I made lavender jelly this year, and it seems to be a "love it or hate it" kind of thing. I really like it, but my DH and my best friend both think it tastes like perfume, lol! Here's the recipe I used - the notes and review came with the recipe; they are not mine,but I tend to agree with them. Lavender Jelly 3 1/2 cups water 1/2 cup dried lavender flowers* Juice of 1 lemon (approximately 1/4 cup) 1 (1 3/4-ounces) box powdered pectin or 1 pouch (3-ounces) liquid pectin 4 cups sugar In a large saucepan over high heat bring water just to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in dried lavender flowers, and let steep for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, strain mixture into a deep kettle or pot, discarding the lavender flowers. Stir in lemon juice and pectin; continue stirring until the pectin is dissolved. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil; add sugar. When the jelly solution returns to a hard rolling boil, let it boil for 2 to 4 minutes (see below), stirring occasionally. Boil Times: 2 minutes - soft gel 4 minutes - medium gel Testing for "jell" thickness - I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jelly is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1 teaspoon to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute After boiling, transfer the jelly into hot sterilized jars. Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. BWB 10 minutes. Makes five 1/2 pints. A recipe review: I made this last night at the request of a friend who purchased lavender just for this recipe. She gave me 1/3c of lavender flowers and after reading some of the reviews with regard to lemon juice, I decided to use all of the lemon juice listed and use 1/3c of the lavender. The flavor is excellent and amazing and it set up perfectly. I've never had anything like this before. I felt very sophisticated and elegant this morning eating this jelly on my English muffin. I think this jelly would be wonderful on lemon grilled chicken, lemon scones, or even raspberry sorbert. I used 4 drops of purple food coloring and the color is like a blush wine color--very pretty. I am so glad to have tried this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing; I am planning on growing my own lavender this summer just for this recipe! -------------------------------------------- Here's a basic flower/Herb Jelly recipe: Basic flower jelly recipe (can also be used for other herbs) From: bhaile.leo.vsla.edu (Bess Haile): 2 cups flower infusion: steep 2+ cups moderately packed flowers in 2 cups boiling water at least 30 minutes 1/4 cup lemon juice (E. Toley says not to use bottled, but I do) 4 cups sugar 3 oz of liquid pectin (this will be 1/2 box of liquid Certo) Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil you can't stir down. Add pectin and boil 2 minutes. Ladle into hot sterile jars. Seal in preferred manner. Note (Bess Haile): I prefer the liquid certo to the powdered. It seems to jell better with flowers. Also, I find the extra minute of boiling helps to create a stiffer jelly, though 1 minute will create a clear jam-like texture. I always use the 4 oz canning jars because I can give away some of the jellies without running out of all my stock. Not everyone likes jelly from flowers. My own family HATES rose jelly which is one of my favorites. Also, note, rose petals have a bitter white bit where the petals join the flower. Cut these off. I do this by holding the flower, step up, and cutting around the flower, leaving all the bitter bits on the flower. I've used Rose, Honeysuckle, Lavender, and many herbs too. Rosemary makes a good jelly for a glaze on roast pork (and probably lamb). Lemon verbena and spearmint are great too! ---------------------------------------- Me again - I've made Rosemary Jelly with this recipe and yes, it is good on roast pork. :-) Have fun!

