THE MODERN MINT BLOG

Mar15

Topiary Provocation For Garden Designers

I am running a ‘Topiary Provocation’ for garden designers, via Zoom, over the next few weeks.

organic topiary snow

Dates are:

Tuesday 23rd March, 10am

Wednesday 24th March 7.30pm

Thursday 8th April, 7.30pm

The ‘provocation’ is for garden designers anywhere in the world, is free to join and will last about 45 minutes.

Places are limited to 12 per session, as I want to make sure we can share ideas about topiary and how it can be used (and managed) in a modern garden – especially if skill level and maintenance time is low.

I hope that I can provoke a discussion around ‘green architecture’ and the role it plays, whether in capturing carbon, providing havens for wildlife, adding a skeleton to a garden or contrasting weight to the lighter texture of flowers.

I also want to know if there is a trend or leaning towards certain shapes, and what shapes and designs we can begin using in the future.

Finally, we will look at maintenance and the effect of pests and diseases on topiary, especially boxwood…

The ‘provocation’ should offer up exciting ideas for the use of topiary in modern gardens, and if you are a garden designer then please do book your spot on one of the dates – and I look forward to meeting you.

Darren, Topiary Artist (see some of my work here…)

Book A Free Ticket Here

Jan28

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 …

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Nov01

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 …

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Apr16

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. …

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