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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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Thanksgiving beauty




Happy Thanksgiving from a dark and stormy looking Vancouver, Washington. I know people think I am weird (I am) when I say that I like the weather to be dreary on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I just love the cozy atmosphere it provides when you are inside cooking and puttering about. Plus sunny days make me feel guilty that I should be outside doing something in the garden.

As I made my way through the garden with the compost pot this morning, I noticed that there is still some color and beauty on this late day in November.

The Japanese maple above is next to the back deck. It was an unnamed variety and it is very late to change color. It just started changing during the last week.

The Persian Parrotia (Ironwood) wins the award for holding on to the majority of its leaves. Very few have fallen and it has been brightly colored for about a month now.

Ironwood (Persian Parrotia)

The Katsura is also pretty but it has already faded quite a bit. I have never noticed the autumn scent from the leaves (said to smell like cotton candy). I've even walked right to the leaves and taken a whiff and I get nothing.


Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)


Katsura and Solidago 'Fireworks'

The Beautyberry is still going strong -

Beautyberry (Callicarpa 'Profusion')

Asian Jasmine (Trachelospermum 'Ogon Nishiki')

Buckthorn (Rhamnus 'Fine Line')


Papyrus

Hebe 'Sunset Boulevard'

Miscanthus 'Gold Bar'
Rose 'Marie Pavie'

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. AlisonNovember 22, 2018 at 11:54 AM

    Your holiday preference for dark weather is right in keeping with my own thinking. Of course, I'm a bit of a Scrooge as well, so it works for my dark mood at this time of year too.

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 22, 2018 at 12:26 PM

    You still have beautiful color and even flowers! Wow. It has been unseasonally cold here so we have very few leaves on any plant and no flowers for sure. I like those cozy days too when I am inside cooking and celebrating. Happy Thanksgiving to you and Michael.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AlysonNovember 23, 2018 at 12:45 PM

    I'm in agreement with you. Perfect time for garden books, lists, and garden shows/films on the telly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. chavlinessNovember 28, 2018 at 7:27 AM

    I've had Buckthorn 'Fine Line' on my wish list for a while now. Yours looks wonderful in it's changing colors. It reminds me of curly fries :-D
    The most intriguing and cool picture is of the Papyrus: does it fully die back and regrow next season?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverNovember 29, 2018 at 8:50 PM

      Last year I put the papyrus in the garage and wintered it over. This year, I am leaving it outside and see what happens.

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