THE MODERN MINT BLOG
This is something special!
Bianca Pastori, who is a keen topiarist in Italy, has produced an Italian translation of my book Modern Topiary. Some of her topiary work can be viewed in a blog post here about teaching topiary in 2026.
So if you want an Italian version of Modern Topiary the book, please do download and read the free PDF below.
(Yes, I do know the download button is tiny. I still haven’t worked out how to make it bigger, better and easier to click on. Doh!)
For the version of Modern Topiary in the original language – English – please visit the Book page to download and read for free.
Finally, if you are reading this in Italian and spot any mistakes, please do visit my contact page and let me know. So Bianca and I can update and improve the work, to help as many people as possible be inspired to start clipping and making the best of their ‘green architecture’.
For further opportunities to learn about modern topiary, I am teaching a couple of courses this year at Waltham Place and Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue.
Modern Topiary, the Book, at Garden Media Guild
My book about topiary, Modern Topiary, has been mentioned on the Garden Media Guild newsletter…. As the screenshot says, the book can be read for free online here. At the bottom of the screenshot, it looks like another Garden Media Guild member has a book out called ‘A Year In A Cottage Garden’…. so if that is where your garden heart lies, check that out too! And at the top of the screenshot, it looks like I was listening to Pelleas et Melisande, by Debussy. What a classy chap I am, listening to classical music as I reply to emails. …
Start of the Whitby Topiary Library
I have been offered a space here in the centre of Whitby, south-facing aspect, with some raised beds in, so that I can make a Topiary Library. In my head, a topiary library is a place to showcase the common (and then not so common) shapes you can make out of topiary. With classical topiary plants, as well as some more unusual pieces. This Topiary Library can act as a reference for people to learn more about pruning and clipping. The space is small but the aspect is great and the beds are deep enough to put some plants in. …
Delivery After Dark – From the Makers of The Amelia Project
Last week I spent most nights stood in cold water streams on the moors of North Yorkshire, helping to film a new project called Delivery After Dark from the makers of the Amelia Project. I worked on the Amelia Project back at the end of 2024, lending my terrible vocal talents to a small part in the episode Didius Julianus. But this project is something new – and exciting! – and thankfully only needed me to be filmed, rather than to actually say anything. But not only did I have to stand in cold moving water at midnight, I also …