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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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Last of the Fall Color

Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica)


Overnight, blustery winds have played havoc on our beautiful leaves. Some are still intact, others totally or almost completely bare. I can't complain as this fall season has been stellar and seems to have lasted for a nice period.

In my previous post, I focused on Japanese Maples (and I'm happy to say that looking out my window now, the 'Skeeter's Broom' maple appears unfazed by the windy onslaught). Today I'm sharing photos of other trees (and a few shrubs) that have great color. These photos were taken before last night's wind.

The Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica), at the top of the page, is one of my absolute favorites. It only lost some of the upper leaves. My second favorite, Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) has virtually no leaves at all today.

Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)



The colorful grass underneath is Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) -




The Ginkgo 'Prinetown Sentry' had nice color this year (last year, not so much) -




The fall color on Redbud 'Flamethrower' is not as dramatic as the spring and summer color. All of the redbuds have this same light yellow color - 




Crape Myrtle 'Catawba' (Lagerstroemia) has bright, bright yellow leaves -




Katsura was really nice this year (the Black Tupelo can be seen on the far right). I still do not detect the fragrance...




The Birch 'Dakota Pinnacle' -




And the smaller, very different Birch 'Trost's Dwarf' -




Dogwood 'Wolf Eyes' - I've never noticed the pink coloring being so prominent as it is this year - 




A few hydrangeas including the Oakleaf 'Alice' -




And 'Summer Crush' -



Climbing Hydrangea -



A few barberries -

'Rosy Glow'

'Limoncello'


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonNovember 11, 2023 at 8:14 PM

    Already nearing the end? That seems fast. Meanwhile, the little we get down south hasn't even gotten started.

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  2. Rebecca Copeland WestNovember 12, 2023 at 3:05 PM

    Gorgeous

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  3. tz_gardenNovember 13, 2023 at 8:25 AM

    Gorgeous Fall colors, I love the Black Tupelo. Barberries remind me of living in Oregon, so colorful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousNovember 14, 2023 at 9:30 AM

    I Really love your article thank you for writing such article.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 15, 2023 at 4:40 AM

    I shuttered when I saw No. Seaoats in your garden. Of course you are a more attentive gardener than I am. They pop up everwhere in my garden. I find them difficult to dig out and keeping them in a sensible range. I will be interested to hear if you ever tire of them.
    The color in your garden is fabulous. Always something of interest.

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverNovember 15, 2023 at 8:04 AM

      Lisa, I have always heard that. I used to grow it in Alabama and started to notice seedlings popping up after many years. Here, I've not seen one seedling - yet (knock wood). I have it planted in a gravel area so they will be easy to see if that happens.

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