THE MODERN MINT BLOG
My new talk for 2019 ‘A Very British Garden’ has now been given to a few garden clubs in the UK. If you wish to book me for another talk, then you can find my talk subjects here – Garden Club Speaker.
A Very British Garden
Is about what I see when I work on gardens in the UK, the problems that I am consistently asked to solve – like bare fences, smelly compost, why boxwood plants are being defoliated and how come slugs are eating all the lettuce….
It has been great fun to write and I hope you will book it soon.
Below are notes for those who have heard it and wish to learn more….
The Alternative Plant List
- Baptisia
- Chamaenerion
- Rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’
- Jasmine ‘Clotted Cream’
- Trachelospermum jasminoides
- Campsis radicans
- Carpenteria californica
- Abeliophyllum distichum
- Osmanthus
- Magnolia wilsonii
- Stewartia pseudocamellia
- Trillium
I realise that, to those who have not seen the talk, this will sound like an odd list. In the talk, all is explained. Honest.
You can read about a few more plants that garden designer Dan Pearson recommends here.
Plant Nurseries
- Phoenix Perennial Plants
- Marchants Hardy Plants
- Hards Cottage Garden Plants
- Crug Farm
- Great Dixter
There are loads more independent nurseries out there, sharing great garden plants. Go seek them out!
Real Seeds
Great seeds, great tasting vegetables, all to be saved and shared. Growing fantastic vegetables is a brilliant way to make a British garden something special. Use them!
Boxwood Caterpillar
Find out more here how to cope with the devastating caterpillar and moth. And check your boxwood plants this spring for the webbing! It is up to those of us who garden to be on the lookout for this caterpillar that is defoliating both gardening wild boxwood all over the UK and Europe. It has no natural predators – except the keen-eyed gardener who wants to make a difference.
So please do check your boxwood plants!
Balmoral Cottage, The Garden Of Charlotte Molesworth
My topiary mentor is opening her garden in Kent through 2019. Dates can be seen here, as well as details for how to stay in the Potting Shed in the garden.
Charles Dowding – No Dig Gardening
You can read more about Charles Dowding and his no-dig gardening technique in this blog about my visit to his garden here.
Fascinating reading, as are his books, especially – The No Dig Home & Garden.
He also uses copper tools…
Finally, Use A Green Energy Supplier
This is surely a no brainer (along with going peat free on your compost!) The simplest and easiest change you can make to help reduce your carbon footprint and keep the earth from becoming a terrible place. We use Bulb and recommend you do too. There are financial benefits for us both, as well as the moral one.
And they make it simple to switch, even paying your fees if you have any for leaving your current energy supplier early.
Check out how you (and the planet) can benefit from using Green Energy now.
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 …