THE MODERN MINT BLOG
That’s right, it is now time for a little sale…..
Up to 50% off selected items!
When we get to the last few items in a particular range, it makes it very hard to present them to people at the fairs and markets we visit. When you have a stack of hand made skipping ropes or amazing Japanese secateurs, it makes a statement. People notice it and want to touch these products.
But when it gets to the last few? Everything looks bitty.
Handmade Products
We also curate and sell many products that are handmade. This means that when we run out, that is it. They may come back when the material (and craftsmanship) is available again. Or they may not. Sometimes the last few really can mean the end of a product line.
So we put them on sale to make sure they go out to you, rather than sitting forlornly in a stock room. These items are just too much fun and too beautiful and too damn useful not to be used.
Please enjoy yourselves by having a browse through our sale items, the ingenuous last few….
Browse Sale 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 …