Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries
Join columnist and garden designer Mary Stone in sharing Dilemmas, Delights, & Discoveries in the Garden of Life.
Episodes
In this episode, Mary Stone shares the surprising gifts of her late-season vegetable garden and highlights the benefits of No-Till gardening. She walks through ripening green tomatoes indoors, saving seeds for next year and putting the garden to bed without disturbing the living soil below — a gentle practice that nurtures healthier plants and fewer weeds.
Mary also reflects on nature’s timing, the season of letting go, and the hear...
Mary Stone shares a breathtaking encounter with a flock of grackles while visiting the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice in Fredon, NJ. Their synchronized flight inspires a reflection on the quiet wisdom of nature and the beauty of unity in motion.
How the birds never collide opens a deeper exploration of how grackles — and all flocking birds — navigate together through separation, alignment, and cohesion. Their graceful movement o...
Mary Stone shares an update on her friend and design colleague, Marty Carson, who is now in hospice care in Florida. At the same time, with a heavy heart, she shares news of the closure of the Karen and Quinlan Home for Hospice in Fredon, NJ, due to financial and staffing challenges. Mary and her singing partner, Ken Roberts, volunteer weekly, offering music therapy.
To know that such compassionate care of our elderly and gravely ...
As fall unfolds, trees show us the art of letting go. From green to gold, orange to red, each leaf teaches us that change brings growth and beauty. In this episode, Mary Stone reflects on how nature mirrors our own seasons of transformation — and how letting go creates room for new life.
Thank you for tuning in!
Related Podcast and Posts:
Sequence of Fall Leaves Brings Life – Blog Post
Mary Stone shares the delights and cleanup sagas of Shagbark Hickory trees, highlighting their shaggy bark, edible nuts, and benefits to wildlife. She shares personal experiences and reader anecdotes, such as a client who planted Shagbark hickory for pollination and a reader from Indiana dealing with an excessive amount of nuts.
Mary explains the tree's three-year nut-producing cycle and how mast years and nutless years help b...
Mary Stone recounts witnessing a bear in her pond overnight, perhaps feeding on acorns. The encounter led her to learn about the Acorn Float Test, which assesses the viability of acorns for propagation.
Blue Jays flock to feast on acorns in the fall, making a ruckus. Like squirrels, they bury a stash, though many are never retrieved. Mary admits a previous grudge against Blue Jays, which shifted after observing their nature. She hi...
Mary Stone discusses the history, benefits, and healing aspects of sunflowers, sharing her return visit to Liberty Farms' Sunflower Maze in Sandyston. Raj Sinha graciously opens the maze to those who benefit from the services of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey each year.
She features meeting Raj's son, who self-published a book, "Jill the Chick." His optimism and actions serve as a testament to young...
Mary Stone discusses the phenomenon of Fairy Rings, caused by fungi creating dark green or brown circular bands in lawns. Craig from New Jersey shares his hilarious experience with Fairy Rings, initially suspecting contamination from pesticides. Mary explains the natural occurrence and folklore of fairy rings.
She also reflects on the ecological significance of fungi, highlighting their role in recycling decay into life. Additional...
Mary Stone discusses the fascinating world of fungi, particularly Giant Puffball Mushrooms and Jack o' Lantern Mushrooms. She emphasizes the importance of proper identification for those who scavenge for wild mushrooms and shares the foolproof four suggested by Cabinlife.com.
Additionally, Mary explains the concept of the Wood Wide Web, detailing the differences between mycorrhizal fungi and mycelium.
Then concludes by reflect...
Mary Stone discusses her experiences with snakes, particularly Copperheads, in her garden and how their hourglass-shaped markings blend into the environment. While venomous, they aren't as dangerous as rumored, and while they benefit us by controlling pests, she shares ways to discourage them from hunkering down in your garden.
The episode concludes with other wildlife encounters that instill fear, followed by excitement and ...
