Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
a birdseye view of purple and white petunias and American Flag for Memorial Day

Flowers & Meaning of Memorial Day

Hello fellow readers;  A Little Hope Foundation funds a Comfort Zone Camp supporting kids and young adults who lost a loved one to suicide. The camp, held the weekend before Memorial Day, reflects the meaning of the holiday and favorite Memorial Day flowers of remembrance. History &am
Read More
lime green Japanese maple leaves unfolding with seed pods forming below.

Spring Unfolding is Happiness

Hello fellow readers; I often start chats with you by dictating thoughts on a morning walk with Jolee. And today, I am embracing spring unfolding, which we enjoy from year to year. The patterns in nature are familiar, bringing happiness and responsibility. Patterns of Spring Unfolding
Read More
a single yellow bloom of a Winter Aconite in the Snow

Winter Flowers and Folklore

Hello fellow readers, Snowdrops and Winter Aconite are in bloom leading me to the folklore of the winter flowers. And how Snowdrops, known as Candlemas Bells, are featured on Candlemas Day, representing hope. You likely know the most famous legend for March – In like a lion, out like
Read More
a couple photographing a double rainbow amongst trees in brilliant fall colors

Cycles in Our Garden of Life

Hello fellow readers, The seasons of gardening relate to the cycles in our garden of life. In the early season of life, we don’t have choices. Like seeds, we live with what we were handed and where we landed. We are born into a family, a culture, and a country where we will grow
Read More
a huge flock of white snow geese flying into a farm field

Snow Geese Teach Acceptance

Hello, fellow readers. Snow geese and Canadian geese are glorious to many but pests to some, bringing a lesson of acceptance I hope you’ll enjoy. As I drove to the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice for my weekly volunteer sing, an enormous flock of snow geese fed on the farm fi
Read More
a pileated woodpecker on a tree trunk

Woodpeckers & Healing Sounds of Nature

Hello fellow readers, Colorful birds against the leafless trees indeed pop. And the healing sounds of nature improve health and well-being, even in the winter. We celebrated ringing in the New Year with dear friends who are both musical. Jim Ratcliff teaches piano, and Ruth is a voice
Read More
a softball sized red Christmas Ball on a weeping hemlock with the frosting of a heavy frost.

Holiday Decorating Reflections

Hello fellow readers; While decorating for the holiday can be hectic, I hope you find comfort and joy in reflections on Christmas pasts. You may remember the story of the replacement tree planted in memory of Miss Ellie Mae a year ago. The first tree, a ‘Baby Blue Eyes’ Bl
Read More
a Ginkgo biloba tree with a forty-foot wide canopy along a sidewalk

Enduring Hope of Ginkgo Trees

Hello fellow readers, A dear friend, Vicki Johnson, sent a Thanksgiving card she made with a beautiful photograph of a maple leaf in its fall glory. On the back, there’s folklore about catching a falling leaf bringing good luck with golden Ginkgo biloba leaves cascading amongst
Read More
a sunset in a winter snow at the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice

Winter Season of Growth

Hello fellow readers, Earlier in the Fall, I attended a luncheon for the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice volunteers. I sat with my singing buddy Ken Roberts and met Suzanne, a fellow volunteer. We chatted about the glorious sunny fall day. “Winter is coming.” “I love winte
Read More
a large tan oak leaf held in a woman's hand and a white dog with black ears in the background.

The Fall of the Leaf

Hello fellow readers, Thanks to those who reached back after last week’s story with curiosities about my book underway; the working title is The Lesson of the Leaf. Its theme is maneuvering through overlapping losses that happen in the later seasons of our lives. For some, they
Read More