C. L. Fornari's Blog
I Love, And Ask You To Appreciate, Prunus virginiana aka Choke Cherry
Name: Prunus virginiana aka choke cherry Type of Plant: A tree native to much of North America. It’s one of the most important trees for wildlife,...
I Love Comptonia peregrina aka Sweet Fern.
Name: Comptonia peregrina aka sweet fern. Type of Plant: A woody plant with a fern-like appearance, that’s a short, nitrogen fixing plant in the bay...
I Love Callicarpa Species and Hybrids, aka Beauty Berry
Name: Callicarpa species and hybrids, aka Beauty BerryType of Plant: A shrub that has soft foliage all year but struts its stuff in the fall. There...
I Love Narcissus poeticus aka Poets Narcissus
Name: Narcissus poeticus aka poets narcissus Type of Plant: This hardy, white narcissus aka daffodil is a bulb that gets planted in October on Cape...
I Love Parrot Tulips
Name: Parrot Tulips Type of Plant: Tulips with ruffled petals and often, multicolored flowers. Why I Love This Plant: These tulips have large,...
Garden Vegetable Pasta
One of the favorite dishes in my house is a pasta made with fresh vegetables from the garden. In this version, The basics of what we call "Summer...
I Love Basella alba, aka Malabar Spinach
Name: Basella alba, aka Malabar Spinach Type of Plant: A fast growing, soft-stemmed vine that can reach 8 to 10 feet in one summer season. Not a...
I Love Lilium orientalis, aka Oriental Lilies
Name: Lilium orientalis, aka oriental lilies Type of Plant: A summer-flowering bulb, usually hardy in Zones 4-9. There are many named cultivars...
I Love Caryopteris × clandonensis aka Bluebeard or Blue Mist Shrub.
Name: Caryopteris × clandonensis aka bluebeard or blue mist shrub. Type of Plant: A short shrub (typically 20-30” tall and a bit wider) with pale,...
I Love Hydrangea paniculata ‘SMNHPRZEP’ aka Zinfin Doll®
Name: Hydrangea paniculata 'SMNHPRZEP' aka Zinfin Doll® Type of Plant: This is a panicle type hydrangea with large, impressive flowers. It is hardy...
I Love Thunbergia alata, aka Black-Eyed Susan Vine
Name: Thunbergia alata aka black-eyed Susan vine Type of Plant: Annual vines in colder areas (winter hardy in Zones 10-11) that grow quickly and...
I Love Daucus carota aka Queen Anne’s Lace
Name: Daucus carota aka Queen Anne’s Lace Type of Plant: A biennial plant, meaning that it sprouts and grows one year, blooms the next, and then it...
I Love Gladiolus aka gladiola
Name: Gladiolus aka gladiola Type of Plant: Flowering stalk that grows from a corm. Grown as an annual in colder climates but may winter-over in...
I Love Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Golden Arrow’
Name: Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Golden Arrow’ Type of Plant: Perennial hardy in zones 4-7, compact in height and about as tall as it is wide. (20”...
July Perennial Garden Tweaks & Touchups
If you've got mid-summer flowering perennials in your garden, chances are the flowerbed is looking pretty nice right now. The daylilies and...
I Love Lathyrus odoratus, aka Sweet Peas
Name: Lathyrus odoratus, aka Sweet Pea Type of Plant: Annual vine, grown from seeds. Why I Love This Plant: They are sweet in all phases, and the...
I Love the Wee White Hydrangea
Name: Invincibelle Wee White® Hydrangea, aka Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA5' USPP 30,296, Can 6,345 Type of Plant: A small variety of our native...
How To Stake Flopping Peonies and Hydrangeas
Here is a method for staking peonies and hydrangeas: both have very large flowers, and these blooms can pull the stems down, especially after a...