Jubilee Gardens Mien Ruys
The Gardens of Mien Ruys are 100 years old! In 2024 it will be a century ago that Mien Ruys started her first experimental garden. A special anniversary and a good moment to reflect on her heritage.
Three small city gardens
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary, new experiments have been designed and constructed. At the moment, preparations for the construction of three small city gardens are in full swing.
Three designers from Buro Mien Ruys each designed a city garden of 5 x 7 meters, completely different but with a common starting point: green and sustainability play an important role. In each garden this is worked out in a different way. Aesthetics also plays a very important role here, because a garden design must above all be timelessly beautiful and inspire you to get started yourself.
Garden modules
Making planting plans has always been an important and essential part of Mien Ruys' work. With her enormous knowledge of plants and the composition of planting combinations, she was, like no other, able to compose plantings that were both colorful and attractive all year round, but also simple and easy to manage.
In the 1960s, Mien Ruys developed standard borders. She designed perennial borders for different types of soil, for sun and partial shade, in different sizes and colour themes. When customers came to the nursery for a perennial border, a border could be picked from the 'catalogue' based on soil type, location, size and colour preference. These packages consisted of a box with plants, a plan and a booklet with the description for construction and maintenance. Not haute couture, but excellent ready-made: she called them ready-made borders. For factory sites and care institutions, she developed 'repetitive borders'. These were planting plan parts that could be repeated to create borders of up to a hundred metres long. Here too, she worked with strong, healthy perennials that required little care and maintenance.
Making planting plans is still an essential part of all Buro Mien Ruys projects, in which Buro Mien Ruys distinguishes itself.
We are in 'Our Own Garden'!
In the latest edition of Onze Eigen Tuin – Spring 2024 – attention for our designers who have designed three new inspiration gardens on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Tuinen Mien Ruys! Also an article by our Anet Scholma about Green front gardens. So read it!
Mien Ruys inspiration podcast
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Gardens of Mien Ruys, an inspiration podcast has been created. Exactly a century ago, Mien Ruys began her life's work. Today, her gardens and ideas are still very much alive. This podcast series looks back at Mien Ruys' work and discusses concepts and themes that are still relevant today. Discover what we can learn from the past and apply in the future.
The podcast is made possible by the Tuinen Mien Ruys foundation.
