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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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Laura Scott's Garden


Following the garden tour last Saturday, the gardeners who were on the tour got together for snacks, drinks and recovery. We met at Laura Scott's garden, who lives just a few miles from our house. I had not seen her garden before and it was a treat. Despite living so close, her house and garden is like being in the country. Very quiet, bucolic and big!

Laura has an artistic eye and she is very good at creating vignettes. The garden is a series of rooms with a vegetable garden, herb garden, perennial and shrub border, a mini-pond and the list goes on. And I just remembered there is an orchard and a peony field!

The photo above and below show the water feature. I absolutely love Clematis recta - a new plant to be on the look for!



 

Another plant that I loved was the pink Bowman's Root (Gillenia trifoliata 'Pink Profusion'). I have the white-flowered variety but didn't know that a pink variety existed. 




One plant that I'm vaguely familiar with but rarely see is the Gas Plant (Dictamnus albus).




Pineapple Broom (Cytisus battandieri)



Rose 'Kateryna'













Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis russeliana)




A sea of thyme in the herb garden

Did you see the cat in the window?


Thank you Laura for a tour of your wonderful garden!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 22, 2022 at 8:42 AM

    A massive garden! And you are right, there are many wonderful vignettes throughout. The slightly stressed sedum Angelina in a pot, or the potted chartreuse bamboo... great artistic combinations.
    I can't tell if it is a rusted shelf or a bench in the photo, but I want it! :-D
    Chavli

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kris PetersonJune 22, 2022 at 12:19 PM

    A peony field? I think I my husband and I may need to revisit our discussion of a move to the Puget Sound area...Laura's garden is absolutely fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hbJune 22, 2022 at 3:42 PM

    Wowza. Classic PNW garden. Looks like your area got a very rainy rainy season.

    Same reaction as Kris: a peony...field?!?!! I can only dream!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJune 22, 2022 at 10:00 PM

      hb, she used to raise peonies. Yes, we've definitely had a rainy season!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJune 24, 2022 at 6:32 AM

    nice

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 25, 2022 at 8:19 AM

    Laura Scott has an excellent eye for garden vignettes. The potted short bamboo agains the rusty metal, the heat stressed sedum Angelina in the urn with glass orbs, the totally drool worthy rusted shelf, or bench. Inspired combinations!
    Chavli

    ReplyDelete

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