THE MODERN MINT BLOG
I saw this a few months back.
Not exactly sure I know what to feel about it:
- Cutting during the growing season when birds and other wildlife are nesting.
- Having to do this each year, with the high carbon footprint attached to it, when it may be less environmentally damaging to cut down the trees close to the cables and replant more in a better, more open space?
- And then of course, there is the use of a freaking helicopter with a freaking rotating blade on a freaking swinging cable being arced around next to live POWER LINES!!!!!!!
I guess you either glory in man’s (and I would put money on it being a man that thought to do this) ability to conquer nature with machines.
Or you marvel at the quality of the flying and care taken by the pilot, whilst wondering if it is no more than finding a solution to a problem that could be designed away before the helicopter and the saw are even needed?
My instinct is to look closer at the latter.
For more on my topiary and pruning work, made far more gently with shears and secateurs, visit The Artisans series in the Guardian.
Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue
With Chris Poole of the European Boxwood and Topiary Society we visited Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue in Rutland. Do you know it? Amazing place! Chris and I were teaching a topiary workshop in order to give local people the skills and technique, and tenacity! to help with the pruning of the avenue and elevate it to something even more special than it already is. Read more about the workshops here. We hope to run a further workshop in September 2026, as well as teach an advanced course too. Check the teaching page through the year as it will be updated …
Aesthetic Pruners Association – New Talk In December
An organisation I love and have been learning lots from in the last two years is the Aesthetic Pruners Association based in the USA. Sharing knowledge with them about clipping and the overlap – and differences! – in style is something worth exploring, so I recommend a visit to their website and to join onto their events and talks, which are all on Zoom meaning you can access them from anywhere in the world. No excuse not to learn! The next event will be led by Jocelyn Cohen and be about ancient trees in the British Landscape. This is such …
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, …