Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
A copperhead with hourglass-shaped bands laying in dirt

Curious Copperhead Encounters

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. About a month ago, at late dusk, I took Jolee over the footbridge across the pond to her potty spot. On the way back, I noticed an oddly flattened snake, but there was no blood, and the head was intact. How strange, given there’s no vehi
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An empty cardinals nest in a rhododendron shrub in front of a yellow house.

Curiosity About Cardinals Brings Wisdom

There's wisdom gained in having a heavy heart when I saw the empty Cardinal's nest, only to learn there was likely a happy ending after all.
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a large light and dark orange moth feeding on a white flower.

Moth Survey in a Mountain Meadow

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I recently had the thrill of participating in a moth survey, thanks to my friends Blaine Rothauser of GZA Geoenvironmental, Inc. and Dennis Briede of Blairstown, NJ, whose meadow at the base of the Kittatinny Mountains harbors and nurtures abu
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a great blue heron flying out of a pond - the wig span looking like a kite.

The Tiny Wonder of Duckweed

Hello, lovers of all things green. Speaking of green, I often wondered what the lovely green growth that covers the pond in mid to late summer was. It turns out to be a Duckweed, a tiny wonder.
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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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Close up of a purple dahlia

Favorite Spring-Planted “Bulbs”

A while back, I enjoyed a pre-spring theatre outing with my design colleague and dear friend, Marty Carson. Our jaunt allowed me to brain-pick her favorite summer flowering bulbs to plant in the spring. How fun to learn that one of her favorites is technically a corm.
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dry seed heads of Black-eyed Susan in snow.

Encouraging Self-Seeding

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. The perennial rock garden is full of dry perennials remaining. It has nothing to do with being lazy or too busy tending to others’ gardens. Leaving seed heads on your dormant perennials over winter will encourage many plants to spread. P
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Marigolds-Races-Farm-Blairstown-NJ

The Magnificent Legend of Marigolds

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Last week, I shared A Butterfly Garden of Growth and added suggestions for annual lovelies to enhance the environment and provide food for our beloved butterflies. Marigolds are one of them, a plant I once was weary of. Learning the magnificen
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Johnsonburg-Camp-Retreat Center-butterfly- garden

A Butterfly Garden of Growth

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Thanks to those who reached back after last week’s post, Remember, Learn, Grow and Love. I hope you enjoy this related story about a butterfly garden of growth. Admiration fills my heart… Admiration fills my heart for the children&
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A Meadow Katydid on a white petal

Nighttime Chorus of Garden Insects

Hello, fellow lover of all things green. While we don’t often see the nighttime chorus of insects from mid-to-late summer into fall, we indeed hear them, and some continue to sing by day, joining the daytime ruckus of the cicadas we spoke about last week. What a choir! They don&
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