up gardening in Kelowna and Reina was thrilled this year to have the oppor- tunity to discuss Mandy’s gardening triumphs with her. The youngest, Sherry, lives in town and works for an auto parts distributor. The only boy, Marc, is the worldwide operations manager for DeBeers Diamonds. He now lives in South Africa, which has given the Ruests an excuse for a bit of world travel, not that they need an excuse. They are off on a Mediterra- nean cruise this coming spring. Bert is heavily involved with the hort
society and he says he tries to encour- age folks who now live in condos or apartments to show off their contain- er gardens during the annual garden tour. It would be encouragement for others. In spite of his high office with the hort society, he and Reina say that the two of them are still learning. “We’re at the stage where we are
trying to have colour all summer long,” Bert notes. “People say, ‘You’re vice president of the hort society. You should know it all.’ But I don’t,” he adds diffidently. Nevertheless, between the two, the Ruests know enough to have planted garlic among the roses to keep them insect-free, and marigolds dot the flower beds and vegetable garden for the same reason. Bert has a natural flair for garden
design and it shows in the curve of the beds, the placement of the plants and the use of natural rock at strate- gic locations around the garden. Bert’s younger brother was a geologist/ gemologist and many of his finds now adorn Bert’s and Reina’s garden. Trees play a key role in the garden
and they have a dozen ash trees in the yard, but Bert has added a maple, a chokecherry, a Chinese maple (Acer leipoense) and a Japanese willow (‘Hakuro Nishiki’). “I’m not one to cut down trees,” he declares, still mourn- ing the few that had to be removed from the property at the outset. His Centre Court was inspired by the ash trees there. Bert is working against the clock,
trying to get as much of the heavy work done in the garden before it becomes too much for him. “What used to take me a few hours now takes me a day,” he admits ruefully. “I want to get most of the hard work done now.” From the sound of it, he has little
to worry about. Reina and Bert are having the time of their lives, experi- menting, anticipating and just garden- ing, surely the best way in the world to stay young. V
www.localgardener.net WINTER 2013 9
Left: Bert was inspired by Ontario Home & Gardener Living in the design of the middle container above. Right: A view of the bridge that crosses the dry stream. The fountain now graces Centre Court.
Reina’s yellow tomato preserves
Reina’s recipe using the small, sweet, yellow tomatoes from her garden was recreated from a dish her grandmother used to make.
• 2 pounds of small yellow tomatoes (approx. 70 tomatoes)
• 2 cups of sugar (or less depending on how sweet you want them)
• 15 whole cloves (also can be reduced if you find the flavour too strong)
• ½ cup water Place all in a pot and boil until all the
tomatoes have broken up. Place in jars or plastic containers and freeze (Reina’s grandmother use to preserve them in jars that she boiled and sealed but Reina finds freezing them so much easier and they keep forever in the freezer). Serve on toast or as a complement for meat.
The rocks surrounding the pool were chosen and placed with special care. Bert’s brother is a geologist.
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