THE MODERN MINT BLOG
The Big Tree Plant
Funding has been secured from DEFRA through the Big Tree Plant programme to plant 17,000 trees in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk over a period of two years.
Over 8000 trees were pplanted last season and there are another 9000 to go from this October 2014 to February 2015.
What do you need to do?
Provide a site which will take a minimum of 200 whips at 1m spacing.
Provide a site that is publicly accessible.
Encourage the local community to get involved in the planting and (ideally) the upkeep too.
What will Groundworks Essex (who secured the funding) do?
Help organise the communities involvement.
Provide protection for the trees from rabbits, strimmers etc…
Help design the scheme with their Landscape architect.
Provide additional trees and shrubs that are larger than whips if this is deemed necessary.
Tailor the design to suit your needs and site.
And most importantly…?
Fund up to 75% of the whole cost of the project, or even more than that if there is match funding or donations of time from another source.
How do you find out more?
To find out more about the Big Tree Plant scheme please get in touch with Kim Howell on 01268 752368; kim.howell@groundwork.org.uk
Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue
With Chris Poole of the European Boxwood and Topiary Society we visited Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue in Rutland. Do you know it? Amazing place! Chris and I were teaching a topiary workshop in order to give local people the skills and technique, and tenacity! to help with the pruning of the avenue and elevate it to something even more special than it already is. Read more about the workshops here. We hope to run a further workshop in September 2026, as well as teach an advanced course too. Check the teaching page through the year as it will be updated …
Aesthetic Pruners Association – New Talk In December
An organisation I love and have been learning lots from in the last two years is the Aesthetic Pruners Association based in the USA. Sharing knowledge with them about clipping and the overlap – and differences! – in style is something worth exploring, so I recommend a visit to their website and to join onto their events and talks, which are all on Zoom meaning you can access them from anywhere in the world. No excuse not to learn! The next event will be led by Jocelyn Cohen and be about ancient trees in the British Landscape. This is such …
The Amelia Project – Episode 88: Didius Julianus
Friends of mine write a sitcom podcast called The Amelia Project (I wrote about this years ago, when they started it….!) December 2024 I had some fun playing the tiny part of Fornio in episode 88 – Didius Julianus. I have not listened to the episode yet, as I am clearly not an actor… and the thought of listening to my dulcet tones for the few minutes I’m in it just… makes me feel ill. But the recording and being in the studio was great fun, the real actors were hilarious and the script is brilliant – not just funny, …