Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
White Pine Fall Needle Drop along the side of a road

Fall Dropping of Evergreen Needles

Hello fellow readers, Several of you have asked what’s going on with the White Pines. It’s true that seeing evergreens drop their needles often triggers concern. It’s kind of like an abundance of hairs in your shower drain. All trees and shrubs renew their foliage every year. The leav
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Overwintering Tropical Plants

Hello fellow readers, Weather apps are no longer providing frost advisories as the growing season is over! It turns out many of you share the wish to keep things going.  Scott emailed wanting to overwinter palm trees he bought this summer but doesn’t have room in his house.  His garag
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Goldenrod in the wild

Goldenrod’s bad reputation

Hello fellow readers, Goldenrod’s bad reputation is hard to turn around! Sandy from Sparta questioned a recommendation to add Solidago to her fall garden.  The common name is Goldenrod, after all, and doesn’t it cause allergies? The actual offender is Ragweed (Ambrosia ) which g
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Top of the World, Big Pocono Mountain

Top of the World

“The Top of the World!” I adore Big Pocono State Park, atop Camelback ski mountain – I call the Top of the World. It was Father’s Day, the first time there, just as the mountain laurels were at the peak. There couldn’t be a better-planned landscape- fluffy soft
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