Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
Young Thomas taking careful steps through a shallow pond while exploring a garden.

Treasures from a Countryside Garden Tour

A summer day spent touring seven gardens in Warwick, New York, became a joyful reminder that the greatest treasures aren't always the plants—they're the people, stories, generosity, and connections that grow alongside them.
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone, Gardening tips, Garden Blog, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog, Northern New Jersey Landscape Designer, NJ Garden Coach, NJ Garden Speaker, Thomas Jefferson, Monticello

Jefferson’s Monticello Lab for Plants

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. There’s an Old Farmer’s Almanac calendar above my desk, noting Friday, April 13th, is Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday – he lived from 1743 to 1826. Beyond being a founding father and the third president of the United States
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a sundial in a garden of gravel and river stone and sedum

A Special Sedum & Succulent Garden

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, After last week’s Festive Partridge Berry – Terrarium Basics Podcast (Episode 144), Jamie asked if the sedums used in the terrarium are succulents, reminding me of a special sedum and succulent garden. I had the privilege of helping the
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an elderly woman and middle aged woman walking through an arbor

Boxwood Dilemmas & Garden Delights

Hello fellow readers, What a joy to visit with Connie and Susan of Blairstown, NJ. I met Susan and her husband, Don, while walking Jolee. They are building a home nearby, and Jolee (and I) have grown to adore them. One day we spoke about her mom, who loves to garden. Susan said a few
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Rosemary DeTrolio, wiht dark shoulder length hair and a blue shirt, sitting on a garden step with her two tan dogs

Sharing Garden Blessings with Rosemary

Hello fellow readers, I enjoyed sharing stories of garden blessings with Rosemary DeTrolio while visiting her garden in Hope, NJ—a serene plot of vegetables and flowers planted by an extraordinary lady whose calling is to help others grow their spirit. As the owner of Hands of Light b
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a dog and cat sculpture in a memorial garden at an animal shelter

Father John’s Animal House Garden

Hello fellow readers, Last week, I enjoyed a visit with facilitators of a recently installed memorial garden at Father John’s Animal House, a no-kill rescue facility in Lafayette, NJ. My colleague and dear friend Marty of Three Seasons Garden Design volunteered to create the gar
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a grassy path with tall and narrow Grand Blandy Boxwood on each side looking like pillars

Extraordinary Gardeners, Extraordinary Plants

Hello fellow readers, Last year I missed the opportunity for annuals, then scrambled to doll up my empty pots with perennials late in the season. Overwintered in the garage, I loved when their little faces emerged. This year I made time for the annual trek in time to find my favored a
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Gardeners Marty Carson and Ken Druse comparing their weathered gardening hands.

Two Best Gardeners of the Garden State

Hello fellow readers, The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) hosted a tour of two private gardens in Northwestern, NJ, and I had the joy of attending. A visit, if you will, with the two best gardeners of the garden state I have the privilege of knowing. While I frequently savor
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