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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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Joanne Fuller's Garden



When the temperature is predicted to be 104 degrees, touring a garden is probably not a wise decision. Nevertheless, plans had been made and an appointment to see Joanne Fuller's garden as well as her next door neighbor Linda Ernst was set - at least it was morning and relatively cool.

The two gardens are located in a beautiful neighborhood with tree-lined streets. Joanne's house is elevated above the street and steps bordered by terraced beds lead up to the front porch. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the front since I had not asked permission yet and by the time we worked our way around to the front again (from Linda's side), I forgot to go back and take photos.

Stepping into the back garden leads down a shady pathway bordered with a tapestry of contrasting foliage. Joanne loves bold foliage and she is especially fond of podophyllum. I lost count of how many varieties she had - all beautiful. 



 
The garden is also filled with art. This Buddha statue is a memorial to Joanne's sister. The stand is faced with a mosaic of stones and shells.


And draped around the trunk of a large Japanese Maple is this incredible mala (prayer beads) created by Berkeley artist Marcia Donahue.

Continuing down the path...


Joanne's garden is mostly shady. However, a recent tree removal from the neighbor's garden behind her created a sunny spot -



I believe the pebble mosaic is by Jeffrey Bale (I hope my memory is correct). In the corner, notice the loquat tree. Mine is still a baby compared to this -



Every step you take, there is something to see and one must not forget to look down -





Up to the patio/deck that overlooks the garden -


Lots of great pots -



In my next post, I will step through the gate that leads to Linda's garden...


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonAugust 20, 2023 at 4:50 PM

    Gorgeous! If you hadn't mentioned the horrific heatwave, I wouldn't have guessed you were in the middle of one based on those photos.

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