THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Update 2022 – Right now I am only booking talks via Zoom for 2022/2023.
I do lots of garden talks.
Around 50 per year, travelling across the country sharing my knowledge and thoughts on how to garden in our changing climate, to groups who want to know something new.
It is exceptionally enjoyable and, I think, experience has made me a much better speaker. So much so that people seem to find it fun too….
“Thank you so much for your great talk last night. Not only was it interesting and something I don’t think any of us have thought about before, but it was very entertaining. Our treasurer has already emailed me today to say it was a brilliant talk and can we have you back again.”
Braintree Organic Gardening Group
“Thank you for a lovely evening for our members. It was really entertaining to see examples of your tools and your work and that of others as you chatted comfortably about your life and passion for gardening.
I am sure we all took away ideas to help us in our growing and designing of our gardens. With all good wishes for the development of Modern Mint and I will be in touch for a future booking.”St Edmundsbury Gardeners’ Society
The talks I give and other information can be seen here – Garden Club Speaker.
But I also wanted to share with you a few other names of garden club speakers in Essex, that you may wish to make a note of.
They are:
Ian Tinton – sales@wvgm.co.uk
Ian talks about wool compost and the benefits of growing your plants, vegetables and filling your pots with this amazing compost. It is peat-free, sustainable, holds water for a long time and the nitrogen in the wool helps feed your plants. He is a lovely chap too and it is well worth making sure you book him and discover a little more about wool compost.
Zsuzsa Serer – spicesoticplants@hotmail.com
I met Zsuzsa earlier this year and she too is very lovely. She talks on herbs, how to propagate them, will likely bring plants to demonstrate with and can also tell you about traditional Hungarian garden practises. Do get in touch with her if you are looking for a speaker in Essex!
Barbara Segall – The Garden Post
Barbara is also a herb expert. She was the most encouraging voice I could ever encounter when I first decided I might give garden club speaking a try. So so kind! And a brilliant writer too. Her book Gardens By The Sea is one of my favourites.
We hope you have an easy time filling your speaker programmes over the next year. But if you are struggling to fill a gap, then please do contact myself or one these other Essex garden club speakers – we will do our best to give you an interesting, informative talk!
See Darren’s talks now.
10 Years Of Modern Mint
On Valentine’s day this year (2024) Modern Mint, the company I started when I moved to Essex to explore a fresh, contemporary approach to gardening, will be 10 years old. The cliche is time flies… but it does! So much has happened in a decade, from studying topiary with Charlotte Molesworth, to clipping all over the UK (and eventually in the USA and Sweden) to selling shears and secateurs at garden shows and hiding away my reticence to give talks about gardening and topiary to Horticultural Societies across the UK. Ten years feels a good time to mark a new …
Garden Masterclass Trailer – The Modern Topiarist
In 2022 I did a free video for Garden Masterclass, the Annie Guilfoyle and Noel Kingsley run website that is a treasure trove of the great and good of the horticultural world – well worth looking through all the wonderful talks they have available, like meadow-maker James Hitchmough or nurserywoman Rosy Hardy. They are certainly inspirational! Perfect for watching and dreaming up new ideas during the winter months… As a follow-up to my Topiary Provocations video (which you can see on Youtube for free) I was asked to do a video for their Masterclass series on how to make topiary. …
Charlotte Molesworth’s Garden In The FT
The lovely garden of my mentor Charlotte Molesworth is featured here in the Financial Times in the last week or so… She has been interviewed lots of times but I thought this was a particularly great piece, with some photos done at unusual angles and different parts… so well worth a read. For more on topiary by Charlotte Molesworth…