THE MODERN MINT BLOG
What are the best looking, easiest bulbs to plant this Autum? Here are a few we are putting into designs for our clients…
1) Narcissus ‘Thalia’
2) Allium ‘Purple Sensation’
3) Narcissus ‘Actaea’
4) Narcissus ‘February Gold’
5) Tulipa ‘Ballerina’
(We thought about adding pictures and explanations to help you decide they are worth planting – but planting bulbs is such an act of faith – that we didn’t want to give away what will come up in the spring. What we mean is, you get these tough little bulbs and bury them in the dark, let life carry on and forget what you did right now, here in the Autumn… then suddenly, they are poking their heads up out of the soil, making you exclaim with joy and dream of warmer days and shorter nights… so we left the pictures out of this blog post, left you to an act of Autumnal faith… trust us, they are great (and easy!) varieties which you shouldn’t be without in the garden…
You can get all of these bulbs here at Sarah Raven…
Our last advice to give you about these bulbs? Plant them in the hundreds… so that these bulbs will make a fantastic show for you in the Spring!
(For more on bulbs try these books below…)
The Bulb Expert: The world’s best-selling book on bulbs (Expert Books)
Bulb: A Hand-Picked Selection of the World’s Most Beautiful Bulbs
Modern Topiary, the Book, at Garden Media Guild
My book about topiary, Modern Topiary, has been mentioned on the Garden Media Guild newsletter…. As the screenshot says, the book can be read for free online here. At the bottom of the screenshot, it looks like another Garden Media Guild member has a book out called ‘A Year In A Cottage Garden’…. so if that is where your garden heart lies, check that out too! And at the top of the screenshot, it looks like I was listening to Pelleas et Melisande, by Debussy. What a classy chap I am, listening to classical music as I reply to emails. …
Start of the Whitby Topiary Library
I have been offered a space here in the centre of Whitby, south-facing aspect, with some raised beds in, so that I can make a Topiary Library. In my head, a topiary library is a place to showcase the common (and then not so common) shapes you can make out of topiary. With classical topiary plants, as well as some more unusual pieces. This Topiary Library can act as a reference for people to learn more about pruning and clipping. The space is small but the aspect is great and the beds are deep enough to put some plants in. …
Delivery After Dark – From the Makers of The Amelia Project
Last week I spent most nights stood in cold water streams on the moors of North Yorkshire, helping to film a new project called Delivery After Dark from the makers of the Amelia Project. I worked on the Amelia Project back at the end of 2024, lending my terrible vocal talents to a small part in the episode Didius Julianus. But this project is something new – and exciting! – and thankfully only needed me to be filmed, rather than to actually say anything. But not only did I have to stand in cold moving water at midnight, I also …