THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Niwaki, the book on pruning by the brilliant Jake Hobson, is now available second hand from Modern Mint.
We have 2 copies here and it has been our bible for years (alongside the brilliant mentorship of Charlotte Molesworth) helping us clip and shear and chop most of the days of summer, for the last far too many years.
It gives great background information on where the word ‘Niwaki’ comes from, then takes you through the different techniques for pruning different trees. The subtlety needed for pine pruning and the incredibly tough pruning you might want to try on an acer, for the most vibrant of autumn colour.
Amazon are selling copies for £13.83 used.
We are selling our second hand copy here for £7.50. That way, you get the information you need at a great price, and can happily give the book away or sell it on and get your money back when you are done with it. The spreading of information, just what the internet was about, right?!!?
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. …
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… …
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 …