THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Brought By Bike is an excellent website I found last month, where businesses offer their services by (of course) bicycle.
Modern Mint and my topiary work is now live on the site offering my topiary services, via bike, to the following two postcodes –
CM1
CM2
Now I can imagine I will need to borrow a ladder should anyone have a larger shrub, but most town gardens in the Chelmsford area have a need not just for privacy but to let light into the house… so a balance must be struck when shaping hedges and shrubs to cover both needs.
So hopefully I won’t need to borrow a ladder too often, as people will want shorter topiary designs. I believe the topiary work will entail more of an editing down of branches, to create a dappled light – so lots of mophead topiaries, or acer pruning, or funny swirls and blobs…
Using a bike to get to work is a dream of mine…. the reduction in my carbon footprint, the exercise and just the slightly less hurried nature of it all – the work will be done, and I will hear see a little of the world on my way there!
As an aside, if you would like to reduce your carbon footprint, you can plant a tree – Trees For Life.
Or use Bulb as your energy supplier, as I do at home – Quote For Renewable Energy At Home.
So I hope if you live in Chelmsford you will consider having your topiary composition Brought By Bike. To see more of my topiary work go here, or get in touch and we can chat about how I could help you.
Topiary, The Art Garden at The Henderson
The Art Garden at The Henderson in Hong-Kong has now opened to the public. I joined the project last March, to work with Gillespies Landscape Architects on the topiary that had been designed for the Art Garden, which gives a calm, green space below the extraordinary Henderson skyscraper designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The garden has been designed with butterflies in mind, so lots of nectar plants, and has other art projects and installations within its footprint. The history of the site is interesting too – it was originally the first cricket ground in Hong-Kong! So still a green space….! …
ClipFest 2025
On Sunday June 22nd there will be Clipfest 2025 at Ichi-Coo Park in Surrey. It is a celebration of all things pruning and topiary, and I will be there in my capacity of teacher at the European Boxwood and Topiary Society to demonstrate tool cleaning and sharpening, and how to clip. Tickets can be found here on Eventbrite. We are hoping for great weather and to see lots of keen pruners getting their shears out and joining us at this amazing garden! And for more on topiary…
Secateur Holders
A present arrived from Norway today, from a student who visited last February to work with Chris Poole and I on learning topiary. His new hobby – a beautiful and neatly stitched secateur holder. Thrilled with this! The holder will save me keep losing my secatuers too…! Thank you Bernt! It was the same student who introduced me to the APA with whom I am doing a talk at the end of March. Tickets can be bought here for ‘Defining The Essence – Aesthetic Pruning in the Garden’. Do join the European Boxwood and Topiary Society for that!