Articles by Kayleigh Dray

Kayleigh Dray joined the Ideal Home team in May 2023, and it feels like a role for which she’s been preparing her entire life. After all, her first ever job was working at a busy local garden centre, before she became a property writer for Fine & Country Estate Agents – a job which helped fund her degree in English Literature & Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.

She kicked off her career in magazines with an eye-opening internship at Cosmopolitan – and was able to impress her editor so much that she kept her on as a news writer. Kayleigh then went on to become part of the digital editorial team at Closer, before a successful seven-year stint at Stylist, where she took command as the site’s editor (and editor-at-large).

Nowadays, she can be found freelancing for a myriad titles about film and TV, but it’s her part time role at Ideal Home that allows her the chance to wax lyrical about her true love: gardening. She has just set to work on giving her own scrubby backyard a woodland-inspired makeover – and there’s been whispers of a vegetable plot, too!

IDEAL HOME TRUTHS

Where’s your happy place?

My happy place is my tiny kitchen, as it’s the first room we put our own stamp on when we moved in. I love the clean white walls and turquoise tiles, and I’m obviously a big fan of the windowsill filled with herb pots and flowering fruit plants, too. There’s still work to be done, but I can’t help but feel proud of how pretty and functional this dinky little room has become.

What’s your home addiction?

I'm obsessed with buying plants – it’s actually been said I have a serious plant problem by more than one person. Whether it’s the time I “accidentally” signed up to a monthly plant subscription service and filled my home with leafy beauties, or the time I woke up frighteningly early to make sure I got my mitts on a coveted climbing hydrangea at our local community plant sale (hey, it’s for charity!), there’s a reason my husband now insists on a One In, One Out policy.

What is your next home project?

This house was bought at auction as a definite fixer-upper, and has been a work in progress ever since. Downstairs is almost sorted (almost), so next it’s the turn of upstairs, and particularly the so-called nursery, as the baby is still camping out in our bedroom…

Kayleigh Dray

Latest articles by Kayleigh Dray

The biggest reason why your grass seed isn't growing – and the easiest way to fix it

The best low-maintenance evergreen shrubs for year-round privacy

Monty Don says now's the moment to plant sweet peas outside – here's how to give them the best start

If your rosemary plant has gone woody and patchy, garden experts say this is exactly what you need to do

These are the flowering plants to grow for privacy that will provide a natural screen full of colour

What to do with a spider plant in April to stop brown tips and set it up for a season of healthy growth

Don't overseed your lawn until you've done this one crucial thing for thicker, healthier grass

What to do with a peace lily in March – these simple care tips will guarantee glossy leaves and encourage flowering this spring

One careless cut to your plants this spring could mean fewer flowers and lacklustre growth – garden experts share how to avoid making this easy mistake

These are the 4 things you should never do to your lawn in spring – experts say avoid doing these in March and you'll have thicker, healthier grass for summer

If you have a woody hydrangea, it can be fixed say experts – this is how to revive yours and get an abundance of blooms again this summer

Pied wagtails will flock to your garden if you add these simple wildlife-friendly features – experts say these cheery little birds don't use hanging feeders so here's what to do instead

Don't plant your begonia tubers until you read this – avoid these common mistakes if you want lots of big blooms this summer

This is the best way to overseed a lawn full of moss in spring – experts share their simple method to bring your grass back to life

Pied wagtails will flock to your garden if you add these simple wildlife-friendly features – experts say these cheery little birds don't use hanging feeders so here's what to do instead

20 of the best trees for small gardens – flowering, fruiting and privacy options

Your birth month has a specific flower – this is the meaning behind yours, and the best varieties to add to your garden

How to multiply your monstera for free – the budget-friendly propagation trick for even more houseplants

4 major hydrangea pruning mistakes to avoid in spring – and what to do instead for bigger, brighter blooms this year

Your birth month has a perennial plant – this is the meaning behind yours, and the best varieties to add to your garden

These 4 garden trends aren’t worth the investment in 2026, say experts

Experts say this is how often your fiddle leaf fig really needs watering – and share the signs it needs a drink

Your birth month has a houseplant – this is the meaning behind yours and how to grow it in your home

The everyday garden tidy-ups and jobs you don't think twice about doing could be harming birds, hedgehogs and other creatures without you knowing

Don't throw out your old towels! This is the creative way gardeners are reusing them to help birds and hedgehogs this winter