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

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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Vertical Gardening Part 2

Hello fellow readers, Several of you like the idea of standing tall while picking vegetables and are intrigued by the decorative possibilities of vertical gardens. Ted from Allamuchy uses a cattle panel arched in half so he can walk under it and secures each corner with T-posts – Wall
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Vertical Veggie Gardening

Hello fellow readers, Oh, goodie! Garden catalogs are here to tease our fancy and tickle our toes. Not sure what toes have to do with it, but it sounds exciting. And it is! John from Hope asked whether to grow veggies in those newfangled vertical garden “systems” and bags.
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Bird Feeding Tips

Hello fellow readers, Last week we spoke about sunflower seed being one of the best seeds to attract the widest varieties of birds. Rachel, who lives in Stillwater, NJ, asked for other bird feeding tips, such as which kind of Sunflower seed is best. There are two types of sunflower se
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Winter is for the Birds

Hello fellow readers, Winter weather can be for the birds bringing the desire to feed and watch the antics of backyard birds. Emma and Josh of Mt. Bethel, PA, asked if they should buy a certain seed.  They bought a seed mix, and after several days, only a few birds showed up. I’ll hav
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An oak leaf frozen in a pond

Origin of The Lesson of the Leaf

Hello, fellow lover of all things green, If I may share the origin of a memoir underway titled The Lesson of the Leaf. My beloved brother Bill passed away on December 21st. I was blessed to travel to Florida to be by his side in his last weeks. Several overnights in the hospital and h
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Christmas vs. Thanksgiving Cactus

Hello fellow readers, Not a single write-in this week, but I won’t take it personally.  No doubt you’re up to your eyeballs in the fa la la la la of the holidays, so if I may ask a question about the timing of my 15-year old Christmas cactus, which has bloomed well before
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Potted-Christmas-Tree

Live Christmas Trees

Hello fellow readers, Most of you have decked the halls, but I am late this year and wrestle whether to dig out the artificial standby or go for a much preferred real tree. I bought my standby many years ago to use the times I visited the folks in Florida over Christmas. Some travel y
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dry seed heads of Black-eyed Susan in snow.

Encouraging Self-Seeding

Hello fellow readers, Since my recent admission several of you have fessed up that you have yet to cut back your perennials.  Glad I am not the only one!  And it is true that leaving seed heads on your dormant perennials over winter will encourage many of your plants to spread.  John
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