Barberry bushes are very popular with landscapers for being incorporated into many of their landscape projects.

Apparently the Barberry shrub was first introduced to the US landscaping in the 1800’s, and it still remains very popular today.

Due to its thorny branches, it was used by many as a living fence, or planted in front of home windows, as a deterrent for burglars.

They do add contrast to the color scheme in a landscape, due to their deep red foliage, however, their thorns are very annoying, and merciless.

I have pricked myself so many times with their needle sharp thorns, at trimming time, or whenever I was working around that area, which finally prompted me to dig them up, and replace them with something more manageable, and thorn free.

Also, I could not bear to think that someday one of my grandchildren might get one of these thorns stuck in their finger, and knowing how painful these are, and how difficult to remove, I could not deal with this any longer.

It was time again to trim my shrubs, thus perfect time to finally remove these thorny bushes, once and for all.

It was a labor intense job, since there were six of them to work with, and those thorns still managed to get through my very thick gloves.

I had numerous gardening tools laid out in my front yard to get this job done, since I was determined to use whatever it took, to complete this project successfully.

The operation was a success, and the Barberry bushes were gone.

A week later, I finally decided on a replacement, to fill in the empty spots in my landscaping.

I selected, the above pictured ( innocent looking), Abelia Kaleidoscope bush, which also flowers, with pretty white flowers, during late summer and early fall.

I am very pleased with my selection, and needless to say, I was pricked, one last time, by some small thorny branches mixed in with the landscaping stones (I am so glad I got rid of these annoying bushes).

As I mentioned above, I removed 6 of the Barberry shrubs, and replaced 4 of them withe the Abelia Kaleidoscope bushes in the main shrub landscaping, but the other side needed something less bushy.

For this side of my landscaping I selected 3 very nice ornamental grasses, Lily Turf (variegata), shown above, which also blooms late summer and early fall, with dainty purple flowers, studded on a long stalk.

I will love these next year at trimming time.

Do you have Barberry bushes in your landscaping?

Please share your experience with Barberry bushes.

We all would love to hear your story.

Those of you who love gardening, will agree that this hobby needs careful planning, requires its share of physical labor, and definitely lots of cooperation from Mother Nature, thus favorable weather.

Whenever someone asks me what my plans are for the weekend, often time I am unable to answer that question precisely, because it all depends on the weather.

Since Saturday is my only free day to catch up on my gardening, especially in the Spring and Fall season, and if the weather is great, I am out there during early morning hours, digging in the dirt.

Sunday, on the other hand, is a “Day of Rest”, so I attend church services, spend time with family and friends, have fun and relax.

This year’s Autumn season has been wonderful on several Saturdays, so I had a chance to clean up my flower beds, and my veggie and herb garden, to prepare them for Winter.

My Zinnias are still blooming, thus the gorgeous picture of my favorite Hot Pink Zinnia flower (top picture).

Zinnias are very resilient plants, thus easy to grow successfully.  However, some varieties  grow very tall and require a sturdy steak to support them.  Please keep this in mind when planning to include these beauties in your flower garden.

Roses are another great plant to include in a flower garden, since they continuously produce gorgeous blooms.  Even during their tougher day, when aphids try to “eat them up alive”, they lose many of their leaves, but still manage to produce new flowers.  Just amazing!

This is a display of my Golden Autumn Harvest of remaining veggies and herbs.

About two weeks ago, I completed the harvest of beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce.  I also, seeded another round of dill, which should still provide a nice crop before the first frost appears.

Flat Leaf Italian Parsley is my preferred parley, over the curly leaf parsley.  I pulled up some of these plants with its roots, since these add a great flavor to soups, and roasting meats ( the roots should be cleared of the stringy small roots, and the outer skin layer needs to be scraped off, before cooking).

These are my Onion Chives, and Garlic Chives.

Garlic Chives turned up coincidentally in my herb garden, as a result of trying to grow garlic from small cloves, which never matured to real garlic heads.  Garlic Chives have a mild garlic flavor, so I use them in salads, and other dishes, along side of Onion Chives, and Dill Weed.

