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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...

Red and Variations Of

I've always associated the color Yellow with spring but looking around the garden, it seems that there is currently lots of red -

Camellia 'Nuccio's Bella Rossa"




Florida Anise (Illicium floridatum 'Woodland Red')

Rhododendron 'Taurus'

Rhododendron 'Wine and Roses'

Chaenomeles 'Double Take Orange Storm' (Quince)


Ribes sanguineum (Red flowering Currant)


Barberry (Berberis thunbergi 'Admiration')

Peony

Ranunculus



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. All lovely! I really need to try growing Ribes sanguineum - it's supposed to grow here.

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  2. Rhododendron Taurus is lovely! I've always wanted to try growing currant, and the flower is so bright and showy.

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  3. Rhododendron Taurus is gorgeous! I've always wanted to try growing currant, the bloom is so showy.

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  4. That Illicium is making me drool... So cool!

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