THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Desert Island Plants… by Modern Mint
When the amazing Beth Chatto was asked about the plants she could not live without, she said, “Amelanchier lamarckii… Good form in winter, lovely foliage in spring or autumn, prettier than many cherries (daintier) – and interesting longer.”
When they asked the brilliant Christopher Lloyd the same question, one of his choices was a dahlia, “ ‘Hillcrest Royal’ is a spiky medium cactus of brilliant purple, not quite magenta colouring.”
In 2009 Gardeners’ World asked the nation for their favourite flower. The result? We chose the rose.
Now, for the 2016 Chelsea Fringe, we want to ask you again – is the rose still a favourite bloom? Which plants could you not live without? Which flowers must you have if stranded on a desert island?
How do we take part?
Send a photo (or illustration) of a plant you love and then complete the following sentence in your own words…
My Desert Island Plant would be…
What you write can be any length you want – one word, a paragraph or even a whole story – we just want to know why this plant is worth a spot in your heart.
You can send your photo, with text, to us at info@modernmint.co.uk (we will then post it on Facebook), tweet it to us by including @ModernMintLtd in your tweet, or post it on our Facebook page.
You can send us up to 5 of your Desert Island Plants.
Don’t forget to include your name, the plant variety if applicable and a website address if you have one!
What Happens Next?
The best reasons for choosing your desert island plants will be published on the Modern Mint website at the end of the Chelsea Fringe Festival, where you can decide if you agree with the most popular desert island plants… or not!
(The easiest way to stay updated about this project is to sign up here.)
When do we send our photos and text?
Begin sending, tweeting and posting Modern Mint from tomorrow, April 1st 2016…
Who Would We Like To Hear From?
Everyone and anyone!
Have Modern Mint Done The Chelsea Fringe before?
Yes, we have!
In 2015 we curated the project Contemporary Green which was voted a highlight of the festival and in 2014 we made “You Should Have Seen It Last Week…”
We hope you will join us at the Chelsea Fringe Festival 2016 for Desert Island Plants… by Modern Mint.
Don’t forget, the easiest way you can get updates on Desert Island Plants is by signing up. Go sign up now!
10 Years Of Modern Mint
On Valentine’s day this year (2024) Modern Mint, the company I started when I moved to Essex to explore a fresh, contemporary approach to gardening, will be 10 years old. The cliche is time flies… but it does! So much has happened in a decade, from studying topiary with Charlotte Molesworth, to clipping all over the UK (and eventually in the USA and Sweden) to selling shears and secateurs at garden shows and hiding away my reticence to give talks about gardening and topiary to Horticultural Societies across the UK. Ten years feels a good time to mark a new …
Garden Masterclass Trailer – The Modern Topiarist
In 2022 I did a free video for Garden Masterclass, the Annie Guilfoyle and Noel Kingsley run website that is a treasure trove of the great and good of the horticultural world – well worth looking through all the wonderful talks they have available, like meadow-maker James Hitchmough or nurserywoman Rosy Hardy. They are certainly inspirational! Perfect for watching and dreaming up new ideas during the winter months… As a follow-up to my Topiary Provocations video (which you can see on Youtube for free) I was asked to do a video for their Masterclass series on how to make topiary. …
Charlotte Molesworth’s Garden In The FT
The lovely garden of my mentor Charlotte Molesworth is featured here in the Financial Times in the last week or so… She has been interviewed lots of times but I thought this was a particularly great piece, with some photos done at unusual angles and different parts… so well worth a read. For more on topiary by Charlotte Molesworth…