Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog

Deformed Flowers on Black Eyed Susan

Hello Fellow Readers, I have an assortment of deformed and dwarfed flowers on my Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) and Coneflower (Echinacea). In addition to distorted petals, some flowers didn’t form at all.  Plus, the ends of others look like something nibbled them off. This year,
Read More
lady's mantle leaves with water droplets

Dollar Spot & Lotus Effect

Hello fellow readers, Have you noticed on a humid summer morning, sometimes there are shiny clusters of droplets on what looks like cobwebs in the lawn? The webs could be the branching nature of dollar spot fungus. Or, they may be the webs of grass spiders. Then there are the adorable
Read More
native beneficial ladybug on a hand

Beneficial Ladybugs

Hello Fellow Readers, Sometimes, I think I should’ve been a bug expert given all the garden dilemmas from insects that folks ask about. Fortunately, there are also beneficial bugs, such as the much-loved ladybugs. Aphid remedies before introducing beneficial ladybugs For sure ma
Read More
two hydrangea leaves perfectly stuck together creating what looks like a tent.

Hydrangea Leaf-tiers

Hello Fellow Readers, The violence added to the pandemic is hard to comprehend. A foundation of our column is finding lessons in our gardens and nature and taking these lessons into the garden of life. And so, especially this week, we long for wisdom to soothe the heaviness. Maybe a t
Read More
sunbeam through branches of beach tree with emerging leaves

Unusual Spring & Soil Temperature

Hello Fellow Readers, The spring sure is unfolding at an unusual pace. Many are asking why the leaves on trees look stunted—or reporting perennials that haven’t come back. Give it time. Much has to do with soil temperatures, but Mother Nature has a way of sorting things out. Dur
Read More
a garden of yellow daffodils in the shape of a cross

Dividing & Sharing Perennials

Hello Fellow Readers, I hope you enjoy the story of how I celebrated Easter 2020, dividing and sharing perennials. Easter with family wasn’t to be as I’m sure was true for most of you. Instead, we took a road trip up to Pine Bush, NY, to tend to my family’s plot. I b
Read More
A woman cutting cabbage out of garden

Vegetable Garden Basics

Hello fellow readers, It is undoubtedly is a challenging time in the history of our country. I pray the precautions and consequences of the coronavirus brings us together—each of us sharing kindness, provisions, and seeds of love with our neighbors, which brings me to the topic of sta
Read More
Echinacea-seeds-on-stone-patio

The Magic of Seeds

Hello Fellow Readers, The other day I read a children's book that came up when I searched for A Promise is a Promise in the nifty library database. I don't recall why I searched the title. Certainly not for a children's book, though I enjoy reading them from time to time, maybe to fee
Read More
Whitefly-or-Mealybug-closeup

Mealybugs and Whiteflies

Mealybugs and whiteflies are similar and can look like mold on your indoor plants. They both suck sap, causing curling and yellowing leaves, and are stealth in finding their way inside. Click through to how-to remedy your unwelcome guests.
Read More
fiddle-leaf fig

Fiddlehead Fig

Fiddlehead Fig Trees, also known as Fiddle-leaf Figs, have become quite a craze, and I can see why. They have foot-long leathery leaves that look like a fiddle, hence the common name. Fiddle-leaf Figs can be fickle, though. Learn the tips in making them happy in your home.
Read More