Red Beets are a must in my garden.  I cook many Eastern European foods, so these are a main ingredient in my Traditional Ukrainian Borscht, Botvinka, Red Beet Vinaigrette, and my favorite Exotic Red Beet Salad.

Here are my Basil leaves, and Sorrel leaves.

I picked the Basil leaves off of the stems, rinsed them with cold water, patted them dry, spread them on a paper towel, microwaved them for one minute, then left them out to dry.  Once fully dried up, I crushed them in a food processor, and stored them in an air tight spice container.  Their aroma is much stronger, and fresher, than the manufactured one (and a real money saver).

The Sorrel leaves may be preserved for later use as well. Here again, they need to be rinsed under cold water, patted dry, chopped, placed in a zip lock freezer bag, and may stay frozen for few months.

I usually freeze enough in each bag (2 tightly packed cups), to be used in my Sorrel Borscht (Shchav) recipe.

I had to leave the best for last.

These Green Peppers are the best, because they are totally FREE!

I planted these from the seeds I scooped out from Green Peppers I bought at a farmer’s market for our dinner.  The seeds sprouted nicely, and the plants grew to maturity without much TLC.  Now we can enjoy them stuffed with Bulgur and Turkey, or a Vegetarian recipe.

My garden is almost ready for its winter snooze, but there are still a few more things that will need to be done before then.

Hopefully you enjoyed my gardening pictures, stories, and might even try the linked recipes.

Please share your gardening experience with all our readers.

I already shared the story about my zucchini crop this year,  so now it’s a perfect time to share a zucchini recipe.

I was thinking of posting a Zucchini Bread recipe, but I have been baking a lot lately, so a vegetarian dish sounded more appealing to me.

My sister might like this recipe as well, since she just told me that she is contemplating becoming a vegetarian.

I could be a vegetarian most of the time, but I think I occasionally would miss my poultry and pork dishes.

My mom loved zucchini sauteed with butter, onions, garlic, and some Italian spices.

Today I will share this yummy recipe for Zucchini Casserole with tomatoes, cheeses and Italian spices.

One recipe fills a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini (8 inch long), sliced into thin discs (1/8 inch thick)
• 3 large tomatoes, sliced into thin discs (1/8 inch thick)
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dry basil (1/4 cup fresh, chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tbs. butter (or canola oil)
• 1/2 cup Italian Seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Set aside.
3. Grease the casserole dish, or spray with a  cooking spray.
4. Divide the sliced zucchini and sliced tomatoes into two equal parts.
5. Arrange the first half of the zucchini slices in the casserole dish, covering the whole bottom.
6. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese mixture over the zucchini layer.
7. Arrange the first haft of the sliced tomatoes over the cheese sprinkled zucchini.
8. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese mixture over the tomato layer.
9. Repeat the zucchini, tomatoes, cheese, layers again.
10. Set aside.
11. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter, over medium heat.
12. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent (2 minutes).
13. Turn off heat.
14. Add the seasoned bread crumbs, and mix until the butter is totally absorbed and onions are mixed in.
15. Preheat the over to 375 degrees F.
16. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly all over the top of the casserole.
17. Cover with aluminum foil.
18. Bake for 20 minutes.
19. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer.
20. Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Best served fresh, while the topping is nice and crunchy.

Still great the next day, but the bread crumbs become soft as they begin to absorb the moisture from the veggies.

Enjoy, and share your comments.

If you recall my previous post, this year I planted some Yukon Gold potatoes.

It takes several months for potatoes to fully mature, but I rather use mine when they are very young, and fresh.

Today I dug up several of these potatoes from under the growing plants, and tried to leave the little ones behind to continue to grow, but as you can see some broke away, so I picked them as well.

If you do pick some of the larger potatoes from under the potato bush, you still need to make a soil mound around the plant, as it was before, to protect the still growing remaining potatoes.

Any potatoes exposed to light will turn green, thus not suitable for consumption.  My first crop already produced at least 10 lbs of potatoes, and I still have 4 more potato plants growing.

All this from ONE Yukon Gold potato!  Pretty good deal, wouldn’t you say?

