Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
White daffodils wiht yellow centers along a stone path

Easter Blessings

Hello fellow readers, Our world is greening up, and the snowdrops are finally peaking almost a month behind last year. As predicted, the ticks have made a robust comeback after a long winter protected by the snow. Nasty pests I think our creator could have done without, though I suppo
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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, Gardening wiht Dogs, Overseeding Lawns

Overseeding Lawns

Hello Fellow Readers, Remember Ed from Basking Ridge who wrote in about his digger dog?  It seems Dulcie also loves a good game of fetch and Ed wonders how to create a lawn to stand up to speedy turns. His current lawn rolls up, has little root structure and is mostly crabgrass and cl
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Winter Burn Mary Stone of Garden Dilemmas

Preventing Winter Burn

Have you noticed many evergreens look as though they were scorched this winter?  John from Stone Church asked what to do about the brownish-red dry foliage, which is much worse on one side of his young white pines.
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pile of aged hemlock mulch

Woolly Adelgid- Hemlock Mulch

Hello Fellow Readers, At last, it’s the official start of spring! One of the chores many delve into, along with their spring cleanup, is freshening up their mulch. John from Andover asked what mulch he should use. Last week we spoke about the trend in using cocoa mulch but learn
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Fashion faux pas: Black socks with white sneakers

Landscape faux pas & Cocoa Mulch

Hello Fellow Readers, I am grateful to all that came to the Springfest Garden Show and attended my lecture, along with Marty Carson of Three Seasons, on the Dos and Don’ts of Landscape & Garden Design. It was a lighthearted spin comparing garden don’ts to fashion blunders. To foll
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Starting Seeds Indoors

Starting Veggie & Perennial Seeds Indoors

Hello Fellow Readers, Ready to dig in? A rule of thumb is eight weeks before the last frost date (typically May 19th here in Northern New Jersey) is the time to start seeds indoors. I don’t know about you, but I am counting on normal despite our crazy winter! Hence I plan to start see
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Springfest Garden Show is coming to town

Hello fellow readers, We’ve flipped the calendar to March which means we are getting close to the new beginning of spring! We’re all more than ready for a jump start. It’s exciting that the Springfest Garden Show held at the Sussex County Fairground in Augusta is only a few days away.
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Cold & Snow Impact on Pests

Hello fellow readers, Mr. Wooly Bear Caterpillar sure predicted this winter spot-on!  Jane from Bangor asked if our single digits and snow cover will help reduce bugs.  Wouldn’t that be a well-deserved outcome after all of this brrrrr!   They say invasive insects may be more susceptib
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Gardening with Dogs Part 2

Hello fellow readers, There’s much to consider when gardening with dogs. Doggie garden dilemmas & remedies Doggone diggers are only part of the challenge when you have canine kids. The risk of trampling while playing, noshing while bored, yellow lawn spots, or leg lifting on
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Gardening with Digging Dogs

Hello fellow readers, Gardening with dogs that dig can be such a dilemma. I’ve heard from a few who have garden diggers despite the freezing temps! “Teenage” puppies that is- Keswick of Stillwater and Dulcie of Basking Ridge to be specific. What regal names for digge
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