THE MODERN MINT BLOG
In May please do join me at The Madoo Conservancy in The Hamptons, New York.
It is the garden of the late painter Robert Dash, and I will be teaching a couple of workshops there on Modern Topiary.
If you are in New York in May, or know someone who would love to learn, take a look at available tickets.
If Madoo and New York are, you know, a tad too far, then I will also be sharing topiary techniques via Zoom on Thursday 12th May. The joy of Zoom meaning you can join me in the garden from wherever you happen to be in the world.
This Zoom seminar takes place on World Topiary Day… significant, yes?
See ticket availability for the Zoom workshop from Madoo.
The garden, designed and cultivated by Robert Dash and now overseen by Alejandro Saralegui, is renowned for having English bones, American flesh.
For more about my topiary work, or how I teach, take a look around the website…
Or book that ticket to Madoo?
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 …