THE MODERN MINT BLOG
I have been offered a space here in the centre of Whitby, south-facing aspect, with some raised beds in, so that I can make a Topiary Library.
In my head, a topiary library is a place to showcase the common (and then not so common) shapes you can make out of topiary. With classical topiary plants, as well as some more unusual pieces.
This Topiary Library can act as a reference for people to learn more about pruning and clipping.
The space is small but the aspect is great and the beds are deep enough to put some plants in.
Next step is to finish planting and let them settle, grow on this year, then begin offering lessons for keen students to come and learn to clip here in Whitby, by the sea, with me in 2027.
(No idea what Buxus the Norfolk Terrier saw when these photos were taken, as I began planting….)
The best way to learn is to do, to experience what it is like to prune shrubs and hedges. And the biggest difficulty I have in the teaching of this is finding a space and some plants that I am allowed to work on with students.
So being offered this space for free is a big bonus, because I can then invest in the plants (over £1,000 of plants are arriving this week, with some that had already been planted last week) and just as importantly invest in the people who want to learn, rather than spending money on just the land itself.
I have no idea if a Topiary Library will work. But I believe people want to learn topiary skills, so I am spending the year trying to share as much knowledge in as many ways as I can, in order to help people get a strong foundation in pruning and clipping.
Hence the book Modern Topiary, which can be read for free here as a PDF.
If you would like to learn to clip at the first Topiary Library in the UK, here in Whitby, contact me to let me know you are interested. Then I can update you with details when the plants are in, and grown!
Delivery After Dark – From the Makers of The Amelia Project
Last week I spent most nights stood in cold water streams on the moors of North Yorkshire, helping to film a new project called Delivery After Dark from the makers of the Amelia Project. I worked on the Amelia Project back at the end of 2024, lending my terrible vocal talents to a small part in the episode Didius Julianus. But this project is something new – and exciting! – and thankfully only needed me to be filmed, rather than to actually say anything. But not only did I have to stand in cold moving water at midnight, I also …
Modern Topiary (The Book) – Message From Lady Clippers, And Others!
My topiary book – Modern Topiary – has recently been put out as a PDF, which can be read for free. (Have a look here to download and read/share it!) Then last week I received a lovely email from Ann Perkowski of Lady Clippers, who are topiary and pruning specialists in New York (Ann is a brilliant pruning teacher too, who teaches at New York Botanical Garden… check out her work and Lady Clippers website.) Hi Darren, I had to write you how much I love reading your Modern Topiary. I’m not sure I’ll ever be quite done with it because I’m …
Why I Wrote The Book Modern Topiary
I have written this book, Modern Topiary, because I wanted a collation of useful information that would give people access to everything they need to know in order to start making topiary. Topiary is an amazing (and niche) line of work to follow – amazing because it offers up opportunities to travel all over the world, making gardens, meeting people… but also, the work is intensely physical, hands-on, yet requires creative thinking in order to solve the puzzle of how to make the shapes you want. This mixture of the craft and the art is what I love the most …