I'm One Hellava Gardener

 Well, maybe I'm not.

I don't think I did much gardening last summer and I don't know why. Covid? I don't think Covid was loitering around in my garden, so it couldn't have been that.

Anyway, this year I decided that my so-called perennial garden should actually look like one and I've been wandering around in it, trying to identify what I've planted in the past. I have lots of mystery plants.

Anyone know what this is? Anyone? I sure don't. I found lots of loose labels scattered around, but I couldn't match them to any plants, so I still have lots of puzzles to either solve or ignore.

This label (upside down, sorry, Blogger is misbehaving today) is for a rose.  Queen Elizabeth. I don't know how it got on this plant but this is definitely NOT a rose.

It's clearly a blueberry plant, although I didn't realize it until I saw these little beginnings of blueberries.  I knew that I had planted one in the past, and here it is! Surprise-I thought the deer had eaten it.

Here is an existing rose plant.  I told you I was a good gardener.

I had lots of peony plants that did nothing this year and I think it's from lack of sun so we will move them.  These poor, bedraggled peonies. (Sideways because ...Blogger, and it will only allow me to have text in the center now.)

And, bonus!  If you've ever wondered why a Tulip Poplar tree is called that, here is one of the flowers that fall in the spring.  Very much like a tulip.  

 

We went to a garden show two weekends ago for inspiration and we did see some pretty gardens, but this was my favorite find. There was no For Sale sign on it, so it can't be mine, but I love it. Beautifully restored, better restored than my garden is so far.

The Sweater is Finished

and has been for awhile.  I just forgot about it, stay-at-home being so hectic and all. 

Hah.

So here it is: 

In the fall I will get to wear it, I hope.

And I was bored, so I've made scones using what was labeled as a British recipe.

Here they are:  

The pasty yellow ones are bland; they need clotted cream and strawberry jam.  They were supposed to have blueberries in them, but I forgot.

These turned out ok.  AND I remembered the blueberries, and I used a larger wine glass to cut them out of the dough.

I don't know why the Great British Baking Show has not called me.  

I am such an organized, clean baker: 

As long as they don't mind breakage, I'm their girl.

I broke the wine glass I used for making the circles for the first batch; I was holding it by the base.  

I'm currently making something resembling strawberry jam for the pasty-looking scones.

I'm not using a recipe so wish me luck!  

I Made Jam

Blueberry Jam!

All by myself, with help from the internets of course. So only sort of by myself.

Anyway, the recipe linked to above does not require pectin, so it's really easy. Perfect! I didn't have to go to the grocery store to make this. I hate going to the grocery store and usually buy myself some chocolate milk as a reward for grocery shopping, but it's hot out, my "outfit" would be turned down by any charity, and so even chocolate milk couldn't get me outside.

I made half of the recipe: six cups of blueberries, 2 1/2 cups of sugar and the juice and zest of one half lemon. I did not know that all of this:

 would become only a small jar and a half of jam.

It's not the best blueberry jam I've ever had, but it's not bad. It will last for two months in the refrigerator, but it probably won't last that long. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)(who says that?)  

A Rosebush by Any Other Name

might be a blueberry bush? 

Yup.

Remember last year? When deer ate my roses and my blueberry bush? No? Well, they did. 

However, a couple of weeks ago I found a bush growing that looked for all the world like a blueberry bush---but it had this tag on it:

Queen Elizabeth?  A rose?


I kept watching and watching and last week, I found these:

Self-proclaimed gardening genius that I am, I identified these as blueberries, NOT roses!

I don't know why the rose tag is on my blueberry bush. 


And I don't know why I HGTV hasn't contacted me about developing my own gardening show...