Gardening With Sal

How Storm Heat, Humidity, and Rain Supercharge Plant Growth 🌿 Garden Talk| by Guy Saldiveri | Thursday, April 30, 2026 You take care of your plants. You water them when they're dry and fertilize them when they need it, but you can't help but notice how much better they look all on their own after a good thunderstorm. 

Why This Whimsical, Controversial Tree Deserves a Second Look   🌱 Plant Talk| by Guy Saldiveri | April 30, 2026 Mimosa Flower If there were a tree fit for Whoville, it would be the mimosa. Look closely enough and you can almost see Cindy Lou climbing the branches.

A Beloved Southern Garden Staple 🌱 Plant Talk| by Guy Saldiveri | April 27, 2026   Confederate Rose Bloom Despite its name, the confederate rose isn’t a rose at all—it’s a large, fast-growing shrub in the mallow family that includes cotton, okra, hibiscus, and hollyhock. 

A Plant Everyone Should Own  🌱 Plant Talk| by Guy Saldiveri | April 26, 2026 Spider Plant   Spider plants (or Airplane plants) are among the most popular houseplants to grow. They are very attractive, moderately fast-growing, and easy to take care of. 

An Annual That Acts Like a Perennial in Gulf South Gardens 🌱 Plant Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | April 18, 2026 Basil is a member of the mint family and one of the most popular culinary herbs. 

Give This Lady the Right of Way 🐜 Garden Pests| by Guy Saldiveri | Friday, April 10, 2026 I wish I could count how many times I've had run-ins with this little [insert expletive]. 

  Causes & Differences 🦠 Plant Diseases| by Guy Saldiveri | April 9, 2026 You have a thriving tomato or pepper plant. Leaves vibrant green, stems full of flowers and fruit, everything looking nice and healthy—until you notice that spot. 

 It Really Works 🌱 How-To Garden Guide | by Guy Saldiveri | April 8, 2026 Back in mid-February, I made a post about rejuvenation pruning and its merits.  Today, I want to double down on that idea and show a real‑world example—when to do it, how it works, and what happens afterward.

Learn to Read Your Plants and Keep Them Healthy 🌿 Garden Talk| by Guy Saldiveri | April 3, 2026, Updated July 21, 2026 Ever get in the middle of a gardening group and ask about watering? Be prepared for fifty different answers.

Invasive Series – Part 4  📝 Opinion| by Guy Saldiveri | March 18, 2026 This installment is a little more rant‑flavored than the others, and it may come across sharper than I usually write. I’m not trying to pick a fight—I’m just out of patience with the dogma that gets tossed around like gospel and repeated as if it were carved in stone.

How to Spot, ID, and Relocate 🦋 Garden Pests | by Guy Saldiveri | March 14, 2026 Tobacco Hornworm Ever seen a hummingbird moth? Gorgeous.  Ever seen what its kids do to your tomatoes? Not so gorgeous. I remember the first time seeing a hummingbird moth. I was stunned. I honestly hadn't known things like that existed. I stared at it for as long as I could, completely mesmerized.

The B‑52’s of the bee world 🐝 Garden Pests | by Guy Saldiveri | March 10, 2026 Carpenter bees are a tough one. They’re very prevalent and VERY destructive, but they’re also some of the best pollinators you have in your garden. 

 Why This Benchmark Belongs in the Compost Pile 📝 Opinion | by Guy Saldiveri |  Updated: March 11, 2026 This is another opinion that will probably ruffle a few leaves. That’s not the goal. My goal—as always—is to give you the most accurate and reliable information I can, even when it bumps up against tradition.  

Love It or Hate It—If You Have It, You Know It 🌱 Plant Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | March 6, 2026 This is one plant I find myself at odds with when it comes to my stance on invasive species and allowing nature full control to do as she sees fit. 

  Two Very Determined & Very Serious Pests 🪲 Garden Pests | by Guy Saldiveri | March 4, 2026 Squash Vine Borer These are without a doubt the most serious foes I deal with in my garden. The squash bug and the squash vine borer deliver more damage pound-for-pound—or is that ounce-per-ounce—than any other pest I have ever dealt with. The vine borer is by far the worst of the two. 

Why These Heat‑Loving Vines Thrive in Gulf South Gardens 🫘 Plant Talk:| by Guy Saldiveri | March 3, 2026 Asparagus beans—my all-time favorite crop. They're also called yard‑long beans and Chinese long beans. They have an edible pod and are technically a type of cowpea in the legume family.

 The Conventional and Not-So-Conventional Way 🥔 Plant Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | March 2, 2026 Sweet Potato Who doesn’t love a good sweet potato? I know I do. 

Setups That Adapt to Changing Weather, Simplify Soil Care, and Support Year‑Round Growing 🌿 Garden Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | March 1, 2026 Over the years, I’ve had to modify how and where I grow things. For this reason, I prefer to use containers or grow bags for most of the vegetables, and fixed beds for things that I use for permanent crops like garlic and onions. The fixed beds also serve well for some other plants such as okra, corn, and sometimes squash. 

 A Cheapskate’s Way to Use Things You Normally Throw Away 🌿 Garden Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | February 27, 2026 Being the cheapskate that I am, I try to repurpose as many things as possible instead of throwing them away.

 March Madness Coming Up 🌿 Garden Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | February 25, 2026 Earlier this month I posted about Why I Don’t Start Seeds in February . I spent the month getting everything cleaned up and prepped for spring.