Some seeds need to chill out!

By C.L. Fornari

Published November 14, 2026 at 3:10 PM EST

The Garden Lady starts off with a postcard from seeds explaining that some need to go through a period of cold temperatures in order to germinate in the spring. This is common for some native wildflowers and other perennials as it is a survival strategy. Callers wondered about overwintering plants on a balcony, growing milkweed, getting rid of fungus gnats and more.

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C.L. Fornari

C.L. Fornari is host of The Garden Lady on CAI. She 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 $50,000.00 for local non-profits every year and draws public attention to Hydrangeas and gardening.

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