Posts By

Kelli Klein

Autumn Sage features aromatic, lance-shaped leaves with scalloped edges and vibrant tubular flowers in shades of red.

Herbs

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Autumn Sage

Common sage is widely used for culinary purposes and is grown in kitchen gardens around the world. But many varieties of ornamental sage offer up beautiful blooms that will attract pollinators to your yard. In addition, they are drought-tolerant and low-maintenance. Autumn Sage, known for its stunning red flowers, is one of those ornamental varieties. Gardening expert Kelli Klein shares the best practices for growing this perennial plant.

Purple sticky catchfly blossoms, stretching towards the sky, adorn the landscape with their striking hue and delicate petals, a testament to nature's intricate beauty and resilience.

Ornamental Gardens

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Sticky Catchfly

What’s in a name? Well, quite a lot for a sticky catchfly. The name refers to the sticky calyx that small insects can get stuck to. But despite its unusual name, it produces beautiful pink flowers that resemble phlox. Garden expert Kelli Klein walks you through how to plant, grow, and care for this American native wildflower.

A bleeding heart vine displays luscious green leaves and vivid white and red flowers, basking in the warm sunlight, creating a picturesque scene of natural beauty.

Flowers

How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Bleeding Heart Vine

Bleeding heart vines are a wonderful tropical plant that produces unique white and red flowers. This tender perennial can be grown outdoors in warm climates or grown in containers and brought indoors in cooler climates. It looks stunning on a trellis as well as hanging baskets. Gardening expert Kelli Klein explains how to care for this vine both indoors and out.

A shrub adorned with clusters of crimson berries and lush green leaves, creating a rich tapestry of color and texture in the garden landscape.

Shrubs

16 Pretty Garden Shrubs with Red Berries

Perennial shrubs add a layer to your landscaping, creating a beautiful backdrop for other flowering plants. Shrubs also create a hedge row, windbreak, or create a boundary at a property line. But what makes these shrubs stand out from the endless varieties to choose from? Well, the contrast between red berries and green foliage makes them even more visually appealing. Gardening expert Kelli Klein provides a list of 17 garden shrubs with red berries.

Close-up of blooming brown eyed susans which feature hairy, branching stems that support coarse, toothed leaves with three distinct lobes, while their vibrant yellow petals encircle a prominent dark brown cone center.

Flowers

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Brown-Eyed Susans

You may have heard of the black-eyed susan, also known as Rudbeckia. But have you heard of its close relative, the brown-eyed susan? This flower is also in the Rudbeckia family and is just as stunning! Once established, it is low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, and attracts a plethora of pollinators. Gardening expert Kelli Klein walks you through how to plant, grow, and care for this perennial flower.

Close-up of an English thyme plant against a blurred background. English thyme is a compact, aromatic herb with slender, woody stems and small, oval-shaped leaves densely arranged along the stems. The leaves are a vibrant shade of green and feature a smooth texture.

Herbs

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for English Thyme

English thyme has become a staple herb for chefs around the world. It’s no wonder, given its unique flavor and wide range of uses. Not only is it edible, but it also makes a lovely ornamental when it produces its delicate white or pale purple flowers. But how do you plant, grow, and care for this Mediterranean herb? Gardening expert Kelli Klein walks you through it.

Closeup of a gardener woman harvesting culinary herbs in the garden. Rosemary and lemon balm grow in the garden bed. The girl picks fresh lemon balm. Melissa is a perennial herb with bright green, heart-shaped leaves that emit a lemony scent. Rosemary is an evergreen shrub with needle-like, aromatic leaves that are dark green on top and silvery underneath.

Herbs

15 Delicious Culinary Herbs You Need in Your Garden

Herbs are as easy to grow indoors as they are outdoors, which can give you a year-round supply. They are perfect for containers, small space gardens, and raised beds alike. There are both annual and perennial herbs to choose from. The varieties and types of herbs available are almost endless, so where to begin? Here, gardening expert Kelli Klein provides an in-depth list of 15 culinary herbs you need in your garden.

Orange calendula flowers blossom, their delicate petals unfurling under the sunlight. Tall, sturdy green stems stand proudly, providing a strong foundation for the flourishing blooms to showcase their radiant beauty to the world.

Flowers

21 Beautiful Calendula Varieties

Are you thinking of adding calendula to your garden? Maybe you’ve researched this beautiful flower and discovered that it does double duty as a pollinator attractant and edible medicinal herb. Most commonly, yellow and orange varieties are available, but there are many, many more! Gardening expert Kelli Klein lists 21 beautiful calendula varieties for your garden.

Close-up of Pennisetum setaceum rubrum, invasive ornamental grass, in a sunny garden. Pennisetum setaceum rubrum, commonly known as purple fountain grass, presents a striking appearance with its upright, arching stems adorned with slender, burgundy-colored foliage that cascades gracefully. The plant produces showy, bottlebrush-like flower spikes that emerge above the foliage.

Ornamental Gardens

Avoid Planting These 11 Invasive Ornamental Grasses

Adding ornamental grasses to your landscape is a great way to add a tough, drought-tolerant, perennial, low-maintenance, visually stunning plant. These same qualities, however, can make many of these grasses invasive, especially when they are grown outside of their native habitat and have no natural pests, diseases, or animals that would utilize them as a food source to limit their spread. So what makes a grass invasive? Gardening expert Kelli Klein tackles this topic and provides a list of 11 ornamental grasses to avoid.

direct sow raised beds. Close-up of radish plants growing on a wooden raised bed. The radish plant showcases vibrant, green foliage with distinctive lobed leaves that form a rosette close to the soil. Below the surface, the roots develop into crisp, bulbous structures of a pinkish color. Radishes' roots exhibit a smooth texture and a rounded shape.

Gardening Tips

21 Vegetables and Flowers to Direct Sow in Raised Beds

Seed-starting can be intimidating for new gardeners. Especially when you consider the space requirements. However, with the following seeds, you can skip the indoor seed-starting step and head straight out to your raised beds! Gardening expert Kelli Klein shares 21 vegetables and flowers to direct sow in raised beds.

Garden method chop and drop. Close-up of trimmed plants in a garden bed. The plants are trimmed at the base and the leaves are thrown on top of the bed.

Gardening Tips

What is the Chop-and-Drop Gardening Technique?

Gardening has its own language and verbiage, which can sometimes be intimidating, especially for beginner gardeners. So, while you may have heard the phrase “chop- and -drop” you might be wondering: What is it? And why do it? Gardening expert Kelli Klein explains how chop-and-drop can benefit your garden.

A line of triangular arborvitae trees stretches along the roadside, their lush green foliage creating a natural barrier. In the distance, a serene cloudy sky paints the backdrop, adding depth to the peaceful rural scene.

Trees

How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Arborvitae

Arborvitae are all the rage for adding a luxurious living fenceline to your landscaping. But what are the care requirements, and how easy or difficult are they to grow? Gardening expert Kelli Klein walks you through the steps to provide optimal growing conditions for your arborvitae hedge.