THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Our Chelsea Fringe project ‘You Should Have Seen It Last Week…’ is now finished and up on the website, where you can see all the pictures taken by our brilliant collaborators… collaborators who hailed from all corners of the globe.
Their efforts were brilliant and the body of work fascinating – when flicking through the photos you get this record of nature in fast forward – it not only provokes comment (‘hey look, the colour of the sea today!’) but makes you question how worthy a plant may be (‘that peony took nearly three weeks to flower, then finished in two days…’)
We also loved this about the Chelsea Fringe – people came together, talked, shared, opened their arms up to each other – all because of the gardens they care for.
The reasons to garden are so varied – to save the planet, to save the pollinators, to grow food, to prune, to show off your skills or just to show-off – yet everyone is bound by the same rules… that sunlight, water and earth will mean something grows, and where something grows something is shared.
Here is what we share with you then, our Chelsea Fringe project for 2014, from 3 different continents and 6 different countries… you should have seen it last week? Well, now you can…
Start of the Whitby Topiary Library
I have been offered a space here in the centre of Whitby, south-facing aspect, with some raised beds in, so that I can make a Topiary Library. In my head, a topiary library is a place to showcase the common (and then not so common) shapes you can make out of topiary. With classical topiary plants, as well as some more unusual pieces. This Topiary Library can act as a reference for people to learn more about pruning and clipping. The space is small but the aspect is great and the beds are deep enough to put some plants in. …
Delivery After Dark – From the Makers of The Amelia Project
Last week I spent most nights stood in cold water streams on the moors of North Yorkshire, helping to film a new project called Delivery After Dark from the makers of the Amelia Project. I worked on the Amelia Project back at the end of 2024, lending my terrible vocal talents to a small part in the episode Didius Julianus. But this project is something new – and exciting! – and thankfully only needed me to be filmed, rather than to actually say anything. But not only did I have to stand in cold moving water at midnight, I also …
Modern Topiary (The Book) – Message From Lady Clippers, And Others!
My topiary book – Modern Topiary – has recently been put out as a PDF, which can be read for free. (Have a look here to download and read/share it!) Then last week I received a lovely email from Ann Perkowski of Lady Clippers, who are topiary and pruning specialists in New York (Ann is a brilliant pruning teacher too, who teaches at New York Botanical Garden… check out her work and Lady Clippers website.) Hi Darren, I had to write you how much I love reading your Modern Topiary. I’m not sure I’ll ever be quite done with it because I’m …