Molly Marquand

Molly Marquand is a botanist, gardener, writer, and mother living in New York’s Hudson Valley. Holding an undergraduate degree in ecology and a Master of Science degree in botany, all of Molly’s musings are guided by science, and imbued with a great love of nature. With three children, two horses, three dogs, and an amalgam of other farm animals at home, Molly’s gardens are wild, messy, primarily native, and full of good things to eat. Molly’s work has also appeared in National Geographic, Bon Appetit, Good magazine, and Rodale’s Organic Life, among others.

How to Grow and Care for American Bittersweet Vines

A close up horizontal image of the berries and foliage of American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) growing in the garden, pictured on a soft focus background.

The native alternative to Oriental bittersweet, American bittersweet has the same dazzling, bright, colorful berries without the tendency to overtake everything in its path. Excellent food for wildlife, and superb for wreath making and seasonal decoration, learn to grow this unusual woodland climber in this guide.

28 of the Best Yucca Varieties

A close up horizontal image of the flowers and foliage of a yucca plant pictured in bright sunshine on a blue sky background.

Happy inhabitants of the driest of soils, the resilient yucca tolerates drought, frost, and searing heat. With spiky foliage in shades of green, gray, and blue, yucca sports spikes of creamy flowers come summer. Learn about the most beautiful, floriferous, and toughest types of this native succulent for your garden.

How to Care for Succulents in Winter

A close up horizontal image of succulents covered in a layer of snow.

Marvelously tough and typically unfussy, succulents get a little more needy once hot summer weather subsides and winter returns. From repotting to watering to pest control and more, learn how to steward your succulents through the chillier, darker season of winter. Read more about succulent winter care in our guide.

How to Grow and Care for Organ Pipe Cactus

A horizontal image of a large organ pipe cactus growing in the desert surrounded by scrubby plants pictured on a blue sky background.

Native to Mexico and the southwestern United States, organ pipe cactus can grow to be truly enormous. Strikingly architectural, it’s beautiful in all seasons, producing huge white flowers in spring and sweet fruits in summer. Given lean soil, minimal water, and lots of sunlight, you can grow this long-lived cactus too.

How to Grow and Care for Black Walnut Trees

A close up horizontal image of the fruit developing on a black walnut (Juglans nigra) tree pictured on a soft focus background.

Cold hardy, tolerant of a wide range of conditions, and an excellent timber tree to boot, black walnut is an easy nut tree to grow. What’s more, this striking tree is native to the eastern United States, inhabiting floodplains, roadsides, and forest edges. Tough, versatile, and productive – what’s not to love?

How to Grow and Care for Spotted Joe-Pye Weed

A close up horizontal image of the flowers of spotted joe-pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum) growing in the garden.

Perfect for a rain garden or the back of a border, spotted joe-pye weed is an easy-to-grow native perennial suited to a variety of soils, and its giant clusters of pink flowers attract a myriad of pollinators. Requiring little to no maintenance to thrive, it’s a go-to choice for low impact, eco-friendly gardening.

How to Grow and Care for Rosinweed

A close up horizontal image of yellow rosinweed (Silphium) flowers pictured in bright sunshine on a blue sky background.

Looking for a hardy, drought-tolerant native flower to brighten up the garden? Look no further. Rosinweeds are easy to grow and their bright yellow flowers are attractive to birds, bees, and butterflies. Requiring little to no maintenance to thrive, this is a go-to choice for low impact, eco-friendly gardening.