C. L. Fornari's Blog
Raise Your Glass…to Plants
I just returned from the annual meeting of garden communicators, held in Atlanta this year. It was, as always, a feast of plants and people. Sitting...
Fresh Vegetables…Simple and Flavorful
Freshly picked vegetables have so much flavor that often the simplest preparations are best.
Echinacea ‘Milkshake’ – a love story
Imagine: Her New Year's resolution was to make her perennial garden be easier to care for. Of course some weeding and mulching would always be...
Veggie Garden Pasta
If you have a vegetable garden, you've got dinner! A group of fresh veggies, some lightly cooked and others raw, are tasty when tossed with olive...
I Love Plectranthus Ciliatas
Name: Plectranthus ciliatas Type of Plant: This is an annual unless you live in a zone 10 and above. It grows to a small bush-size in one growing...
Zucchini Shaming
It’s the dark side of community gardens that people don’t talk about. We focus on how great it is to see so many different methods of growing crops....
A Weed Fondness…
As I walk around my gardens this week a weed catches my eye. It is Phytolacca americana, the pokeweed, and I love it. When we moved to Cape Cod and...
I Love Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
Name: Crocosmia x Curtonus ‘Lucifer’ aka Crocosmia Lucifer Type of Plant: A perennial plant that loves a full sun, hot location, and is hardy in...
Broccoli Makes Tiny Heads
"My broccoli only produces small heads!" many of my radio callers say. "What's wrong?" New gardeners also ask about their broccoli producing lots...
I Love Clinopodium nepeta
Name: Clinopodium nepeta, aka Calamintha nepetoides, aka Calamintha nepeta subspecies nepeta, aka (are we tired yet?) lesser calamint. Type of...
Calling All Garden Geeks
Plant Geek, Garden Freak. Landscaper, Outdoor maker. Gardener (Master) Grower of Aster. Designer of Flowers, Builder of Bowers. Veggie Grower, Turf...
How To Preserve Garden Grown Carrots
Got garden carrots? Roast and freeze them!
Garden Rooms
Last night it was great fun to be the guest host of #gardenchat on Twitter. If you're not familiar with it, this is a world-wide conversation about...
I Love Golden Rain Tree
Name: Koelreuteria paniculata - aka the golden rain tree Type of Plant: A fairly fast growing shade tree, hardy in zone 6-9, that’s known for nice...
Are You An Outdoor Influencer?
Want to learn more? Ask me, or check out the GWA webpage.
Flower Report Mid-August
I love the Sunday night #FlowerReport that is hosted by @alyssaharad. Sometimes there are so many people posting pictures of what's in bloom in...
Zucchini Lasagna
In summer squash season there are many yummy ways to cook your garden produce. One way is to use summer squash instead of lasagna noodles. You...
Plants For A Small Container
Small, Sweet and Not Much Root Room There are times when we not only need a small plant for an equally tiny container, but when we'd like to have a...