Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
Jolee standing beside a folded American flag in a garden bordered by large stone boulders

The Flag & the Knot – Growing Forward Anyway

A simple Fourth of July project turned into an unexpected lesson about perfection, progress, and moving forward anyway. What began as raising a flag became a story of mystery knots, laughter, poison ivy, and the wisdom Mother Nature offers in the Garden of Life.
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Mary Stone, Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone,Gardening tips, Garden Blogs, Stone Associates Landscape Design, Garden Blog, Poison Ivy Removal, Removing Poison Ivy

Removing Poison Ivy without Chemicals

Hello fellow readers, What’s with all the poison ivy? I asked myself as I employed the “Mary-technique” of removing poison ivy using a plastic grocery bag, a technique most dog owners find familiar, except perhaps for the protective gear. With long sleeves, long pant
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A red Virginia Creeper Vine climbing a tree

Poison Ivy vs. Virginia Creeper

Hello fellow readers,  When I was a girl, my sister dared me to rub a leaf all over me. Even then, I was a plant person and always up to the ‘I dare you’ challenge. The leaf was in a grouping of three, and I picked one and dutifully painted myself with it. I bet you know w
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