Hello Fellow Readers, Last week we shared Pam and Ed’s steep garden dilemma leading to the flat back forty where their septic field is. Ed thought it best not to plant anything over the field as the root systems could interfere. It’s true it’s not good to plant trees, large shrubs or

Hello Fellow Readers, I’m delighted to help Pam and Ed of Sparta NJ create a useful backyard for their rescue canine kids to run. It surely was a dilemma as the grade change from their side gate to the flatter back forty compares to a ski slope. Walking the area was difficult for two-

Hello fellow readers, We’ve had a brief hiatus from the heat and humidity, but its quick return has me weary. It occurs to me one of the biggest challenges in the garden of life is limited time. It’s true finding time in the garden is harder and harder as the summer unfolds. I b

Hello fellow readers, One of the native trees that grace my yard is a shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). Its common name speaks for itself, with shaggy bark that stands out like a sculpture. But a treasure to some can be a nuisance to others. It’s true; the first time a golf ball-sized n

Hello fellow readers, Jeanne of Blairstown NJ shared a gooey dilemma on her peach trees. Both trees have clear jelly-like globs on or near the fruit. Plus, a rust colored goo on some of the branches. One tree has a deep wound at the base of the trunk, yet that’s the tree producing edi

Hello fellow readers, To follow are tips and protocols of watering plants. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been hot and dry. I’m all for zero-scaping, the trendy phonetic spelling of xeriscaping; also known as drought-tolerant or smart-scaping. In a nutshell, choose plants who

Hello fellow readers, Chipmunks are darn cute but often the most frustrating garden pest, even more so than deer primarily because there’s no effective spray or fencing to keep them out. So what’s the best chipmunk control? The jury is out. Barbara from Succasunna, NJ, wri

Hello fellow readers, “Are seedless watermelon GMOs?” asked Lois from Tranquility, NJ. The consensus is they aren’t genetically modified, nor are they truly seedless. Summer picnics bring back memories of seed spitting contests. Hard to do nowadays as most watermelon

Hello fellow readers, Katie of Piscataway, NJ, recently shared her ‘horrible backyard dilemma.’ Her home was once her Dad’s, which piqued my curiosity. How could her Dad’s backyard be so horrible? It turns out the neighbor’s bamboo has taken over. At firs

Hello fellow readers, I’ve been known to stop in my tracks to take a photo of a beautiful tree, garden, or the magnificence of nature’s inspiration. Then there’s what I kindly call ‘garden nots’ which became a fun lecture topic not long ago. Recently I visited Cape May where glorious