THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Today brings to an end National Nurseries Week, a week showcasing some of the best British nurseries.
(The picture above is from another business we ran, growing cut flowers for florists… we loved growing these dahlias, but if you’re a florist go to Withypitts if you want the best dahlias in the country…)
It is good to support your local nurseries, as it creates a positive cycle – the better they do, the more they can offer you – leading to us all becoming better gardeners (and in a crazy dream world we like to live in, the better this countries gardeners, the more they will demand from their landscapes… until we all reap the health benefits of living in a riot of natural beauty… ahh, a crazy and lovely dream…)
To end the week, here are three more nurseries we recommend:
Run by former winner of Gardener of the Year Sue Beesley, all plants are grown in peat free compost and pots from plants purchased at the nursery can be returned.
A leading British nursery and specialists in Iris and Peonies. Fantastic source to use!
A large retail nursery celebrating its 75th year right now. Visit their Japanese Maple House to choose an acer, or find a clematis from their extensive choice.
Further Reading:
Iris: The Classic Bearded Varieties
The Amelia Project – Episode 88: Didius Julianus
Friends of mine write a sitcom podcast called The Amelia Project (I wrote about this years ago, when they started it….!) December 2024 I had some fun playing the tiny part of Fornio in episode 88 – Didius Julianus. I have not listened to the episode yet, as I am clearly not an actor… and the thought of listening to my dulcet tones for the few minutes I’m in it just… makes me feel ill. But the recording and being in the studio was great fun, the real actors were hilarious and the script is brilliant – not just funny, …
Waltham Place Topiary Workshop 2026
With the European Boxwood and Topiary Society, I run two workshops each year at Waltham Place, one of my favourite gardens. The next topiary workshop there will be on Friday September 4th 2026. Details and how to book yet to be announced, but get in touch with them now to get on the waiting list, as last year we had double the amount of people wanting a place than we had space for. The Waltham Place website is here – topiary workshop 2026. See the teaching page for how else I can help you with the topiary in your garden …
Box Hill – Novella by Adam Mars-Jones
I picked this book up back in 2020 because of the title – Box Hill – fabulous, I thought, a book about boxwood. I’ll peruse this for its respective thoughts on the plant I clip most when I make topiary. I didn’t read the blurb on the back. Didn’t know the author (although I knew the publisher, Fitzcarraldo Editions, as I love many of the essays they have published… so trusted the author would be worth spending time with.) By page 2 I realised this novel wasn’t quite what I had expected. I started the book at 10pm, after getting …