THE MODERN MINT BLOG
After a wonderful weekend at Blenheim Palace Flower Show, where Darren of Modern Mint gave a number of garden talks alongside a few famous faces, we thought we would share some more information about what he spoke of in the talk.
The talk was called ‘Tips for Tomatoes’ and was based on research you can find in a new book by James Wong, who suggested watering your tomatoes with aspirin will increase the vitamin C content in the fruit.
Take a look at this excellent book…
Darren also talked about:
The best plants for bees (Helenium is the very best, if you are asking….)
Where you can recycle your plastic plant pots, as well as what they can be made into – Recycle your plant pots!
The strange things people say when their vegetables need a wash.
The gender divide in gardening, which is best summed up by the tools a female gardener will use compared to a male.
And finally, what he thinks is one of the major tenets for becoming a good gardener…
When in your garden, observe observe observe!
Thank you to everyone who came to Blenheim Palace Flower Show and made the talks such great fun. We hope you have a wonderful gardening season and do explore the Modern Mint website further for more ideas on Modern Gardening.
For example, you might like this…
Phillyrea From 1682
Phillyrea is one of my favourite plants for topiary. I have been using it for quite a few years as a specimen shrub, mostly due to the fact it clips well and has a tough habit – all good characteristics for a topiary plant. It also has a reputation for being an excellent nectar source for bees… Read more about Phillyrea here. Mentioning this to Malcolm Thicke, a market garden historian and writer, he sent me a some photos of topiary and phillyrea mentioned by John Worlidge in Systema Horticulturae from 1682…. incredible! He also mentioned to me that in …
Kites And Strings Podcast – Topiary In The Garden
Kites and Strings is a podcast about creativity, hosted by US-based Stephen Ploum and Catherine Chinnock. Back in March they asked me to come onto their podcast and talk about topiary, my past writing plays, the stand-up I did and how creativity can fit into your life. The Kites and Strings podcast was great fun and Stephen and Catherine are fantastic hosts. Listening back today I am surprised by some of the ideas I talked about (somehow I even started to describe a future where I run a ‘School of Creativity’ by the sea…. where did that come from?!) but it …
Robinia – Pruning A Beautiful Tree For Small Gardens
Robinia is often forgotten – by me, actually! – when thinking of plants for topiary. But when I work on it I do love it, brittle and soft as the wood is if you climb into it. But that danger of snapping a branch with a heavy step and falling out of the tree aside, I love it for the dappled light it allows into the garden space. Robinia Near The Sea Below is a Robinia I have gently clipped over the last few years, down near Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. The tree was large when I arrived, although it is …