GARDEN DILEMMAS? ASK MARY!

Curt snagged this shot of the rock garden with his phone on Saturday. If I recall the plant I planted in front of the daffodils is Spiraea japonica ‘Golden Elf’ / Golden Elf Japanese Spirea Hardy in zones 4-9. This yellow leaved cutie only grows to 6-8 inches high and has

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.

Hello fellow readers, Last week, we spoke about the importance of testing your soil’s pH before adding supplements, as lawns and plants require different pH levels. John from Bangor asked how to test his soil. Sure, you can buy a pH test probe, and the tried and true soil tests are of

Hello fellow readers, To lime or not to lime lawns, that was the question from Craig of Andover, NJ. His brother, Chris of Blairstown, then asked if there was a moss killer he could use. True, there seems to be a routine among perfect lawn enthusiasts to lime every spring and fall wit

Hello fellow readers, Rebecca of Andover, NJ, received a dormant, bare-root apple tree via mail order and wondered the best way to take care of it until she plants it. What a wonderful gift! They are doing a backyard renovation and plan to include apple trees in the mix. Apple trees s

Edible rhubarb can be attractive in a garden, but it's the ornamental, not-edible kind that makes a dramatic, almost prehistoric-looking focal point in your garden. Find out about some of the favs.

Hello fellow readers, There was standing room only for our talk on Deer Resistant Plants You May Not Know About at the Springfest Garden Show. Thanks to all of you for being there. It was a joy meet you! We started our presentation with a rant of antics we do to keep deer at bay. Like

Hello fellow readers, How much wood can a woodpecker peck when a woodpecker can peck wood? The answer is – lots! It’s true, the jingle is usually about a woodchuck, but it was the first thing that came to mind when I heard from Barbara of Sparta, NJ, who has a mischievous

Hello Fellow Readers, On a recent frigid afternoon, a light dusting underway and uncertainty when the snow could wreak havoc, I joined a hundred and a half other Fergus Garett fans at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township. Fergus Garett is a gardening rock star of sorts to di