer good drainage, so constantly wet ground can leave them stressed and performing poorly. Instead of fighting the site, choose something that naturally…

Look up as evening settles in, and you might notice something unusual moving through the sky. Common nighthawks are becoming easier to catch in action right now. Late August brings a seasonal shift for these birds. Georgia offers opportunities to notice them as their movement becomes more visible overhead. Watch for long, pointed wings and…

October cleanup can make a Georgia yard look satisfyingly finished in a single morning. Brown stems come down. Seedheads disappear. Leaves get bagged. Beds suddenly look neat enough to forget that plenty of insects and birds are still using them. That is where a little restraint pays off. Georgia’s mild fall keeps bees, butterflies, and…

A Georgia lawn can change its mood in less than a week. One morning, the grass looks green enough to brag about. A few hot afternoons later, pale straw-colored patches appear like somebody quietly switched off sections of the yard. The obvious reaction is panic. Disease gets blamed. Fertilizer comes out. A spray bottle suddenly…

August is where Georgia gardens start playing tricks with the calendar. The afternoons still feel like full summer. Okra keeps producing. The soil can feel hot enough to cook an idea before you finish it. Yet the fall garden is already on the clock. Some crops have only days left. Others are just reaching their…

Freshly disturbed soil beside a porch, shed, or quiet corner of the yard can leave you wondering what moved in. Sometimes the answer is a striped skunk searching for a sheltered place. Late summer brings changes in wildlife behavior that can make these normally secretive animals more noticeable around homes. Certain spots suddenly offer exactly…

Fireflies can make a Georgia yard look enchanted for a few June evenings, but the real work happens long before the first flash. Most of their lives unfold close to the ground. Larvae spend months in damp soil, rotten wood, and leaf litter, where they hunt slugs, snails, and other prey. Adults need dark enough…

Your crape myrtles have worked hard all summer, and August is not the time to forget about them. Before the month ends, give these flowering favorites some attention so they can finish the season in better shape. Georgia heat can leave plants under stress, even when those blooms make everything look perfectly fine from the…

You might be making your yard more inviting to coyotes without realizing anything has changed. One ordinary backyard habit can give these curious visitors a reason to come closer. Coyotes are adaptable and quickly notice places where an easy meal may be available. Around Georgia homes, small everyday choices can make a yard worth checking…

Those long flower clusters have finished their show, but your crape myrtle can still give you something new before summer slips away. Late August opens a useful propagation window. Healthy shoots from this season can become the beginning of entirely new plants with surprisingly little plant material today. This is where Georgia gardeners can turn…