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, 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 her latest work, Hydrangea Happiness, which will be 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 has 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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C.L. speaks with entomologist Larry Dapsis about fireflies, and talks about yellowing or spotted leaves and how to know what's causing foliage damage. -
On June 7th C.L. starts the program with a postcard from tomatoes. She debunks the notion that you should add Epsom salt and eggshells to your tomato beds, and talks about why blossom end rot really happens. After tomatoes, C.L. addresses persistent weeds and takes calls from listeners. -
This week on The Garden Lady, C.L. starts with a postcard from peonies. Then she talks about her favorite annuals, some emails she received in the past week, and takes listeners' calls. -
This week C.L. starts with a postcard from "bad soil." Then she interviews Jill Nooney, from Bedrock Gardens in New Hampshire. She also talks about the appeal of a charming, clever or unusual plant name and takes calls from listeners. -
This week, C.L. starts off with a postcard from Mother Nature and The Green Man about "No Mow May." Then she welcomes Natalie Carmolli from Proven Winners Color Choice Plants, who talks about shrubs the deer won't eat. -
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C.L. talks about savoring the rain and what can be planted this weekend. Then, she interviews Tawny Simisky, University of Massachusetts Extension Entomologist, about three insects of interest in our area and takes listener calls. -
This week, C.L. talks about Kitchen Minis and takes calls from listeners. -
This program starts out with a postcard from Zinnias, followed by a conversation with Terry Soares, of Soares Flower Garden Nursery. C.L. also gives tips for growing flowers and herbs in containers, and talks about what you can be doing in your landscape this week. -
C.L. talks tick strategies with Larry Dapsis, Barnstable County Entomologist, Retired, and gives more tips about planting perennial gardens.
