Hello fellow readers, It’s fair time! Farm animals, 4-H exhibits, rides, fun food, and, in the case of the NJ State Fair, garden displays and speakers of which I am one. This Saturday, August 4th at 1 PM, I’ve been asked to speak about Garden Dilemmas. It will be held in the bea

Hello fellow readers, I’m back from the Woody Plant Conference held at Scott Arboretum Swarthmore College PA, always a treat. While not nearly as knowledgeable as the scientists and arborists in attendance, I have a love affair with trees; especially those that have lived far longer t

Hello fellow readers, “Be sure you tickle the roots,” I coach new gardeners after carefully removing a plant from its pot. Using my fingers, or an edge of a trowel, I demonstrate how to loosen the roots to encourage them to spread. Sometimes a utility knife comes into play if a plant

Hello fellow readers, When I met Stephanie of Denville NJ four years ago, she wished to forgo a front lawn and plant a garden she could stroll through and enjoy viewing from the inside looking out. An ambitious undertaking for most, but I quickly learned Stephanie didn’t think so. I d

Hello fellow readers, The week of July 4th ignites the summer vacation season. With the plentiful rains so far this summer, plants will likely be more vulnerable to heat stress once the heat and dryness kick in.  So, before you head off to de-stress, here are a few tips to help your p

Hello fellow readers, Last Sunday we visited a favored hiking spot, Big Pocono State Park, which sits atop Camelback Mountain Resort in Tannersville, PA. I’ve coined it the Top of the World where you can see eastern Pennsylvania and portions of New Jersey and New York. More than that,

Hello fellow readers, Last year a den of fox provided a reprieve of my chipmunk dilemma. They’re back! Leaving piles of dirt around the garden pots. But my dilemma pales in comparison to Phil’s in Whitehall PA, worthy of a standup comedy routine. In early spring Phil asked “how to dis