Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
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 and Speaker,amaryllis, Black Friday

The Gift of Sharing Growth

Hello Fellow Readers, Rather than chasing sales or resolutions, why not share gifts towards next year’s growth.  As I write, it’s the day after Thanksgiving, coined Black Friday; hyped in the media earlier each year with “Shop Black Friday Deals Early” plastered everywhere start
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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, Houseplants in Duress

Houseplants in Duress

Hello fellow readers, Some of my houseplants are desperate. The low humidity of the heated house has wreaked havoc. Plus, some of their pots are too tight, much like my pants after the holidays. Thank goodness for stretchy jeans. Even if there were stretchy pots, it’s the lack o
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White barked birch with black markings that look like a smile.

The Beauty of Now

Hello fellow readers, It occurs to me when we are young, entering adulthood, we are in a stage of growing and gathering. Typically choosing a partner, thereby adding an extended family. Pursuing a career, nesting in a home, maybe having children. When young, we tend to look forward ra
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog

A Long Winter’s Nap

Hello fellow readers, Tis a few days before Christmas and all through the valley, folks are scrambling like lunatics with their last minute rally. ‘The stockings all hung by the chimney with care. In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.’ Anticipating Santa coming sure takes th
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog,Winter Weather Predictions, Woolly Bear Caterpillar

Winter Folklore & Weather Predictions 2015 / 2016

Hello fellow readers, There are oodles of folklore on winter weather predictions. Plentiful acorns, thick corn husks, squirrels gathering nuts early, crickets in the chimney, halos around the moon, early rodent infestation or bird migration, when pigs eat sticks, and my favorite – nar
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How to Rejuvenate Prune Rhododendron

Hello fellow readers, “They’re long and leggy,” wrote Melanie of Newton, NJ. She and her husband acquired a lake-side fixer-upper built over a half-century ago. The rhododendrons have grown taller than the house, and branches are resting on the roof. Fortunately, you
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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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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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Indoor Plant Care, Garden Dilemmas Ask Mary Stone, Stone Associates, Landscape Design, New Jersey Landscape Designer , Garden Blog, Garden Tips

Indoor Plant Intervention

Hello fellow readers, This time of year my indoor plants start to show signs of distress. Which, frankly, may have to do with over doting; that’s my gardening term for overwatering and maybe overfeeding. Because of the dry heat indoors, watering your indoor plants can be tricky. It’s
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Seed Drooling Devices

Hello fellow readers, It’s been fun hearing about your favorite seed catalogs. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is one of your favorites. And what a history of the American Dream! At age 3 owner Jere Gettle began growing plants and in 1998, at 17, he printed his first catalog. Since t
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