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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...

Icy Jewels



We missed the snow this week - earlier forecasters were saying that we could get as much as 2-5 inches. However, as it often happens, the snow line went much farther north so we missed out. We are getting cold rain and sleet and everything is wet. It is going to get very cold tonight and black ice will be a problem in the morning. There is also concern about the ice on trees. I would much have preferred the snow!


I did get a change to get a few shots of the beautiful ice in the garden today.







Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. I hope you didn't have to get out in it. As pretty as it is it is dangerous. Our area got the snow. It is lovely but cold.

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  2. Pines, pines are the worst in an ice storm. Just looking at your photos I can hear a pine limb cracking and crashing. I'm glad I agreed to move farther south. Stay safe, and warm.

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  3. So beautiful but so dangerous! Everything in Limestone Co covered in ice today. Hurry spring!

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  4. Wow that pictures are superb! You are right though, snow would have been better for plants than ice.

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  5. It all looks wonderful ... but very cold! We had a very Springlike day here in the uk, sunny and still and about 9 degrees. makes me feel that the end is in sight!!

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  6. I remember the ice storms from when I lived in Alabama and Tennessee. Beautiful but so destructive to the trees.

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  7. Ice covered plants are always so lovely, but I am glad it is your garden and not mine.

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  8. Gorgeous photos, Phillip! I hope you didn't lose any plants to that ice. We were supposed to get that same kind of weather last night and today but it's either delayed or not going to happen. I'm relieved actually. It'll give me some time to get out there and refill the bird feeders!

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