Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog,Northern New Jersey Landscape Designer, Partridge Berry

Festive Partridge Berry

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, After the first snow, followed by heavy rains, I roamed the property looking for beauty amongst the dreary skies, muddy lawn, and lack of frosting. I came upon festive Partridge Berry, a charming native ground cover I didn’t know we had.
Read More
Close-up of winter berries in snow

Berries for Winter Beauty and Wildlife

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, One of my joys is meeting and working with others who relish our dear earth’s gifts, often leading to sharing life stories. There’s something about being in a garden and amongst nature that releases the tension of day-to-day living
Read More
Looking up at the shaggy bark of a shagbark hickory trunk.

Shagbark Hickories – Nutty Mast Years

Hello, Fellow Readers, These are nutty times. Far nuttier than usual in my neck of the woods. The Shagbark Hickory nuts are overabundant and golf ball and size, so much so that walking amongst them is risky for ankle stability. It’s called masting when there’s an excess of
Read More
Leaves impacted with Beech Leaf Disease showing dark bands.

Worrisome Beech Leaf Disease

Hello, fellow readers. Leaves are well on their way in their fall shift, but many have dropped dry, never changing color. Likely due to the spring draught followed by our wet summer. Tired leaves fall early. At the same time, many are still green, giving us hope for glorious fall colo
Read More

Women & Their Woods with Native Plants

Hello, fellow readers; I was honored to participate in the Women and Their Woods retreat hosted by the Ridge and Valley Conservancy in Newton, NJ, to help landowners care for their woods –filled with tips on native plants to help heal our land. Before my talk about Landscaping with Na
Read More
The invasiveness of wisteria suffocating and old tree

Wisteria Reflections on Invasiveness

Hello fellow readers, As I write, I’m delighted to report a robin’s nest underway outside my kitchen window. I look forward to sharing an analogy about one of their instincts to protect their nest. A little teaser here- It involves their reflection in the windows. But firs
Read More
A red Virginia Creeper Vine climbing a tree

Value of Virginia Creeper vs. Poison Ivy

Hello fellow readers,  What a treat to visit Elisabeth, a delightful client who moved back from Chicago to be near her family. She painted her renovated and restored farmhouse built in the 1800s in a dramatic yet soothing shade of dark gray with black trim. And implemented the landsca
Read More
A yellow flowering Witch Hazel along the road with a historic copper-orange home behind it.

Wonders of Witch Hazel

Hello fellow readers, The Wonders of Witch Hazel brightens the dormant landscape, is a tool for Water-Witching, and has mysterious methods of pollinating and dispersing seeds. I came upon a sunny flowering Witch Hazel along the road, looking stunning, offset by the orangy house behind
Read More
a woman's hand holding a dark brown aged pawpaw fruit

Planting Pawpaw Seeds

Hello fellow readers, What a treat to gather a biweekly allotment at Genesis Farm in Blairstown, NJ, gifted by a client who’s become a friend. Nancy said her friend Lois would be there volunteering as a greeter if I picked up the provisions before two, which I did, and what a tr
Read More
a five-foot wide sycamore trunk decorated with a ring of ghosts and a sign that reads Boo

Halloween History & Sycamore Ghosts

Hello fellow readers, How fun to see Halloween enthusiasts decorating their homes like Christmas with purple and orange lights, cobwebs, and spiders. Even smoke machines, reminiscent of the disco days. Skeletons, goblins, and ghosts adorned a front yard we came upon; some were hanging
Read More