C. L. Fornari's Blog
How Can You NOT Love Papaver rhoeas – The Red Common Poppy?
Name: Papaver rhoeas aka corn poppy, Flanders poppy or common poppy. Type of Plant: This is an annual poppy. The seeds germinate in the spring, the...
I Love Basil ‘Pesto Perpetuo’
Name: Ocimum × citriodorum (aka Ocimum x africanum or Ocimum citriodorum) 'Pesto Perpetuo' aka variegated basil Type of Plant: No matter what you...
I Love Euphorbia milii
Name: Euphorbia milii aka crown of thorns Type of Plant: A thorny, woody plant that is commonly sold as a houseplant in all parts of North America....
A Plant That Brightens Your Life – Inside and Out
Name: Dracaena fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ aka variegated corn plant. Type of Plant: A houseplant in northern climates but a broadleaf evergreen in...
One Of The Best Summer Squash Varieties To Grow
Imagine: On Thanksgiving day I just might have started a new tradition. In between putting the turkey in the oven and prepping the potatoes and...
Problem Solving Holiday Gift List
Insider Information – On the next Episode of Plantrama, out on Thanksgiving day, Ellen and I present our holiday gift list for New Homeowners,...
Calamondin Citrus – An Indoor Edible Plant
Name: Calamondin citrus often called a calamondin orange. Type of Plant: These are a cross between a mandarin orange (Citrus reticulate) and a...
Growing ‘Winter Gold’
Imagine: A plant that is ordinary most of the year, but becomes startlingly beautiful as fall goes into winter. Name: Ilex verticillata ‘Winter...
A November Thank You Note
Dear Autumn Plants, Our growing season celebration is winding down rapidly. Some of you quietly slipped out a couple of months ago without even so...
Garden Dinner: Using What You Have
Tonight I went into the garden and picked a leek, some mustard greens and kale, broccoli, red peppers and salad. I felt blessed to have such a...
Rosemary Cocktail
Rosemary Comes Indoors If you've grown rosemary in a pot outdoors in the summer, you'll want to bring it indoors for the winter. Once inside, don't...
I Love the Mad Hatter F1 Peppers
Name: Capsicum baccatum Mad Hatter F1 hybrid pepper. Type of Plant: A very productive pepper plant with a unique shaped fruit. This pepper was...
Winter or Thanksgiving Garden Dishes
These are the dishes that I mention on the November 23rd Plantrama podcast. They are what a vegetable gardener might have on their Thanksgiving...
A Most Charming (and Edible!) Annual
Name: Tropaeolum majus – aka nasturtium Type of Plant: A warm weather annual that is the definition of cheerful. There are trailing varieties that...
Not All Ideas “Come True”
We gardeners have a saying about seeds: when you get a plant growing from seed that is the same as the parent plants, we say that the plant "comes...
Recycle Wilted Mylar Balloons
On my husband's birthday a friend surprised him by tying a large bunch of mylar helium balloons to his car. He brought the bouquet home, and they...
Best Hardy Fall Mum…Dendranthema
Name: Dendranthema – aka Chrysanthemum or even perennial daisy mums. Whatever you call them, they are bone-hardy, dependable plants. Varieties...
Plants and Pop Culture: Hydrangea macrophylla
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been concerned that plants and gardening seem to be completely ignored by popular culture. Is it because the...