Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
spongy moth larvae feeding on leaves

Spongy Moths Vs. Tent Caterpillars

Spongy Moths look similar to Eastern Tent Caterpillars and Fall Webworms but can kill trees. Learn about the differences and safe remedies.
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a deck brush cleaning a natural stone patio wiht moss and plants in the joints.

Cleaning Stone Patios & Walks

Hello, Fellow Lovers of All Things Green, The recent rains turned the stone patio into an ice-skating rink. I adore the moss between the joints, but the presence of moss often goes hand in hand with mildew, which is slippery when wet. Indeed, it’s time to clean the stones. But h
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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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a woman next to a huge boulder in a reed filled marsh at Hyper-Humus area of he Paulinskill Watershed

Healing from Hyper-Humus Peat Mining

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. The history and impact of Hyper-Humus Inc.’s peat mining are fascinating and disturbing. Gratefully, a restoration project is underway to help heal the harmful effects of peat harvesting on wildlife and our environment. And there are things we
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a pile of road salt on the road

Salt Impact on Plants and Remedies

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. It’s the time of year I attend manufacturer showcases premiering new products, mostly paver or block retaining wall systems made of concrete. Brine and road salt are not kind to concrete, though many paver manufacturers tout that theirs
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Benefits and Folklore of Dragonflies

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Dragonflies are fascinating creatures with an unusual lifecycle and folklore to match. Plus, they benefit our gardens by controlling pests—a perfect unfolding. A few weeks ago, I shared a story about the Preservation of the Paulinskill River a
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a pile of whilte six-foot long tubes along the Paulinskill Rail Trail

Preservation of the Paulinskill River

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Over the weekend, we stumbled upon a stack of plastic tubing while walking the Paulinskill Rail Trail. I was delighted to see the tubes, as the trees they were protecting looked like they had outgrown them. This inspired revisiting when I firs
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a collection of a late season harvest of ten, six-inch zucchinis and six green peppers on a countertop.

An Honorable Harvest

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, Our warm weather anomaly quickly turned into the first hard frost, inspiring the last of the fall harvest. An honorable harvest. A grateful harvest of the gifts from the garden of life. Having had only one zucchini this growing season, despite
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a brown Carolina mantis on a stem.

Praying Mantises Beneficial or Bad

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Lora asked how to determine whether the praying mantis egg sac in her yard was native or non-native. She’s concerned because she raises monarch and painted lady butterflies and a few toads she wishes to protect. The comment came after I
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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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