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,Northern New Jersey Landscape Designer, Green and White Gardens, Gardens Glow, Oak leaf Hydrangea, Bottle brush buckeye, Horse Chestnut, Variegated ornamental grass

White Flowers in Gardens Glow

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. If I may revisit a remarkable garden design story from a handful of years ago for Morristown Airport and lessons learned from how white flowers in gardens glow. Our not good enough button Do you recall waiting until the last minute to finish y
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A rabbit in a lawn facing side ways

Koleen’s Dagnabbit Rabbit Dilemma

Hello lovers of all things green, You may remember the treat of learning about John Cabot Roses through my writer friend Koleen Garland who lives in Canada. Well, Koleen recently sent a saga about her dagnabbit rabbit dilemma sure to delight. Koleen’s story: I like to garden wit
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a closeup of a flopping limelight hydrangea

Fixing Flopping Limelight Hydrangeas

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. In the spirit of our recent chats about hydrangeas and a heartfelt anniversary, I’d like to revisit a story about flopping Limelight Hydrangeas and introduce you to a newer variety that solves the bowing blossoms of Limelights. Lorraine
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a course green leafed Munchkin Oakleaf Hydrangea with pinkish flowers spotted with freckles.

Oakleaf Hydrangea for All Seasons

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Bonnie of Stillwater, NJ, has a Burning Bush planted by her parents, who once lived in the home. She is attached to it and continues to prune it to keep it from rising above her bay window, which may help prevent its invasiveness. But I sugges
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a spray bottle with Weed Killer written on it a red X.

Alternatives to Harmful Weed Killers

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I have a long-standing client who considered using Roundup to tend to the weeds in walkway. Instead, I provided safe alternatives to harmful weed killers. But the best part is sharing life stories. A few years back, I dug in with Andrew of Spa
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a white house with white and pink English Daisies in clover lawn.

Delightful No-Mow Clover Lawns

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Recently, I designed a low-maintenance garden filled with perennials, shrubs, and trees for year-round interest in Bergen County, NJ, not far from New York City. Around it, we planted a pollinator-friendly lawn alternative: a combination of No
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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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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog,, Ugly Slug, Slugs in the Garden

Natural Slug Remedies

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Humid and rainy summers provide a perfect setting for slugs, always a top garden dilemma. Thankfully, there are natural slug remedies, though some may be a tad icky. “What are the holes all over my hosta?”  Holy moly, Dave, I’
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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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Bruce Crawford in a ball cap and black fleece in front of an iron gate and the main house at Willowwood Arboretum

Wonders of Willowwood Arboretum

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. It was April Fool’s Day when I entered Willowwood Arboretum. The meadows had not yet emerged but were dancing with daffodils. I made my way to the parking lot, where Bruce Crawford, Morris County Park Commission’s Manager of Hortic
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