GARDEN DILEMMAS? ASK MARY!

In the Northeast, late fall is the time to bring out the big guns to prevent transpiration – the loss of water from plant parts mainly leaves. When plants are unable to replenish the water due to frozen soil or drought, dehydration and damage can occur. Last year’s winter wreake

Hello fellow readers, I think I’ve opened a can of worms; about composting that is. We’ve talked about using leaves in our gardens but Jennifer of Hackettstown shared that hers never seem to break down. If you shred your leaves and add extra nitrogen, they’ll compost more quickl

Hello fellow readers, Last week’s chat about how leaves change color inspired several to ask what to do once they litter the ground. First of all, think of them as free vitamin supplements, not litter, as they are packed with nutrients that trees absorbed from our good earth. John fro

Hello fellow readers, I’ll bet Bridget of Forks Township is not the only one who wants to know what influences the glorious colors of fall. We all know it has to do with cooler temperatures and shorter days, but why do some trees turn red while others stay orange and yellow? During th

Hello Fellow Readers, Seems we’re crowded with cute creepy crawlers, caterpillars that is. I have an affinity for the woollybear caterpillars because of the folklore about winter predictions; the wider the brown middle band, the milder the winter, so it is said. In fact I love photogr

Hello Fellow Readers, I visited William and Sarah of Bangor and admired a tree that I had never seen. They called it a Paulownia Tree (pronounced Pa-loan-i-a); Paulownia tomentosa is the Botanical name and is native to China. It’s also known as Princess or Empress Tree and I can see w

Hello Fellow Readers, Stephanie from Denville NJ wrote ‘I’m so excited! I ordered a bunch of daffodil bulbs but it looks like they won’t ship until late October.’ That’s right Stephanie, you don’t want to plant bulbs too early as it can lead to fungus or disease problems. Ideall

Hello Fellow Readers, A few weeks ago we spoke about fall tasks and one is to take advantage of the great season to plant. What should he plant asked Harry from Hardwick. By and large anything that’s available and fits into your landscape plan and cultural environment – wi

Hello Fellow Readers, I had the privilege of helping Holly and Joao of Montclair with plant decorations to also serve as gifts for attendees of their upcoming nuptials. While chatting with Patti of Little Big Farm here in Blairstown she suggested succulents. They’re very trendy, easy