THE MODERN MINT BLOG

Feb22

The Garden of Charlotte Molesworth

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!

Busy day #pruning with Mrs Molesworth….. #topiary #gardening #plantsmakepeoplehappy

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My little chaps….

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Absolutely love the holly and boxwood hedge in the next photo…. how beautifully does this clip?

Watching the sunset #gardening #topiary

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#topiary #gardening #birds

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Buxus ‘bowles blue’ gorgeous to #prune #topiary #Garden

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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!

Chopped his arms off….

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Finally, a short video….

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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!

Nov01

Topiary Art In Hong Kong, The Henderson

Here are a couple of photos of the topiary work I have been doing in Hong Kong for the Art Garden at the bottom of the brand new skyscraper, The Henderson. The building has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and this November 2024 the garden at the base of the structure will be planted up, with lots of topiary originally designed by Gillespies Landscape Architects, grown by Tarzan Nursery in China, and then clipped and refined into shape by…. me. Will update with photos from The Henderson Art Garden when all is completed and the garden is opened, but …

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Apr16

EBTS Boxwood Growers Forum

Through the European Boxwood and Topiary Society I worked with Chris Poole and Sue Mesher, members of the EBTS board, and we set up a Boxwood Growers Forum. This was to discuss how to make sure this wonderful topiary plant stays in the public conscioussness – we know many growers, suppliers and distributors have stopped selling it as the cost of replacing boxwood that has blight, or is nibbled by the boxwood caterpillar, makes it unviable to offer to clients and gardeners. But Boxwood is a phoenix plant, and there are ways to deal with the problems associated with Buxus. …

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Apr15

Modern Topiarist @ Garden Masterclass Poland

My video on Modern Topiary for Garden Masterclass has been translated into Polish, for the keen gardeners (and happy pruners!) of Garedn Masterclass in Poland. Tickets for the first showing and q and a were available here. But it will become available on the Garden Masterclass Poland website at some point in the near future – so if you are a keen clipper and want to know more, but speak Polish and not English, then I suggest you visit the website and get watching. (Of course, if you don’t speak English, you may not be able to read this…. hmmm… …

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