Mary Stone shares a heartwarming story from her dear friend Vicki Johnson, a garden writer and photographer, about her gardening start, which grew into a passion and career. It stemmed from her mother's love for gardening, which blossomed in he...

Mary Stone discusses the beauty of early spring, the sunny faces of daffodils and their significance, and the roots of a family tradition of gathering cuttings from the family plot. Mary describes the benefits and the how-to of dividing perenni...

Mary Stone celebrates the 200th episode of the podcast, reflecting on the journey and the lessons gained from nature and gardens and thanking listeners for their help and kind support. She chats about her hopes to expand her reach, perhaps on Y...

Mary Stone shares the delight of Wood Frogs arriving in her pond and singing their mating calls. Previously, Bullfrogs and Spring Peepers were the only frog residences. Mary highlights the role of frogs and toads in pest control and as indicato...

Mary Stone discusses early spring garden tasks, such as rejuvenating shrubs and removing dead wood. She describes the process of rejuvenating shrubs and the protocols for pruning lavender and concludes with wisdom gained from the rhythms of nat...

Mary Stone shares her design colleague and dear friend Marty Carson’s favorite summer flowering bulbs to plant in spring, adding a few other hardy deer-resistant corms to the list. A discussion on using bone meal while planting bulbs as a squir...

Mary Stone discusses the how-tos of encouraging early indoor spring blooms that go beyond her go-to of Forsythia. She shares a story by her friend Vicki Johnson, a garden writer and photographer, who colorfully describes an assortment of Spring...

Mary Stone shares the history and environmental impact of peat mining by Hyper-Humus Inc., learned while attending an outing hosted by the Paulinskill Rivershed Watchers and the Food Shed Alliance in New Jersey.The Nature Conservancy and...

Mary Stone discusses the impact of road salt on plants and the environment, highlighting the damaging effects of chloride ions on dehydrating plants and aquatic life. Mary reviews beet juice, pickle, and cheese brine alternatives m...

Mary Stone discusses Myths and Truths about Roots that extend well beyond the tree and shrub branches. She also explains how to protect roots by not parking on them, which compacts soil and can kill a tree. She reviews the functions of Transpor...

Groundhog Day dates back thousands of years. While the accuracy of predicting winter's end is marginal, it's a fun tradition that celebrates nature. Mary Stone shares the ancient origin, amusing anecdotes, and ways of handling groundhogs while ...

Relishing nature and our gardens goes beyond Spring, Summer, and Fall. Our Garden of Life is Winter, too. Mary Stone shares the beauty and stillness in a walk around the Winter Season of Sights, Sounds, and Silence, encouraging listeners to do ...

Mary Stone shares the methods and importance of encouraging self-seeding to help wildlife. And reflects on the joy of seed catalog shopping and creating a vision board for your garden. The episode concludes with a reflection on Martin Luther Ki...

Mary Stone discusses the challenges of caring for African violets in heated homes. She reflects on the emotional significance of the plants inherited from her mother and humorously recalls her rescue dog Jolee's antics, which led to the loss of...

Mary Stone chats about the benefits and folklore of dragonflies, their fascinating life cycle, hunting savvy, and their role in controlling garden pests. Plus, dragonflies' cultural significance and ancient ancestry that date back 325 million y...

Paperwhites like to party when grown in water, adding alcohol to prevent flopping. The same is true when forcing Amaryllis. Plus, there's a miracle in the unseen.Both bulbs can only flower once in water. However, Amaryllis bulbs can blo...

Mary Stone reflects on Christmas memories, decorating her holiday garden, including her brother’s and Ellie's Memorial trees, and protecting broadleaf evergreens from dehydration that causes winter burn.She reminisces about her late dog...

Mary Stone shares a story about preserving the Paulinskill River that came from stumbling upon mysterious tree tubes. She also reflects on overcoming hardships or overlapping losses -- part of her forthcoming book, The Lesson of the Leaf. ...

Mary Stone reviews the disadvantages and benefits of praying mantises in gardens, stressing the importance of native versus invasive non-native species. She focuses on the harmful invasive Chinese Mantis that prey on the native Carolina Mantis ...

Mary Stone describes the last of her late-season garden bounty and reflects on the guidelines of an Honorable Harvest, referencing the Native American tradition as outlined by Robin Wall Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass.A humorous bo...

Mary Stone reminisces about the history of Silver Maples, once a Native American treasure, and finding an arrowhead on Sunset Beach in Cape May, New Jersey. And the importance of not taking artifacts as it disrupts the archeological record. As ...

Mary Stone shares a story about a fig tree in Cape May, NJ, sporting an invitation to help yourself. But a sign saying "Don't be a Fig Pig" reminds her of picking daffodils as a young child and being scolded for it. Then recounts th...

In this episode, Mary Stone shares an overview of her upcoming book, The Lesson of the Leaf: How Nature, Gardens (and Rescue Dogs) Help Heal and Grow Your Life. A journey from loneliness and loss to love and hope, inspired by the wisdom her bel...

In this episode, we chat about A Butterfly Garden of Growth at Johnsonburg Camp & Retreat Center in New Jersey, which hosted a Comfort Zone Camp in partnership with A Little Hope Foundation to support kids who lost a loved one to suicide.

In this episode, Mary Stone discusses the importance of native plants, mentioning Blaine Rothauser's work and including native plants in a previous project. Then, we chat about the beauty yet invasiveness of Japanese Knotweed and th...