THE MODERN MINT BLOG
This piece in the Guardian got me thinking a lot – it shows how an orchestra, a country and a town in Devon have been putting the cost of their carbon footprint at the head of their priority list.
Read the article – Carbon Cutters.
Gardening is not above this. From refraining from using peat compost to moving to a decent pair of shears, you can easily reduce your carbon footprint. Perhaps you could even make your own compost, so as to enhance life in your garden all the way down the food chain? (For more on that, you can book my talk ‘A Very British Garden’.)
We have done a few posts on reducing your carbon footprint, but the best thing you can do after starting a compost heap is use a green energy supplier (maybe not the best, but definitely the simplest!)
We use Bulb. They are 100% green, renewable energy. If you sign up, we both get cash bonuses. Take a look and make this simple change today.
Join Bulb & Reduce Your Carbon Footprint.
Topiary Workshop 2026 at Waltham Place
The next topiary workshop I will be teaching is now live on the website and can be booked! Just visit Waltham Place to get a ticket for the Topiary Workshop I will be teaching on Friday September 4th at Waltham Place. Myself and Chris Poole of the European Boxwood and Topiary Society (Buxus expert! Like, he knows everything there is to know about the plant! So worth booking just to tap into his knowledge….!) will be teaching here for the… fifth year in a row I think? The garden is a beautiful place to spend time clipping. We will teach …
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 …