THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Nose Tickler
What the hell is a nose tickler??!!??!!
Don’t panic. Let Modern Mint explain….
A nose tickler is a brand new product we are now showcasing at Modern Mint. It is hand made in the UK and each and every single one is different – different woods are used, as well as different finishes (some are with bark, some are without.)
The only part that stays the same is that the tickling part of the nose tickler is made of pure bristle. All natural baby…
We found out about the nose tickler a little while ago, when we did a fair at a school. We had laid them out on the table, right at the front, presented beautifully like a real shop and all that… we put a big sign next to them saying LAPTOP BRUSH.
We thought – laptop brush? Could even be a pastry brush. And we were happy with that, it was all we thought…
Then, halfway through the fair at this school, a child walks up to the table we were presenting our wares from. She stopped right in front of the brush, tilted her head to the side, paused, then said…
“You have a nose tickler. I love them.”
Oh my.
Oh my oh my oh my.
We thought – this girl is a genius – of course it is! Our laptop brush (or pastry brush) has so many more uses than we could ever imagine. And this one, this one idea, is the use we love the most – a nose tickler.
Do take a closer look at our genuinely beautiful and favourite product at Modern Mint. Each one is unique and when they are gone, they will be gone…
Michael Gibson, New York Topiary Art!
In the New York Times earlier this year was a lovely interview with Michael Gibson, who makes topiary and gardens in New York. The article is here but you may not have access… however, search the internet, find it and have a read. It is great! His philosophy of pruning is especially worth it… Sacred geometry in topiary? Yes please! What a phrase! I think (and speak) of balance, of major and minor, of leaf volume… but sacred geometry might well make it into my topiary teaching lexicon! And the idea of directional trimming? I realise I do this, but …
Topiary Library
I do a lot of teaching topiary. I had the opportunity from my mentor, Charlotte Molesworth, to work on her garden and experiment and test techniques and generally try making shapes without the worry of failure, or being fired, or being sued and run out of business for getting it wrong. This opportunity was essential (along with Charlotte’s insistance that pruning standards had to be high!) in becoming better at topiary. When I look around the world at our cultural vitamins, what we see in the media day in and day out, I see the stupidest and grossest of people …
Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue
With Chris Poole of the European Boxwood and Topiary Society we visited Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue in Rutland. Do you know it? Amazing place! Chris and I were teaching a topiary workshop in order to give local people the skills and technique, and tenacity! to help with the pruning of the avenue and elevate it to something even more special than it already is. Read more about the workshops here. We hope to run a further workshop in September 2026, as well as teach an advanced course too. Check the teaching page through the year as it will be updated …