THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Flowers from the Farm
For fresh cut flowers straight from the British countryside (see the vase in the picture above) please speak to the …
Modern Garden Design
Tucked away in the March issue of The Garden magazine is a lovely article by James Wong of ‘Grow Your Own Drugs’ fame. He speaks about the Victorian gardeners (like the ones who grew pineapples for the table) and how they continuously experimented and tested new garden ideas. “The huge irony is that the great Victorian gardeners we struggle to emulate were obsessed with innovation… characterised by an almost pathological pursuit of novelty.” Questioning previously held truths and exploring new avenues of thought about gardens and gardening is the best thing we can do as designers/gardeners/landscapers. The most valuable card …
Fairtrade Fortnight: Peeling back the Banana Story
Yesterday was the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight. This year the campaign is in support of banana farmers who are struggling to make a living from their crop. Supermarkets have almost halved the price of bananas over the last ten years, meaning it is farmers who bear the brunt of our savings. Buying Fairtrade bananas means workers have: Safe conditions to work in. Earn enough for a decent standard of living. Have rights and benefits. The idea of sourcing all your food from the local area is a good aim. But in the winter months the body begins to crave something a …
A Busman’s Holiday
Two years ago on Gardeners World we saw the work of Brian and Denise Herrick, who farm and manage the 85 acre estate Barcroft Hall. They had decided to create a wildflower meadow on poor land, to create “a little piece of heaven.” A few of us went down to see it and our director Darren Lerigo was interviewed by a local paper. You can read in the link what he had to say about ‘his busman’s holiday.’ Our memories of this still stand strong – especially the buzzing of bees that thrived on the nectar rich flowers, densely sown to cover as …