THE MODERN MINT BLOG
I am running a ‘Topiary Provocation’ for garden designers, via Zoom, over the next few weeks.
Dates are:
The ‘provocation’ is for garden designers anywhere in the world, is free to join and will last about 45 minutes.
Places are limited to 12 per session, as I want to make sure we can share ideas about topiary and how it can be used (and managed) in a modern garden – especially if skill level and maintenance time is low.
I hope that I can provoke a discussion around ‘green architecture’ and the role it plays, whether in capturing carbon, providing havens for wildlife, adding a skeleton to a garden or contrasting weight to the lighter texture of flowers.
I also want to know if there is a trend or leaning towards certain shapes, and what shapes and designs we can begin using in the future.
Finally, we will look at maintenance and the effect of pests and diseases on topiary, especially boxwood…
The ‘provocation’ should offer up exciting ideas for the use of topiary in modern gardens, and if you are a garden designer then please do book your spot on one of the dates – and I look forward to meeting you.
Darren, Topiary Artist (see some of my work here…)
Book A Free Ticket Here
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 …
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 …
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!