C. L. Fornari's Blog

A Postcard From Peonies

If your peonies routinely get botrytis mold in the spring, it's likely that your weather is often cool and damp. In this case, you might want to spray the emerging foliage and buds with an organic fungicide every year as the plant grows. For an occasional browned bud...

A Postcard From “Bad Soil”

If Mother Nature and The Green Man sent you a short message about what you are calling "bad soil," it might look something like this... Details from The Garden Lady, Saturday May 24th, 2025 In addition to discussing our propensity to classify our soils as "bad," I...

A Postcard About “No Mow May”

I love alliteration as much as anyone...it's a great tool for titles and marketing campaigns. But a catchy slogan can sell a concept that has little or mixed merit. So it is for "No Mow May." The idea here was to encourage people to let flowers bloom in their lawns...
Talk Like A Pirate…In The Garden

Talk Like A Pirate…In The Garden

Ahoy, Me Hearties! September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Google it and you'll find any number of fun or time-wasting activities that will help you feel a part of the action. But we plant lovers need...

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Name:   Rhododendron ‘Calsap’ Type of Plant: A Rhododendron that was a cross between ‘Catalgla’ and ‘Sappho’ which produced a plant that’s hardy to...

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I Love Zinnias

I Love Zinnias

Name:  Zinnias!   Type of Plant: Annuals, many cultivars of Zinnia elegans, aka the common garden zinnia. Why I Love This Plant: At this time of...

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