CL Fornari

Garden Sushi With Flower Power

Jul 28, 2020 | Food

One of the gifts that the pandemic brought to my house is the return to making our own sushi rolls. In the early months of not shopping much I found nori wrappers, pickled ginger and a tube of wasabi in our pantry, and knew we had avocados and cucumbers in the...

Love Plants and Gardens? Want to Write, Speak, or Podcast About It?

Jul 27, 2020 | Gardens

Sometime ago I put up the graphic posted below, about how I came to be a garden communicator. Although I’ve always loved plants and gardens, it wasn’t my intention of being a professional in that area until we moved to Cape Cod in 1993. It was in that...

Preserving Home Grown Garlic

Jul 26, 2020 | Food

In this area the garlic is commonly pulled from the garden in early July. We bundle ours up and hang it in our shed for two to three weeks to cure, keeping the shed doors and windows open to allow good air circulation. After the heads begin to become papery, we cut...

I Love Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Ragra’ aka Cityline® Rio

Jul 24, 2020 | Love This!

Name: Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Ragra’ aka Cityline® Rio Type of Plant: This mophead hydrangea is a shorter-growing plant that stays under 3 feet tall and grows about 3 feet wide. Why I Love/Hate this plant How do I love this hydrangea? Let me count the...

I Love Soiree Kawaii™ Catharanthus

Jul 17, 2020 | Love This!

Name: Soiree Kawaii Catharanthus Type of Plant: Catharanthus is more commonly known as flowering vinca, although this is confusing since there are other perennial groundcovers and common window box greenery known by the same name. Could we all just agree to call...

I Love The Oso Easy Petit Pink Rose

Jul 10, 2020 | Love This!

Name: Rosa ‘ZLEMarianne Yoshida’ aka Oso Easy Petit Pink landscape rose. Type of Plant: A shrub rose that stays under 4 feet and is repeat flowering and disease resistant. This rose has bubblegum pink flowers that are small but numerous. Why I Love/Hate...

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival 2020

Jul 8, 2020 | Garden Travel

After some uncertainty this spring, it’s with great pleasure that I tell you that the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival is opening on Friday, July 10th. In a normal year, we’d start with a kick-off party at Cape Cod Beer. You’d hear about all the...

Eryngium x zabelii ‘Big Blue’ aka big blue sea holly

Jul 3, 2020 | Gardens

Name: Eryngium x zabelii ‘Big Blue’ aka big blue sea holly Type of Plant: A striking perennial for full sun and well-drained soil. Hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Why I Love/Hate this plant Big blue sea holly is an upright variety of a perennial plant with thistle-like...

I Love Tanacetum parthenium aka feverfew

Jun 26, 2020 | Love This!

Name: Tanacetum parthenium aka feverfew Type of Plant: A traditional cottage garden perennial (although it can be short-lived) that flowers in early summer with small daisy-like blooms. Hardy in zones 5 to 8. Why I Love/Hate this plant This is a plant for those...

Nepeta cataria aka catnip

Jun 19, 2020 | Love This!

Name: Nepeta cataria aka catnip Type of Plant: A generally short-lived perennial that can self-seed and naturalize in full sun gardens. Why I Love/Hate this plant I don’t love this plant, but I do like it. Not for its flowering or wonderful appearance, but for...