Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
an open pea pod on a wooden table to be used to test soil for contaminants

Starting an Organic Garden

Hello fellow readers; Sara from Oxford, NJ, asked how to prepare a plot for starting an organic garden. She suspects the previous owners used chemicals, as when they moved in, the lawn “looked like a golf course.” Kudos Sara. It’s wise to consider the prior use of ch
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, How to Plant Bulbs, Daffodils

Bulbs to Extend Spring Blooms

Hello fellow readers, It’s an ideal time to plant spring flowering bulbs, so don’t put away the gardening gear just yet. I adore sharing a deer-resistant lineup to extend the bloom, suggested by my friend and design colleague, Marty of Three Seasons, who touts, “You can get three to f
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A womnaiwht short brown hair planting perennials on a steep slope

Planting a Steep Woodland Garden

Hello fellow readers, Working with Stephanie of Denville, NJ, who moved from the west coast, was a privilege. She bought a cute cottage in a lake community overlooking a magnificent forest. The severe back slope is a dilemma for those who wish to meander amongst the trees. That’
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purple flowers and heart shaped leaves next to stone patio.

Favorite Plants between Steppingstones

Hello fellow readers, Last week’s chat about cleaning stone walks and patios without harming plants in the nooks and crannies brings the question of favorite plants between steppingstones or amid patios. I adore volunteers Many favs found their way on their own, like the Lady
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a black and white dog named Jolee looking up at Tripod Rock

Tripod Rock

Hello fellow readers, Last weekend, we visited Tripod Rock at Pyramid Mountain in Montville, NJ. Team members of Growing Hope assembled for an in-person walk through the woods to support Comfort Zone Camp’s virtual Grief Relief 5K fundraiser. Comfort Zone Camp is a bereavement camp fo
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a small white sign describing ponds with a pond in the background

Pond versus Lake

Hello fellow readers, It never occurred to me the there is an inconsistency of what defines a pond versus a lake; if I may share a walk in the woods, that leads to the curious question. After a weekly volunteer sing at the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice on Friday, I enjoyed a walk
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a sundial in a garden of gravel and river stone and sedum

Sedum & Succulent Garden

Hello fellow readers, Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of helping the Rimi’s of Washington, NJ, choose a few plants for their already beautiful gardens. What a unique property! There’s a small building, I think a springhouse in its day, charmingly serving as a back
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Hakonechloa-Hanoke-Grass-Mountsier-Garden-Lawn-Alternative

Lawn Alternatives Part 2

Hello Fellow Readers, Last week’s chat about Dutch clover (Trifolium repens) as a lawn alternative created quite a buzz. Beyond the buzz of our happy pollinators scurrying from bloom to bloom. It seems the algae bloom on New Jersey’s Lake Hopatcong has brought the devastating di
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Pink flowering Rosa-Dr.-Van-Fleet -Climbing-Roses on a stone hose

The Beauty and Beast of Roses

Hello Fellow Readers, Roses can be fussy. But when roses are in their glory, they surely are glorious. Lessons shared in the Beauty and the Beast… One should never judge another based on appearances – a lesson shared in the Beauty and the Beast enjoyed at the Papermill Theatre i
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog,Northern New Jersey Landscape Designer, Palace Purple Coral Bells, Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple'

Doublefile Viburnum Angels

Hello Fellow Readers, I am thrilled to report the robin mentioned last week did indeed nest in the Doublefile Viburnum outside our kitchen window. Perhaps the same robin that nested there last year. Both momma and poppa robin are involved in the homemaking and childrearing, though mom
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