Hydrangea Happiness with C.L. Fornari Podcast By cover art

Hydrangea Happiness with C.L. Fornari

Hydrangea Happiness with C.L. Fornari

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For some of us, happiness is a hydrangea in full, glorious bloom. And if you’re not yet well acquainted with these flowering shrubs, who better to learn from than The Garden Lady herself? C.L. Fornari is the author of the upcoming 2026 book Hydrangea Happiness: Planting, Pruning and Blooming, among many others. She’s also a well-known gardening radio host and podcaster, appearing over the years as a contributor on NPR’s The Cultivated Gardener, as host of GardenLine on WXTK, as co-host of the podcast Plantrama, and today as the eponymous host of The Garden Lady on several NPR stations. We get the scoop on her broadcasting career, on her founding of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, and on how she planned a modern-day guide to hydrangeas that’s “more Instagram and less coffee table book.” Dive into this interview to learn about choosing the right hydrangea for a northern garden, about the truth of acidifying your soil for those beautiful blue mophead blooms, and about finding joy in your garden and your life. Find C.L. Online at: GardenLady.com Mentioned in This Episode Hydrangea Happiness: Planting, Pruning & Blooming: https://brandeisuniversitypress.com/title/hydrangea-happiness-planting-pruning-and-blooming/ The Cope Cod Hydrangea Festival: https://www.capecodchamber.org/events/cape-cod-hydrangea-fest/ Hydrangeas on the Azores: https://www.treehugger.com/hydrangeas-azores-4869708 Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4JaBluesky: @plantsalwayswin.comTikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcastYouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH Timestamps: 00:14 Introduction00:56 C.L. Fornari’s Garden Radio Host Career05:52 Founding the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival08:33 Why (and How!) C.L. Wrote About Hydrangeas11:21 Postcards from Plants14:43 How Many Hydrangeas? Breeding and Selection16:43 A Paniculata Hydrangea for Erin’s Cold, Clay Conditions18:47 Finding the Right Spot for Your Shrub21:16 Are Hydrangeas Invasive?23:00 Hydrangea paniculata, a.k.a. Panicled Hydrangea23:25 Hydrangea arborescens, aka Smooth Hydrangea24:15 Hydrangea macrophylla, a.k.a. Bigleaf Hydrangea, a.k.a. Mophead Hydrangea25:09 Hydrangea serrata, a.k.a. Mountain Hydrangea27:10 C.L.’s Hydrangea Poetry28:25 Hydrangea quercifolia, a.k.a. Oakleaf Hydrangea28:35 Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris., a.k.a. Climbing Hydrangea28:55 Acidifying Soil for Blue Hydrangeas31:05 The Stubborn Myth that Pine Needles Acidify Soil33:20 Moss Lawn Plant Rant34:27 Macrophylla Hydrangeas with Inconsistent Colours37:56 Poison Ivy Acres and Embracing All of Gardening39:40 Find C.L. Fornari Online40:45 Outro and Contact Us
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