THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Walk in the Woods
During the month of May the Tree Council are promoting ‘Walk in the Woods’ – encouraging people to go out and enjoy trees and woodlands across the UK (you have the time to do this too… remember, there is a bank holiday on Monday!)
The Tree Council are a great charity and Modern Mint are proud to support them. Director Darren Lerigo is even a tree warden for St Andrew’s ward in Chelmsford!
“We have such a diverse treescape in the UK but we don’t always appreciate how fortunate we are” said Pauline Buchanan Black, Director-General of The Tree Council.
So see for yourself the difference trees make – put your walking shoes on in May and go for a walk in the woods.
More about Trees…
The Secret Life of Trees: How They Live and Why They Matter (Penguin Press Science)
Transforming Topiary
Transforming Topiary – a video made for the European Boxwood And Topiary Society by Charlotte Molesworth and I, in her garden. We take a dog topiary and work out how to update it, turning it into a bird. Worth a watch I think, and hopefully useful to you! You can see more of my clipping on the topiary page. Or read my Spring 2021 Topiary Provocation here.
Phillyrea From 1682
Phillyrea is one of my favourite plants for topiary. I have been using it for quite a few years as a specimen shrub, mostly due to the fact it clips well and has a tough habit – all good characteristics for a topiary plant. It also has a reputation for being an excellent nectar source for bees… Read more about Phillyrea here. Mentioning this to Malcolm Thicke, a market garden historian and writer, he sent me a some photos of topiary and phillyrea mentioned by John Worlidge in Systema Horticulturae from 1682…. incredible! He also mentioned to me that in …
Kites And Strings Podcast – Topiary In The Garden
Kites and Strings is a podcast about creativity, hosted by US-based Stephen Ploum and Catherine Chinnock. Back in March they asked me to come onto their podcast and talk about topiary, my past writing plays, the stand-up I did and how creativity can fit into your life. The Kites and Strings podcast was great fun and Stephen and Catherine are fantastic hosts. Listening back today I am surprised by some of the ideas I talked about (somehow I even started to describe a future where I run a ‘School of Creativity’ by the sea…. where did that come from?!) but it …