Backyard Gardener Contributor

I was the Official Backyard Gardener Contributor on Squidoo! The JOY of seeing something grow from seed ... Ah! You know, I wasn't born with a green thumb, but found I had a passion for gardening as a child.

Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, we had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with our grandparents. From my maternal grandfather, I learned to appreciate the satisfaction of tending a beautiful flower garden and the necessity of maintaining a vegetable garden.

We always had a nicely manicured yard with an array of flowers and usually a vegetable garden in the backyard.

In my adult life, I didn't always find the time to manage a backyard garden as I had a professional marketing career all my adult life.

Then, I moved to Jacksonville Florida in the early 90s. Things changed for me as we seriously have more months of nice garden weather than Ohio! I became rather an expert at backyard gardening.

All photos and content copyright JaguarJulie.

Gardening Expertise Poll - We asked our readers previously to rate themselves from newbie to moderately talented to expert. Like stairsteps!

Ah, the JOY of Gardening!

Where do I begin? You know, I always appreciated flowers and blossoms but really never thought about growing them for myself. Then, when I moved to Jacksonville, Florida in the early 90s, I bought a small 1460 sq. ft. townhouse. It had a one-car garage and a little patch of grass in the front and back yards. That was when I first tried my creative hand at exterior yard design.

The backyard design started off with a small privacy shadowbox fence and then a 10 ft. square wooden platform deck. I then painted the concrete slab a teal blue color and erected a spruce green and white striped canopy over the deck. Next, I began digging up the little bit of exposed grass, putting down concrete stepping stones and white stones. Lastly, I added Oleander bushes and a variety of flowers.

After I finished in the backyard, I came to the front yard. I painted the sidewalk teal blue and planted a variety of flowers and plants down the side of the house. At the curb, I put in a colorful floral triangular garden with wooden edging. The flowering crepe myrtle in the little front yard was the show piece.

That was yesterday, so to speak. Now that I have a much larger yard, over 12,000 sq. ft., I have become a bit of a professional at backyard gardening. You can call me the Blonde Backyard Gardener! By the way! I bet you didn’t know that I also am one of the Blondes that DIY! #blondesthatdiy <---- hashtag!

Gardening for Geeks: DIY Tests, Gadgets, and Techniques That Utilize Microbiology, Mathematics, and Ecology to Exponentially Maximize the Yield of Your Garden - Gee, this is a book that seriously appeals to my scientific side!

You know, if I wanted to take my gardening up a notch, it would be with a book like this!

Consider what you learn about : DIY Tests, Gadgets, and Techniques That Utilize Microbiology, Mathematics, and Ecology to Exponentially Maximize the Yield of Your Garden!

Wow, this book will help you work together with Mother Nature to achieve the backyard garden of your dreams!

Have you ever thought about "analyzing meteorological patterns in order to plan productive beds?" I haven't really although I do plan my Scott's Bonus S application around the forecast.

My Backyard & Frontyard Gardening Projects

Allow me to share with you photos of some of the work that I have done. You know a photo is worth a thousand words at the very least and maybe two thousand in my case. You see, I couldn't contain myself in only the backyard(s)!

My Townhouse Backyard Garden - The first larger scale backyard project!

Here is that project I just told you about. In this photo, you get a view of a good part of the townhouse backyard. The oleander were relatively young along with the other flowers and plants. This design looked like it came out of Better Homes & Gardens! I designed it from scratch without using any magazine designs. Once I finished with the yard work, I added a wooden table and chairs to the platform deck.

My Townhouse Backyard Garden With Lights! I always wondered what this looked liked from overhead.

You know, it used to feel like a got a lot of small planes and helicopters buzzing over head, particularly at night when I lit up the lights. The lighting really helped to make my design a bit of a showpiece.

The Front Yard of My Townhouse - View looking out from the front door.

