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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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Red, White & Blue Flowers for the 4th


Happy July 4th. Thanks to a fireworks ban, we are enjoying a quiet and peaceful day. I'm not a fan of loud noises so it doesn't upset me in the least. The reasoning for the ban, however, is upsetting. It is dry, dry, dry. So, given the option, I would choose a noisy day of fireworks if there could be rain.

But, really, who needs fireworks when there are plenty in the garden?

The RED -

 

Rose 'Altissimo'


Smoke Tree (Cotinus 'Royal Purple')

 

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

 

Begonia 'Dragon Wing'

 

Bee Balm (Monarda 'Raspberry Wine')

 The WHITE -

Cosmos


 

Rose 'Swany'

 

Hydrangea 'Annabelle'

 

Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum 'Luna') and Knautia

 

Oakleaf Hydrangea 'Alice' (Hydrangea quercifolia)


Coneflower (Echinacea 'White Swan')


And The BLUE

 

Clematis 'Arabella'

 

Clematis durandii

 
Goat's Rue (Galega 'Lady Wilson')

 

Geranium 'Rozanne'

 

Hydrangea 'Let's Dance - Rave'

Hydrangea 'Cityline Rio'

 

Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue'

Phlox 'Blue Paradise'

Phlox 'Purple Kiss'



Blue Lace Flower (Trachelium caeruleum)

Veronica longifolia 'Marietta'

 

 And I leave you with the flower that most reminds me of a firework - the Spider Flower (Cleome) -



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowJuly 6, 2021 at 4:34 AM

    Beautiful fireworks in your garden Phillip. I hope you get rain soon. Happy 4th to you and Michael.

    ReplyDelete

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