Saving seeds the right way

By C.L. Fornari

Published September 12, 2026 at 2:26 PM EDT

On The Garden Lady Brittany Clark, Propagator at Polly Hill Arboretum explained about how and why we should save seeds of native plants. Although C.L. Fornari's "dumb luck method" worked, Brittany talked about why cleaning the seeds and storing them properly might work even better. C.L. also answered listener's questions about red bud trees, powdery mildew, Cymbidium orchid flowering and leaf spot on Hydrangeas.

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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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