THE MODERN MINT BLOG
David Austin, Roses
David Austin, the Rose breeder and nurseryman, passed away the week before Christmas.
You can read his obituary in the Guardian and I am sure there will be many more words about him published across the internet. Many of us have his English roses in our gardens, or have given them as presents to friends.
We met him briefly in Shropshire during 2017, at his home, when afforded a tour behind the scenes of the David Austin Nursery. I have written about that visit here. The nursery itself is worth a visit in June for the collection of wild roses alone.
A sad start to the year. But also a reminder (for me at least) to stop and take time to smell the roses. Or the peonies, my own favourite, which you can find at the nursery of Claire Austin, his daughter.
Box Hill – Novella by Adam Mars-Jones
I picked this book up back in 2020 because of the title – Box Hill – fabulous, I thought, a book about boxwood. I’ll peruse this for its respective thoughts on the plant I clip most when I make topiary. I didn’t read the blurb on the back. Didn’t know the author (although I knew the publisher, Fitzcarraldo Editions, as I love many of the essays they have published… so trusted the author would be worth spending time with.) By page 2 I realised this novel wasn’t quite what I had expected. I started the book at 10pm, after getting …
The Henderson, Topiary Art Interview on Instagram
In a suit… eek! View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Henderson (@thehenderson_hk)
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….! …