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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...

Lilies in pots - "Muskadet"



Lily "Muskadet" growing in a pot on the patio. I have found that lilies do quite well in pots and they even bloom in shady locations. It is wise to select varieties that do not get too tall - "Muskadet" is only about 2 feet tall. I have had this one for years. I just put it in our unheated basement during the winter where it goes dormant. 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. I tried Agapanthus in a pot this spring and was so pleased that I plan to dig most of them and pot. Maybe I'll pot Lilies, too. I used to have Muscadet, need it again.

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  2. That's a beauty, and a wonderful photograph.

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  3. When you store the lilies for the winter, in order for them to go dormant, do you water them at all?

    Thanks for answer! ) Love your blog!

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  4. This is a cheerful colorful lily. Love the red spots.

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  5. Very pretty. Is it fragrant as well? I am surprised it even has to go in the basement, as there are quite a few lilies surviving in big containers here in our neighborhood that are out on the sidewalk year-round. Or is it just so the bare pot is out of sight in the winter?

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    Replies
    1. You are right, it would probably be okay left outside. The main reason I do it is to protect the pot. When I leave pots out, they tend to crack and break when we have icy weather.

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  6. Very nice. I think I now have a few new options for a few of the containers on my deck, thanks to you.
    Ray

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  7. What a beauty! I would never have thought of putting lilies in pots--thanks for the suggestion!

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  8. Beautiful! I like that it only grows to 2 feet.

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