Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
a white house with white and pink English Daisies in clover lawn.

Delightful No-Mow Clover Lawns

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Recently, I designed a low-maintenance garden filled with perennials, shrubs, and trees for year-round interest in Bergen County, NJ, not far from New York City. Around it, we planted a pollinator-friendly lawn alternative: a combination of No
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A selfie of black sneakers on a lawn filled with sunny yellow dandelions

Benefits of Plantain & Dandelion “Weeds”

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Have you ever considered Broadleaf Plantain, the flat-leaved weed with spikey seed heads that invades your lawn, a beneficial plant? It was news to me to learn that it’s a valuable herb, though I’ve known for years that Dandelions
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a lovely house with a wrap around porch and glass enclosed porch with a no mow may lawn

No-Mow May helps Pollinators

Hello fellow readers, Have you ever heard of No-Mow May? It’s kind of like Dry January when folks forgo alcoholic drinks after a holiday of overindulgence. Well, maybe the only likeness is it lasts a month—the benefits of not mowing your grass in May last far longer. And it is e
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lady's mantle leaves with water droplets

Dollar Spot & Lotus Effect

Hello fellow readers, Have you noticed on a humid summer morning, sometimes there are shiny clusters of droplets on what looks like cobwebs in the lawn? The webs could be the branching nature of dollar spot fungus. Or, they may be the webs of grass spiders. Then there are the adorable
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone, Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design

Lime or Not to Lime Lawns

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
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Garden Dilemmas Ask Mary Stone, Crabgrass

Crabby about Crabgrass

Hello fellow readers, A visit with my dear Mom leads to a story about how to overcome being crabby about crabgrass. Last week we spoke about the pesky Japanese beetle, and I chuckle at how many of you shared your intense aversion towards the bothersome bug. What is there to like about
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