THE MODERN MINT BLOG
‘Someday We’ll Linger In The Sun’ is a beautiful song by the wonderful fiddle player Gaelynn Lea.It is this lack of sunshine we want to speak about today…
As the weather reaches a balmy (barmy?) 1 degrees celsius outside, here at Modern Mint we think it is better to stay in and read about gardening than be outside doing it. Uninspired? No, just don’t want to freeze again today!
We love the cold weather at this time of year, love the garden and the way it looks as the frost begins to melt…
We adore the winter jobs, the pruning too…
But for all of that love, today really does just feel a little to cold to get stuck into the garden again.
Forgive us? Laugh and call us out as being no better than a fair weather gardener….?
Go for it! We can take it!
We are quite happy to be sat inside with a cup of coffee this morning. Listening to songs of warmer times. Which is why we suggest you take a moment to, and watch the incredible performance of Gaelynn Lea singing her composition ‘Someday We’ll Linger In The Sun’.
The melody is exceptional, the voice thrilling, and the words….? The words are deep and rich, evoking a little bit of that warmth we look forward to enjoying as this gardening year moves away from the cold and into spring, into summer….
Someday We’ll Linger In The Sun
Our love’s a complex vintage wine
All rotted leaves and lemon rind
I’d spit you out but now you’re mine
We bit the fruit, it seemed a lie
I’ll never know which way was right
Now side by side we face the night
And I love you
And I love you
We walked the pier and back again
It was the most scared I’ve ever been
You held my hand until the end
And I love you
And I love you
Don’t tell me we’ve got time
The subtle thief of life
It slips away when we pay no mind
We pulled the weeds out til the dawn
Nearly too tired to carry on
Someday we’ll linger in the sun
And I love you
And I love you
New Topiary In South London Out Of Yew
Making a new topiary out of the large, dull facade of a Taxus blob… My work was to change it up from a ‘jelly drop’ shape and give it texture, open it out and let the light through, and make it a sculptural feature in the background of the garden in summer… yet a major part of the garden in winter. A few more years before it becomes something special, but there was far more leaf and growth inside the plant than I thought and so it will not take too long for it to gain in character and become …
Topiary Teacher – Put on The Spot!
Two weeks ago I was invited to teach topiary at the garden of Griselda Kerr, the author of The Apprehensive Gardener. I love teaching and sharing skills, but I was placed on the spot in the afternoon and asked to show how I would make a new topiary from an existing shrub. So below is a speeded-up video of me creating a cloud-pruned topiary from an old boxwood tree. I particularly love the ending when the class get involved….! See the video here. One hour was all it took, and though it needed a little tidying-up, it was made by …
Book Yourself A Topiary Workshop 2022
Charlotte Molesworth, my topiary mentor, and I are running our popular topiary workshop again in 2022. You can email me for details – or go here for information, your ticket and to find out about dates. Book A Spot On A Topiary Workshop, September 2022