Pick the leaves individually from the plant at any time before they start to wither and darken. Leaves dry quickly and easily, keeping their colour and perfume. Store in a damp-proof container. That's what the experts say. What I actually do is pick the leaves at any time I feel like it, but for drying, I just prune off the plant (almost to the ground) when the leaves begin to dry just before winter (the don't 'wither and darken' in my climate), then I leave the branches sitting around in shade under my pergola, or standing up against the walls, then I strip of the dried leaves some time later! If you put the dried leaves through a food processor (for AGES) you'll end up with a powder - if you're keen enough. Of course, if you follow the 'best' advice, you'd just spread the individual leaves out onto some wire racks of some sort and leave them in a shady, cool, airy place, turning the leaves from time to time. Insect screening makes a good rack - but if you use ordinary cake racks, cover them with a layer of paper towelling - makes it less messy to handle once dry, and bits don't fall through. Lavender Lemon Curd 1/2 cup butter 1 1/4 cups sugar 2 lemons, juice and rind (about 1/2 cup juice) 4 well beaten eggs pinch salt 3 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers (1 tablespoon dried) 6 lemon verbena leaves, fresh or dried Use a double boiler, water underneath at a gentle boil. Place everything in the top pot, whisk in the eggs. Cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Sieve, then bottle. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 month. For special occasions whip 1 cup heavy cream and fold into the cooled curd. Use to ice a double-layer plain cake or sponge cake, fresh fruit optional. Use on scones, shortcake, or on toast, or as a filling for tartlets. Lemon Herb Cupcakes 4 tablespoons lemon herbs, finely chopped, including lemon balm and lemon verbena 1 cup milk 250g butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs, separated 3 cups self raising flour 1 teaspoon vanilla Put the herbs and milk into a saucepan and heat almost to boiling. Remove from heat, cover and let steep until cool. When ready to begin assembling cake, preheat oven to 180C. Grease and flour 2 dozen muffin tins, or use paper liner cups. Cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Stir in the vanilla. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Remove muffins from pan and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, frost with Lemon-Lime Frosting. Lemon-Lime Frosting 1/4 cup milk 125g butter, softened 2 cups icing sugar 3 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon herbs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla juice of 1 lime 1 teaspoon grated fresh lime rind, green part only Cream the butter, then gradually add the powdered sugar and remaining ingredients. Beat until light and fluffy. If too thick, add a little more milk or lime juice. Add a few drops of green food coloring if desired. Spread the frosting over the tops of the cupcakes. Decorate with a whole lemon or lime scented geranium leaf, with a thin twisted half lime slice, or with a sprinkling of fresh chopped lemon balm leaves. Lemon Verbena Cheesecake Crust: 20 vanilla wafers 1 tablespoon canola oil Mix together and press into a 23cm springform pan Filling: 250g cottage cheese 250g soy cream cheese, cut into pieces 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornflour 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla pinch salt 3 eggs, beaten 2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon verbena leaves Combine all ingredients. Cover, refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Just before serving, decorate with strawberries and lemon verbena leaves or lemon balm sprigs, and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Lemon Verbena Sorbet 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups water 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon rind, chopped 1/4 cup lemon verbena leaves In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, water and lemon rind. Without stirring, bring to a brisk boil for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, let cool 5 minutes. Add lemon verbena leaves, and let mixture cool completely. Strain into a large mixing bowl and add lemon juice, stir well. Place bowl in freezer. Beat mixture thoroughly about once an hour until completely frozen (about 3 hours). Serve in wide champagne glasses or hollowed lemon halves. Serves 4-6. Lemon Verbena Syrup 1 cup lemon verbena leaves 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water Blanch the lemon verbena leaves in boiling water briefly, then immediately plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a simmer, remove from heat and cool. Puree the mixture in a blender for 2 minutes. Chill overnight, then strain. Keep refrigerated. Use with ice cream, cake, desserts, or fruit.

