Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
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
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hemlokc trees wiht lower branches

Hemlocks Dying from Bottom Up

Hello Fellow Readers, Robert, an associate landscape installer, asked about a client’s Canadian hemlock installed about two years ago dying from the bottom up. Likely causes of Hemlocks Dying from the bottom up When he first described the dilemma, I thought the issue might not b
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closeup of boxwood leaf with leaf miner

Boxwood Leaf Miner

Hello Fellow Readers, I think you’ll enjoy this story about Boxwood Leaf Miner also known as Hotdog Flies :^) “Our boxwoods are hissing,” my new neighbor said. Monica and her husband are first-time homeowners filled with do-it-your self-skills and stamina. “I s
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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.
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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.
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Spiderwort-Tradescantia-ohiensis

Spiderwort invading Pachysandra

Hello Fellow Readers, I received an inquiry about an invasion amongst a patch of pachysandra from Josephine (Jo) of Phillipsburg, NJ. “How do I best get rid of spider warts?” she asked. We shared a back-and-forth email chat that played out like an investigation. “I never heard of spid
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A lime green Mile-a-minute-weed-leaf is almost a perfect triangle

Mile-a-Minute Weed

Hello Fellow Readers, Sarah of Hope, NJ, was shy about providing photos before our Landscape Review and Recommendation meeting. Primarily because she fell behind in her garden maintenance, something I share in common during the summer heat. Sarah’s Mile-a-Minute weed is especial
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Cedar-Tree-Decline

Evergreen Decline & Artillery Fungus

Hello Fellow Readers, I visited Sandy in Sparta, NJ, not long ago, who was concerned about her evergreens. We planted Microbiota decussata, commonly called Siberian cypress, along a rocky embankment to help with erosion. And to serve as a feathery evergreen groundcover, a softer solut
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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, Black Knot

Black Knot

Hello Fellow Readers, I recently heard from John of Sparta NJ. I’ve heard from him periodically over the last eleven years for which I am wholeheartedly grateful. He’s been providing updates on his mother and father-in-law; my former in-laws, who I dearly love. Sadly, he shared that D
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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, litter of tree tips. squirrel damage

Litter of Tree Tips

Hello Fellow Readers, There’s lots of spring building going on. We’ve had a robin flittering from here to there outside the kitchen window, making a nest in the viburnum. What a joy it will be to watch the miracle. We sure don’t feel the same way about other critters
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