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...
Stunning October garden!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, gorgeous photos. Your garden doesn't show any sign of the usual end of summer stress or fatigue. The only clue is the subtle change of color in tree canopies. I love those long shots down the paths, through arbors... The white pine still looks tall and trim: thankfully it doesn't seem to gain in width (or do you give it the occasional snip?).
ReplyDeleteI'm so tire of the smoke and heat. Waiting for a darn good soak on Friday!
chavli
Your garden stands out beautifully against the fog and the regrettable smoke, Phillip. It's lovely to see the wonderful fall color that's largely absent in my part of the country. I hope the nearby fire is brought under control soon.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you've got a wildfire nearby. The smoke is terrible.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how your garden has matured so quickly into something quite wonderful.
All the different foliage colors in the shrubs and trees--i love that, the bronze and blues and chartreuse, not just greens. Besides the many different shapes and textures.
You are 1 awesome gardener.
Gosh, Phillip, your Alabama garden was wonderful but I think you've outdone it with this one. Hard to believe it would be possible but the proof is in the pictures. You have a deft designing hand, marrying textures, shapes and colors into a marvelous garden to behold. Thanks for sharing it.
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