THE MODERN MINT BLOG
We spent last week working with Charlotte Molesworth in her garden, clipping and tidying some of the amazing topiary that needed a light prune.
Below are some of the of the photos, just taken on my phone and without filters…. what amazing shapes she has created in her garden over the last 30 plus years!
Absolutely love the holly and boxwood hedge in the next photo…. how beautifully does this clip?
This next one is something of an experiment, turning a mass of boxwood into something interesting….
This too is the same – a hedge that had rust, being opened out and turned into a single specimen. Air circulation is important for the health of boxwood topiary!
Finally, a short video….
If you want to see more of Charlotte’s garden, please do note it will be open for the NGS scheme in Kent later in spring, so keep an eye out.
If you think – I love this topiary and want some in my garden! – get in touch so Charlotte and I can help you make that happen.
To see the tools we use for clipping, check the Modern Mint pruning tools page. Thanks!
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 …
Aesthetic Pruners Association – New Talk In December
An organisation I love and have been learning lots from in the last two years is the Aesthetic Pruners Association based in the USA. Sharing knowledge with them about clipping and the overlap – and differences! – in style is something worth exploring, so I recommend a visit to their website and to join onto their events and talks, which are all on Zoom meaning you can access them from anywhere in the world. No excuse not to learn! The next event will be led by Jocelyn Cohen and be about ancient trees in the British Landscape. This is such …
The Amelia Project – Episode 88: Didius Julianus
Friends of mine write a sitcom podcast called The Amelia Project (I wrote about this years ago, when they started it….!) December 2024 I had some fun playing the tiny part of Fornio in episode 88 – Didius Julianus. I have not listened to the episode yet, as I am clearly not an actor… and the thought of listening to my dulcet tones for the few minutes I’m in it just… makes me feel ill. But the recording and being in the studio was great fun, the real actors were hilarious and the script is brilliant – not just funny, …