
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…
Latest articles by Kayleigh Dray
-
You should never walk on grass when it’s frosty – experts agree it's a major lawncare mistake
Keen to avoid frost damage to your lawn? Here's what you need to remember
By Kayleigh Dray
-
How to prepare raised beds for winter – from planting cover crops to repurposing your autumn leaves
Keen to learn how to prepare raised beds for winter? Here's what the gardening experts have to say
By Kayleigh Dray
-
Will snow kill your garden plants? Here's Monty Don's hot take on snow damage
Parts of the UK are bracing for snow and wintry showers – but will it kill your garden plants?
By Kayleigh Dray
-
7 hot chocolate station ideas – create a Wonka-worthy hot chocolate bar to cosy up at this Christmas
Because nothing says Christmas like an extra-special mug of hot chocolate, quite frankly
By Kayleigh Dray
-
7 easy ways to protect your bird feeder from rats and squirrels this winter
Feed the birds this winter, and the birds only
By Kayleigh Dray
-
Where to buy Christmas lights – the best places for stunning indoor and outdoor lights
Ring in the holidays with your very own festive lightshow! Here's our pick of where to buy Christmas lights
By Kayleigh Dray
-
The best Christmas scents – candles and diffusers to make your home smell like a winter wonderland
Start festive scentscaping with our pick of the best Christmas scents
By Kayleigh Dray
-
How to grow paperwhite daffodils using Monty Don's top tips for gorgeous Christmas blooms
Paperwhite daffodils are the most gorgeous indoor flower – and so festive, too! Trust Monty Don to show us the way...
By Kayleigh Dray
-
How to grow garlic – a simple guide to grow this easy vegetable in an allotment or garden
Learn how to grow garlic and keep vampires at bay forevermore
By Kayleigh Dray
-
22 winter flowers to plant now if you want colourful blooms for Christmas
These bright winter flowers won't mind the cold
By Kayleigh Dray
-
Why everyone is so into the Christmas light-up house trend this year
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
By Kayleigh Dray
-
How to grow onions from onion sets for a fantastically flavourful crop
Keen to learn how to grow onions? Look this way for our expert guide to planting onion sets...
By Kayleigh Dray
-
When to plant onion sets if you want delicious onions on tap
Not sure when to plant onion sets? We've got you covered with our expert guide
By Kayleigh Dray
-
The best reusable advent calendars – stylish, affordable and timeless designs that will last
Transform your Christmas countdown with our pick of the best reusable advent calendars (including Mrs Hinch's favourite!)
By Kayleigh Dray
-
Monty Don is ditching a winter greenhouse essential this year – and you should, too
If it's good enough for Monty Don, it's good enough for us...
By Kayleigh Dray
-
How to grow hawthorn like a gardening pro this autumn
One of the prettiest hedges around, learn how to grow hawthorns in your garden with our expert guide
By Kayleigh Dray
-
How to overwinter dahlias like Monty Don so they bloom year after year
Your expert (and Monty Don-approved) guide on how to overwinter dahlias
By Kayleigh Dray
-
How to improve lawn drainage – 8 easy fixes to protect your garden from heavy rain damage
Stormy weather causing havoc in your garden? Here's how to improve lawn drainage, stat
By Kayleigh Dray
-
How to plant a magnolia tree – it could earn you almost £9000!
The stunning magnolia is the perfect tree to plant this November. Here's why...
By Kayleigh Dray
-
Hedgehog warning as temperatures drop! Here's how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly
It's time to transform your garden into a hedgehog haven (you know you want to)
By Kayleigh Dray
-
16 ways to save your garden from very heavy rain
An amber warning has been issued over Storm Ciaran – so what can we do to save our gardens from rain damage?
By Kayleigh Dray
-
When to plant poppy seeds in your garden for bold beautiful flowers
Wondering when to plant poppy seeds for maximum effect? Look this way
By Kayleigh Dray
-
When to prune a climbing rose for winter, according to Monty Don
Not sure when is best to prune a climbing rose? Let Monty Don and his fellow gardening experts be your guide
By Kayleigh Dray
-
Stacey Solomon's DIY ghost decor is the cutest Halloween treat on Instagram
You will absolutely want to copy Stacey Solomon's DIY ghost decor when you see it
By Kayleigh Dray