Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
Heart-shaped fallen leaf covered with raindrops among autumn oak leaves

Another Lesson from the Leaf: Help Is on the Way

Life has a way of testing the very lessons we've grown to believe. A leaf in the wind brings another lesson about acceptance, letting go, love, and trusting that help is on its way.
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Jolee standing beside a folded American flag in a garden bordered by large stone boulders

The Flag & the Knot – Growing Forward Anyway

A simple Fourth of July project turned into an unexpected lesson about perfection, progress, and moving forward anyway. What began as raising a flag became a story of mystery knots, laughter, poison ivy, and the wisdom Mother Nature offers in the Garden of Life.
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Patrick McDuffee leading a tour through the formal herb garden at Well-Sweep Herb Farm.

Love, Lovage & Treasures at Well-Sweep Farm

A visit to Well-Sweep Herb Farm leads to unexpected discoveries, from towering lovage and herbal treasures to a poignant reminder of friendship, healing, and the lessons nature offers when we slow down long enough to listen.
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Bitter melon vine growing in a greenhouse, one of several unusual vegetables discovered during a spring greenhouse visit.

Leave Room for Wandering: Unexpected Greenhouse Treasures

Leave room for wandering. What began as a trip to purchase annuals became a treasure hunt filled with unusual vegetables, greenhouse discoveries, practical planting tips, and a reminder that some of life's greatest treasures are found beyond what we originally came looking for.
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Native skunk cabbage flowers emerging through melting snow in early spring.

Skunk Cabbage Appeal

Skunk cabbage may not win any beauty contests (though I feel its beautiful), but this remarkable native wetland plant offers one of nature's earliest signs of spring. From melting snow with its own warmth to feeding emerging pollinators, skunk cabbage reminds us that beauty, resilienc
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Snowdrops and dog in early spring reflections along a roadside garden

Early Spring Reflections: What the Roadside Reveals About Belief

A roadside walk after winter’s thaw reveals more than litter—it uncovers quiet lessons in tending what doesn’t belong and noticing what begins to bloom. From snowdrops to a snapping turtle, nature reminds us that even after disruption, growth returns.
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Jolee, a white dog wiht a black mask looking into a bucket of holly branches.

When the Garden Teaches Letting Go

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Decorating with What Remains I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was on a scavenger hunt to decorate window boxes and pots. Well, the holly branches chewed off Ellie’s memorial holly dried out amazingly fast, likely due to the buck’
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Swarm-of-Common-Grackles

Flocking Together – Wisdom from Grackles

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, Last week, I shared the sad news that the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice in Fredon, NJ, will close on November 14, 2025. As you can imagine, my final visits as a volunteer come with a swirl of emotions. On Friday, while chatting with the a
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A side view of Jolee with her ears flat on her head next to Mary Stone.

Nature Teaches Endings Bring Beginnings

Birthdays have a way of encouraging us to pause and reflect, don't they? We may consider changing a few things or planting new seeds. There is such wisdom in nature, teaching us that endings bring beginnings— even unexpected, sad endings and losses— because from them comes new growth.
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Light Green fan-like leaves of Lady's Mantle with plentiful droplets of morning dew.

Lotus Effect and Lady’s Mantle

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green; I adore clients sending plant photos from their gardens. Tara from Sparta, NJ, sent one of her Lady’s Mantle with the headline Morning Diamonds. “So lovely! I adore the lotus effect. Thank you for sharing,” my note back. Perf
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