Lincoln Star Clematis

This clematis planted late last fall is now flowering . The flower size is huge , 6 inches wide. The colouring lives up to its description with pale pink edges with deep rose centers and dark red stamens.
This vine is continuing to climb up the arbour and is now 6 feet tall.
Impressed with the first season of this plant.

LRW #30

The challenge this week is a birthday card.
Here is mine.

A Pretty Pot

This pretty brightening my back garden patio table is jam packed with bright red New Guinea Impatien, red polka dot plant, blue ageratum, trailing ivy, pink lobelia and pink and white mini petunia.Thanks Rosanne for this lovely .

Birthday Celebrations

On the weekend Rosanne hosted family birthday celebrations for Steve and Brittany.

Was a great time!

Sunday in the back garden

Sunday in the garden; bright splashes of colour.
Pot of Pansies to brighten the side patio table.

Alliums are the last of the spring bulbs to flower.
The baptista is just starting to bud with its pea shaped purpley blue flowers.
Underneath I have newly planted purple Angelonia, dark face . Dayliles for later in the season are in this part of the garden.

My shade planter contains Angel Wing begonia ,soft pink in colour accented with a new coleus named Mint Mocha it has a lovely ruffled edge with cream, green and mocha colouring plus small blue and white lobelias to fill in.

The Fringe tree is fringing out , looking forward to the lovely scent.


The Milky Way dogwood is very slowly leafing out l. I was rather worried that it had not made it thru the first winter in my garden. Now it has swelling buds from the top to the bottom and few baby leaves and flower buds are showing. I did double check with the nursery where it was purchased last spring and they told me the first year or so dogwoods tend to open rather slowly; never heard that but seems to be true on this one.Just happy to see that it has lived especially in this windy yard.

A hanging bright fuchsia to draw in the hummingbirds thanks to my daughter Sherry. Pretty isn't it. The shepherds hook hold the fuchsia and wind chimes and is positioned so one can appreciate it when in the living room as well as on the patio.

This little impatien won me over with its interesting colour it is called Fusion Glow exotic , the throat has a cherry red surrounded by tangerine then the lemon yellow outer petals.
The bane of my existence has been killing heucheras yet these 2 are thriving each has many flower stocks on them; perhaps the secret to these beauties I finally understand...plant and ignore. The white astilbe is looking very healthy as well.
Hope you enjoyed this early spring back garden tour.

LRW #29

Challenge this week is putting a window in it.
Here is mine.

Pineapple Room Sour Cream Rhubarb Pie

One of our favourite tea rooms for lunch; the Pineapple Room in Port Stanley sadly closed at the end of 2009. What a loss . This delightful restaurant was full of charm with excellent food.....One of the recipes they have posted on their web site for the continuing B&B is a classic rhubarb pie an old Mennonite recipe that was one of their most popular pies.
With the abundance of rhubarb crop this spring I had to make it. Let me say this one is not low in calories but oh so yummy..

8 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup full fat sour cream
Combine sugar, flour and sour cream into a paste . Add rhubarb mix well.

Pile into unbaked pie shell.


Top with crumb topping.
1 lb. flour
1 lb. brown sugar
1/2 lb butter
Blend with fingers til crumbly( I did not make this large amount)
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. ( my pie baked 1 hr and 20 minutes)

Rich and delicious!

Whistling Garden Nursery Tour

On a grey, windy, cool day the garden club went off to a wonderful garden center..Whistling Garden center is located in Wilsonville . This garden center is on a 56 acre farm , a stone home built in 1881,home to one of Canada's largest conifer collections over 1400 species and varieties.
The major gardens are under construction and we were privileged to have a sneak preview with the owner.The plans include many water features, gardens based on France's Versailles, an outdoor amphitheatre......all of this to opening 2011 . In the mean time Mr Heimbecker continues to graft and propagated many unique conifers, travelling all over the work to bring back unusual trees.
Century home
Entrance to garden centerLove the stone walls.
Stone fountain and water pond
Lilacs and mock orange
Split rail fence garden
Garden swing
Group waiting for tour
Gazebo and gardens surrounded by stone walls



Could go on and on about the many greenhouses filled with Japanese maples , magnolias and conifers.........
I have picked out some of the plants that stood out to me .......
Monkey puzzle tree
Beautiful pink growth on this pine.
Can't begin to describe how yellow the new growth is on this one.
Smoky pink maple , outstanding!

Contorted pine
Rubium pine the new growth is a lovely deep red.
These next pictures are of the 2 very large gardens under development.

2 established gardens with many speciman trees.

I was most taken with the interesting colours of many of the trees and the conifers.






This was a thoroughly enjoyable tour one we all agreed we want to do again . The plans for the future make this an exciting garden to revisit many times...

LRW #28

LRW challenge this week is to use brads. Used pink and brown accented with metallic brads.

Fabulous Feta Bean Salad

Found this yummy salad at the Canadian Living web site from the Dairy Farmers of Canada.
Packed with lots of flavour. Keeps well for several days.
High in protein and fibre, low in calories. My changes or additions in brackets.

1 cup (250 ml) canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (250 ml) each fresh tomatoes, and green pepper(used red pepper), diced
1/2 cup chopped celery(added to increase crunchiness)
1 cup (250 ml) Feta cheese, diced
1/4 cup (60 ml) onion, chopped
1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried oregano(3/4 tsp.)
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice or wine vinegar (lemon juice)
Preparation:
Combine olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. Pour over other ingredients. Toss and season with salt and pepper to taste..
Served mine on a bed of red leaf lettuce.
Serves 4
233 calories per serving.