CL Fornari

I Love Salvia officianalis aka Common Sage

Jan 24, 2020 | Love This!

Name: Salvia officianalis aka common or culinary sage Type of Plant: This herb is a perennial in zones 4 to 8. It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil. This sage is semi-evergreen and flowers in early summer in most regions. Why I Love/Hate this plant: What’s...

Sign Up to See How To Bee

Jan 18, 2020 | Love This!

Use this link: http://bit.ly/how_to_bee

I Love Rudbeckia hirta

Jan 17, 2020 | Love This!

Name: Rudbeckia hirta aka black eyed Susans Type of Plant: Biennial that is sometimes grown as an annual. Grows 2 to 3 feet tall, often self-hybridizing and appearing with a variety of flower colors and sizes. Why I Love/Hate this plant: I love annuals that gently...

How To Grow Anthuriums Indoors

Jan 3, 2020 | Love This!

Name: Anthurium species and varieties, aka flamingo flower (or so I read…everyone I know just calls them “Anthuriums.”) Type of Plant: Herbaceous epiphytes that grow in tropical areas from Central to South America. The heart-shaped spathe that we call the flower is...

A New Year’s Television Detour

Jan 1, 2020 | Lifestuff

If you’re only here for the plants and gardening, skip this post. But on this New Year’s Day I’m looking at the offerings on selected television stations and thinking about what they are telling us about 2020. I’m looking at some listings for...

I Love The Long-Blooming Patrinia scabiosifolia

Dec 27, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Patrinia scabiosifolia aka patrinia Type of Plant: Long blooming perennial with upright flower stems that grow to about four feet tall. The flowers and their calyxes are a bright yellow. Why I Love/Hate this plant: I love patrinia because it’s easy to grow and...

Expectations and Mail Order Plants

Dec 26, 2019 | Lifestuff

(This piece was originally posted ten years ago on my first blog, Whole Life Gardening.) My first experience with mail order was in the mid-1950’s. In the back of my mother’s magazines I saw a small ad that read, “100 Dolls for $1.00!” A hundred dolls for only a...

I Love Billbergia nutans aka The Queen’s Tears

Dec 20, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Queen’s tears bromeliad, aka Bilbergia nutans, or friendship plant. Type of Plant: An epiphytic bromeliad native to South America. The shallow roots are used for anchoring the plant onto trees, so they don’t really need soil. Orchid bark is fine. Why I...

Vegan Nachos

Dec 14, 2019 | Food

Anyone who has ever dined with me knows that I’m an omnivore who eats more vegetables than anything else. But on my doctor’s advice I’ve recently gone dairy-free, so I’m always on the lookout for ways to make favorite dishes without cheese,...

I Love Norfolk Island Pine, aka Araucaria heterophylla

Dec 13, 2019 | Love This!, You Can Grow That

Name: Norfolk Island Pine aka, Araucaria heterophylla Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer that has a straight trunk and symmetrical branches…Native to Norfolk Island which is in the ocean almost equidistant from New Zealand and Australia, but these are not true pine...