Posts By

Dr. Liessa Bowen

Liessa started learning everything she could about plants, animals, and ecosystems at a young age. Since then, she's earned a Master’s degree in wildlife biology (Iowa State University) and a PhD in forestry (North Carolina State University), both with an emphasis on conservation biology and birds. She has worked as a greenhouse technician, wildlife biologist, educational consultant, and writer.

A cluster of vibrant red, round berries sits among glossy, deep green leaves. The leaves have pointed edges and a waxy texture, and sunlight filters through the surrounding foliage, casting soft shadows on the berries.

Fruits

How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Highbush Cranberries

Are you looking for a showy plant that produces edible fruits, attracts pollinators, and helps feed birds? Look no further than the highbush cranberry. This cool-weather-loving shrub is perfect for northern gardens. Learn all about the highbush cranberry and how to grow it in your landscape.

A close up shot of various harvested tubers, that you can grow root vegetables

Vegetables

13 Delicious Root Vegetables You Should Grow This Year

What better way to embrace the full potential of your garden than growing root vegetables? These underground vegetables pack a delicious and nutritious punch. Join gardening expert Liessa Bowen on a tour of some familiar and some lesserknown root veggies you can grow in your own garden!

A wicker basket filled with golden onion bulbs, their smooth, shiny skins reflecting light as they cure onions for future use.

Vegetables

How to Cure and Store Onions in 9 Easy Steps

Your onions are ready to harvest and you’ve had a good crop. Assuming you don’t want to eat them all at once, do you know how to prepare them for long-term storage? Learn some useful tips for curing and storing your onions so they’ll last until when you need them!

A dense grouping of delicate white flowers with vibrant yellow centers, standing tall with thin green stems, set against a blurred background of lush foliage.

Flowers

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Wood Anemones

Would you like a beautiful low-growing wildflower for your woodland garden? Wood anemone is a spring-blooming perennial that will brighten a shaded plot with its delicate flowers. Join gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen as we introduce the wood anemone and everything you need to know to grow your own.

The blooming Yarrow plant has clusters of tiny purple flowers atop tall, slender stems, with feathery green leaves creating a soft, airy texture.

Gardening Tips

25 Perennials to Cut Back in October

The weather is cooling and your perennials are getting ready to go dormant for the winter. Do you know which ones to cut back for the season? Take a guided tour with gardening expert Liessa Bowen to learn about 25 popular perennials to cut back in October to help clean up your garden before winter.

Understanding if it is possible to tell bulbs are fresh using various methods, with some pieces placed on soil in multiple pots

Bulbs

How to Tell if Your Bulbs are Fresh: 10 Pro Tips

It’s planting time and you’re excited to start some new bulbs in your garden. Do you know how to determine if those bulbs are fresh, healthy, and ready to grow? Gardening expert Liessa Bowen shares 10 simple tips to help you examine your bulbs like a pro!

Close-up of a flowering meadow in a summer sunny garden with blooming Cosmos, Marigold, Cornflowers and other wildflowers.

Flowers

21 Native Wildflowers for Tennessee Gardens

Do you live in Tennessee or a surrounding state? You have a wealth of beautiful and easy-to-grow wildflowers native to your region! Join gardening expert Liessa Bowen as we introduce 21 native wildflowers to enhance your landscape, support pollinators, and create an eco-friendly garden.

A sweeping mass of tall, airy stems covered in lavender-blue flowers, creating a soft, ethereal effect as the silvery-green foliage peeks through the dense blooms.

Shrubs

19 Best Shrubs to Plant in September

What better way to add long-lasting beauty to your landscape than to plant a shrub? Shrubs are incredibly versatile, diverse, and easy to grow. Take a guided tour with gardening expert Liessa Bowen and learn more about 19 sensational shrubs you can plant this fall.

Berberis aquifolium is a native evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green leaves with spiny edges and clusters of bright yellow flowers.

Shrubs

15 Native Evergreen Shrubs to Boost Your Landscape’s Year-Round Appeal

Are you looking for some shrubbery that retains its foliage for year-round value? Needled evergreens aren’t the only plants that hold their leaves throughout the winter months. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen introduces 15 native broadleaf evergreen shrubs to spruce up your landscape, no matter the weather.