I personally love painting or staining the concrete walkways! Since this townhouse was done in a Jacksonville Jaguars color scheme, I picked teal blue for the front walkway. I added lots of plants and shrubbery to the left and right along with white decorative edging, concrete stepping stones, and mulch. Notice the crepe myrtle in the front yard. At the front curb, in the upper right of the photo, I had the triangle garden area with decorative wooden edging. Talk about curb appeal; this place had loads of it!

A Backyard Project With the Hubby. Have you ever done a joint project with your spouse?

This was the last joint project that I worked on with the hubby before the divorce. After all that work, I felt I had to leave the Deercreek Country Club house to the ex. I didn’t have the heart to make him sell it.

So, in this project, I provided the labor by hauling all the patio stone and materials from the front driveway to the backyard. I was with the hubby as he progressed through the work, offering my artistic eye and snapping lots of photos so that we could do our DIY tutorial. It was a weekend project that came together fairly quickly. Talking with the ex recently, he has acknowledged that his back wouldn’t be up to another project like this one!

That Patio Paver Backyard Project! This was a little job I did with the hubby!

If you have ever contemplated a patio paver project of your own, you will learn all the steps on how to accomplish one. This is the type of weekend job that any homeowner, male or female, can do. You can scale it up or down depending upon how much space you have. What are you waiting for; let's get it started already!!

Another Patio Paver Project. A little less artistic, but very functional.

Out of necessity, I did a patio of twelve inch red patio stones along with Holland brick pavers to edge it. This was an area in my backyard that didn’t seem to be growing grass very well. When the rain would come off the roof, it would create a marshy area here. Putting down the stones was the best thing I ever did for that area of yard.

Pruning the Nine Crepe Myrtle Trees. Enjoying the changing of the leaves!

In the early Spring of 2012, I started to prune the nine crepe myrtle trees that lined my backyard. Those limbs were from thirty to fifty feet high! Armed with a Corona 18 inch hand saw, I went to work. I started at the left back and worked on just one tree at a time. Each time I brought down one of those massively long limbs, I tried to be as careful as possible not to hurt myself. Then, I would take time to saw the limbs into five foot lengths and then bag the leaves and put the tiny limb pieces into a 55-gallon trash container.

It took me fourteen weeks to complete this job! Each Friday I hauled the cut limbs and leaf debris to my curb for pickup. The yard guys swore that I couldn’t have done it all by myself. How about that?

In the end, I only hurt myself about three or four times. One time, the new saw came off the limb and hit me in my right shin. That was pretty gory … I ran inside, applied pressure, put on a large bandage, and decided to lie down until I stopped feeling dizzy. Then, I came back outside and continued working. Another time, I slammed the nail on my left finger up against a tree when I swung one of the cut limbs, trying to knock over another limb that landed upright in the ground. I was sure I broke it!

Bottomline, I never would have been able to experience the beautiful changing of the leaves if I hadn’t pruned those crepe myrtles in the first place. Now, the job only takes a few hours each year to prune the growth at the end of the year! Who needs a chainsaw and a man???

I Trimmed All Those Crepe Myrtles! One by one by one by one ...

Honestly, there was not motorized equipment used in this project. It was all about the Corona 18 inch hand saw. I was so impressed how this little hand saw, with a bit of girl power from me, handled all those fifty foot limbs on the overgrown crepe myrtles. You'll have to check out my product review to see MORE pictures from my backyard gardening project!! Girl Power!

My Seven-Eight Foot DIY Garden of Sunflowers. What is up with all that red mulch?

You know, it was tough trying to pick just one photo from that first sunflower garden. I opted to use this one because it feels like yesterday when I came home from Lowe’s with several bags of red mulch. What was up with quality control that day back at the mulch factory? I think somebody must have flipped the switch on the dye or got that chemical formula wrong. I couldn’t believe how there were three different colors going on. Anyways, you’ll note that I had three rows of tall sunflower plants. This was obviously near the end of the season for that first crop.

