Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
a birdseye view of purple and white petunias and American Flag for Memorial Day

Flowers & Meaning of Memorial Day

Hello fellow readers;  A Little Hope Foundation funds a Comfort Zone Camp supporting kids and young adults who lost a loved one to suicide. The camp, held the weekend before Memorial Day, reflects the meaning of the holiday and favorite Memorial Day flowers of remembrance. History &am
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A family rejuvenate pruning and overgrown foundation planting along a brick-faced house.

Rejuvenation Pruning Lifts Hearts

Hello fellow readers; Rejuvenation pruning lifts hearts, including mine, as I joined a lifelong friend and her grown sons to rejuvenate overgrown shrubs and renew their gardens. I hope you enjoy the story. It’s always fun to have a new hairdo, as has my friend Michele, who lives
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lime green Japanese maple leaves unfolding with seed pods forming below.

Spring Unfolding is Happiness

Hello fellow readers; I often start chats with you by dictating thoughts on a morning walk with Jolee. And today, I am embracing spring unfolding, which we enjoy from year to year. The patterns in nature are familiar, bringing happiness and responsibility. Patterns of Spring Unfolding
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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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an open pea pod on a wooden table to be used to test soil for contaminants

Starting an Organic Garden

Hello fellow readers; Sara from Oxford, NJ, asked how to prepare a plot for starting an organic garden. She suspects the previous owners used chemicals, as when they moved in, the lawn “looked like a golf course.” Kudos Sara. It’s wise to consider the prior use of ch
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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 huge flock of white snow geese flying into a farm field

Snow Geese Teach Acceptance

Hello, fellow readers. Snow geese and Canadian geese are glorious to many but pests to some, bringing a lesson of acceptance I hope you’ll enjoy. As I drove to the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice for my weekly volunteer sing, an enormous flock of snow geese fed on the farm fi
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a pileated woodpecker on a tree trunk

Woodpeckers & Healing Sounds of Nature

Hello fellow readers, Colorful birds against the leafless trees indeed pop. And the healing sounds of nature improve health and well-being, even in the winter. We celebrated ringing in the New Year with dear friends who are both musical. Jim Ratcliff teaches piano, and Ruth is a voice
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