THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Secateurs & Marie Kondo
I was interviewed recently for an article in the Telegraph about the best secateurs for the garden. I let my mouth run away with me (as normal) and said that the Okatsune pruners with the red and white handles, that I use everyday in the garden, are the kind you don’t throw away when you Marie Kondo your possessions.
I mean that, because I do believe in buy once buy well.
But when it gets reported in the paper, I don’t half sound like a wally…!
“Lerigo devoutly describes his chosen make of Japanese secateurs, Okatsune, as a bit of kit that Marie Kondo would approve if: simple, effective, and capable of sparking joy, time and time again.”
Good old Lerigo… what a windbag!
Great to see my suggestion for best secateurs coming top of the list though. They are great to use and yes, they do spark joy, as silly as that sounds.
You can get them from us here – Japanese Secateurs.
Or with a whetstone to keep them sharp in this set here.
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. …