THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Plant Trees With Ecosia
This came to our attention about a year ago. But we’ve only just realised we hadn’t told enough people about it!
Ecosia. A search engine that plants trees, every time you use it.
How amazing is that? Helping the planet green up each and every time you search for something. We think it is just as good as Google for most things you need to search for (please don’t send me your search items it couldn’t find. Your private searches are your own.) Plus, it takes you away from giving information (and so more power) to Google. Something some of you may be interested in.
Another search engine that does that is called DuckDuckGo. They are also very good and using them means you are ‘sticking it to the man’.
So if you are not looking for some presents at Modern Mint this year, why not continue your search on the search engine that plants trees? Use Ecosia – for a greener kind of window shopping!
We Also Have Our Own Grove Of Trees You Can Add To – Visit Trees For Life To Help Plant More!
Topiary Workshop 2026 at Waltham Place
The next topiary workshop I will be teaching is now live on the website and can be booked! Just visit Waltham Place to get a ticket for the Topiary Workshop I will be teaching on Friday September 4th at Waltham Place. Myself and Chris Poole of the European Boxwood and Topiary Society (Buxus expert! Like, he knows everything there is to know about the plant! So worth booking just to tap into his knowledge….!) will be teaching here for the… fifth year in a row I think? The garden is a beautiful place to spend time clipping. We will teach …
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 …