THE MODERN MINT BLOG

Oct26

Manifesto for the Modern Gardener

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.

gardening manifesto

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.

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:

Manifesto Tuckshop Flowers

And Here Is Another Manifesto (Or Four!)

Before John Walker, the earth-friendly gardener, followed up his first thoughts with this…

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?

Jan28

Monty Don British Gardens Episode 4

I hadn’t seen the new Monty Don series ‘Monty Don’s British Gardens’ but I was sent a message one evening to say stick it on – episode 4 especially! On the episode were three gardens I make and clip the topiary in… the photo above is my quizzical boxwood emu… which looks ridiculous out of context of the wider topiary garden it sits in… but hey! Showcases what you can do with boxwood, when given enough time to let it grow! But also on the episode were Waltham Place, one of my favourite gardens and a place I teach topiary …

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Nov01

Topiary Art In Hong Kong, The Henderson

Here are a couple of photos of the topiary work I have been doing in Hong Kong for the Art Garden at the bottom of the brand new skyscraper, The Henderson. The building has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and this November 2024 the garden at the base of the structure will be planted up, with lots of topiary originally designed by Gillespies Landscape Architects, grown by Tarzan Nursery in China, and then clipped and refined into shape by…. me. Will update with photos from The Henderson Art Garden when all is completed and the garden is opened, but …

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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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