THE MODERN MINT BLOG
If you want to waste time online… it is far too easy to do!
So we have chosen for you a number of posts worth reading online that will mean that, when you’ve finished, you won’t feel guilty about time lost. Because these are fabulous blogs. Not all are about gardening, but what they do have in common is a way of teaching you something, of taking you through an idea or a story that is worth hearing.
By spending time online with these ideas, you will give yourself something rich and deep to think about while you are head down weeding this spring.
Enjoy our five recommendations for online reading!
1) Whispering Giants by Sara Maitland
About wind farms an how to judge what is beautiful and what is not. So interesting as always from Sara Maitland, and the magazine it is published in – Aeon – is worth making a regular visit to.
2) The Farming Ladder by Michael Blanche
Brilliant thoughts into how to become a first generation farmer. Not easy, but exciting to see such creative thinking.
3) Farm Series photographs in Indie Farmer
Indie Farmer is another wonderful magazine, and this post talks about the work of photographer Rob MacInnis and how he managed to capture such funny and ridiculous images.
4) Career Advice by George Monbiot
Not one to hold back, here George Monbiot tells you to take the road less travelled – you might not earn much to begin with, but what a fun time you will have doing it. And what you learn along this odd road will pay for itself later on…
5) Outdoor Philosophy by Kate Rawles
Kate Rawles teaches about the environment. She wrote a book called the Carbon Cycle, where she cycled across the USA interviewing people she met along the way how they felt about climate change. You can imagine the responses there, yes?
Is that enough for now?
If you want more to read online we can offer you a few selections from our website… we loved making these interviews with interesting garden folk:
The Cycling Gardener of Liverpool.
And of course, you can always check out this years garden design trends:
Has that inspired you?
We do hope so. Now go get outside into the spring sunshine… rain… snow… whatever the weather holds, and get stuck into your garden jobs. The great stuff you can find online will always be there, but spring only comes once a year.
Happy gardening!
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 …
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 …
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. …