New potatoes are so much tastier than the full grown ones, and best of all, they do not need to be peeled.

The skin is tissue paper thin, and is easily scraped off with a paring knife (the potato juice might stain your fingers).  They also can be cooked with the skin on, and served that way, or scraped off once cooled.

I love new potatoes, boiled, cut up into chunks, and flavored with sauteed butter and dill, with salt and pepper to taste.

My grandma would also serve homemade white cheese (resembling cottage cheese) mixed with sour cream, as a side dish with her new boiled potatoes, plus a cup of fresh buttermilk.  Simple meal, but 100% organic!

I never acquired the taste for buttermilk as a drink, however I do use it in baking and cooking.

Do you like buttermilk?

Did you ever enjoy new potatoes freshly from the garden?

Please share your thoughts, and serving ideas.

My flower garden this year has the usual perennials, and some annuals for additional color splash, with one exception.

My sister sent me some seeds from her Hollyhocks, so I added these to my garden this year, making them very special to me.

Hollyhocks  (Malvy – in Ukrainian) are very popular in Ukraine and Poland, and are mentioned in many of their traditional songs, as well as incorporated into paintings.

I was lucky to plant these in a perfect location, since they turned out to be over 6 feet tall.  I knew they grew tall, but did not realize that they would get this tall.

Having these plants in my garden brings me closer, in thought, to my family in Europe.  The Bumble Bees also love all the nectar and pollen, they find on the numerous flowers.

If you are thinking of planting Hollyhocks in your garden, keep in mind the amount of space these will require, and the constant bee activity you will experience around them.

You definitely would not want to plant these close to an area where you plan to relax, or play with your grandchildren.

Here are some of the pictures of my very tall Hollyhocks:

This Hollyhock bush is very full, but only about 6 ft tall.

This one is the same color, and style, but already over 9 ft. tall.

They grow lots of blooms on each one long stalk.

This dainty white with pink/maroon center, is a heaven for bees.  As you can see there are two of them fighting for the sweet nectar and pollen.

Bumble Bees love this color just as much.  Notice one working hard in the center of this flower.

Last year I did not have good experience with growing my squash and zucchini.  They were overcrowding the rest of my garden plants, so I transplanted them to a different location, and they did not like that at all.

This year I had a better plan, and gave them more growing room in my newly expanded garden patch.

I planted four zucchini plants and four squash plants, but one of my zucchini plants is different from the rest.  It has two tone leaves, and bears same kind of two tone zucchini, as you see in this picture.

This is my “odd” zucchini plant with spotted leaves, and it is a much bigger plant than the regular zucchini plants.

A close up view of the spotted zucchini leaf.

These are my regular zucchini, from seeds in same packet as the spotted one…go figure.

These are my Summer Squash plants; blooming already, but not producing yet.  They had a late start, but it is worth the wait.

I love  zucchini and squash with sauteed fresh garlic and onions.

This year I planted some corn, for the first time.  Hopefully the birds will let them grow to maturity.

I planted the one that is mixed with yellow and white corn on the same cob….should be yummy!

My granddaughter loves getting out the sweet peas out of the pods,  and eating it fresh.  Very sweet tasting little morsels they are!

Please share your gardening experience with all of us.

With the summer in full swing, and farm fresh produce on stands on every corner, you really can experience the wonderful taste of home grown fruits and vegetables.

The texture, aroma and freshness of these products is superb, and worth every penny you spend on it, and more!

Here are some tips, from ecomii.com.

Today’s Tip: Taste the True Meaning of Farm Fresh

What?

Reduce your “farm to for” time – and support your local economy – by shopping at farmer’s markets.

How?

Visit www.localharverst.org, to find farmer’s markets in your area.

Then bring your own bags to cart home your uber-fresh produce.

Why?

Locally grown food is better for your health, and better for the planet.

It’s usually cultivated with organic methods, and it reduces both transportation and packaging waste.

Did you know?

Over 3,000 acres of farmland are lost to development every year.

Help slow this trend by keeping local farmers in business.

Please do the right thing, and shop at your local farmer’s markets and farm stands.

If you have been reading my posts for the past few years, you already know that one of my favorite pass times is spending time outdoors in my garden, and taking pictures of the Beauty of Nature.

