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!
Article In Topiarius Magazine
I recently wrote a piece for Topiarius magazine, the flagship publication of the European Boxwood & Topiary Society – of which Modern Mint is both a member and big supporter. Check out the EBTS here. They frequently run courses and talks too, so worth keeping an eye on. Below is the piece I wrote about the tools I use when making topiary and pruning trees…. Darren’s Piece In Topiarius Magazine I use Okatsune Secateurs, which I started pruning with when working on a large orchard in Hampshire. My Felco’s were too difficult to open with cold hands, but the chunky …
Art In A Topiary Garden
Just inc are you are free in the following dates in June, you can visit my mentor Charlotte Molesworth’s topiary garden… Check out the dates the garden is open here. And you can of course join both Charlotte and I for a topiary workshop in the garden in July, as well as September. Hope to see you there!
Nunki Weeder In The Newspaper
The Nunki weeder has been talked about by Jane Perrone in the newspaper (the Guardian, if you are interested. At the weekend.) She said this about our lovely weeding tool… “Getting on top of annual weeds such as hairy bittercress and speedwell can be tedious. The Nunki weeder has a curved blade that allows for precision work around plants….” There you go – a weeder for precision work, not an avocado destoner as someone once said to me. Take a closer look at the Nunki weeder now.