The poppies did not make it. The phlox did not make it, except I, like you, have hopes yet for one of them to maybe just be dormant. 2 tree peonies....looking good potted up in 2 litre bottles. Not sure where I'm going with those, but know it will be a massive undertaking to plant them 'right', and I sure don't ever want to have to move them!. One of them did not look to be a graft, but is all one long root. Both have the tree peony foliage though. Lost one Heuchera...all the others are looking good in pots. The tricolor butterfly bush turned out to be pink. It has been planted with care quite a while and has been loaded with blooms. One Viburnum is thriving...and another is hanging on but will make it I think. The lilacs are still in their pots. I am especially thrilled about George Eastman. I can't find much on line about it, but saw somewhere that it is a weeping lilac. How cool is that? The NO ID lilac appears to have the same foliage as the Josee I ended up not being able to pass up locally at $6...so I may have 2 of them! One of the lilacs I can't read the name on the pot...might have to hunt up your checklist to verify what it might be. Hydrangea...looking good in its pot. Black Knight butterfly bush blooming it its pot. I'm still wondering just where I'm going with all this stuff. I have a lot of property, but when one has so many shrubs, it sure is a puzzle. I've make the mistake of putting a butterfly bush in a bed, and now I need to move a lot of things out since the butterfly bush exploded this season. I also had a Limelight Hydrangea explode in the same bed. It seems I never plant anything in the right place the first time. Oh...and the blueberry is living in a pot for now too. I think that's about it...That's enough, wouldn't you say. Though I lost a few things, all the other fabulous goodies more than made up for what it cost, even with shipping. Josee lilac sells on line for $20, and George Eastman for $30....so you did real good! I too did not get to all the plants promptly...there was just soooo many, especially considering what all I got at the Louisville swap just about 3 weeks earlier. Thanks again Raee! I appreciate you shopping for me so much. Sue

Hmmm....Just a few wants so far. poisondart-dianthus zing rose imabirdnut-dianthus-red red rose " " -orange ripple gr8heather-orange bell pepper I will have my full list up in the next day or so...is that okay Michelle. ageratum-patina purple agastache-apricot sprite astilboides tabularis aster- mary gregory armeria-ballerina red amaranthus-copperhead amaranthus-hot bisquits amaranthus-intense purple bachelors buttons-blackball basil-spicy balsam mix bluebells blackberry lily balloon flowers: astra double white double blue hakone white sentimental blue campanula-white clips campanula-americanum campanula-tokian blue camapnula persi-alba celosia-new look red celosia argentia-orange *small amount " "- bright pink " "-yellow celosia-dark pink candles-white candles-light pink candles columbine- winky blue-winky red-white angel-spring magic yellow coreopsis- autumn blush-route 66- codonopsis lancelota cosmos-ladybird dwarf yellow Daisy-snow lady-gold rush Dianthus-firewitch -poem -dbl. gaiety -gaiety raspberry parfait telstar carmine-small amount black magic neon stars sooty ideal violet picotee-small amount yellow knappi Dicentra-white knight daylily-magic carpet ride daylily-variegated charm delphinium-lavender gaurdian datura-double yellow-stramonium-giant tutula-black metal swirl eryngium-jade frost-silver ghost-blue hobbit echever echinops geum -cooky-rivale-blazing sunset-mrs bradshaw geranium-confetti-jesters jacket-splish splash-espresso*-red robin*- dark reiter*>>>>>>>>> *= small amount gaillardia- yellow queen hibiscus- lemon slice-luna pink swirl-luna red-hardy pink heliopsis- summer sun-ballerina*-praire sunset* hollyhock-double red heuchera-mocha-blackout*-frosted violet-pistache- tellima grandiflora heuchera family jasione-blue light jacobs ladder kiss me over the garden gate lupine-tutti fruitti-morello cherry-chandelier( 10 seeds creamy yellow) lobelia-great blue-siphilica white lychnis-angela blush-vesuvius-flo-jovis peggy-salmon marigold-disco flame malva fastigata-marienetta-alba money plant-white monarda punctata, dotted horsemint pumpkin tree pepper-fish penstemon-cobaea prunella-freelander blue poppy- prince of orange potentilla-monarchs velvet-molten fire petunia-laura bush-tidal wave purple*-pink wave scrophularia-red birds in a tree** rheum-edmondi rudbeckia-sputnik-Denver daisy-dbl.gold-green wizard scabiosa-red, this one was sold years ago by T&M, it is red! sidalcea-party girl stoksia-honey song blue-peachies pickklaus jelitto spilanthes sunflower, perennial lemon queen spergularia salvia-artemis-purple volcano-framboise-forest fire-salsa purple-vista red toad lily-white, pure white snapdragon-tall pink verbena-trailing pink and purple mix-white- vine-pink coral verbascum-alba-pink and blue pixie mix xeranthemum yarrow-apple blossom-salmon beauty,2010-summer wine-sunny seduction,2010 This post was edited by ishareflowers on Sun, Feb 3, 13 at 21:39