Melissa Strauss

Tallahassee

Content Writer at Epic Gardening Blog

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Articles

How to Get Your Hoya Plant to Bloom: Wax Plant Tips

4 days ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

Hoyas are easy and enjoyable plants that are becoming increasingly popular as houseplants. Their easy-going nature and attractive foliage are great reasons to love these epiphytes. However, it’s the flowers that many people look forward to the most. Known and nicknamed wax plants or porcelain flowers, hoyas have wonderful blooms that often look as though modeled from wax or porcelain. They vary in appearance from one species to another, and many have a wonderful fragrance.
7 Ways to Prepare Your Garden for Hurricane Season

4 days ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

Hurricanes are terrifying, and in my neck of the woods, inevitable. Growing up in Florida, I’ve seen my share of severe weather warnings and wind gusts that could carry off the sturdiest lawn furniture. While the primary concern facing a hurricane of this magnitude is personal safety and the preservation of your home, for gardeners, there are also concerns about their plants. The official start to hurricane season is June 1st, with an end date of November 30th.
How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Japanese Stewartia

5 days ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

Trees If you love camellias and want a summer bloomer, Japanese stewartia might be just what you're looking for. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss to learn about this beautiful blooming tree nicknamed the false camellia. Imagine a beautiful white camellia that blooms in the summer. That is Japanese stewartia, a close relative of this favorite blooming evergreen, with a twist.
9 Potato Plant Diseases to Watch For This Season

6 days ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

My brother once told me, when asked what he’d like to see added to the Thanksgiving menu, that he had never met a potato he didn’t like. I think this sentiment carries over to many of us, so it’s no surprise that they are such a popular crop to grow. For such a seemingly sturdy root, there are quite a few diseases that can affect a crop of potatoes. That’s not to say that they have to be difficult to care for, just that there are a number of issues that you could run into.
13 Cut Flowers You Should Succession Plant This Year

1 week ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

Flowers If you want to elevate your cutting garden game this season, succession sowing is the way to do it. Join cut flower gardener Melissa Strauss for flowers you can plant more than once, for a continuous supply of bouquets this summer. A well-planned cutting garden is a project that supplies continuous satisfaction and joy. There is something really special about clipping a bouquet from your beds to bring to a friend or family member.
When and How to Fertilize Roses in Spring: 5 Expert Tips

1 week ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

When it comes to roses, one thing is for certain. To have healthy, floriferous plants, you need to feed them. Roses are heavy feeders that require a steady supply of nutrients to sustain them throughout the growing season. If you want them to thrive, fertilizer is a vital piece of the puzzle. Fertilizer is important for healthy growth and bountiful blooming, but that’s not the only reason to feed your roses. These precious perennials are vulnerable to several pests and diseases.
7 Care Tips for Potted Calla Lilies

1 week ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

The graceful swirl of a is unmistakable. This is one of those flowers that manages to hold its own in a bouquet. Particularly popular for weddings, it is all class and elegance with a hint of exotic flair. While calla lilies have a substantial vase life, you can also grow them in a pot. This way, you can keep them nearby and enjoy the fanciful flowers for up to three months if cared for properly.
How to Plant a Showy Flower Garden on a Budget

1 week ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

Gardening, like any hobby, can be costly and time-consuming. There are various ways to reduce the amount of time you spend. You can start by installing irrigation, using mulch after weeding, and planting low-maintenance native plants. Then there is the question of creating a showy flower garden while on a budget. If I had the budget and a babysitter for the afternoon, I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars at the nursery.
7 Ways to Attract More Native Pollinators to Your Garden

1 week ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

As gardeners, most of us know the importance of pollinators. If you want to grow successfully, having these insects and animals come to visit is the key to bountiful blooms and harvests of many of the fruits and vegetables we grow. They play a crucial role in the food chain from an early stage, and without them, we would be in a world of trouble. Native pollinators, in particular, are essential because many plants rely on a specific creature to reproduce and thrive.
7 Growing Tips for County Fair Prize-Winning Dahlias

1 week ago | epicgardening.com | Melissa Strauss

Dahlias are all the rage these days, and it’s no surprise why. They have some of the most wonderful, spectacular blooms around, and once you get the hang of it, they’re not difficult to grow. Of course, that doesn’t mean it won’t take some effort, but they are sturdy plants, and with the right care, they produce lots of big (or small), beautiful flowers. The Dahlia genus is a large and varied one.