The Garden Lady - Episode 29

By C.L. Fornari

Published July 19, 2025 at 6:40 PM EDT

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Are the leaves of your morning glory filled with holes? Did your zinnia foliage get shredded when you put the young plants in the garden? Are you wondering what you can do about it? This week C.L. talks about when we need to protect our plants, and the times when we should let nature take its course. She’ll consider that there is always an acceptable level of damage, especially if it’s cosmetic in nature and the plants affected are ornamentals. When to respond and to hold back. And of course she takes calls about your plants, gardens and landscapes.

The Garden Lady on CAI

C.L. Fornari

C.L. Fornari is the author of eight books, including Coffee for Roses and The Cocktail Hour Garden. She’s a professional speaker, the former host of GardenLine on WXTK, and co-host of the Plantrama podcast. She is a frequent speaker to groups nationwide, and has worked for a family-owned independent garden center for 25 years. C.L. grows vegetables, flowers, shrubs, trees and numerous other plants at Poison Ivy Acres on Cape Cod. 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 gardening.

See stories by C.L. Fornari