There are lots and lots of photos of the garden, charting its growth and then sharing the rest of the journey through all the lovely and colorful blossoms to actually harvesting the seeds for that second garden of 2014! I did many blog posts … be sure to check those out!

Come along and experience this inspirational journey with me. From start to finish:

• Planting a Flower Garden From Scratch
• Starting Sunflower Seeds for a Flower Garden
• Nurturing Sunflower Seedlings for a Flower Garden
• Planting Sunflower Seedlings in the Ground
• Sunflower Plants Prospering in the Ground
• My Sunflower Blossoms are Blooming
• Celebrate the Sunflower Buds and Backs
• Colorful Autumn Beauty Sunflower Pictures
• Insects and Critters in my Sunflower Garden
• Drying Sunflower Heads for Seeds
• Harvesting Sunflower Seeds from the Heads
• My 7 Foot Sunflower Garden
• The Sunflower Project : Free Seeds and Paying it Forward
• Hummingbird in My Sunflower Garden
• Autumn Beauty Sunflower Pictures
• Pretty Yellow Sunflower Blossoms
• Dance of the Dragonfly
• Sunflowers in a Vase
• Final Sunflowers of Summer
• The Last Sunflower of Summer

My DIY Garden of Sunflowers #1!

It all started with some Burpee Sunflower Seeds and a vision! Whenever I start a project, there has always been a lot of contemplation behind it. With my very first DIY Sunflower Garden, I really wanted to start with a singular plant. That was in the Summer of 2012; however, no plants could be found. I knew that I would have to be patient and wait until the next growing season. August in Jacksonville, Florida is SO HOT and HUMID! Around came February 2013, a piece of land, some seeds and a little muscle. Voila! Sunflowers!!

This Is My Second DIY Garden of Sunflowers. The 2014 edition that was a work in progress!

As of May 4, 2014, some of the plants had attained a height surpassing 36 inches! This year’s garden is much more involved than 2013′s in that there are four rows rather than three and there are many more plants. Every single plant has come from seeds harvested from the previous garden! That’s quite something.

This DIY journey is just getting started … here is that journey thus far:

• Planting My Second Sunflower Garden
• Sunflower Seedlings Emerging in Six Days
• Critters Digging Up My Sunflower Seedlings
• Protecting Sunflower Seedlings From Digging Critters
• Sunflower Seedlings at Twenty-Three Days
• Sunflower Seedlings at Thirty Days
• Cat in My Sunflower Garden
• Sunflower Plants at Thirty Seven Days
• Sunflower Plants at 24 Inches Tall
• Pink Slime Mold in Sunflower Garden
• Yellow Slime Mold in Sunflower Garden
• Sunflower Plants at 36 Inches Tall

My Mexican Petunia Garden Project #1. A side yard project that still looks fabulous!

This was actually the first large gardening project that I undertook in my current home. I had quite a large area that I was digging up and knew that I wanted to plant Mexican Petunias because they grow quite well and are drought-resistant. I was first captured by their beauty with the daily showers of purple flowers. The house across the street from me had a mailbox decorated with these flowers. That was my inspiration!

My Second Mexican Petunia Garden. The neighbors were really talking about this!

Yes indeed … after I finished my first similar project in my side yard to the right of my house, I came to the front of the house, on the left side. To be cool with my next door neighbor, I asked her opinion on what I planned to do. I had some stakes and put them in the ground to consult on the property line. Then, another neighbor came by. Both of those gals were “consulting” on my planned gardening project.

One thing led to another and soon I was digging up the ground. As I went, I made sure to fill in the area with mulch and plants rather than leaving exposed dirt. Before you knew it, I had down patio stones and brick pavers along with red mulch and more Mexican Petunias! I was thrilled with how good this job actually looked and how easy it is to maintain year-to-year.

Then, a neighbor down the street came by, “how much would you charge to do one of those for me?” Thinking it over, I said, “Ah, it all depends …”

A Massive Side Yard Gardening Project. My biggest square footage job yet!

