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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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Snow today, gone tomorrow


It was here one day and gone the next! That is okay - it was beautiful while it lasted. A reader was telling me that she had not seen her ground for two weeks because of snow. I know that it can get old. It was strange though seeing everything covered in white yesterday morning and all gone by the afternoon.

I said in the previous post that I did not want to get out in it. I changed my mind and did venture out briefly to take more photos. It was a very sunny morning and so beautiful but very cold. The snow was melting fast and falling from the trees in heavy thuds. From inside the house, it sounded like gunshots. 

Believe it or not, next week we are supposed to have temperatures in the 70s! Typical weather for the south.

Now that snow is out of our system (that doesn't mean we can get more), I am ready for spring and thoughts are returning to gardening. I hope to get some vegetable seeds planted this weekend. 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy 
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  1. Lisa at GreenbowFebruary 27, 2015 at 6:48 PM

    Yep. Tired of it. I hope our snow goes away tomorrow or possibly Sunday. There is hope anyway.

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  2. sweetbayFebruary 28, 2015 at 8:39 AM

    You captured a lot of beautiful vignettes in your garden! Snow does have a magical effect on the landscape but I think I am glad we only get it in occasional doses.

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  3. Roses and LilacsFebruary 28, 2015 at 9:30 AM

    Phillip, those are wonderful photos. The contrast between the evergreen plants and the snow makes the pictures more colorful and also seems to accent the extremes between green and growing and cold and frozen. In my garden everything has died back so my photos all look black and white.

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  4. chavlinessMarch 3, 2015 at 8:32 AM

    Your Mahonia seemed to have earned it's keep, determined to bloom no matter what. It's wonderful scent must have encouraged you to take the pictures despite the chill.

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  5. Rosedale GardenMarch 3, 2015 at 8:02 PM

    I'll check back later, right now I'm only seeing the second picture, all others are a minus sign.

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  6. Lowcarb team memberMarch 5, 2015 at 2:05 PM

    They are lovely photo's .....

    All the best Jan

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  7. RobinLMarch 6, 2015 at 6:56 PM

    Well, I know you aren't used to it, but I have to admit that it was a pretty snow! Now multiply that by day after day after day, and you'll see my dilemma. Boring! I'm so over the snow! But I enjoyed looking at yours----from afar!

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  8. AaronMarch 12, 2015 at 8:22 AM

    Sure, you get the beautiful fluffy snow, we got the coating of ice.

    *envy*

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