THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Partners
We work with a number of other businesses that can help provide us with the items you want. We are a resource for gardening, after all…
For plants we we work with Jersey Plants Direct – they also offer free delivery on plants and we like that.
Cut flower queries allow us to send you to the Queen of the home grown flower growers art, Sarah Raven. Use this resource she provides!
For gardening books where better is there to go than Amazon
For the computer we use we have partnered to work with Panda Security UK because you need anti-virus software to protect what you create.
For garden products we work with Garden Trading, Harrod Horticultural and Agriframes (who do frames for the garden, of course…)
Anything to do with ponds go to Pondkeeper.
Mowers and lawn care products can be found here at Rolawn, Lawn Mowers UK and Mow Direct.
For ecologically considered products we use Natural Collection. Please change how you shop and use them to.
You have to eat well – gardening burns a lot of calories – so do buy your food from Donald Russell and Pong Cheese. Yum!
Love Lula? We do, as they offer something unusual – vegan products. Our vegan friends need caring for to…
Home and office need a design spruce up? Try the fabulous Royal Design.
When you’re tired from a long day in the garden, we offer you a cup of tea… and a piece of chocolate!
And finally we partner with LED Hut for lighting…
Do make the most of these companies and use what they are offering!
Topiary Teaching For 2026
A new year, so time to share a few thoughts on what I will be looking at doing with topiary, and the focus on teaching I would like to put in place, for 2026 and beyond. Above is Nandina, made by a student of ours from the European Boxwood and Topiary Society. She took a year to work on this, taking a plant not renowned for being a good topiary plant, but seeing what its weirdness is and what values it does have, then exploring and exploding those. I am thrilled by this. Not just this look for autumn. A …
Topiary Workshop 2026 at Waltham Place
The next topiary workshop I will be teaching is now live on the website and can be booked! Just visit Waltham Place to get a ticket for the Topiary Workshop I will be teaching on Friday September 4th at Waltham Place. Myself and Chris Poole of the European Boxwood and Topiary Society (Buxus expert! Like, he knows everything there is to know about the plant! So worth booking just to tap into his knowledge….!) will be teaching here for the… fifth year in a row I think? The garden is a beautiful place to spend time clipping. We will teach …
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 …