Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
A lime green Mile-a-minute-weed-leaf is almost a perfect triangle

Mile-a-Minute Weed Remedies

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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A woman in a beige cap with a white dog amongst a grove of young white pines in a successional forest.

A Successional Forest of Growth

Hello fellow readers, We visited Blue Mountain Lake, part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, to enjoy an early spring day. It’s sad to see the deterioration and the closing of sections under the guise of a lack of funding to maintain it. On the side gated off, w
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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
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a single yellow bloom of a Winter Aconite in the Snow

Winter Flowers and Folklore

Hello fellow readers, Snowdrops and Winter Aconite are in bloom leading me to the folklore of the winter flowers. And how Snowdrops, known as Candlemas Bells, are featured on Candlemas Day, representing hope. You likely know the most famous legend for March – In like a lion, out like
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yellow forsythia in bloom with the ealry morning making it glow

Mending Fences with Forsythia

Hello fellow readers, A fence installed by upset neighbors leads to a story about forcing Forsythia to bloom indoors while propagating new plants in hopes of mending fences. Over the weekend, we took a stroll instead of our usual vigorous walk. I let Jolee sniff, roll in the dry grass
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white pine pine cones on the side of the road next to feet in black sneakers with pine needles

The Secret Life of Pinecones

Hello, fellow readers. We ventured to Blue Mountain Lake, part of the Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area, on Sunday, having not visited since last May when I shared the Flora & Reflections. In winter, evergreens take center stage, and it was fun to see all the young white pines
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A burst of morning sunshine through a forest of trees in fall.

Insights and Interdependence of Trees

Hello fellow readers, We’ve shared the intrigue of two living fossils – Ginkgo biloba and the Umbrella Pine, both living in the days of the dinosaurs and surviving the Ice Age. The magnitude of their endurance is inspiring. And they’ve shared roots beyond the roots of thei
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an umbrella pine in snow decorated with Christmas balls.

Gentle Strength of Umbrella Pine

Hello fellow readers, I thought we’d forgo the tradition of decorating one of my favorite evergreen conifers – the Umbrella Pine. It stands above the two-story roof, so it’s not an easy task. Last year half the new lights failed way before Christmas, lessening the enthusia
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a Ginkgo biloba tree with a forty-foot wide canopy along a sidewalk

Enduring Hope of Ginkgo Trees

Hello fellow readers, A dear friend, Vicki Johnson, sent a Thanksgiving card she made with a beautiful photograph of a maple leaf in its fall glory. On the back, there’s folklore about catching a falling leaf bringing good luck with golden Ginkgo biloba leaves cascading amongst
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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
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