GARDEN DILEMMAS? ASK MARY!

Hello fellow readers, I’m a fan of allowing plants and people to grow to what they are meant to be. Not mold them into something they are not or prune them into unnatural shapes. Although formal gardens often call for pruned hedges or topiaries and such. And so, there are except

Hello fellow readers, Outside the screened porch is a stump of what was a large pussy willow planted by the previous owners. It was in severe decline before we cut it down last fall. It typically bloomed around Easter, which is likely why we decorate with pussy willows during the holi

Hello fellow readers, Last week’s chat about cleaning stone walks and patios without harming plants in the nooks and crannies brings the question of favorite plants between steppingstones or amid patios. I adore volunteers Many favs found their way on their own, like the Lady

Hello fellow readers, Last week’s chat about Leaving Lichen and Moss Be brought a rally of like-minded folks (yay) such as Paulette from Wharton, who writes, “My goodness, mosses are fabulous, and lichens make wonderful art.” How true! But there can be safety concern

Hello fellow readers, Each spring, mostly from neat and tidies, the intention to remove moss or lichen from walls and walks comes up. Of course, if they cause a slipping hazard, the desire is justified. But what is it about moss and lichen that folks don’t like? Moss is cute and

Hello fellow readers, Last week’s story about personal growth with houseplants came with a struggle of self-doubt. Then came a recording by Louise Hay with an analogy to starting a garden that I hope will inspire you to love gardening and love yourself. Early Spring Houseplant t

Hello fellow readers, Those who tune into the podcast version of our column know I’ve mentioned the idea of sharing the history of houseplants enjoyed for decades. Well, I finally tackled it, and it turned into a story about personal growth with houseplants. It occurs to me ther

Hello fellow readers, I’ll admit I am not a huge fan of cut flowers, though I find artful arrangements lovely. But I always feel bad when the flowers fade, tossing them in the compost pile when a houseplant gift lasts for years. Recently a story came from a dear friend who bring

Hello, fellow readers. One of the gems that jumped out from The Book of Hope we chatted about last week is Jane Goodall’s closest childhood friend, Beech, a beech tree she asked her grandmother to pass on to her in a handwritten will. You see, I have a beloved Mr. Beech, too, al