Late summer flowers

By C.L. Fornari

Published August 29, 2026 at 2:32 PM EDT

The Garden Lady begins with a discussion about shrubs and trees that flower in the late summer and fall. We consider the Franklinia, blue mist shrub, and panicle hydrangeas. Callers ask a variety of questions including wondering about the ripening watermelons, pesto pizza, service berry trees with rust, and scale on houseplants.

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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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