THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Penelope Hobhouse
Penelope Hobhouse is a garden designer, lecturer, historian and writer. Below is her gorgeous book ‘Gardens of Persia’, an unusual …
Flower Show, Oxford
This weekend, August 22nd-24th, you can visit Flowers at Oxford. It is hosted by Lady Margaret Hall, a beautiful Oxford college, and is being used as a showcase for the best in floral design. We heard about it through Flowers from the Farm, who will be there promoting British flowers over the weekend. We support Flowers from the Farm because they “want to see a new generation of florists inspired by seasonal, local, sustainable British flowers.” As a former flower grower ourselves, we recognise how great it is to get fresh blooms from your own garden. We try very hard to get our …
Have You Tried A Cycling Gardener?
The idea of a cycling gardener keeps cropping up in our thinking here at Modern Mint, as we would like to explore more ‘green’ avenues in the landscape industry. Is this a better way to get to work than driving around in a van – especially in a city? If you google ‘cycling gardener’ there are a number of people out there who are already doing it. They all seem pretty happy too! We even found a courier company in Brighton who do all of their work on bikes, and in London you can find a florist who brings people flowers …
Essex Meadow
Some inspiring pictures of an Essex Meadow, from just outside of Chelmsford – this should give you an idea of the meadow you can create in your own garden. We love meadows because they are a haven for wildlife. To be fair, even undisturbed long grass will attract insects and other animals, who aren’t as fussy about their postcode as humans are. Though long grass is great, when you see flowers that are also providing nectar and pollen you know you are somewhere special. Meadows are a recent addition to the gardeners armoury, but are in fact nothing more than a …