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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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Secret Gardens of Somerset - a book review


Secret Gardens of Somerset: A Private Tour
by Abigail Willis; photographs by Clive Coursnell
Frances Lincoln (September 15, 2020)

I've never set foot outside the United States but I do have a strong desire to travel and I would love to see the great gardens of the world. I've always said that England would be my first choice but what part of England? I would be at a loss as I know very little about the geography. From what I hear, Somerset, with its rolling hills and quaint villages, sounds enticing. 

At this point, armchair travel has to suffice for me, and I do love a beautiful garden book. This one, available this week, takes readers on a tour of twenty fabulous landscapes. 

The gardens range from large manor estates to cottage gardens and small farms. The garden styles are varying, from informal to formal and some with very modern touches. Several are influenced by Piet Oudolf. Margery Fish, whose garden was immortalized in her book We Made A Garden, is here and we see how her legacy is being kept alive. The most famous garden (or the one that I was most familiar with) is Hestercombe, designed by the great team of Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens. Other gardens include The American Museum and Gardens, Elworthy Cottage, Forest Lodge, Greencombe Gardens, Hauser & Worth Somerset, Ilford Manor, Kilver Court, Midney Gardens, Milton Lodge, The Newt, Stoberry House, Westbrook House and Yeo Valley Organic Garden.

The author presents the history of each garden and explains how the long established gardens are being rescued by a new generation of gardeners.  The text is illustrated by the stunning photography of Clive Coursnell. A gorgeous book to inspire gardeners and plan a trip to Somerset.

 

 
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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