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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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Buttonbush


The Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is an unusual shrub with curious white pincushion flowers. It is found in the wild all over the United States, usually in swamps and moist areas.  Growing up in rural Alabama, I remember seeing it in the woods behind our house. It doesn't garner much attention until the blooms make their appearance. 



Sources vary on the size of the plant. In the wild, it can get to 20 feet but in gardens, most likely under 12 ft. In my garden, it is about 4 feet tall after five years in the ground. It is located along the back fence in an area that doesn't get much supplemental water although I am working on the area and watering more often this year.

The flowers have a slight honey-like fragrance. Bees love this plant!





Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Kris PetersonAugust 8, 2022 at 12:33 PM

    Anything that the bees like is a winner in my book, although if it likes moist soil it won't find a home in my garden.

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  2. Hoover BooAugust 8, 2022 at 3:28 PM

    Interesting. It does have a quiet elegance to it.

    In California the common name is Buttonwillow and there's an unincorporated town along I-5 in the central valley so named--the buttonwillows all gone from the area, which is intensively farmed--cotton and other such crops.

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  3. AnonymousJune 17, 2023 at 7:09 AM

    I’ve planted mine in an area that regularly floods. Doesn’t seem to mind at all. This area is quite shady, and that may be why the plant is tree-forming itself, although it’s only about 3 ft tall. I actually like the bare legs, and I’ve seen mature buttonbush “trees” online that are very striking in winter. Mine is underplanted with juncus rush and a couple small sabal minor palms.

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