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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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Vicki Green's Garden


Vicki Green's garden is one of the neatest and most immaculate gardens I've seen and it is a showcase for beautifully grown plants as well as art objects (she is a glass artist). The property was once wall-to-wall grass and now just a central portion is devoted to the green. A long pathway leads you around the perimeter of the garden adorned with lush plantings.




Vicki is a master at pruning and her technique reminds me of the way Michael does it. She has trained many of her "shrubs" into small trees, such at the waxleaf privet and elderberry.

A Wax Leaf Privet (Ligustrum japonicum) trained into an attractive small tree.


I was taken aback by the size of the plants, some of which I grow, and my mind was racing. Driving up, I was immediately wowed by her 'Golden Spirit' Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria) although now I do recall seeing a very large on 117th St. However, this one is the most beautiful I've seen -


 
I also was surprised to see how large her 'Lemony Lace' Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is -




A stunning Rodgersia








Many thanks to Vicki Green for opening her garden. It was a visual feast and provided many great ideas.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. AnonymousJune 20, 2024 at 7:21 AM

    You'r right, that Rogersia is stunning, especially with the backdrop of that blue fir....
    Chavli

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  2. danger gardenJune 20, 2024 at 9:16 AM

    Thanks for the photos! I really wanted to visit Vicki's garden but just couldn't get up to Vancouver that day.

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  3. Kris PetersonJune 20, 2024 at 10:15 AM

    I can only dream of a garden that meticulously maintained. I've always admire the 'Golden Spirit' Cotinus and would plant one in a second if they looked half that good in my climate.

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  4. tz_gardenJune 20, 2024 at 11:48 AM

    Such a beautifully maintained and immaculate garden. Love that Rogersia.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 20, 2024 at 12:40 PM

    how large was the Rodgersia?

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