THE MODERN MINT BLOG

Dec09

Hand Held Hoe

Nunki Gallery Image 2

What is this one?

The question people ask me the most at my talks

It is a good question. What kind of tool could it be? This shiny, beautiful little hoop? Cheekily, we refuse to answer straight away and instead question them back – what do you think it is?

Take a look again…

Pks Bronze Jaetschlinge NUNKI

 

What is it?

We have been told it is:

  1. An avocado de-stoner.
  2. A dog brush.
  3. A boot scraper.
  4. A boiled egg de-sheller. (Big egg…)
  5. A hairbrush for a teddy boy quiff.
  6. A dog lead holder.
  7. A target for practising your golf chip.
  8. A body exfoliating tool.
  9. A nail clipper.
  10. A razor.
  11. A scone or cookie cutter.
  12. A zombie electrifier.
  13. A huge earring…

nunki weeder

Some amazing guesses for this unusual tool for a gardener to use. Not everyone has an idea about what it does…

Shall we tell you?

It is, very simply, a hand held hoe.

This hoe has a sharpened bronze blade, curved so that it can dip into cultivated soil and cut roots as well as drag back to your bucket or pail those blanket-type weeds like chickweed or the clovers.

The handle is beech and oiled with linseed. This hand held hoe not only speeds up weeding and cultivating the soil – just a few quick sweeps across the surface of the flower or vegetable beds should do the trick – but it also has an heirloom quality about it that we love. (So do all of our copper tools, to be fair.)

Our Unusual Hand Held Hoe

We regularly get people taking a chance and buying one of these either as a gift for a friend, or as a little treat for themselves. Often, after trying it out, they come back and buy another one for someone they know will love it. Or we get emails to say how amazing this ‘hand held hoe’ is.

“Thank you for sending me my lovely Nunki a few weeks ago. I have recommended your site to another friend Jane – who will be buying a Nunki from you very soon. Love from Pembrokeshire” Anna

It is a lovely job selling these wonderful and unique weeding tools…

Get Your Nunki Now.

For example, at Salisbury Christmas market we had a lovely lady buy one for her sister, who was a keen gardener. She came back two days later, pushed through the crowd around our stall and said, “my sister is blown away by it, it is brilliant! Absolutely blown away! Thank you. Everybody – buy one!”

I went red in the face, as this kind of praise is amazing and gratifying, but also not something you ask for and was totally unexpected. The lady then walked off back to whatever she was up to that day, and the crowd around our stall laughed and giggled.

And then of course wanted to try this hand held hoe and discover for themselves exactly why she thought it was so blooming great…

It gives us great pleasure to sell this hoe. It gives us great pleasure to earn a reputation for inviting you to try products that are useful as well as beautiful.

We do hope you will give our unusual ‘hand held hoe’ a go. Those who have already tried it suggest you will love it.

Feb10

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 …

READ MORE

Jan30

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!

Jan30

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 …

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