THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Garden Jobs July
So many garden jobs in July. But the first garden job in July? Stop your weeding and mowing for a moment and SMELL THE ROSES!
(You’ve got to enjoy your garden too, no…?)
What other jobs are worth doing in the garden now July is here?
Start with pruning the fruit trees that have st0nes, like cherries and plums.
Remember to water your pots.
Remove suckers from lime trees and lightly prune any plants you are trying to pleach.
Deadhead and feed the roses.
Weedkill and feed the lawns. If you really must.
Take a look at any spring flowering shrubs and cut them back to shape now, right after they have finished flowering.
Deadhead in your herbaceous border – got Delphiniums? Well done! Impressed! Cut the spent flower now and enjoy a second, smaller flower soon…
Harvest in the fruit patch – strawberries, raspberries, cherries and gooseberries are amazing to eat now!
Start eating the broad beans…
To be fair… July is a great month for jobs in the garden…
For more detailed information, try one of these books from Amazon:
(And this one from Alan Titchmarsh, priced at £24, can be found for just 1p! Good if you are a beginner for all the advice you need about garden jobs for July…)
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 …