THE MODERN MINT BLOG
A fantastic programme on the BBC with Wendell Berry.
Listen now to this excellent programme: Wendell Berry, The Natural World
He discusses the importance of our soils, reads an incredibly depressing poem, asks that we create good work by taking responsibility for doing a ‘specific something’, and explains how, “we are living in an economy that doesn’t value nature whatsoever….”
Which ties us in nicely with this report on the BBC today, about the worst offending products on the market for being non-recyclable.
The ridiculous notion suggested in the report that we can place a projector in our fridges, to project an image of a brand of food onto the plain, environmentally friendlier packaging, makes us so mad. We love the Modern Mint branding, 3 simple circles, but there is no way we would want it projected onto a packet.
It is either there, or it isn’t. Who cares either way? The important part of your ‘brand’ is whether you turn up, have values that you uphold, be nice to people and keep promises.
The logo is nothing compared to what you do.
(Mini rant over.)
For more about how important our soils are, and how your garden can become a carbon sink, see this project for the Chelsea Fringe 2017.
The Amelia Project – Episode 88: Didius Julianus
Friends of mine write a sitcom podcast called The Amelia Project (I wrote about this years ago, when they started it….!) December 2024 I had some fun playing the tiny part of Fornio in episode 88 – Didius Julianus. I have not listened to the episode yet, as I am clearly not an actor… and the thought of listening to my dulcet tones for the few minutes I’m in it just… makes me feel ill. But the recording and being in the studio was great fun, the real actors were hilarious and the script is brilliant – not just funny, …
Waltham Place Topiary Workshop 2026
With the European Boxwood and Topiary Society, I run two workshops each year at Waltham Place, one of my favourite gardens. The next topiary workshop there will be on Friday September 4th 2026. Details and how to book yet to be announced, but get in touch with them now to get on the waiting list, as last year we had double the amount of people wanting a place than we had space for. The Waltham Place website is here – topiary workshop 2026. See the teaching page for how else I can help you with the topiary in your garden …
Box Hill – Novella by Adam Mars-Jones
I picked this book up back in 2020 because of the title – Box Hill – fabulous, I thought, a book about boxwood. I’ll peruse this for its respective thoughts on the plant I clip most when I make topiary. I didn’t read the blurb on the back. Didn’t know the author (although I knew the publisher, Fitzcarraldo Editions, as I love many of the essays they have published… so trusted the author would be worth spending time with.) By page 2 I realised this novel wasn’t quite what I had expected. I started the book at 10pm, after getting …