THE MODERN MINT BLOG

Dec09

Hand Held Hoe

Nunki Gallery Image 2

What is this one?

The question people ask me the most at my talks

It is a good question. What kind of tool could it be? This shiny, beautiful little hoop? Cheekily, we refuse to answer straight away and instead question them back – what do you think it is?

Take a look again…

Pks Bronze Jaetschlinge NUNKI

 

What is it?

We have been told it is:

  1. An avocado de-stoner.
  2. A dog brush.
  3. A boot scraper.
  4. A boiled egg de-sheller. (Big egg…)
  5. A hairbrush for a teddy boy quiff.
  6. A dog lead holder.
  7. A target for practising your golf chip.
  8. A body exfoliating tool.
  9. A nail clipper.
  10. A razor.
  11. A scone or cookie cutter.
  12. A zombie electrifier.
  13. A huge earring…

nunki weeder

Some amazing guesses for this unusual tool for a gardener to use. Not everyone has an idea about what it does…

Shall we tell you?

It is, very simply, a hand held hoe.

This hoe has a sharpened bronze blade, curved so that it can dip into cultivated soil and cut roots as well as drag back to your bucket or pail those blanket-type weeds like chickweed or the clovers.

The handle is beech and oiled with linseed. This hand held hoe not only speeds up weeding and cultivating the soil – just a few quick sweeps across the surface of the flower or vegetable beds should do the trick – but it also has an heirloom quality about it that we love. (So do all of our copper tools, to be fair.)

Our Unusual Hand Held Hoe

We regularly get people taking a chance and buying one of these either as a gift for a friend, or as a little treat for themselves. Often, after trying it out, they come back and buy another one for someone they know will love it. Or we get emails to say how amazing this ‘hand held hoe’ is.

“Thank you for sending me my lovely Nunki a few weeks ago. I have recommended your site to another friend Jane – who will be buying a Nunki from you very soon. Love from Pembrokeshire” Anna

It is a lovely job selling these wonderful and unique weeding tools…

Get Your Nunki Now.

For example, at Salisbury Christmas market we had a lovely lady buy one for her sister, who was a keen gardener. She came back two days later, pushed through the crowd around our stall and said, “my sister is blown away by it, it is brilliant! Absolutely blown away! Thank you. Everybody – buy one!”

I went red in the face, as this kind of praise is amazing and gratifying, but also not something you ask for and was totally unexpected. The lady then walked off back to whatever she was up to that day, and the crowd around our stall laughed and giggled.

And then of course wanted to try this hand held hoe and discover for themselves exactly why she thought it was so blooming great…

It gives us great pleasure to sell this hoe. It gives us great pleasure to earn a reputation for inviting you to try products that are useful as well as beautiful.

We do hope you will give our unusual ‘hand held hoe’ a go. Those who have already tried it suggest you will love it.

Nov06

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 …

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Nov06

Aesthetic Pruners Association – New Talk In December

An organisation I love and have been learning lots from in the last two years is the Aesthetic Pruners Association based in the USA. Sharing knowledge with them about clipping and the overlap – and differences! – in style is something worth exploring, so I recommend a visit to their website and to join onto their events and talks, which are all on Zoom meaning you can access them from anywhere in the world. No excuse not to learn! The next event will be led by Jocelyn Cohen and be about ancient trees in the British Landscape. This is such …

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Oct29

The Amelia Project – Episode 88: Didius Julianus

Friends of mine write a sitcom podcast called The Amelia Project (I wrote about this years ago, when they started it….!) December 2024 I had some fun playing the tiny part of Fornio in episode 88 – Didius Julianus. I have not listened to the episode yet, as I am clearly not an actor… and the thought of listening to my dulcet tones for the few minutes I’m in it just… makes me feel ill. But the recording and being in the studio was great fun, the real actors were hilarious and the script is brilliant – not just funny, …

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