Monday 30 May 2011

A sunlit evening

After a Bank Holiday of miserable drizzle, the sun came out around 6pm.  Iford has a habit of doing this after rainy days; we're not quite sure why (and frankly we don't really mind either), but we're very grateful for the charming evenings especially when the opera is on.  Not that we're promising good weather or anything - to do so really would be one step beyond delusional.
This evening, however, a walk round the kitchen garden was called for, ostensibly to check up on how the fruit trees and 'painted meadow' area were getting on.  Although armed with only a 'happy-snappy' camera, the evening yielded some romantic images thanks to the warm evening sun.
The kitchen garden is not ordinarily open to the public, however coach groups may be able to visit the garden out of hours by prior arrangement as a part of a visit to Iford.  We have always encouraged groups, especially those with a strong interest in plants or design, to come out of hours because we can offer exclusive use of the garden, ensuring no-one gets in the way of the photographs.
 Above: a rose on the gatehouse wall (can you spot what variety it is, anyone?);
Below: fantin latour with its old-world looks and gorgeous scent in the kitchen garden.

Above: another rose the name of which we don't know (help, anyone?)
Below: this rather charming dog rose was given to my grandmother (pre-1988 therefore) by a gardener who had tended a garden in Rode, a nearby village, for many years.  He was so distraught that this garden was to be obliterated by development, that he passed around many of the plants to save them.  This is one such:

Above: the painted meadow, still something of a blank green canvas, awaits the flowering of the wildflowers and "weeds".  Weeds are, after all, only perfectly good plants in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Below: Valerian adorns the road wall.

Above: A 'greater-crested, fan-tailed Iford turkey' in topiary, and it's accompanying 'twizzler'
Below: the kitchen garden path glows

Saturday 21 May 2011

A visit from Songways


With increasing popularity (nearly fifty attendees this year), we were delighted to welcome another Songways Singing Day to Iford on 18th May, led by Jane Harris,

Songways runs community choirs in Bath and Trowbridge, promoting singing for the sake of singing within a a wonderful community which brings great joy to the participants.  Beginners are especially welcome, but they have experienced singers involved as well.  To learn more, or to join, visit www.songways.co.uk

We look forward to seeing them next year.

Sunday 1 May 2011

Colour blind...

It is not uncommon for us to be asked how, as an essentially evergreen, structural garden with limited manpower, we manage to keep the garden colourful and interesting throughout the season.  Well, it's a tricky one.  We're not a rose garden particularly, our borders cannot benefit from "cottage colour", and we restrict ourselves where possible in our planting to historic forms which would have been available in Peto's time (i.e. pre-1933).

The key to the challenge is, of course, pots, just as it is in Mediterranean gardens.  Lots of pots, in fact, and strategically placed.  As the season goes on, I will write a post following Robert, gardener in charge, as he puts together these pots, tubs, basins and hanging baskets for the changing seasons.  The plants themselves have to come from somewhere, though, and having had a very warm March and April, and with almost everything flowering simultaneously, there is an even more pressing need for pottable pelargoniums, fuscias,  geraniums etc. to be brought on ready for later.  And here are some of them in the greenhouse:


Garden Update 1 May 2011

Well, we're all having a cup of tea at Iford with our feet up for an hour after a busy day in the garden and washing up in the tearoom.  It is always lovely to see people enjoying the garden and socialising over a scone!  Indeed, what better way to spend the afternoon, I ask?
With good weather, sunshine indeed, forecast for Bank Holiday Monday afternoon (open 2 - 5pm; tearoom from 2.30), I thought it might be useful to put up some photographs of the garden this evening, so that anyone waiting for a particular moment to make their move and visit can see what's out and what's not (as at 7pm today):
The casita garden and its wisteria are just coming into their own in May:



Other parts of the garden are also floribund:



And the mysterious oriental garden's irises are in bud, whilst the japanese cherry (image at top of post) glows in the sunlight: