THE MODERN MINT BLOG

Nov14

Kapok Pillow

Kapok Pillow – Please note we no longer stock this item.

Visit Our Shop For Keen Gardeners Here

The Kapok Pillow at Modern Mint

Our pillows are made from natural kapok. Kapok fibre is cotton-like and is known as silk cotton, or Java cotton. You will find the kapok tree in rainforests in Asia, but is a native of Central America. It is important to know this, as the harvesting of the fibre – labour-intensive as it is – becomes vital for local economies and provides work for communities in countries where it is needed. No only that, but because the trees have a purpose – e.g. money can be made from them – it means the trees don’t get cut down. So you are saving rainforests by buying these great pillows!

Kapok fibre is lightweight, like 15% the weight of cotton. (That would be the organic cotton you are using already right?) It was used in life jackets at one point, before they started using synthetic materials to make them, because the fibre is so buoyant.

This lightness makes it the softest of our pillows. Lots of masseurs buy them from us. Think of it as a luxury item, for when you need a moment… or three… or even if you have your own masseuse who wants to get you comfortable….?

It is also flammable. So please don’t smoke in bed.

Washing the Pillow

The cover can be machine washed at 40 degrees celsius. Kapok, being a plant fibre, means you do not need to remove it from the case before sticking it in the washing machine. Do make sure the filling is thoroughly dried after washing it though – don’t rush back to wanting to use it when it is still wet!

A Few More Details…

The case can be unzipped if you want to adjust the height of the filling.

Size of the pillow: 50 x 75cm – if you want that in inches, just copy those figures and plug them into Google to find out…

The weight of the filling is approximately 700g. A lot of filling, because it is so light!

If the Kapok Pillow is Not For You…

Don’t think we can’t accommodate you or your needs. Modern Mint can also supply you with an organic spelt pillow, or even an organic buckwheat one… they are cheaper options, so may be better value to you – but the Kapok pillow is so light, it really is fabulous for a treat…

We no longer stock these pillows – please visit our shop for tools for keen gardeners!

 

Apr16

EBTS Boxwood Growers Forum

Through the European Boxwood and Topiary Society I worked with Chris Poole and Sue Mesher, members of the EBTS board, and we set up a Boxwood Growers Forum. This was to discuss how to make sure this wonderful topiary plant stays in the public conscioussness – we know many growers, suppliers and distributors have stopped selling it as the cost of replacing boxwood that has blight, or is nibbled by the boxwood caterpillar, makes it unviable to offer to clients and gardeners. But Boxwood is a phoenix plant, and there are ways to deal with the problems associated with Buxus. …

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Apr15

Modern Topiarist @ Garden Masterclass Poland

My video on Modern Topiary for Garden Masterclass has been translated into Polish, for the keen gardeners (and happy pruners!) of Garedn Masterclass in Poland. Tickets for the first showing and q and a were available here. But it will become available on the Garden Masterclass Poland website at some point in the near future – so if you are a keen clipper and want to know more, but speak Polish and not English, then I suggest you visit the website and get watching. (Of course, if you don’t speak English, you may not be able to read this…. hmmm… …

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Apr15

Topiary Hotline

The European Boxwood & Topiary Society are to run a Topiary Hotline for keen gardeners and people who love to clip. Date is tomorrow, April 16th 2024, and you can get a ticket for the Zoom meeting here – Topiary Hotline. Run by Chris Poole and myself, we set this up as an antidote to the huge amount of questions we have to answer about topiary throughout the summer. The plus is that their is an excitement around topiary and pruning. The problem is we need to help people in a better way… … so we will be giving people …

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