Mary Stone describes the beauty and fragrance of Sweet Autumn Clematis, despite its invasive tendencies, suggesting that pruning seed heads before they dry will prevent self-seeding. She introduces an alternative native plant look-alike, Virgin's Bower, clematis virginiana. Though nonfragrant, it's a lure to pollinators. Plus, Mary lists lovely native shrubs to shade the roots of clematis.
She wraps up sharing her recent ...
As a sequel to the last episode, Mary Stone updates the progress of a late-season cardinal nest that she thought was taken by a predator. Later, she learns that the fledglings are likely on the ground, honing their flying skills while being tended by their parents.
She concludes with a reflection based on a plaque passed down by her mother: "Wonder is the Beginning of Wisdom," encouraging listeners to cultivate acceptance...
Mary Stone reflects on how birthdays encourage us to pause and reflect, change, and maybe plant new seeds. She shares the outcomes of her book proposal to Hay House Publishing, which, although initially disappointing, inspires other ways to share The Lesson of the Leaf. She concludes with a heartwarming story about the restoration of a Welcome Home Clematis and a surprise late nesting of cardinals, teaching how endings give way to ...
Mary Stone shares participating in a moth survey with Blaine Rothauser of GZA Geoenvironmental, Inc., and Dennis Briede, whose mountain meadow is at the base of the Kittatinny Mountains in Blairstown, New Jersey.
Using metal halide and ultraviolet lights to attract moths, they recorded 80 species by 11:15 PM. Blaine emphasizes the importance of moths as indicators of ecological health. Mary highlights the Bird Poop Moth's camo...
Mary Stone shares the Remedies for Mile-a-Minute Weed and how an inundation of the invader turned into a garden filled with Native Deer-resistant Butterfly Plants.
Thanks for tuning in.
Related Podcasts and Posts You'll Enjoy:
Mile-a-Minute Remedies – Native Butterfly Plants - Blog Post
Ep 215. The Tiny Wonder of Duckweed
The Tiny Wonder of Duckweed - Blog Post
After last week's episode, Mary Stone describes the photo of a Green Frog peeking through a patch of Duckweed, the smallest flowering plant. Blaine Rothauser sent it. She shares the wonders of the unusual, tiny aquatic plant, its benefits to wildlife and humans, and its rapid growth. Plus, what to do if it covers your pond.
Thank you for tuning in!
Related Podcasts and Posts You'll Enjoy:
The Tiny Wonder of Duckweed - Blo...
Mary Stone shares the sights and sounds of an overnight camp on her screen porch, including a Green Frog Chorus, two Great Horned Owls, waving Tulip Trees, and a visiting Great Blue Heron.
Thanks for tuning in!
Related Podcasts and Posts You'll Enjoy:
Nature Sounds from My Porch Camp- A blog post featuring Blaine Rothauser's stunning photos.
Ep 176. Revisiting Cicadas and How Gardens Glow
Cicadas Sing Back to School -Blog...
Mary Stone interviews Carol Decker, a renowned wildlife artist. Carol shares her self-taught art journey, emphasizing thankfulness for her gift and success. Her 80 paintings graced the covers of New Jersey Outdoor magazine, propelling her career. Carol shares a remarkable story of how one of the original paintings came back into her possession. The conversation highlights the importance of living in gratitude and love, embracing th...
Mary Stone shares a humorous story about a neighbor's beaver and woodchuck dilemmas, the differences between the two, and their respective remedies. She then addresses the issue of invasive barberry, suggesting alternatives, emphasizing the importance of native plants, and striking a balance with ornamental plants.
Mary wraps up with a reflection on the Fourth of July, encouraging listeners to relish and not take for granted o...
Mary Stone shares a story based mainly on truth that takes place in two historic estates built by a French architect in Northwest New Jersey, owned by elderly and eccentric weekenders from Princeton. She adds a mystery to the story, themed around the New York Times bestseller, "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben.
Thank you for tuning in!
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