THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Lonely Bouquet Day
National Lonely Bouquet Day is tomorrow (Sunday 29th June) – an initiative that seeks to put a smile on the face of a stranger!
We love this idea. Having grown cut flowers in the past (and that really is a beautiful job) we applaud any idea that helps encourage people to get out and use flowers they might not have considered before. Flowers that are seasonal, smell great because they are fresh, are grown locally and, best of all, make a stranger happy.
If you want to take part in Lonely Bouquet Day, here is what you need to do…
1) Pick flowers fresh from the garden or forage straight from nature
2) Arrange the flowers in a small, recycled jar
3) Add a signature “take me!” tag
4) Leave the homegrown arrangement behind for a lucky local to take home. Voila! You have just delivered a handful of flowers that will surely put a smile on a stranger’s face.
We hope you support this wonderful project – go for it, cut some flowers and make someone smile!
(For a bouquet that seems to do the opposite of the aims of the Lonely Bouquet, take a look at this from our Chelsea Fringe project… that lonely bouquet is pretty sad by the end, right? That’s why we encourage you to spread the happiness tomorrow!)
If you are a complete novice with cut flowers, haven’t a clue where to begin, but are inspired enough to want to give it a go… you can always ask us for help. Other clients have… Cut Flower Garden.
Or these books below will give you a huge amount of information – we recommend you check them out!
The Cut Flower Patch: Grow your own cut flowers all year round
The Cutting Garden: Growing and Arranging Garden Flowers
(This one below is more about cut flower growing in the USA, but the lady who wrote it introduces great case studies from other growers – invaluable and inspiring tips about how to make your cutting patch work!)
And for those who have arranged flowers before and want something a little more exciting to work with… how funny are these florist snips…?
Michael Gibson, New York Topiary Art!
In the New York Times earlier this year was a lovely interview with Michael Gibson, who makes topiary and gardens in New York. The article is here but you may not have access… however, search the internet, find it and have a read. It is great! His philosophy of pruning is especially worth it… Sacred geometry in topiary? Yes please! What a phrase! I think (and speak) of balance, of major and minor, of leaf volume… but sacred geometry might well make it into my topiary teaching lexicon! And the idea of directional trimming? I realise I do this, but …
Topiary Library
I do a lot of teaching topiary. I had the opportunity from my mentor, Charlotte Molesworth, to work on her garden and experiment and test techniques and generally try making shapes without the worry of failure, or being fired, or being sued and run out of business for getting it wrong. This opportunity was essential (along with Charlotte’s insistance that pruning standards had to be high!) in becoming better at topiary. When I look around the world at our cultural vitamins, what we see in the media day in and day out, I see the stupidest and grossest of people …
Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue
With Chris Poole of the European Boxwood and Topiary Society we visited Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue in Rutland. Do you know it? Amazing place! Chris and I were teaching a topiary workshop in order to give local people the skills and technique, and tenacity! to help with the pruning of the avenue and elevate it to something even more special than it already is. Read more about the workshops here. We hope to run a further workshop in September 2026, as well as teach an advanced course too. Check the teaching page through the year as it will be updated …