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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The guest on The Garden Lady was Jon Laurie, Director of Municipal Outreach for the Black Earth Compost Company. Among other spring topics, callers to the program asked about squirrels eating the new growth on trees, groundcover for hot, dry areas, and getting rid of pea-gravel mulch. -
C.L. talks to Rhonda Fleming Hayes, author of Garden For Life and answers your questions. -
It's a spring planting extravaganza as The Garden Lady talks with Katie Rotella, of Ball Horticultural, about four top performing plants for 2026. -
C.L. talks with Stephen Orr, author of The Gardener's Mindset: Connecting With Nature Through Plants and answers your calls. -
C.L. talks with Andrew Fisher Tomlin author of The Modern Professional Planting Designer and answers your calls. -
C.L. speaks with author Carol Michel about AI, answers your calls, and shares how helpful the snow can be. -
This week C.L. is joined by Tawny Simisky and Esher Cattle, Entomologists with the Cooperative Extension and answers your garden questions. -
C.L. speaks with Mikel Folcarelli, the co-owner of Sakonnet Garden in Little Compton, Rhode Island and answers your calls. -
C.L. gives tips on planting peas, talks with Allison Dush, Director of Programs and Education at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and answers your calls. -
C.L. makes her way out of the snow to help your garden and to give tips on growing tomatoes.
