THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Garden Design App
If you google ‘Garden Design App’ a few options turn up. One for the I-Pad offers to help you create your perfect garden, and tells us it is easy to use. It offers choices of trees, plants, pavings, lawns… oh gosh, everything… but never once mentions logistical issues like soil amplitude, seasonal dynamics, companion plants or the effect of wind and rain on plant growth.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t good, but what a ‘Garden Design App’ cannot do is the human work needed to create a garden.
By human work, we mean creating atmosphere. Inspiring the owner. Giving confidence to people who have never gardened before. Being able to answer questions in a gentle manner, when those questions are asked quietly for fear of being thought stupid.
This is what we at Modern Mint are trying to do – be human.
That way we make the garden you want. Rather than just be an App.
Call us now to speak about your garden… or check out these books, which are not a bad second option if you want to learn a little more about gardening (or being human…)
Michael Gibson, New York Topiary Art!
In the New York Times earlier this year was a lovely interview with Michael Gibson, who makes topiary and gardens in New York. The article is here but you may not have access… however, search the internet, find it and have a read. It is great! His philosophy of pruning is especially worth it… Sacred geometry in topiary? Yes please! What a phrase! I think (and speak) of balance, of major and minor, of leaf volume… but sacred geometry might well make it into my topiary teaching lexicon! And the idea of directional trimming? I realise I do this, but …
Topiary Library
I do a lot of teaching topiary. I had the opportunity from my mentor, Charlotte Molesworth, to work on her garden and experiment and test techniques and generally try making shapes without the worry of failure, or being fired, or being sued and run out of business for getting it wrong. This opportunity was essential (along with Charlotte’s insistance that pruning standards had to be high!) in becoming better at topiary. When I look around the world at our cultural vitamins, what we see in the media day in and day out, I see the stupidest and grossest of people …
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 …