THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Gardening Jobs in June
What are the gardening jobs in June? Here are a few of the things we are looking at around the garden… (and if that’s not enough, then for a simple, easy to digest guide, see Alan’s book below…)
Cut back any perennials that are going over (poppies for example) and thin the stems of plants like euphorbia (please wear gloves when you do this, as when the stems break they exude a milky sap that can irritate your skin.)
Mow and edge the lawn every week (but think about some labour saving alternatives…)
Stake anything you have forgotten to stake.
Tie in your sweetpeas – and get ready for their brilliant display!
Plant out tender or ‘exotic’ plants.
Pick and eat your strawberries and raspberries. Is there any better way to watch Wimbledon?
Have you clipped your box yet?
Prune spring flowering shrubs that have now gone over. This is an important one!
Find out if your garden is bee friendly by taking the buzz test.
Be water-wise – you do not need to water your lawn (though the vegetable garden would appreciate some…)
Weed the borders, and while you’re in there, take a look around you. What is working, what is not? Are there any gaps that need filling or unhappy plants that could be moved? Get to know your flowers!
Last (but not least) enjoy your garden. Sit down, open a bottle of wine and get the barbeque on. That’s what it’s all about!
For more information about what to do in the garden now, try these books – they’ll get you inspired…
The Complete How To Be A Gardener
The Gardener’s Pocket Bible: Every gardening rule of thumb at your fingertips (Pocket Bibles)
… and for something a little more fun, we offer you this lovely book about a guy who began gardening in London during the day, while spending his evenings writing comedy.
Best moment?
Discovering why it is hard to find a good gardener, because they all die out over winter when there is no work to sustain them! It’s a lovely read, enjoy it!
Why I Wrote The Book Modern Topiary
I have written this book, Modern Topiary, because I wanted a collation of useful information that would give people access to everything they need to know in order to start making topiary. Topiary is an amazing (and niche) line of work to follow – amazing because it offers up opportunities to travel all over the world, making gardens, meeting people… but also, the work is intensely physical, hands-on, yet requires creative thinking in order to solve the puzzle of how to make the shapes you want. This mixture of the craft and the art is what I love the most …
Buxus the Norfolk Terrier In Modern Topiary Book
This is Buxus, our Norfolk Terrier, who I acknowledge in the acknowledgments of the book of Modern Topiary. The book of Modern Topiary can be read, for free, here. There you go. Buxus the dog on ‘doorstep duty’ at a friend’s house in Edinburgh. For those asking what he looked like!
What People Think Of Modern Topiary, The Book
Yesterday I put out the book – Modern Topiary – that I have spent the last six years writing. Download for free a pdf of Modern Topiary here. And what seems amazing to me, is that not only have people actually been reading it, but then responding to it. So below are a number of comments I have been sent from those who read it last night, and this morning…. “Brilliant read, exactly the right amount of info to take in and digest.” Rachel, a gardener “I love your book, the advice is so straightforward and your writing is so …