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, Resilience, Resilience, Catfish Pond NJ

Resilience

Hello fellow readers, I’ve become a street walker – one of those folks seen waving to cars driving by. Which isn’t a bad thing; it’s polite to acknowledge each other and a smile and wave may help lift someone’s spirits. Often times yourself. It’s amazing how ev
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a crayon drawing of children holding hands

Thanks for Giving Thanks

Hello Fellow Readers, Thanksgiving is a time to gather and reflect on gifts we are grateful for. Versions of the holiday are celebrated at different times of the year by other countries too. While most folks consider it a secular holiday (not based on religion), most religions offer p
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog, Ash Tree, Emerald Ash Borer

Cover your Ash!

Hello fellow readers, Recently I met with Andrea of Morristown whose property is graced with grand old ash trees one of which has died. Dave Dubee, arborist of Greenwood Tree, shared that while the dreaded Emerald Ash Borer is getting close to home, Andrea’s ash was not a victim
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A red Virginia Creeper Vine climbing a tree

Poison Ivy vs. Virginia Creeper

Hello fellow readers,  When I was a girl, my sister dared me to rub a leaf all over me. Even then, I was a plant person and always up to the ‘I dare you’ challenge. The leaf was in a grouping of three, and I picked one and dutifully painted myself with it. I bet you know w
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog, Cape May

A Cape May Treat

Hello fellow readers, Greetings from Cape May where I am enjoying a fall respite. Cape May is at the very end of New Jersey and has attracted vacationers since the mid-18th century designating it as the country’s oldest seaside resort. In 1878 a fire destroyed much of the town c
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog, Fall Dig Hazard Trees, Fall Planting

Fall Dig Hazard Trees

Hello fellow readers, Jill from Nazareth is confused. She heard that fall is a great time to plant but then found out that there is a list of Fall Dig Hazard trees. That does seem confusing! Paul of Gardens of the World in Andover has a simple way to explain it. The Fall Dig Hazard li
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How to Rejuvenate Prune Rhododendron

Hello fellow readers, “They’re long and leggy,” wrote Melanie of Newton, NJ. She and her husband acquired a lake-side fixer-upper built over a half-century ago. The rhododendrons have grown taller than the house, and branches are resting on the roof. Fortunately, you
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog, Bagworms, Arborvitae pests,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,Thuja occidentalis

Bagworms Baby!

Hello fellow readers, While sitting with Mom outside her nursing home in Virginia, I noticed a crust of bread being hauled off by an ant.  I marvel at how much an ant can carry – ten to fifty times their body weight, they say. Mom, who inspired my gardening start, can’t talk muc
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a closeup of single ant on grass

Willows Gone Wild Part 2

Hello fellow readers, Last week we heard from Craig of Frelinghuysen about his Willows Gone Wild next to his pool. ‘They’re beautiful trees but cause countless hours of cleanup,’ explained Craig, who went on to rant about each stage of his dirty dilemma, giving us all a good laugh. Th
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Weeping Willows, Willows Gone Wild, Garden Blog

Willows Gone Wild !

Hello fellow readers, Craig of Frelinghuysen admits he has a “love-hate relationship with his willows gone wild.” He and Caroline have three Weeping Willows next to their pool, an ‘ongoing issue’ between them. Caroline, like me, hates to kill trees. ‘They
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