Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries

In this episode, we share reflections from the Blairstown Memorial Parade. While we honor veterans who gave their lives protecting our safety and freedom, there is also a deep sadness over the physical and mental repercussions many veterans of war endure. We also talk about poppies, the official flower of the American Legion, and National Poppy Day, the day before Memorial Day. The significance of...

We recently hiked Blue Mountain Lake, part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, filled with flora and reflections of what once was and what may come if redesignated as a national park.  There's irony in the glorious beauty amid the sadness of homes lost due to the Tocks Island Dam debacle in the 1950s.  And there's a lesson; we merely borrow the land on which we live. And...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives.  We begin this episode walking together and visiting the brook on which I live for a bit of reflection – and drop a leaf in the water sharing the Lesson of the Leaf my brother Bill left behind.   Then we talk about the mystery of mutating Alberta Spruce, how it magically came to be, and how...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. New rules about single-use plastic and paper bags put me into a tizzy; I'm embarrassed to confess.  Especially since brown bags are as recyclable as cardboard boxes- used excessively in online shopping. Plus, plastic bags are recyclable too and made into benches and composite decks.  ...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives.  It's fascinating to learn Why Weeping Cherry Weep and why sometimes they revert to straight stems with different color flowers, thanks to the wisdom shared by Ben Jansen of E. P. Jansen Nursery and Nancy Buley of J Frank Schmidt and Sons. Link to Related Column: Reverting Weeping Cher...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. Perennials are emerging, inviting us to divide them to share with others, reminding me of a column long ago worthy of a refresher about Dividing Perennials.   Then I share the story of a family of foxes Jolee came upon the weekend of Comfort Zone Camp, a grief camp for kids, where they lear...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. Forsythia is one of the first shrubs to bloom, welcoming spring. We chat about maintaining its natural fountain shape rather than sporting funky haircuts.  And how, to my surprise, a hedgerow of golden forsythia at the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice changed my view of forsythia groomed...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. Last week's chat about Plants Between Nooks & Crannies led to other suggestions from you, kind listeners, including Hens and Chicks, that we share in this episode.  Then we talk about a favorite early spring plant: Pussy Willows and the Legends about Pussy Willows you'll enjoy...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. Last week's talk about cleaning paths and patios without harming plants raises the question of favorite Plants between Nooks and Crannies. In this episode, we share my favs that found their way on their own and how you can encourage volunteers too. And other plants ideal for nooks and...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. Last week's chat about Leaving Lichen and Moss Be brought a rally of like-minded folks (yay). But there can be safety concerns of slippage on walks and patios.  This episode talks about ways to clean walkways and patios while preserving the plants in the nooks and crannies. And other E...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. Each spring, mostly from neat and tidies, the intention to remove moss or lichen from walls and walks comes up. But unless causing a hazard, I coach folks to leave lichen and moss be.  In this episode, you’ll grow to like lichen, an intriguing organism that is much like an air plant. And la...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. Last week's chat about personal growth with houseplants came with a struggle of self-doubt. Then came a recording by Louise Hay sharing her 10 Essential Steps to Loving Yourself, with an analogy to starting a garden that will inspire you.  We chat about a simple way to Start a Garden,...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. I've mentioned the idea of sharing the history of houseplants enjoyed for decades. Well, it turned into a story about personal growth with houseplants — with reflections that I hope will encourage and inspire you too.  One of the beautiful outcomes of transitions and challenging times...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. I always feel bad when cut flowers fade, having to toss them in the compost pile when a houseplant gift lasts for years.  In this episode, I share a story from Ken Roberts, a dear friend and singing partner at the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice, who brings a new light to the joy of rece...

One of the gems from The Book of Hope we chatted about last week is Jane Goodall's closest childhood friend, Beech, a beech tree. You see, I have a Mr. Beech, too.  We talk about how beech trees benefit wildlife, how their bark resembles our skin, and how to overcome concerns about being finicky to transplant. Then, we wrap up our chat with a message of hope from Jane Goodall, reflecting on t...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. In this episode, we chat about The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams. Essentially the inspirational book is a dialog with Jane Goodall about her reasons for hope despite the world's increasing troubles. The subtitle— A Survival Guide for Trying Times, but merely surviving...

When you think about it, the most resilient things in nature are soft and pliable, like blades of grass that bounce back after being trampled. And trees that sway with the wind, enduring severe storms, heavy snow, or ice.  Birch trees, one of my favs, have a reputation of being soft-wooded and prone to damage when the opposite is true. There's strength in flexibility as it enhances endurance...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. You may recall our chat inspired by Cheryl. She started avocado seeds in water as a science experiment to encourage her daycare center kids to grow interested in plants (featured in Episode 39). Since then, a story of a magical avocado tree came to me through a dear friend who brings with i...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. It occurs to me that our life cycles are much like the cycles of nature and seasons, which inspired the story I'd like to share with you today. And while winter is a perfect time to inventory gardens (and our lives) in my neck of the woods, wherever you are, there's always an idea...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. Martin Luther King's Day honors a great man. In preparation, I dug through the internet maze to learn more about the advocate of equality, looking for a connection to gardens or nature to share with you today. Along with that comes a reflection you will enjoy. https://askmarystone.com/...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. In this episode, Jolee pulls me towards Cheryl as she grabs her mail, resulting in a lovely chat leading to her avocado dilemma.  It’s fun to revisit the magic of sprouting avocado seeds in water that brings with it life lessons :^).  https://askmarystone.com/sprouting-avocado-seeds-in-wate...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. A New Year, just as birthdays, gifts the opportunity to start fresh—to begin new things or improve upon others. A chance for turning over a new leaf, as they say. One new leaf I hope to turn over is sharing more stories of how plants inspire our lives — stories that come from you, kind list...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. For the first time in a long time, I wrote a Christmas letter to friends from far away, sharing the joy coming from the arrival of our rescue dog Jolee. And the inspiration she gave us as we witnessed her maneuver through the fear and uncertainty. I hope the letter will inspire you to Choos...

Welcome to our chat from the screen porch about garden and nature stories that help heal and grow our lives. It's the first since spring the indoor plants are back inside, leading to tips on tending to indoor plants and a surprise from a tiny book, She Who Loves a Garden with wisdom from Madame de Staël, born in 1766 — "Sow Good Services; Sweet remembrances will grow from them." htt...

This episode starts with a walk in the woods with you for a bit of Leaf Therapy—finding comfort amongst the trees and an unexpected encounter with a gal who gifts the wisdom of serving others—big love.  https://askmarystone.com/leaf-therapy-fills-emptiness/ Then we talk about tidbits from a Plant Symposium themed around native plants. With a special guest, Douglas Tallamy, author of a go-to, Bring...