When I started working on this side yard, the weather was already pretty hot! It was July-August 2013. I had been researching Florida-Friendly Landscaping to get some ideas on how I could make my one side yard more friendly. It was only a couple of days into the project where I was digging with a shovel and then picking out the grass pieces to put in the trash bag. I kept hitting roots from the large water oaks that had been removed from the backyard. The sweat was rolling off me and I was covered in dirt with lots of dirt up my nose. It got to be quite an emotional project and I was having a difficult time seeing its completion.

Blood, sweat and a lot of tears went into this project. And, you have no idea how many trips back and forth to Lowe’s I made on a daily basis with my sports car with the white leather interior! I have no trunk, so everything that you see here was brought home in my front seat.

My Daisy Garden Out Back. Right outside my back door ...

There have been a lot of different daisies which have cycled through this garden. At the moment, you can see gerbera daisies and some daisy bushes along with gaillardia pulchella. I’ve previously grown echinacea daisies. I’ve kept the color scheme going with the red brick edging and patio stones. Recently, I added some solar patio lights which add a lot of cool touches in the evening and night. I really think it must look pretty special from the sky when all those little planes and helicopters fly over!

Whew!!! Are We DONE Yet?? You know, I did it all myself. I forgot to mention that I also put down about 80 pieces of sod in the front yard by myself. I hauled every piece of stone, bag of mulch, soil, plants, whatever, in the front seat of my Chrysler Crossfire sports car!

A Helpful How-to Book!

Gardening for Geeks: DIY Tests, Gadgets, and Techniques That Utilize Microbiology, Mathematics, and Ecology to Exponentially Maximize the Yield of Your Garden

Are YOU ready to try your hand at a little backyard gardening? Have you found my article and do it yourself projects inspiring?

We've all got to start some place. For me, I have really been a single gal most of my life. It was out of necessity that I learned how to do these type of DIY projects. I never wanted to burden someone else to help me. Even those times I might have been dating a guy! With the exception of that one backyard paver project with my hubby [now the ex], I did everything by myself. Even to the point that I picked up and delivered all the materials needede for my do-it-yourself projects.

Whew! I think I'm a little tired now ... ah, retirement!

History: I'm the Backyard Gardener Contributor on Squidoo was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on May 5, 2014 by JaguarJulie. On May 6, 2014 this lens earned the Purple Star Award for quality content.

Comfort Foods Contributor

I was the official Comfort Foods Contributor on Squidoo. From a very early age, as I was growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, I learned to have a fine appreciation for Hungarian Foods from my maternal grandmother, Julia Nagy.

Holidays with Grandma Julia Nagy - JaguarJulie and sister Diane

It was an incredible experience as a young child to visit my grandparents because grandma was always making something that smelled and tasted quite heavenly!

"Are we going to grandma's house for the holiday?" I would ask my mom. "Yes, we are ... and she is making her stuffed cabbage rolls." Oh my, but that was all I needed to hear. Just a wee part of the comforting childhood memories that come back to me today as I think about what grandma's special recipes really meant. Come along, visit with me as I think about all those foody memories. Comfort-ing childhood memories!

I've always written about those comfort foods in my life, not only as the official contributor on Squidoo! Can you smell it now?

All photos and content copyright JaguarJulie.

Poll : Childhood Memories and Comfort Foods
How about you? Do you have these kind of memories like I do?

1. Yes indeed I do!
2. No, I wished I did!

Thank YOU Grandma!

Oh, it is Mother's Day as I sit here and write this ... How appropriate that I waited for one week after Bonnie asked me if I would like to take on the role of the official Comfort Foods Contributor on Squidoo!

You see, she also asked me to be the official Backyard Gardener Contributor on Squidoo. I created my official page right away on May 5th. However, writing about comfort foods was just a little more special.

Hey, this is me right here in this red sparkly gown all dressed up for the holidays and looking like a glamour girl. It goes without saying that I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for my grandmother and my mother; right? And, I also owe my looks to them both … and of course, my father.

