CL Fornari

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...

I Hate Oriental bittersweet aka Celastrus orbiculatus

Dec 7, 2019 | Gardens

Name: Oriental bittersweet – aka Celastrus orbiculatus aka Chinese bittersweet or round-leaf bittersweet Type of Plant: A vine that has round or oval leaves and orange roots. This plant was brought to this country in the 1800’s as an ornamental vine because it has...

I Love Paperwhite Narcissus aka Narcissus papyraceus

Nov 30, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Paperwhite Narcissus aka Narcissus papyraceus Type of Plant: A fragrant variety of narcissus, bulbs that are easily forced and grown indoors at this time of year. Why I Love/Hate this plant: I love paper whites because they are fun to watch grow. In December,...

I Love The American Cranberry – Vaccinium macrocarpon

Nov 22, 2019 | Love This!

Name: The American Cranberry – Vaccinium macrocarpon Type of Plant: Not a plant that many people grow in their yards and gardens, but one that most are familiar with, especially at this time of year. This is a low-growing, trailing vine that many think of as a shrub....

I Love Pineapple Mint ~ Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’

Nov 15, 2019 | Love This!

Name: Pineapple mint aka Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’ Type of Plant: A pretty herb with white and green leaves. This mint grows quickly, so it’s perfect for a pot on your deck or patio. Why I Love/Hate this plant: I love how fresh looking this plant is, and I also...