Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
Skunk-Cabbage-Emerging-in-marshy-water

Skunk Cabbage Appeal

Skunk cabbage's unusual chemistry creates heat, melting the snow around itself. It's one of the first things to sprout and serves a role long ago as well as today.
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone, Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design

Lime or Not to Lime Lawns

Hello fellow readers, To lime or not to lime lawns, that was the question from Craig of Andover, NJ. His brother, Chris of Blairstown, then asked if there was a moss killer he could use. True, there seems to be a routine among perfect lawn enthusiasts to lime every spring and fall wit
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone, Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design

Bare-Root Apple Trees

Hello fellow readers, Rebecca of Andover, NJ, received a dormant, bare-root apple tree via mail order and wondered the best way to take care of it until she plants it. What a wonderful gift! They are doing a backyard renovation and plan to include apple trees in the mix. Apple trees s
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woman in a maroon sweatshirt pointing to a table of starter plants with grow lights

Green with Envy Seed Starting Tips

Hello Fellow Readers, I learned from Patti of Little Big Farm in Blairstown that she started seeds in early February, which piqued my curiosity; actually, it made me green with envy. Aren’t we all longing for green? The rule of thumb is eight weeks before the last frost date is
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lunar gardening with a full moon in a cloudy night sky

Planting by the Moon

Hello fellow readers, Did you notice the full moon lighting up our nighttime snow-scape last week? No flashlights are needed. It made me think of planting by the moon’s phases, a practice as old as agriculture. True, it’s primarily based on legend, but there are scientific concepts to
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Blairstown NJ Village Green, Garden Dilemmas Ask Mary Stone

Volunteers tackle Mugwort

Hello fellow readers, I had the privilege of digging in with the North Warren Garden Club who held their monthly meeting in the new park behind Agway in Blairstown next to where the seasonal Farmers’ Market is hosted. You may recall I met with the club almost two years ago to talk abo
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Deer Damage on Evergreens, Mary Stone of Garden Dilemmas

To Prune or Not to Prune

Hello fellow readers, To prune or not to prune, that is the question from Mary of Blairstown (that would be me) and oodles of others who are perplexed and annoyed by the devastating damage from the harsh winter. Plants that normally would be well on their way to showing signs of promi
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an analog thermpmeter stuck in soil

Soil Temperature

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I am learning so much from all of you! On Mother’s Day, Pastor Marcia shared that soil temperatures were still too chilly for farmers to plant their crops which related to her sermon on honoring all who nurture. While shopping for plants, I me
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Annuals vs. Perennials

Hello fellow readers, We are officially through our risk of frost so it’s time to shop for annuals. Many nurseries sell perennials in flats as well. Bob from Hackettstown was brave enough to ask what the difference between annuals and perennials is. I am certain it is confusing to man
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Shopping for Annuals

Hello fellow readers, Mother’s Day triggers shopping for Annuals as gifts and adding continuous color to our gardens and pots. There’s something fun about being in the frenzy of it all – The hurry to grab a plant cart, drooling over all the colors, and the tendency to load up wi
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