Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
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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A Wood Frog wiht splayed legs swimming in a pond.

Wood Frogs Sing for Spring

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, To my delight, new frog friends have landed in my pond—Wood Frogs! Their mating sounds sing for spring, inspiring me to revisit Frog Watch USA. Tedor Whitman, Executive Director of the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum (CHA), led a training hosted by G
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a little girl in a blue sundress and pigtails holding hands with her mom.

Fistfuls of Pinecones Bring Happiness

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Last week, we spoke about Early Acorn Drop – Lessons of Letting Go. Acorns aren’t the only thing that seems to be dropping early. During a walk on Sunday on the Paulinskill Rail Trail, I meandered further and landed at our local airport.
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a large truck with a spaded holding the giant umbrella pine as a mother and young boy watch.

The Gift of a Giant Umbrella Pine

Hello, lovers of all things green. Our public gardens are a sure way to get a garden and nature “fix” with no cost of admission. Bruce Crawford, Morris County Park Commission’s Manager of Horticulture, invited me to tour the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown, NJ.
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