THE MODERN MINT BLOG

Jul15

Plants for a Shady Border

Plants for a shady border… be aware, some can cope with deeper shade than others, but all are worthwhile garden plants. For more plants, try Dan Pearson’s list

Scilla
Snowdrop
Narcissus
Leucojum

Liriope
Hakonechloa
Deschampsia

Foxgloves
Aquilegia
Honesty
Campion
Forget me not
Campanula

Clematis

Cephalaria
Thalictrum

Epimedium
Gillenia
Alchemilla
Hellebore
Japanese anemone
Trillium
Brunnera
Trollius
Bergenia
Tellima
Hosta
Pulmonaria
Aster
Primula
Rodgersia
Asarum
Kirengeshoma
Gallium
Convallaria

Buxus
Hydrangea
Daphne
Sarcococca
Ribes
Ilex
Rosa
Cherry

Polypodium
Dryopteris

For books on what plants to use for a shady border, try these…

Alan Titchmarsh How to Garden: Gardening in the Shade

Planting the Dry Shade Garden: The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden

And probably one of the best writers about gardens… Keith Wiley:

Shade: Planting Solutions for Shady Gardens

Feb10

Why I Wrote The Book Modern Topiary

I have written this book, Modern Topiary, because I wanted a collation of useful information that would give people access to everything they need to know in order to start making topiary. Topiary is an amazing (and niche) line of work to follow – amazing because it offers up opportunities to travel all over the world, making gardens, meeting people… but also, the work is intensely physical, hands-on, yet requires creative thinking in order to solve the puzzle of how to make the shapes you want. This mixture of the craft and the art is what I love the most …

READ MORE

Jan30

Buxus the Norfolk Terrier In Modern Topiary Book

This is Buxus, our Norfolk Terrier, who I acknowledge in the acknowledgments of the book of Modern Topiary. The book of Modern Topiary can be read, for free, here. There you go. Buxus the dog on ‘doorstep duty’ at a friend’s house in Edinburgh. For those asking what he looked like!

Jan30

What People Think Of Modern Topiary, The Book

Yesterday I put out the book – Modern Topiary – that I have spent the last six years writing. Download for free a pdf of Modern Topiary here. And what seems amazing to me, is that not only have people actually been reading it, but then responding to it. So below are a number of comments I have been sent from those who read it last night, and this morning…. “Brilliant read, exactly the right amount of info to take in and digest.” Rachel, a gardener “I love your book, the advice is so straightforward and your writing is so …

READ MORE