I am more than grateful to grandma for giving me such rich memories of my childhood. It is true that her one special recipe that defined those times was her Hungarian stuffed cabbage rolls.

Today, IT is the top of the list for me if you ask me what are my favorite comfort foods. After that, I really can’t rank the rest of them in the top ten … pretty much, I think of the rest as equal favorites.

I Have this Hungarian Recipe Book!

June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Heirloom Recipes!
My edition is the spiral-bound copy. I have had this book for a lot of years! For me, it is the first of many Hungarian recipe books that I will recommend. I love the extra cultural information that you get ... it's like a story behind the food! Plus, the recipes surely sound like my grandma Julia Nagy was the food consultant behind this book. Those sound like my grandma's authentic Hungarian recipes!!!

You get 95 authentic recipes. These are "pre World War One family recipes from the Austro-Hungarian Empire!"

Much like in our family, these family recipes were never written down, but were passed down through the family. I'm glad THEY finally wrote them down and offered them up in this little book.

An extra plus is learning of their family's life in the Altkeer, Batchka region of Hungary around the 1900s!

Where IT all Started!
By my grandma's side all those years ago ...

You’ve probably seen this picture many a time throughout my food memoirs! This is the one picture that comes to mind when I think back on comfort foods and experiencing time with my grandma, Julia Nagy back in the 1950s. It was a less harried time back then with no computers or cell phones … but real time with the family.

I am standing by my grandma at the kitchen dining table and she is writing something down with a pencil. It could have been a recipe, you know?

If you look closely at the photo, you can see the fine bone china on the table. To the left of the photo, you get a glimpse of my mom who also is writing with a pencil.

This is an old black and white polaroid that my dad took. We are in my grandparents brick bungalow on Chatfield Avenue on the Westside of Cleveland. Speaking of old things, how about that rotary telephone and that old General Electric refrigerator?

Thankfully, we had an electric refrigerator that kept all those comfort food leftovers fresh for our next meal of memories.

The MAIN Influence!
It all revolves around the rolls - the authentic Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls! OMG, but who would have thunk? All those years ago, my favorite childhood food created all those memories that define me today. It is such a comfort you know?

Easter at Grandma's House
Another old polaroid ...

Talk about polaroid memories! Take a look at this picture … you saw a bit of it in our introduction. This was taken at Easter with our family get-together down the basement of my grandma’s house on Chatfield Avenue.

That is me on the right hamming it up for the camera as I shovel — probably stuffed cabbage rolls — into my mouth! You can see my sister Diane to the left and that’s probably my brother Paul’s head in the foreground. The “kids” got the card table whilst the adults sat together. In the background, if you look closely, you can see my grandma in the middle back holding one of my cousins.

I can make out a chocolate Easter bunny in a package on the table along with three bottles of Pepsi-Cola!

Traditional Hungarian Pastries for the Holidays
Equal time for the desserts! I can honestly say, that grandma's pastries were ranked right up there with the main entree! Those delicious nut rolls and poppy seed rolls. Yes, you can define desserts as comfort foods. We would usually be lucky enough to have grandma make BOTH of these for the holidays!!

Equal Time for my Other Grandma!
On the Westside of Cleveland ...

Thinking back all those years ago, my father’s mother, was an important influence. However, because she really didn’t speak very good English, I don’t have the same type of memories as I did with my mom’s mother!

My fraternal grandmother, Antonia Lesteshen, was a short, quiet woman … and I remember even less about my fraternal grandfather, Joseph Lesteshen. Today, I wished it was different.

You know, it kind of makes me smile as I am reliving my memories of her comfort foods. You see, she did make HER version of stuffed cabbage rolls for us kids … but something was WRONG with them. I’m hoping that I asked my mother quietly, “what the heck is that in those rolls?” She used buckwheat … not something a kid really likes especially after the other grandma has made her recipe!

