Skip to main content

Featured

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...
5 comments
Read more

Finally - a good weather statistic

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra 'Gold Heart')


Weather is in the news a lot these days and it always seems to be for the wrong reasons. Just the past year has seen records in temperatures (last summer), diminished rainfall (most months) and late snowfall (this month). But now, a statistic to cheer about - the month of April has seen a record amount of rainfall. Recordings at PDX show that we got a total of 5.37 inches. One year ago (April 2021) was the driest on record at .37 inch. 

The rain is welcome although the weather hasn't been conducive to working in the garden. In addition to the wet weather, it has been really cool and night temperatures are still dipping into the 40s. I'm sure vegetable gardeners are having a frustrating time.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'

Camassia leichtlinii

Daphne cneorum (Rock Daphne)



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowMay 1, 2022 at 9:21 AM

    It appears that your garden is responding to all the rain. I am happy for you. We have had a decent spring too. The wind has been annoying but it has been cool and wet enough here too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kris PetersonMay 1, 2022 at 1:10 PM

    Congratulations! I love the Camassia, which isn't something that will grow in my part of the country.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 1, 2022 at 4:32 PM

    We've had a cool rainy spring too, but it's too early here for annuals. But soon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. RobinLMay 1, 2022 at 4:36 PM

    We’ve had a cool wet spring too, but we aren’t quite ready to plant annuals. But soon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 3, 2022 at 3:22 AM

    The chartreuse of the bleeding heart is shining in the shady garden like no other. What a sight! Brunnera 'Jack Frost' is an old favorite; I've moved volunteers into other places in the garden: I could ever tire of this plant.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMay 5, 2022 at 6:25 AM

    Wonderful news on rain for your region. Happy for you. Maybe next year for us...

    The Camassia leichtlinii is gorgeous! "moist soil" means not for "SoCal". 😒

    Do you grow any Martagon Lilies?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment