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...
Gorgeous! Is that Rudbeckia triloba?
ReplyDeleteIsn't Perilla also spelled w-e-e-d?
ReplyDeleteScott, it is. Les, yes it behaves like one!
ReplyDeleteA great combo. Isn't it odd that I haven't gotten perilla to start here?
ReplyDeleteLove them both and together they're marvelous!
ReplyDeleteI love Perilla. Dark foliage that grows just about anywhere and easy to pull out if it travels to locations out of bounds. What's not to like?
ReplyDeleteI have mountains of the purple herb.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a gorgeous combination. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteI normally would not mix those two colors together. The tree sits back a good distance from the angel's trumpet. It was an accident!
ReplyDeleteJust beautimus, Phillip!
ReplyDelete