THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Why Write A Manifesto For The Modern Gardener?
A manifesto? For the gardener or garden owner working today?
The modern world looks the way it does for a reason – it is shaped by humans for the resources they need, to provide us with the lives we have.
To get people discovering how the materials they wear, the foods they eat and the furniture they sit on all comes via the landscape is so important that I suggest gardening must be compulsory for everyone at school.
Absolutely everyone.
Planting the seeds of passion for gardening and plants, upscaling the knowledge of the inexperienced and firing the imaginations of those already in love with the land will help us liberate the world from consuming so many finite resources.
A realisation that we are all connected, that what we do one day will have consequences the next and the capability of gardening to teach us this truth may also help people learn to value thoughtfulness and empathy above aggression and domination.
This new attitude may even lead to thoughts of equality right across the board.
This is revolution talk, and so we were inspired to write a Manifesto for the Modern Gardener.
Do you know what amazing act happened right after we published this? That we got a number of replies from people who wanted to capture their own thoughts on what it is to be a Modern Gaardener, who wanted to share a manifesto for how we treat the world.
Amazing.
Introducing More Manifestos For The Modern Gardener
Here is the flower grower and florist Carole Patilla’s manifesto for the Modern Gardener:
And Here Is Another Manifesto (Or Four!)
‘The Modern Gardener uses their spending power wisely to help turn the #gardening industry a deeper shade of green…’ https://t.co/B26qqEVqpp
— John Walker (@earthFgardener) October 21, 2015
@ModernMintLtd @seed_ball @earthFgardener Uses peat free compost. — Philippa Burrough (@UltingWick) October 21, 2015
@ModernMintLtd @TuckshopFlowers @Bluehenbins @suffolkseasons @LGSpace The Modern Gardener recycles, upcycles and cycles
— Alexandra Campbell (@midsizegarden) October 21, 2015
@ModernMintLtd @seed_ball @earthFgardener ‘The Modern Gardener takes time to understand #nature so they can work in harmony alongside.’ — Judith Conroy (@JCGardener) October 23, 2015
@ModernMintLtd @LGSpace @midsizegarden @TuckshopFlowers @suffolkseasons This modern gardener looks to the past as she plans for the future
— Sheila Hume (@Bluehenbins) October 27, 2015
@ModernMintLtd @TuckshopFlowers @Bluehenbins @suffolkseasons @midsizegarden The Modern Gardener benefits people, wildlife & our environment
— Little Green Space (@LGSpace) October 22, 2015
Before John Walker, the earth-friendly gardener, followed up his first thoughts with this…
@ModernMintLtd ‘The Modern Gardener is constantly on the lookout for #gardening companies that allow ethics to inform & guide what they do.’ — John Walker (@earthFgardener) October 22, 2015
@earthFgardener @ModernMintLtd I think this one might need to feature very near the top of the list.
— Judith Conroy (@JCGardener) October 22, 2015
It was fascinating to hear all these voices speak up about gardening, about what modern gardening could and should be.
Would Your Manifesto For The Modern Gardener Be Organic Focussed?
The joy for us is in the fact they are so organic-centric – their is a strong message here about gardening, that organic is best practise and the cultural norm for 2015. (It was the cultural norm not that long ago either, before 1940, to be fair…)
We are so pleased about the response we received to our manifesto – it shows the community of gardeners out there in the UK who are using their wits and smarts and voices to let people know about the world and how gardening relates so very heavily to it – our gardens and landscapes are, after all, the places we get the materials we are wearing, the food on our plates and the furniture in our homes.
Do you have a manifesto on Modern Gardening for me?
Or are you more a modern topiary maker?
Or do you just like to plant trees?
Books – Gardening & Others I Recommend
I compiled a list of books using Bookshop, a new online shop to rival Amazon. I like it because it is supporting independent bookshops, helping them out by giving them an audience whilst their own physical premises are closed. The books I’ve listed are not all about gardening, but worth a look through and an order anyway as they are wonderful and have seen me through lockdown – and I hope they bring you some joy too! Check out the books I recommend here.
Hedge Laying
Hedge laying is something I’ve been meaning to try for a long time, a type of pruning that can bring huge benefits to wildlife as well as looking amazing. So last year I went down to Dorset/the edge of Devon, to spend a day learning to lay a hedge. Hedge laying is a way of building a stock proof fence. It does take time, and some practical and physical skill, but once you get the hang of it I would think developing your instinct about what to prune and where to lay the branches is where the true proficiency arises… …
Fernando Caruncho, A Couple More Interviews To Read…

Fernando Caruncho is a garden designer from Madrid. I am always inspired by his work – his clean lines, ‘green architecture’, sense of proportion, balance and minimal plant palette. This seems to bring out the atmosphere of the garden, the space, intensifying its… spirit. I have written about him a lot – here, for example… and here. But recently I have discovered a few more interviews with him, so thought I would link to his words as he always has something interesting to say, the opposite of prosaic. This first interview from the Society of Garden Designers will give you …