Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
a single reddish orange nasturtium flower with foliage peeking throuhg wall boards.

Making Friends with Companion Plants

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, It’s spring madness mode for those of us in the horticultural industry and for home gardeners, busy planning and planting this year’s bounty. The same is true for critters such as the peepers I adore in the pond with their evening
Read More
A selfie of black sneakers on a lawn filled with sunny yellow dandelions

Benefits of Plantain & Dandelion “Weeds”

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Have you ever considered Broadleaf Plantain, the flat-leaved weed with spikey seed heads that invades your lawn, a beneficial plant? It was news to me to learn that it’s a valuable herb, though I’ve known for years that Dandelions
Read More
A rejuvinated pruned maroon leaf smokebush in bloom that looks like smok

Rejuvenation Pruning & Smokebush

Hello, fellow lover of all things green, It felt therapeutic to tend to the rejuvenation pruning of the Smokebush and other shrubs. Rejuvenation pruning involves drastically cutting back overgrown plants to restore them to their intended shape or to manage their size, which was the ca
Read More
Mary Stone kneeling next to a blue spruce transplant wearing a grey sweatshirt and muddy pants.

Root Pruning and Journey of Growth

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Last week, we spoke about Early Spring Transplants, and Brian of Stone Church, PA, asked about root pruning. Great question, Brian. And read on for how root pruning relates to the journey of growth in our lives. Transplanting is always stressf
Read More
Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog,Northern New Jersey Landscape Designer, Early Spring Trasnplants

Early Spring Transplants

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, Early Spring, after the ground thaws, is ideal for transplanting many deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs before they break dormancy. It’s the second-best time in my book. The first best time is after the leaves drop or when they go
Read More
Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog, Mary Stone, what rose colors mean, valentines tips

Meaning of Roses & Valentine’s Traditions

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, Do you recall Valentine’s Day traditions as a kid having to bring cards to school? It was an assignment. An obligation. One for each classmate. Cards came in assortment packs and while the sayings were mostly about friendliness, which is
Read More
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
Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog

A Long Winter’s Nap

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, The Press takes a hiatus between their Christmas and New Year’s editions, and so, my faithful online readers, I thought I’d revisit a story from long ago, A Long Winter’s Nap, when dear Ellie was by our side, with a few tweak
Read More
Holly-on-Angel

Legend of Holly & Christmas Trees

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, In search of a special Christmas card, I found one that intrigued me. “The Legend of the Christmas Tree,” is the headline, with an artist rendering of a man on a horse pulling an evergreen towards a log cabin in the woods. The Lege
Read More
a Mother Earth Face pot with a maroon leaf tall perennial and hakone grass bangs

Overwintering Potted Perennials

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, Typically, my garden ghost routine of covering pots with sheets to keep them from freezing begins in late October. Then, I grow weary of the ritual. Besides, one must accept endings. Now, after migrating from annuals in pots to perennials, the
Read More