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.

A man's hand reaches out to harvest a ripe, oval-shaped plum with deep purple skin, carefully plucking it from the branch where it hangs amid vibrant green foliage.

Fruits

How and When to Harvest Plums for the Sweetest Fruit

Plums, in their pretty shades of purple, burgundy, and bronze, are jewels among stonefruits with supreme sweetness. The right time for picking makes all the difference in maximizing flavor and texture. Whether you’re already growing or getting inspiration, join gardening expert Katherine Rowe in determining how and when to harvest plums with aplomb.

An array of cosmos in vibrant colors of pink, red, and white, among light green foliage.

Flowers

17 Wildflowers That Bloom in Fall

Wildflowers are easy-going beauties with showy blooms and textures that brim with multi-season appeal. They bring months of color and lasting winter interest. They’re also an essential source of food and shelter for pollinators and wildlife. Enjoy the extended display of top-performing selections, including natives, with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.

A close-up of low-growing bulbs in bloom, featuring a Grape Hyacinth with deep blue flowers, a Hyacinthus orientalis displaying clusters of blue star-shaped flowers, and a Daffodil with bright yellow blooms.

Bulbs

15 Low-Growing Bulbs for the Front of the Border

While low-growing bulbs are small in stature, they’re big on effortless beauty. Often the first to welcome the season, dwarf growers bring early color to layer the display and soften edges. Explore low-growing selections for recurrent color with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.

A plump, green caterpillar with a slightly curved body crawls across layered, bright pink mum petals, framed by lobed, dark green leaves.

Plant Problems

7 Mum Pests to Watch For This Season

Hardy mums are usually problem-free but aren’t immune to common garden pests. If your mum shows signs of stress or damage, scout for feeding insects who enjoy the seasonal bloomers as much as we do. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores chrysanthemum pests and how to best stave them off.

Close-up of a wilted, diseased mum plant displaying large, layered flowers with yellow, rotting petals and wilted green foliage.

Flowers

9 Mum Diseases and How to Treat Them

In addition to their shining fall color, hardy garden mums are relatively carefree perennials. While susceptible to a number of diseases, they’re usually problem-free, and if detected early, plants often recover. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe in a look at common diseases for chrysanthemums and how to treat and prevent them.

A bed of coneflower seed heads surrounded by dry, drooping petals on tall vertical stems in a fall garden.

Gardening Tips

21 Perennials You Shouldn’t Cut Back in Fall

While many plants benefit from a good fall cutback as they prepare for winter, some perennials are better left standing. They bring winter insulation, forage for birds and wildlife, shelter for pollinators, and unique attributes for lasting seasonal interest. Explore which perennials should not be cut back this fall with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.

A hand holding pruning shears is cutting light pink and yellow blooms in a vast flower field under soft sunlight.

Flowers

How To Prune Mums For Strong Growth and Flowering

Hardy garden mums are easy-growers with high seasonal color spanning summer and fall. Chrysanthemums benefit from easy, light pruning to get the best form and flowers. With gardening expert Katherine Rowe, explore pruning benefits and basics for these lovely autumnal selections to ensure healthy flowering for years of recurrent color.

The Anemone showcases soft pink petals surrounding a central cluster of bright yellow stamens, complemented by lush, deeply lobed leaves that enhance its vibrant appearance.

Flowers

13 Anemone Varieties to Plant in October

With lovely buds and profuse blooms on graceful stems, anemones are scene-stealers when they bloom and create an attractive leafy backdrop when not in flower. With perennial selections that bloom in fall or spring, the garden can host months of the precious wanding blooms. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores top-performing, award-winning favorites perfect for planting in October.

A focused shot of a composition of scarlet red flowers or the Scarlet Flax that is one of the seeds grow less than 50 days

Seeds

23 Plants You Can Grow From Seed In 50 Days or Less

Whether we’re making haste to beat cold weather or looking to infill a bare patch in the garden bed, plants that grow quickly from seed accomplish wonders. Superfast growers yield blooms and harvests in a delightfully quick turnaround. Enjoy the rewards of fast-growing flowers and vegetables with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.