CL Fornari

I Love Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’

Apr 20, 2019 | Gardens

Name: Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ aka yellow Hakon grass, aka yellow Japanese forest grass. Type of Plant Low, graceful clumping grass that likes part-shade and adds color and texture to the garden from spring until hard frost. Growing a foot and a half tall and wide,...

Four Steps To Joy

Apr 13, 2019 | Lifestuff

The graphic might say four steps to fantastic outdoor living, but I’d call it Four Steps to Joy, because that’s what creating beautiful landscapes leads to.

I Love Easter and Passover Gift Plants

Apr 13, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Easter and Passover Plants Type of Plant Hydrangeas, Azaleas, Lilies, Campanula and other lovely plants in full flower. Why I Love/Hate this plant: These lift our hearts in the spring. They need no other purpose, although those who want to save their plants...

A Celebration of a Fleeting Wildflower

Apr 5, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Trientalis borealis aka starflower Type of Plant: A low, perennial wild flower that blooms in May and June with small, but very noticeable, white flowers. Why I Love/Hate this plant: This is one of the few plants that has flowers with 7 petals…although...

Feud Between Neighbors Endangers Residents’ Circadian Clocks

Apr 1, 2019 | Lifestuff

April 1, 2019 Stevens Point, WI A feud between neighboring plant lovers threatens the day/night cycle for hundreds of people in central Wisconsin. The dispute all started when April Loof, a well known garden writer in the region, decided to plant sunflowers...

I Love Crocus vernus ‘Remembrance’

Mar 29, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Crocus vernus ‘Remembrance’ Type of Plant: Early spring flowering bulb, good for planting in gardens or lawns. Why I Love/Hate this plant: I love crocus because they are so early. My ‘Remembrance’ crocus help me to remember that the season for growth and flowers...

I Love Golden Hinoki False Cypress

Mar 22, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Fernspray Gold’ aka golden hinoki false cypress Type of Plant: An evergreen that is a combination of green and yellow, with lovely, ferny foliage and a graceful shape. Why I Love/Hate this plant: Most Hinoki false cypress...

I Love Skunk Cabbage and You Should Too

Mar 15, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Symplocarpus foetidus, aka Skunk Cabbage Type of Plant: A low growing bog or wetlands plant in eastern North America. Why I Love/Hate this plant: This plant is a marvel of a plant designed for survival. First of all, skunk cabbage flowers appear in March before...

How I Became A Writer

Mar 12, 2019 | Lifestuff

How I became a garden communicator. Of course there there is more angst, effort and wonder to the story that can possibly be contained in an eight panel graphic. It’s a tale of sadness, striving, prayer and consultations with a physic channel…not to...

Annual Flowers For Shade: Browallia!

Mar 8, 2019 | Gardens, Love This!

Name: Browallia hybrid named Endless Illumination from Proven Winners Type of Plant: Short annual for part to full shade. Why I Love/Hate this plant: This is a purple-blue flowering annual for shade…unusual in itself. But I love it because it is reliable,...