Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog

Thanksgiving Blessings

Hello fellow readers, I am thankful for the dormant perennials with seed heads awaiting their role to fall to the ground and germinate which makes me feel less guilty that I have yet to cut them back.  I appreciate the structure and bark of our beautiful trees more visible now and the
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Recycling Leaves

Hello fellow readers, About leaf manners. It is not neighborly to put your leaves into other’s woods or fields without permission.  And, unless your town has a leaf sucking-up program (curbside vacuuming), putting them in the street is not a polite solution as they will blow onto your
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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, NJ Garden Coach, NJ Garden Speaker, Galanthus

Planting Snowdrops & Spring Bulbs

Hello fellow readers, Last call for fall bulb planting! Kim from Hackettstown asked if I planted the snowdrops I wrote about in March. Thanks for the reminder Kim as my note to self seems to have gone missing. Snowdrops (Galanthus) create beautiful carpets of adorable little nodding w
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White Pine Fall Needle Drop along the side of a road

Fall Dropping of Evergreen Needles

Hello fellow readers, Several of you have asked what’s going on with the White Pines. It’s true that seeing evergreens drop their needles often triggers concern. It’s kind of like an abundance of hairs in your shower drain. All trees and shrubs renew their foliage every year. The leav
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Overwintering Tropical Plants

Hello fellow readers, Weather apps are no longer providing frost advisories as the growing season is over! It turns out many of you share the wish to keep things going.  Scott emailed wanting to overwinter palm trees he bought this summer but doesn’t have room in his house.  His garag
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Goldenrod in the wild

Goldenrod’s bad reputation

Hello fellow readers, Goldenrod’s bad reputation is hard to turn around! Sandy from Sparta questioned a recommendation to add Solidago to her fall garden.  The common name is Goldenrod, after all, and doesn’t it cause allergies? The actual offender is Ragweed (Ambrosia ) which g
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