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.

a backyard raised bed contains many varieties of greens to incorporate in a plant-based diet.

Gardening Tips

How to Grow Your Own Backyard Blue Zone

Drawing from the wisdom and habits of some of the world’s longest-living populations, growing and eating your own fruits and vegetables is a vital key to longevity. Check out our guide to growing your own backyard Blue Zone in this article.

This breathtaking landscape features a vibrant, green vista adorned with a diverse array of shrubs. These shrubs vary in size and shape, creating a captivating tapestry of textures and shades that harmoniously come together to paint a beautiful natural scene.

Shrubs

27 Evergreen Shrubs That Look Good Year-Round

Planning your garden around an evergreen foundation is a great way to maintain year-round interest in the landscape. Here are some of our favorite evergreen shrubs that make a stunning backdrop for showier plants during the warmer months while still looking nice in the colder ones.

In a beautiful English-style cottage garden, pink and purple peonies thrive alongside companion plants boasting white blossoms. The garden's expanse is lush and inviting, creating a picturesque scene of floral abundance.

Gardening Tips

How to Create A Cottage Garden

Interested in creating a charming cottage garden in your yard? In this article, gardening expert Melissa Strauss will walk through the steps and elements of creating a wonderfully wild cottage garden.

Underneath a glass drinking bowl resting on a brown table, numerous bees gather to sip water. They are small, striped insects with delicate wings, their fuzzy bodies shimmering in the sunlight as they hydrate.

Gardening Tips

How to Create a Bee-Watering Station

Adding a watering station to your garden is a great way to help support and protect local bee and pollinator populations. Read on to learn why a watering station is a valuable addition to your pollinator garden and how you can make a simple one yourself!

A monarch butterfly, adorned with delicate white spots, lands on a cluster of vibrant orange native milkweed flowers. The glossy, curled leaves of the flowers add an extra layer of texture to this charming scene in nature's symphony.

Flowers

21 Species of Native Milkweed for Attracting Butterflies

Milkweed is a beautiful genus of plants that are of great importance to pollinators, and especially to the Monarch butterfly. In this article, gardening expert and pollinator enthusiast Melissa Strauss shares some of her favorite species of Milkweed plants that are native to the United States.

Bat flower blooms display intricate details with their deep purple petals and elongated dark stems. The green leaves appear vibrant and healthy, complementing the overall appearance.

Flowers

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Bat Flower

Do you have a thing for rare and exciting plants? The bat flower is an incredible plant with some of the most interesting flowers around. Here, gardening expert Melissa Strauss explains how to care for this unique and exciting tropical beauty.

A bee forages for nectar and pollen in a cluster of pink and white flowers.

Flowers

Top 21 Shrubs for Pollinators

There are many ways to attract pollinators to the garden. One of the best ways is by planting flowering shrubs! In this article, gardening expert and beekeeper Melissa Strauss shares 21 shrubs that will keep the bees returning to your garden for more.