THE MODERN MINT BLOG

Nov11

Chelsea Fringe 2015 – Call for Authors

We are looking for garden writers to take part in a Modern Mint project for the Chelsea Fringe Festival in 2015.

What Is the Project?

The project is called ‘Contemporary Green: How Do We Cultivate Our Garden?’

It is a free to download, free to share, free to print book co-authored by garden writers like you.

What Do You Need To Do?

Write a 100 word ‘manifesto’ answering the question ‘How Do We Cultivate Our Garden?’

The question can be answered however you see fit – literally, philosophically, with an environmental bent, from a cynical worldview – the choice is yours, of course, but hopefully will give you enough inspiration to share your own unique perspective of what gardening is or could be.

When you have perfected your 100 words you must send them to info@modernmint.co.uk by midnight on February 14th 2015. Any later and your submission will not be considered. Sorry.

This should give you enough time however to work out how to express yourself and your ideas in 100 words!

You will also need to send us a 1-2 sentence blurb about yourself. Please do include a link to your book, blog, website or Twitter feed if you have one.

3 Reasons To Take Part

1) Publicity for yourself – as well as your spot in the book, you will also have your name on the content page.

2) To be a part of the Chelsea Fringe 2015 and support this anarchic counterpoint to the Chelsea Flower Show.

3) To help create a document that captures the way a wide spectrum of the gardening world thinks and expresses itself in the here and now of 2014-15 – hence the title, Contemporary Green.

We hope it will be a wonderful document to look back on in ten, twenty, fifty years time and see how much has changed in the way we think about our relationship to the environment.

What Will We Do With Your Submission?

We will place each contribution into a downloadable PDF ‘Contemporary Green’ and then release it onto our website (www.modernmint.co.uk) at the start of the Chelsea Fringe 2015.

It is then free to download, share, tweet, photocopy and spread so that as many people as possible can have access to your ideas.

Do We Think This Project Will Work?

We have the tools available to us to make it happen, and we love the idea of curating the work of a large number of smart and interesting people into something this solid. We just hope you share our enthusiasm enough to contribute!

Advertising

There will be 5 large and 5 small spaces available for advertising in. You may wish to advertise here as well as having your own 100 word spot and website link – rates are available on request, and we reserve the right to refuse you if we think what you advertise doesn’t fit within the book.

50% of the money raised through advertising will go to other organisations, split as below:

10% will go to the Chelsea Fringe Festival organisers.

40% will go to The Rare Breeds Survival Trust as a donation.

The remaining 50% goes towards costs for putting the book together, photos and web hosting.

Terms and Conditions

By sending us your 100-word manifesto you are consenting, as the author, to generously and freely give us these words. You are allowing it to be shared, printed, posted, photocopied and emailed without permission.

The book will not be sold nor will your content be changed.

Who Is Asking You To Do This and Why the Chelsea Fringe? 

Modern Mint are asking you to do this – a garden design firm based in Essex.

We are thrilled to learn about gardening from other generous gardeners, and this seems a fun way to hear more about what people do and how they think about the garden.

We did the Chelsea Fringe in 2014 with an online project called “You Should Have Seen It Last Week” – these are the sort of projects that suit the very nature of the Fringe Festival.

Conclusion

We hope you will join us in this project, or share it with someone who you think would love to.

Remember, submissions and blurb to info@modernmint.co.uk by midnight on February 14th 2015.

Thank you,

Darren Lerigo

Director, Modern Mint Ltd

Nov18

Michael Gibson, New York Topiary Art!

In the New York Times earlier this year was a lovely interview with Michael Gibson, who makes topiary and gardens in New York. The article is here but you may not have access… however, search the internet, find it and have a read. It is great! His philosophy of pruning is especially worth it… Sacred geometry in topiary? Yes please! What a phrase! I think (and speak) of balance, of major and minor, of leaf volume… but sacred geometry might well make it into my topiary teaching lexicon! And the idea of directional trimming? I realise I do this, but …

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Nov18

Topiary Library

I do a lot of teaching topiary. I had the opportunity from my mentor, Charlotte Molesworth, to work on her garden and experiment and test techniques and generally try making shapes without the worry of failure, or being fired, or being sued and run out of business for getting it wrong. This opportunity was essential (along with Charlotte’s insistance that pruning standards had to be high!) in becoming better at topiary. When I look around the world at our cultural vitamins, what we see in the media day in and day out, I see the stupidest and grossest of people …

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Nov06

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 …

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