But, my Ukrainian grandma did make very special breads! Her recipe was an egg bread that had a really dark crust, plus it didn’t look like a normal bread loaf … it was rather round.

When it was Easter, this grandma showed us her artistic side with the most artistic colored Easter eggs!

More of My Comfort Foods
I've written about so many tasty items! Honestly? How can you really rank these? I think they are all good. Just sharing a few of the other culinary items which have filled my stomach with comforting calories over the years. I'm thinking about Hungarian Goulash, Hungarian Spaetzle, Meatloaf and Chili for starts!

Picnic Memories with the Family
Celebrating the less formal times ...

Ah, we weren’t always all dressed up and sitting around a formal dining table for the holidays! Some of my favorite memories with the casual picnics we enjoyed in the various parks throughout the Cleveland, Ohio area.

I am sitting at the picnic table looking rather cheeky, on the right, with my sister Diane, on the left. Unfortunately, our dad had his head cut-off … in the picture when my parents got a divorce. That’s a shame that mom did that to the photos!

Yummy Salad Recipes great for Picnics!
It's difficult to pick just one over the other These are two of my all-time favorites when talking salad recipes. And, then the third is something rather new! Perfect for picnics or family get-togethers. Let see, Eight Layer Salad, Spicy Potato Salad and then Breaded Baked Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs Salad!!

Picnic Memories with the Family Take Two
Hey, you about done yet?

I guess my mom wanted to be sure she got a good picture of us … so she snapped another photo. I see I couldn’t wait and stuck my hand into the plate of food. As kids, we went for less formal comfort foods for our picnic.

We might have hot dogs or hamburgers on the grill. If mom packed a picnic lunch, she might also have meatloaf sandwiches and potato salad with some potato chips. We didn’t really do french fries since those usually went into the oven and were not as good and greasy as they are today!

P.S. Poor ol’ dad … still missing his head!

Some Great Sandwiches for Picnics
Make time to gather the family and go someplace!Sometimes you don't want to use the barbecue grill, but want to bring along ready-made healthy sandwiches. May I suggest one of these to comfort you: Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Jalapeno Cheese Bread, PST on Jalapeno Cheese Bread, PST on Onion Schnecken Roll.

Holidays at Grandma's with Kereszmama
My mom's Hungarian godmother!

We knew it would be a special holiday at grandma’s when my mom’s Hungarian godmother, her kereszmama, would be there. Her daughter, Betty, was my kereszmama and I took her name of Elizabeth as my confirmation name. Gosh, I don’t remember my mom’s godmother cooking but I am sure she did consult or help my grandma when she was making her recipes.

I am thankful that I had this opportunity to reflect back on a quieter time that inspired me to be what I am today! Plus, to have actually experienced such tasty food recipes that would influence me and my writings so many years later.

That is comforting, you must admit!

Two More Traditional Hungarian Pastries
I know my mom's Hungarian godmother could make these! You know, now that I think about it, I know that my grandma used to talk about her flaky dough. I seem to remember a time that grandma talked with my mom's kereszmama about not being happy with her strudel dough. It seemed grandma couldn't get it flaky enough! So, I've hidden that recipe from my repertoire! But I have shared her Hungarian Butter Horns and Hungarian Kifli. LOL

Credits Due: To my Grandmother and Grandfather!
In closing, I need to pay credit where credit is due ... to my maternal grandparents ... Julia Nagy and Alexander Nagy. I have honored the both of them with their fifteen minutes of Squidoo fame. Without them, I don't know where the heck I would be today. Seriously.

Comforting Feedback from My Readers
I love to hear what my readers have to say! Hey, don’t be shy. Let me know you dropped by. Be your own original self. And, if my food memories touched a chord with you, I’d love to hear about it!

History: I'm the Comfort Foods Contributor on Squidoo was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on May 11, 2014 by JaguarJulie. On May 11, 2014 this lens earned the Purple Star Award for quality content.