Day 229: You might think these are blueberries, but the tag claims they're jelly beans - Jelly Bean Dwarf Blueberry, as a matter of fact. There's nothing "dwarf" about the berries, though! They're in the medium-to-large range, and the bush is absolutely covered with them.
Several years ago, I planted two blueberry bushes, two varieties to ensure cross-pollination since they were not the "self-fertile" type. One of them died off, shaded out by the contorted filbert which is the showpiece of my yard. The other one wasn't doing well, so I decided to move it to a large pot which I'd sunk to its waist in the ground. I wanted to add another bush to replace the one which had died, but somewhere along the line, the cultivar tags had gone missing and I couldn't remember what variety either plant had been. Trying to re-follow the logic which had inspired my original purchase, I bought a mid-season bloomer (Blue Gold), and last year got a nice crop of berries. This spring, I wanted to add another bush, but couldn't find a full-sized mid-season plant. That's how my garden has come to be full of Jelly Beans.
All three plants are bearing well, although the foliage on the older bushes is rather sparse. I'm hoping some judicious pruning and a little blueberry-specific fertilizer will give them a boost next year.
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