Posts By

Katherine Rowe

Katherine is a garden professional with a background in design, conservation, and public horticulture. She holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture and a love of gardens, parks, and natural lands alike. Katherine enjoys exploring gardens and wild spaces through work and travel and designing gardens with nature at the helm.

Close-up of eggplant vegetables producing large oval fruits with smooth, glossy, dark purple skin growing on strong stems among green foliage, sown directly in May.

Vegetables

11 Vegetable Seeds You Can Direct Sow in May

May brings sweeping warmth across much of the Northern Hemisphere, which means prime time for direct sowing heat-loving vegetables. The streamline method suits a variety of warm-season crops and couldn’t be easier. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe highlights vegetables to direct sow in May based on their growing preference and your growing zone.

A composition of several growing, yellow colored dwarf plants, showcasing what to direct sow flowers May

Flowers

11 Flowers to Direct Sow in May

May brings warming temperatures and frost-free nights for most growing zones, which means it’s full-throttle warm-season planting time. The easiest and most budget-friendly way to achieve a diversity of blooms is to direct sow seeds this month. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores flower seeds to plant in May for a long season of colorful returns.

Close-up of light pink flowers with elongated petals and green lanceolate leaves

Gardening Inspiration

How to Plant, Grow, and Care For ‘Jeana’ Garden Phlox

‘Jeana’ is the total package when it comes to perennials. This native cultivar has highly ornamental blooms that support pollinators and flowers for months. Superior disease resistance makes it a standout among more finicky varieties in the species. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores a new one to love among old garden favorites, ‘Jeana’ garden phlox.

A shot of several developing blooms of a fruit-bearing plant, showcasing strawberry pink flowers

Fruits

7 Strawberry Varieties With Charming Pink Flowers

Is there anything sweeter than a homegrown summer strawberry? Maybe one picked from a plant brimming with pink blooms. Gardener Katherine Rowe explores pink-flowering strawberry varieties to delight the hanging basket or container this season.

zinnia flowers blooming

Flowers

The Lazy Gardener’s Guide To Direct Sowing Zinnias

Direct sowing zinnia seeds is one of the easiest ways to ensure vibrant rounds of color in the summer landscape. The reliable annuals become fast favorites for beginners and tried-and-true staples for experienced gardeners. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe reviews the lax way to direct sow zinnias for high returns.

A close-up shot of a pink flower with a monarch butterfly feeding on its nectar, showcasing milkweed growing tips

Flowers

When and How To Plant Milkweed: 5 Milkweed Growing Tips

As pollinators emerge this spring, it’s time to boost their resources with milkweed. A must-have in the pollinator garden, native species suited to our regions become valuable perennials. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores how to plant milkweed now for a thriving future colony.

Border annual flowers feature clusters of small, vibrant flowers in shades of pink, yellow, and orange bloom atop square, slightly hairy stems with rough, deep green serrated leaves.

Flowers

15 Workhorse Annual Flowers for Your Garden Borders

Reliable annuals do the heavy lifting for an instant boost to refresh the landscape. With extended flowering, they offer months of continuous color. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe in exploring durable annuals that shine in the border with easy care, whether in a mass or complementing a blended display.

A shot of several potted plants that showcases a xeriscape container garden

Xeriscape Gardens

How to Create a Xeriscape Container Garden

Xeriscape container gardens bring all the rewards of a diverse display with the value of conserving water and resources. Less maintenance and daily watering mean more time to enjoy the show. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe in exploring the components of a successful waterwise potted arrangement, adaptable to any scale.

Healthy tomato plant with ripe red fruits growing abundantly in a hanging woven pot.

Vegetables

11 Vegetables That Look Great in Hanging Baskets

Growing vegetables in hanging baskets not only expands the bounty, but it also adds vertical interest, ornamenting the view with the surprise of multitasking selections. Join gardener Katherine Rowe in exploring top-performing crops for hanging baskets to broaden the harvest and the display.

Various pots and containers overflow with vibrant vegetable combinations—containers filled with tomatoes, lettuce, mint, parsley, and other herbs and greens growing in rich soil.

Vegetables

9 Vegetable Combinations That Grow Well Together in Containers

With companion plants and compatible pairings, the vegetable harvest goes all season. Containers are no exception, given the right sizing and plant selection. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores top vegetable combinations to grow in pots for versatile additions to the garden and culinary endeavors.

Beautiful white flowering easy-to-maintain magnolia trees in a spring garden.

Trees

15 Easy-to-Maintain Trees for Your Home Landscape

Trees are an investment in our future gardens. While there is a cost of bringing them home and planting them, they provide years of returns in ecological and aesthetic value. With the right tree, they needn’t be an investment of resources or intensive year-round maintenance. Garden expert Katherine Rowe highlights easy-care trees to consider for your home landscape, from small specimens to grand canopies.