I love planting veggies and herbs, but also totally adore flowers.

Today I will share some of the pictures I took of few of my currently blooming plants.

My East side flower patch, with some of the flowers already blooming, and others are just getting  ready do bloom a little later on.

Irises and Sweet Williams loving the sunny weather today.

What a natural beauty of an Iris flower.

As you can see, I am not the only one enjoying these gorgeous blooms.

A perfect place to sit down and relax.

My youngest son built this bench, in his late teens, as a Mother’s Day gift to me, so it creates a very special place for me to sit down and relax, surrounded by blooming plants.  There are also three, corner openings for flower pots, but I usually leave them open.

I was very proud of him, since he did a very nice job with his first ever woodworking project (now he is my computer specialist and financial adviser).  I am so lucky!!

Are you saying – Is this a Poinsettia? – You are correct, this is my Poinsettia…no, I am not growing it outside.

I had to share a picture of this Poinsettia with you, since it is in my care for two years now.  If you recall my previous post, I purchased it for Christmas two years ago.

I preserved it for a whole year as per the instructions I also posted, and this is how it looks like today.

As you can see, it’s still doing very well.

Now my challenge is to keep it going for as  long as I can, and  I will definitely share my progress with you.

I am very curious to find out how long this Poinsettia will last, and still keep a descent shape.

Did any of you save your Christmas Poinsettias?

How are they doing?

Please share your stories.

Happy Father’s Day

to

All Father

Step-Fathers

Father’s-to-be

Grandfathers

Great-Grandfathers

Godfathers

Foster Fathers

AND ALL THE SPECIAL MEN OUT THERE,

WHO ACT AS FATHERS, TO MANY OF YOU.

If you are wondering why I chose a picture of my English Walnut tree for this post, I have a nice story to share.

This tree is already 5 years old, so it has two more years to grow, before bearing walnuts.

I received this tree, as a small seedling,  from my uncle (my father’s brother), who was my father figure during my teen years,  as I was growing up in the US without my parents.

As a child, we had walnut trees on my parents’ property in Europe, and I remember how much fun it was to watch the green peels, covering the walnut, to dry out slowly, crack open, and release the fully ripen walnut into the grass below.

We had lots of fun creating a competitive game of finding as many walnuts as possible, in the shortest time.  At the same time,  picked up all the ripen walnuts for mom to use in her Walnut Torte.

So you see, this English Walnut tree is quite special to me, and very fitting for a Father’s Day post.

Please share your special Father’s Day related story with all of us.

I planted Yukon Gold potatoes  in my garden this year.

To encourage all my gardener friends out there to try growing potatoes in  their gardens as well, I had a post on how to grow potatoes.

Today I wanted to update you on the current status of my potato plants.  They are about 15 inches tall now, and starting to form flower buds.

I would also like to remind you to check your potato plants for Potato Beetles, because I found about 10 of these little guys on my plants, and a couple of leaves already had eggs laid on them.

Most of the time these little pests are not very visible, since they tend to hang under the leaves, to eat and to lay eggs.

They have to be removed immediately, and destroyed.

Since I keep my garden organic, I do not use any chemicals, so  I hand picked them off  (gloved of course), placed them in a plastic bag, squashed them, and discarded the whole package in the trash.  I was not going to leave even the squashed ones near my garden, in case any of the eggs were still alive.

I also, removed the couple of leaves with the eggs on them, which are orange in color, very tight together, about 1 millimeter long, and planted perpendicular to the leaf surface.

If you do not spot these early enough, they will grow very quickly into a salmon color larvae, eat your potato leaves, and mature into full grown beetles.

Remember my self-seeded tomato plants , well, with the warm, rainy weather, they are doing very well.

Since they were self-seeded from fallen down tomatoes from last year’s crop, they grew in clusters, and now I replanted them to give them more room to grow to maturity.

I have about 12 free Cherry Tomato plants in my garden this year…lots of savings… as these are always quite expensive at the grocery store.

I will keep you posted on the progress of my veggie garden, throughout the growing season.

Please share your gardening stories.