The Garden Lady is a weekly, hour-long call-in radio program hosted by plant expert C.L. Fornari. It airs on WCAI 90.1, WNAN 91.1, and WZAI 94.3, and WGBH 89.7, Saturdays at 1 p.m. On The Garden Lady, Fornari takes listener questions and discusses a wide range of topics around gardening, horticulture, and nature, with a special focus on helping the Cape and Islands community make the most of every season, regardless of their level of plant experience.
Call our Listener Line with your gardening questions: 866-999-4626
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More about C.L. Fornari:
C.L. Fornari is the author of nine books, including The Cocktail Hour Garden, Sand and Soil, and, Hydrangea Happiness, published by Brandeis University Press in 2026. She’s a professional speaker, the former host of GardenLine on WXTK and co-host of the Plantrama podcast. She worked for Hyannis Country Garden, a family-owned independent garden center, for 30 years. In 2015 C.L. launched the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, a ten-day regional celebration of gardens that typically raises over $100,000.00 for local non-profits every year and draws public attention to Hydrangeas, and horticulture. C.L. grows vegetables, flowers, shrubs, trees and numerous other plants at Poison Ivy Acres on Cape Cod.
Regular features on The Garden Lady:
A Postcard from Plants: What if Mother Nature, The Green Man, or a particular plant could send you a postcard with a condensed message that will help you be a better garden maker or plant person?
Plant People: I welcome a variety of guests to discuss plants, gardens and the wonders of the natural world.
Houseplant Highlights: We’ll regularly speak about the plants that are grown indoors, from highlighting wonderful varieties to discussions about common problems.
In The Know: What’s happening with plants right now - weather/growing conditions/timing.
Calls From Listeners: What's on your mind? What's happening in your garden? From lawns to lilacs, holly to hydrangeas, and petunias to peace lilies, give me a call. On The Garden Lady, it’s all plants considered.
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Celebrate summer flowers in early August with The Garden Lady. After starting out with a postcard from petunias, C.L. welcomes Kerry Michaels, author of Art From the Garden and they talk about getting creative with flowers and other natural materials. Listeners call in with questions about vegetable garden problems, powdery mildew, controlling invasive weeds, and earthworms. -
In early August C.L. Fornari begins the program with postcard from daylilies, and discusses a few ways to improve perennial gardens at this time of year. Callers wondered about daylilies that aren't flowering well, strawberry plants with no berries, gardens that have greater shade, and heavy hydrangea flowers. -
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The Garden Lady started off with a postcard about mid-summer Lavender care. Callers asked about a multitude of garden problems including fungus gnats in a houseplant, growing cucumbers, wild grapes, hydrangeas and carrots. -
On today's program C.L. talks about mid-summer fertilizing, the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, and takes listener calls about perennial plants, July plant care, and the growth of trees. -
On the Fourth of July The Garden Lady shares four things that are essential for plants, and four approaches to good soil health for gardens. Listeners called in with questions about rose pruning, watering gardens, and transplanting perennials in the middle of the summer. -
C.L. starts this program off with a postcard about the myth that sunlight though water droplets burns leaves. Then she speaks with Mason Vollmer, author of Apple Gardening - Easily Grow Apples Without Big Tree Problems, and takes listener's calls about grapevines, rot on summer squash and watering new landscaping. -
On The Garden Lady today, C.L. starts off with a postcard about holes in leaves. Then she welcomes Dabney Day, Writer, Producer and Director of the film “The Gardener.” This movie, screening in selected theaters, invites the audience to slow down, listen and feel. Then the program moves from the metaphorical to the practical with plant questions from listeners about herbs, potatoes, blueberries and other June gardening matters. -
The Garden Lady was broadcast live from the CAI Studios today. C.L. Fornari's guest was Horticulturalist George Chapman, who is the Director of the gardens at Highfield Hall in Falmouth, MA. Members of the audience asked questions about hydrangeas, a birch tree that is dropping leaves, and Rhododendrons that aren't flowering. -
The Garden Lady spoke to the Insect Lady today as Margie Patlak, author of Insect Safari, was C.L. Fornari's guest. C.L. took calls from listeners who were asking about squirrels, woodchucks, peonies and more.
