Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
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 portrait of blue jay on a leafless branch

Acorns and a Ruckus of Blue Jays

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, Last week, while recording the podcast version of our weekly chat from the screen porch, a loud ruckus of birds erupted, sounding like an argument from the oak tree by the vegetable garden. The ruckus was equivalent to the deafening sounds of
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a close up of a single sunflower with a sunflower maze behind it.

A Sunflower Maze of Healing

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Sunflowers not only purify our earth of toxins, there smiling faces also bring happiness that can help heal our hearts. What a delight to revisit Liberty Farm’s Sussex County Sunflower Maze in Sandyston. Raj Sinha kindly offered a tour o
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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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