Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog, Cicada

Cicadas Sing Back to School

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. In recent weeks, while recording the podcast, I’ve apologetically mentioned the ruckus of cicadas in the trees. The sounds remind me of a cicada encounter during a garden installation and a reminiscence of how the late summer sounds of c
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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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Early Acorn Drop – Lessons of Letting Go

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, An entertaining exchange about the probable causes of an abundance of acorns dropping early leads to lessons in letting go, thanks to Chris from Blairstown, NJ, who asked if I ever saw acorns fall this early. “Our trees in the back start
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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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a brown box turtle walking in grass

Revisiting Turtle Island

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green; I came across two snapping turtles swimming near shore at Catfish Pond in Blairstown, NJ. Turtles have always fascinated me, but more so since my soulful twin brother passed away. Bill felt a strong connection to turtles, marveling over their
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a mother earth face pot with a braided grass headband

Lessons from Braiding Sweetgrass

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, I’ve been listening to Robin Wall Kimmerer, the author of  Braiding Sweetgrass, read her extraordinary book. Her voice brings her lyrical, expressive words to life as beautifully as they are written – singing like the songs of nature. Dr
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a birds eye view of nest of baby robins in an evergreen shrub.

Song Sparrow Meets Robin

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, The routine of a family of Robins nesting in the Doublefile Viburnum outside the kitchen window did not happen this year. Let’s just say aggressive fall pruning done by someone who lives here inhibited the protection of the thick canopy
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A light brown bottlebrush buckeye seed with tough leather-like capsules

Sowing the Treasures of Buckeye Seeds

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, Once again, I was late tending to my garden, scurrying about just before the first snow. You’ve likely heard the phrase “a shoemaker without shoes.” It’s ironic how folks who provide a service often neglect to provide i
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a green pencil labeled Blackwing 17 sitting on an African violet with dark purple blooms

Essential Nutrients for Gardens & Life

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, I always felt giving is more glorious than receiving, but I’m not sure now after a gift came with a delightful surprise. While opening the box of green Blackwing pencils Ken Roberts gave me, my dear friend and singing partner for the Kar
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog

A Long Winter’s Nap

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, The Press takes a hiatus between their Christmas and New Year’s editions, and so, my faithful online readers, I thought I’d revisit a story from long ago, A Long Winter’s Nap, when dear Ellie was by our side, with a few tweak
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