Spring Planting: at Home and at The Arnold Arboretum The Garden Lady - Episode 47

By C.L. Fornari

Published February 22, 2026 at 1:31 PM EST

Today’s program focuses on planting. Why it’s good to put small plants in the ground, and is it better to plant in the fall or spring? Rodney Eason, Director of Horticulture and Landscapes at the Arnold Arboretum, explains plans for putting 270 new, woody plants into the Arboretum’s gardens, and changes that are in the works in the Explorer’s Gardens.

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.

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