Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
Garden Dilemmas Ask Mary Stone, Bulb choices to extend the bloom, Garden Tips

Extend the Bloom Bulb Choices

Hello Fellow Readers, Stephanie from Denville NJ wrote ‘I’m so excited! I ordered a bunch of daffodil bulbs but it looks like they won’t ship until late October.’ That’s right Stephanie, you don’t want to plant bulbs too early as it can lead to fungus or disease problems. Ideall
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Echinacea-seeds-on-stone-patio

Fall Hunting & Gathering

Hello Fellow Readers, A few weeks ago we spoke about fall tasks and one is to take advantage of the great season to plant. What should he plant asked Harry from Hardwick. By and large anything that’s available and fits into your landscape plan and cultural environment – wi
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Fall To-do’s

Hello Fellow Readers, A faithful Blairstown reader, dear friend, and fellow fan of Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculous parviflora) suggested I write about what to do in the garden each time of year. Roger Roger here goes. You’ve likely noticed the squirrels and other critters are foraging
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Stop Garden Volcanoes Mary Stone Garden Dilemmas

Proper Planting & Mulching

Hello fellow readers, One hundred columns ago, we began out garden chat. It’s far more than about digging in the dirt. Gardens relate to all that grows in this garden of life. So for column 101, it seems fitting to reflect on our very first topic; Proper Planting & Mulching.
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Christmas vs. Thanksgiving Cactus

Hello fellow readers, Not a single write-in this week, but I won’t take it personally.  No doubt you’re up to your eyeballs in the fa la la la la of the holidays, so if I may ask a question about the timing of my 15-year old Christmas cactus, which has bloomed well before
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Winter Weather Predictions 2013-14

Hello fellow readers, Winter predictions are always a popular topic this time of year. You’ve heard the folklore; the wider the middle brown section of the wooly bear caterpillar the milder the coming winter. The more frenzied the nut collecting of squirrels the harsher the wint
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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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