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The Gardens of Mien Ruys - a book review

I don't know how I missed her, but I was totally unfamiliar with Mien Ruys. A beautiful new book The Gardens of Mien Ruys details her life and work. Born in the Netherlands in 1904, she was the daughter of Bonne Ruys, who founded Moerheim Nursery in 1888. She grew up in a liberal atmosphere and encouraged to learn and study. She found great comfort in the natural world around her and learned all the plants in her father's nursery at a young age. After leaving school at the age of 19, she knew that she wanted to work in the garden center. The Moerheim Nursery, in addition to selling plants, had an on-site design studio where they published a detailed catalog and sold landscape design plans to customers. It was in the design studio where Ruys first began to work and she was soon encouraged to venture beyond her country and study abroad. Her father's connections helped her secure a traineeship with Wallace & Sons Nursery in Tunbridge Wells in England. There, she met Gertr...
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Sad news from south Alabama...

I guess most of you heard about another round of tornadoes that swept through Alabama this past weekend. This morning I learned that fellow bloggers Randy and Jaime at Creating our Eden was in the path of an F3 tornado. They were not hurt and their home is okay but many homes in their neighborhood, as well as their garden, was destroyed. You can read his post here. My thoughts are with them during this difficult time.
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  1. Robin's Nesting PlaceFebruary 21, 2008 at 2:37 PM

    That is sad. I'm from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and know how devastating they can be.

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  2. UnknownFebruary 21, 2008 at 8:32 PM

    I hadn't heard about this batch of tornadoes (we don't get all the US news unless we watch CNN, of course). I'm so sorry...just grateful that they weren't hurt. I wish I lived closer, so I could come help them have a garden cleanup/work bee!

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  3. JonFebruary 22, 2008 at 12:30 AM

    Sorry to hear about the damage in south Alabama. Bad weather has jerked us around here in Mississippi off and on for several weeks. Yesterday was very nasty, and we got nearly 2 inches of rain. Jon in Vicksburg, Miss.

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  4. RandyFebruary 22, 2008 at 5:24 AM

    Phillip,
    Thanks so much for the words of encouragement. It's just frustrating for us. We will bounce back. :-)

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  5. Barbee'February 23, 2008 at 10:55 AM

    Dear Phillip, I am happy that your friends were spared heartbreak. I also wrote about my family's sad plight with recent tornadoes in Tennessee. Don't know if you have time or interest to take a look, but here is the link http://astimegoesbye.blogspot.com/2006/01/february.html

    I discovered your blog and web site today when Googling winter honeysuckle. I will be spending time here. Your blog and web site are most attractive with a very professional appearance. I look forward to many visits.

    I garden in the Bluegrass area of Kentucky (Lexington) zone 6. My homepage is http://gardenat.blogspot.com/

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  6. Barbee'February 23, 2008 at 10:59 AM

    OOps! That long url lost its last few figures. It should have ended with february.html

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  7. Sweet Home and Garden CarolinaFebruary 24, 2008 at 3:45 PM

    Sad new, phillip. I viisted your friend's blog and left them a message.

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  8. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2008 at 4:50 PM

    I just read his entries---very sad. How devastating a tornado like that would be. We're in tornado country too, and they are scary.

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  9. Annie in AustinFebruary 27, 2008 at 7:16 AM

    Thanks for telling us about your fellow Alabama gardeners, Phillip...we're all at the mercy of weather, but tornadoes are so sudden.
    I hope your friends can eventually remake their garden and find themselves once again in the Emerald City!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  10. thepowerguidesMarch 2, 2008 at 7:32 AM

    I must admit we worry about tornadoes hitting us they are not as prevalent as Alabama and other areas but had never thought about the effect to our garden as well as home

    Thoughts are with them and glad they are OK

    Steve From
    The Power Gardeners Guide

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  11. University-of-South-AlabamaDecember 11, 2009 at 3:22 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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