CL Fornari

Naming A Property

May 1, 2016 | Lifestuff

Martha Stewart’s house in Maine is called Skylands, Oprah Winfrey calls her California property Promised Land, and the late Roald Dahl lived in Gipsy House. Does your house or gardens have a name? If so, does the name speak to your heart, make you laugh, or have...

I Love Geranium macrorrhizum

Apr 29, 2016 | Love This!

Name: Geranium macrorrhizum aka bigroot geranium Type of Plant: A perennial hardy in Zones 3-8. Fragrant foliage, small flowers in June. Why I love this: This is one of the best weed-smothering perennials. It is practically evergreen, and looks great from March...

What We Treasure

Apr 25, 2016 | Lifestuff

When I was going into the 7th grade my family moved from Muncie, Indiana to Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Instead of the one-day drive north, however, my parents decided to go from the Hoosier State to the Dairy State by way of The Evergreen State of Washington. My...

Words To Live By

Apr 25, 2016 | Lifestuff

There are times when we need to speak up, be bold, suggest new approaches and plant differently. It’s not always appreciated, welcomed or accepted. Oh well. When the boat rocking becomes stabilized we often find that what has taken root grows into something even...

I Love Southern Comfort…Heuchera, That Is

Apr 23, 2016 | Love This!

Name: Heuchera ‘Southern Comfort’ Type of Plant: There are seemingly hundreds of varieties of the plant we used to call “coral bells” but this has remained one of my favorites. This perennial with peach to butterscotch colored foliage is hardy in Zones 4 to 8. It...

Succulent Plant Crafts

Apr 22, 2016 | Projects/Crafts

If you have something that’s made of wire, you have the beginning of a great plant craft project or succulent display. Since succulents don’t need much soil, and because their leaves don’t wilt while they are getting their roots established, you can...

Don’t Just Pin It, PLANT It!

Apr 20, 2016 | Lifestuff

Now don’t get me wrong…I love Pinterest. I have a series of boards ranging from gardens to books, creative interiors to great tasting recipes. I hate knowing, however, that many people are spending more time pinning photos of gardens then they are creating...

Herbs for the Cocktail Hour Garden

Apr 18, 2016 | Gardens

Over the next few weeks I’ll be featuring some must-have plants for your cocktail hour garden. Many of these are featured in the newly published The Cocktail Hour Garden: Creating Evening Landscapes for Relaxation and Entertaining, but some will be other...

I Love Gold Mop Cypress

Apr 15, 2016 | Love This!

Name: Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Mop” aka gold mop cypress Type of Plant: A needled, thread-leaf evergreen…or shall we say ever yellow-green. Hardy in Zones 5 to 7, this kind-of-dwarf shrub ads color to the landscape in all seasons. Why I love this: Bright...

How Books Grow

Apr 14, 2016 | Good Books

Many who follow this blog are also people who value books about gardening and beyond. First and foremost, this blog post is a thank you note. Garden communicators, those who write about and take photos of gardens, and other authors, appreciate and depend on your...