GARDEN DILEMMAS? ASK MARY!

Hello Fellow Readers, Earthworms are destroying forest floors shared William of Bangor PA after I bragged about the benefits of castings (worm poop) in the garden. I didn’t know, along with the benefits of our slimy garden guests, there are negative outcomes of their presence; especia

Hello Fellow Readers, Forsythia is one of the first shrubs to bloom, announcing spring has arrived! I love the sunny yellow welcome to the bland dormant landscape. It’s true after the early yellow wake-up call, they can turn into unwieldy shrubs, inspiring folks to prune them into unn

Hello Fellow Readers, During a recent interview with BJ Ward of Warren County Community College in Washington NJ regarding their upcoming visit with Liz Gilbert, he asked if stink bugs are a common garden dilemma question. As a matter of fact, no one yet asked about the annoying littl

I believe all of us can live creatively; however we choose to express it. But along with creativity comes vulnerability. Indeed, there's something intimate about sharing one's creative self. But creativity in the garden offers a safe space—a forgiving place to dabble as we grow and le

Hello Fellow Readers, I didn’t realize until Bruce Crawford, Director of Rutgers Gardens, emailed the plant list for his recent lecture titled Sexy Native Plants. In the NJ Plants tradeshow held in Edison, NJ, the G-rated version was Native Plants for Native Pollinators. And these bab

Hello Fellow Readers, So much came of last week’s chat with my birder buddies — welcome to more fun bird fodder part 2. One of the most loved and fascinating backyard birds are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, who are migratory. As solitary birds, they don’t migrate in flocks.

Hello Fellow Readers, Anita of Blairstown, NJ, shared the story of Squeak, a male Cardinal who squeaks after snagging each sunflower seed. “He’s also a bit of slob,” writes Anita, “dribbling shells back into the dish.” Her other guests, such as “titmouse, nuthatches, juncos and sparro

Hello Fellow Readers, This time of year, what fun it is to peruse seed catalogs. Green beans aren’t only green anymore. And tomatoes come in all sorts of shades and mottled blends of colors. There are even tomatoes that stay green when they’re ripe. Charlotte of Stone Chur

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green.  From time to time, over the years, I’ve shared stories of my dear Mom, who gave me my garden start, and many of you have kindly asked about her. Emma Stone joined the angels last Sunday, and while there’s sadness, there’s re