Posts By

Melissa Strauss

Melissa is a writer, hobby gardener, beekeeper and homemaker. She can be found working in her extensive pollinator garden, trolling the local nurseries for unique plant specimens, and tending to the many fruit-bearing plants on her property. Melissa hopes to inspire other gardeners to delve into the rich and fulfilling world of pollinator gardening.

Branches with slender, woody stems, dark green lance-shaped leaves, and vibrant orange-red fruits with leathery skin, making it an easy fruit tree to grow.

Fruits

9 Easy and Low-Maintenance Fruit Trees for Your Backyard

Fruit trees are both beautiful landscape elements and practical sources of delicious food! If you're worried about the upkeep, there are some wonderful trees that are easy to care for. Gardening expert Melissa Strauss shares nine fruit trees that are low-maintenance to plant in your garden.

Close-up of a winter hellebore variety with delicate, pale pink flowers with deep maroon speckles and edges atop sturdy stems, surrounded by leathery, dark green leaves with prominent veins in a sunny garden.

Flowers

19 Showstopping Hellebore Varieties to Grow for Winter Blooms

Hellebores are delightful winter bloomers that can add color and beauty to your garden during the cold months. With their saucer-shaped flowers in shades that are both soft and bold, they are the belle of the winter landscape. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss to look at some beautiful varieties.

Tall, slender green stems rise from narrow, strap-like leaves, topped with spherical clusters of vibrant purple Allium flowers, known as plants keep out moles.

Gardening Tips

11 Plants That May Keep Moles Out of Your Yard

Dealing with moles can be a major hassle. Fortunately, there are some great plants that are reputed to deter these small but destructive mammals. Gardening expert Melissa Strauss shares some plants that are said to repel those tunneling terrors out of your yard.

Close-up of Calathea lietzei ‘White Fusion’ with white, green, and pale purple patterns on oval leaves. The edges are softly wavy with a glossy surface.

Houseplants

19 Fast-Growing Houseplants for a Lush Indoor Garden

We know firsthand how hard it is to wait for your houseplants to start looking established. So, we've compiled a list of fast growers that you can add to your collection that will fill out quickly. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss to talk about some houseplants that will jump-start your lush indoor garden.