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…
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 …
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 …
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. …