THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Note: SOLD!
We have a copy of the book ‘The Barn Garden’ by Tom Stuart Smith here, for sale.
It has some great review on Amazon and is his own account, with photos, of how he came to make his own garden. No ‘blousy’ peonies or kniphofias (although there was a time he had them in his borders) because he wanted a garden that belonged to the landscape.
He writes beautifully and often leaves the reader with tantalising notes on certain plants – like keeping the plants that come from tough, dry environments in nature free of additional fertiliser. A lean diet benefits their growth!
The photos of the corten tanks that were originally a part of his Chelsea Flower Garden, against the Iris that bloom so bright and delightfully, are a wonder and really make me think about the way I garden. To up my game, to be bolder and use plants that can sometimes be a little harder to grow, or to establish, or to thrive, but not let the put me off and work smarter to make them bloom.
Because when they do they are a true delight!
Amazon are selling copies of the book, 2 copies, used, for £75.
Or brand new from £297!
We would like to offer it to you for £45. That way you can read it, sell it on and get some of your money back… or, keep it and enjoy the inspiration you can get from Tom Stuart-Smith’s ‘The Barn Garden: Making a Place.’
EBTS Boxwood Growers Forum
Through the European Boxwood and Topiary Society I worked with Chris Poole and Sue Mesher, members of the EBTS board, and we set up a Boxwood Growers Forum. This was to discuss how to make sure this wonderful topiary plant stays in the public conscioussness – we know many growers, suppliers and distributors have stopped selling it as the cost of replacing boxwood that has blight, or is nibbled by the boxwood caterpillar, makes it unviable to offer to clients and gardeners. But Boxwood is a phoenix plant, and there are ways to deal with the problems associated with Buxus. …
Modern Topiarist @ Garden Masterclass Poland
My video on Modern Topiary for Garden Masterclass has been translated into Polish, for the keen gardeners (and happy pruners!) of Garedn Masterclass in Poland. Tickets for the first showing and q and a were available here. But it will become available on the Garden Masterclass Poland website at some point in the near future – so if you are a keen clipper and want to know more, but speak Polish and not English, then I suggest you visit the website and get watching. (Of course, if you don’t speak English, you may not be able to read this…. hmmm… …
Topiary Hotline
The European Boxwood & Topiary Society are to run a Topiary Hotline for keen gardeners and people who love to clip. Date is tomorrow, April 16th 2024, and you can get a ticket for the Zoom meeting here – Topiary Hotline. Run by Chris Poole and myself, we set this up as an antidote to the huge amount of questions we have to answer about topiary throughout the summer. The plus is that their is an excitement around topiary and pruning. The problem is we need to help people in a better way… … so we will be giving people …