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.

Cream and lavender foxglove flowers bloom gracefully, their delicate petals unfurling in the garden's gentle breeze, offering a serene contrast against the verdant backdrop of lush greenery.

Flowers

Why Aren’t My Foxgloves Blooming?

It can be troubling and confusing when the plants we expect flowers from refuse to bloom. Foxgloves have such spectacular blooms that gardeners especially look forward to their flowers, and it can be disappointing when they don’t bloom. Read on as gardening expert Melissa Strauss troubleshoots the reasons why your foxgloves might not be blooming when you expected.

flowers raised beds. Colorful flowers in a rustic raised bed. The bed is filled with vibrant purple-red Crested Cock's-combs, pink and yellow Primroses, orange and yellow Common zinnias and yellow Wedelias.

Flowers

7 Tips for Growing Bountiful Flowers in Raised Beds

Raised beds are a low-maintenance and convenient way to add some intentionality to the flower garden. Getting started can seem like a complicated task, but it doesn't have to be. Cut flower gardener Melissa Strauss has some tips to make sure your raised bed flower garden gets off to a healthy start and adds beauty to your home for years to come.

pollinator garden raised beds. Close-up of a white wooden raised bed with various flowering plants attracting pollinators to a sunny garden. The raised bed features red and yellow petunias, Verbascum 'Southern Charm', purple and white Sweet Alyssum, Echium pininana, pink and purple hydrangeas, Phlox, Salvia and more.

Raised Bed Gardening

How to Grow a Pollinator Garden in Raised Beds

Pollinator gardening is a popular way for plant lovers to support those all-important garden workers. We just love a functional and beautiful raised bed garden. In this article, beekeeper Melissa Strauss will help you build a raised bed garden that the butterflies will be talking about for miles.

tastiest tomatoes. Close-up of a cluster of ripe 'Pineapple' tomatoes in a sunny garden against a blurred background. The tomatoes exhibit a vibrant yellow color with streaks and patches of red and orange. Each fruit is characterized by its smooth, slightly ribbed skin and hefty size, filled with juicy flesh.

Fruits

17 Tastiest Tomato Varieties for Fresh Eating

If you love the taste of fresh, sun-ripened tomatoes, we have some great varieties for you to try. Tomatoes are amazing fruits that provide tons of important nutrients to your diet, and they taste wonderful. Gardening expert Melissa Strauss shares some of the most delicious tomatoes for eating straight off the vine.

Vibrant yellow Grandiflora Roses bloom, their petals unfurling in delicate layers under the sun's warm embrace. Surrounding the roses, deep green leaves stand out with their glossy texture, providing a lush backdrop for the cheerful blossoms to shine against.

Flowers

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Grandiflora Roses

Roses are red, white, pink, blue, and purple, too! These most popular of flowers are among the most fragrant and widely admired in the world. Gardeners and florists alike understand the allure and attraction of these wonderful blooms. In this article, rose enthusiast Melissa Strauss tells you all about growing and caring for grandiflora roses!