Mien Ruys Gardens, Experimental garden complex in Dedemsvaart, Netherlands
Mien Ruys Gardens is an experimental garden complex with 28 different sections demonstrating various styles, materials, and plant combinations. The site shows through its individual areas how landscaping works with concrete, gravel, and special paving solutions.
The first garden area was created in 1924 in an orchard behind the Ruys family home and pioneered experimental garden design. The project later grew into a testing ground where new design concepts and building materials for landscape architecture were evaluated.
The gardens show how Mien Ruys blended English garden traditions with modern design ideas, reshaping Dutch landscape architecture. Visitors can see in each section how different plants and materials work together.
The site is easy to explore on foot, with clear paths between different areas and plenty of seating along the way. A tea house offers breaks, and seasonal exhibitions show what is currently growing and being tested in the gardens.
The specially developed Grion tiles for the pathways were invented and tested here before being used in other projects. This innovation shows how the site researched not just plants but building materials themselves.
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