Kayleigh Dray
Kayleigh is an enthusiastic (sometimes too enthusiastic!) gardener and has worked in media for over a decade. She previously served as digital editor at Stylist magazine, and has written extensively for Ideal Home, Woman & Home, Homes & Gardens, and a handful of other titles. Now, though, she is leaning into her passion for plants at Gardening Know How.
In her spare time, Kayleigh loves to spend as much time as possible outdoors – not least of all because it helps her tiny tearaway daughters burn off some much-needed energy – so she can usually be found wandering around one of England's National Trust site, traipsing around the lakes near her village, or making mud pies and homemade potions in the garden.
Married to an RHS-trained gardener with a penchant for rescuing unwanted plants, their 'work in progress' backyard has become something of a plant hospital over time: there's usually a sorry-looking bush or shrub being carefully nursed back to good health somewhere (which is why they're extra proud of the stunning laurel hedge at the front of their home – it was nothing but a sickly yellow sprig until they got their hands on it).
Keen to do her bit for local wildlife, Kayleigh makes a point of filling her borders with pollinator-friendly blooms, native fruiting plants, and wildflowers. Her daughters might be tots still, but she's encouraged them to tend to their own herb garden, too – and there is always a fun family project on the go, whether it's crafting a homemade bee water station, mini pond, hedgehog house, bird feeder, seed bomb, or stumpery.
In addition to her gardening know-how, Kayleigh has also written extensively about pop culture and the arts, and she has a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing.
Latest articles by Kayleigh Dray
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Kourtney Kardashian Just Gave Us The Ultimate Poolside Planting Inspiration – And It's So Easy To RecreateIf you want to recreate the dreamy poolside scene from Kourtney's latest Instagram post, you can (no celebrity budget required!).
By Kayleigh Dray
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Meet The Perennial Quietly Replacing Delphiniums – Its Purple Flower Spikes Thrive In Dry SoilThe delphinium lookalike is beloved by pollinators, too.
By Kayleigh Dray
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Matthew McConaughey's Rope Porch Swing Is Stunning, And It's So Easy To DIYThere are plenty of things I’d happily borrow from Matthew McConaughey’s home – and now I can add his outdoor swing setup to the list.
By Kayleigh Dray
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I Used to Hate Dandelions – Until I Discovered the Pretty Pink Version Designers LoveDandelions have had a bad rep for a very long time... but this pretty pink version is officially stealing hearts everywhere.
By Kayleigh Dray
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Say Hello To Your Birth Month Biennial – And The Meaning Behind Each OneThese beautiful biennial flowers are worth sowing now for a spectacular display next year – and each one has a personality to match your birth month.
By Kayleigh Dray
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I Grow This Pretty Flower For My Borders – But It's Also My Secret To Brighter Blond HairI hardly reach for purple shampoo anymore because it leaves my blond hair incredibly shiny (and it's so easy to make)...
By Kayleigh Dray
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This Colorful Perennial Is Quietly Replacing Mums – It Blooms For Weeks Into Fall and Pollinators Love ItWant a garden that blooms in fall and offers plenty of colorful pollinator-friendly flowers? Skip the mums and plant this perennial instead...
By Kayleigh Dray
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I’m Doing One Simple Thing To Help Birds After The Solar Eclipse – It Takes 2 MinutesOn August 12, I’m doing one very simple thing for the birds in my garden after the solar eclipse (and you should, too).
By Kayleigh Dray
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I Saw TikTok Telling People To Put Herbs In Their Bird Baths... But Is It Actually A Good Idea?I’m always looking for ways to make my garden more bird-friendly, but I had a bad feeling about TikTok’s latest bird bath hack....
By Kayleigh Dray
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Every Year, I Panic Over My Green Tomatoes – And My Professional Gardener Husband Has Some ThoughtsMy annual panic over my tomatoes refusing to turn red has begun in earnest. This year, though, my husband (a professional gardener and avowed tomato hater) has shared a secret with me...
By Kayleigh Dray
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Exclusive: Greta Lee Says Gardening Is the Ultimate Survival Skill – And Her New Netflix Thriller Proves ItGardening becomes key to survival in Netflix's The Last House. Here, Greta Lee explains why we should never forget that plants are in charge...
By Kayleigh Dray
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Meet The Lavender Dupe With Triple The Bloom Time and No Woody Stems – It’s Set To Become A Garden ClassicI love lavender as much as the next person, but even I can admit that the bloom time leaves something to be desired...
By Kayleigh Dray
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Say Hello To Your Birth Month Groundcover Plant – And The Meaning Behind Each OneThese birth month groundcover plants are said to reflect our personalities, telling us far more about ourselves than we may think.
By Kayleigh Dray
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Garden Designers Say This Fragrant Favorite Is The Next 'It' Plant – So I'm Making It The Star Of My GardenI couldn't stop noticing this fragrant favorite popping up in stylish gardens. Turns out, it has everything we're looking for in a future-proof plant.
By Kayleigh Dray
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The Only Flower Thriving on My Morning Walk Was This Cute Purple Perennial – Here's Why It Loves Hot SummersPretty enough to stop me in my tracks but tough enough to handle summer stress, this purple perennial proves you don't have to choose between beauty and resilience.
By Kayleigh Dray
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Our Gardens Can Be Lifelines For Wildlife During A Heatwave – Here Are 5 Simple Things I'm DoingA heartbreaking report about wildlife struggling in the heat made me rethink my own garden. These are the five simple changes I'm making to help birds, bees and other backyard visitors.
By Kayleigh Dray
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I Found A Way To Feed Birds And Banish Slugs At The Same Time – And It Costs Almost NothingThis simple citrus trick turns leftover fruit into a backyard bird buffet, and all while helping me tackle one of my garden's biggest nuisances.
By Kayleigh Dray
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All Of My Houseplants Are Dying In The Heat Except For This One – It's Virtually UnkillableMy beloved ivy gave up, my ferns are struggling, but there is one houseplant still standing taller than I am in this heatwave.
By Kayleigh Dray

