THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Green Elements
Green Elements: Cultivating Your Garden in Extraordinary Times is a brand new talk by Darren Lerigo of Modern Mint, premiering at the Quay Theatre in Sudbury March 12th 2017.
Darren, the resident speaker here at Modern Mint, will be presenting a brand new talk next year. It came about after being asked by Greener Sudbury, a group who promote sustainable living and biodiversity in the town and surrounding areas, to present an action packed talk about gardening that would get people inspired to get outside and get their hands into the soil.
They have asked him to put together a talk that will give people practical steps they can take to ‘green’ up their garden, but also link it to the wider world, so helping people discover exactly why our gardens and landscapes look and get managed the way they do.
Greener Sudbury are using Darren’s talk ‘Green Elements’ alongside a talk by the fantastic organic gardener Bob Flowerdew to promote the important aims of their group to more people in around Sudbury.
Do check out their website for more information. (Or visit the Quay Theatre website to book a ticket to Darren or Bob’s show!)
The Blurb for Green Elements
The blurb for Darren’s show on March 12th 2017 is below. It gives you a little frisson about the ideas he will be sharing with you:
Darren Lerigo is a former playwright, stand-up comedian, flower farmer and judge of the longest vegetable competition at the local WI.
With a CV like that, you know you’re in safe hands.
In Green Elements: Cultivating Your Garden in Extraordinary Times, Darren will explore how our gardens can have a positive impact in a modern world of unrelenting connection, cultural displacement and dwindling natural resources.
Drawing on garden ideas from around the world he will show you how to make your garden a haven for wildlife, reduce damage from slugs and snails, improve your flower borders, sequester carbon in the soil and help arrest the decline of our bee population.
All while growing sweet and tasty tomatoes for your dinner too.
If you are in need of some garden inspiration, or some real world horticultural advice, or perhaps just want a moment to stop and sniff the flowers, then Green Elements: Cultivating Your Garden in Extraordinary Times is the talk for you.
Cripey! If that doesn’t rock your world and get you heading over to the Quay Theatre website to book a ticket for you AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS RIGHT NOW then you must have been skim reading it.
Go on, go back and read it properly. We’ll wait…
Topiary, The Art Garden at The Henderson
The Art Garden at The Henderson in Hong-Kong has now opened to the public. I joined the project last March, to work with Gillespies Landscape Architects on the topiary that had been designed for the Art Garden, which gives a calm, green space below the extraordinary Henderson skyscraper designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The garden has been designed with butterflies in mind, so lots of nectar plants, and has other art projects and installations within its footprint. The history of the site is interesting too – it was originally the first cricket ground in Hong-Kong! So still a green space….! …
ClipFest 2025
On Sunday June 22nd there will be Clipfest 2025 at Ichi-Coo Park in Surrey. It is a celebration of all things pruning and topiary, and I will be there in my capacity of teacher at the European Boxwood and Topiary Society to demonstrate tool cleaning and sharpening, and how to clip. Tickets can be found here on Eventbrite. We are hoping for great weather and to see lots of keen pruners getting their shears out and joining us at this amazing garden! And for more on topiary…
Secateur Holders
A present arrived from Norway today, from a student who visited last February to work with Chris Poole and I on learning topiary. His new hobby – a beautiful and neatly stitched secateur holder. Thrilled with this! The holder will save me keep losing my secatuers too…! Thank you Bernt! It was the same student who introduced me to the APA with whom I am doing a talk at the end of March. Tickets can be bought here for ‘Defining The Essence – Aesthetic Pruning in the Garden’. Do join the European Boxwood and Topiary Society for that!