Miscanthus Harvest

The elephant grass, our bio-crop, was harvested this week.  Here's the machine in action...

Once it has dried out a bit, it will be baled and sent off to be co-fired with coal to generate electricity.

St Georgeous day

What a stunning day St George's day was!

The sun shone warmly and the house wore its finest red and white flag, but you have to look closely to spot it.

Britannia oversaw proceedings, in her regal lichen cloak.

Ah, the sweet scent of summer

Cities have their benefits, for sure. I cannot be alone, though, in deriving great satisfaction from the first smell of clean country air on returning from London.

Last night as I got out of the car I was almost knocked over by the powerful scent of the vibernum carlesii, standing just a few feet away. A powerful honeyed scent that just screams  "Summer is icumen in".

Historic Replant Update

Today was a very important day for the gardens at Iford.  After much planning, deliberating, preparation and waiting (for the weather, mainly), the historic corrective replant has begun.

It is 45 years since Lanning Roper was asked to bring his experience to bear on Iford's gardens which were in need of significant work.  The brief was to produce a long-lasting planting scheme which could be easily maintained whilst providing colour through the summer months.  The legacy of Roper's successful work could be seen in many of the borders at Iford even in recent years.

But times move on and gardens change, as any living thing does.  What remain of Peto's earliest plants are now well over 100 years old.  The garden has evolved, as has the management, as these old forms (cherries in particular) succumb to old age and the planting schemes in the borders are therefore in need of a rethink.

New arrivals in the borders 

We approached Alison Jenkins with a view to redesigning the borders along the main terraces, and she has produced an exciting scheme which we will be implementing over the coming three years.  The key is to use plants which Peto would have had access to during his time here, or any modern form which is the equivalent thereof.  Where this isn't possible, the planting must be in keeping with Peto's critical ethos of balance.  What would he himself have chosen, were he in our shoes today?

“Old buildings or fragments of masonry carry one’s mind back to the past in a way that a garden of flowers only cannot do.  Gardens that are too stony are equally unsatisfactory; it is the combination of the two in just proportion which is the most satisfactory”

 X marks the spot
space is kept back for critical feature shrubs and plants

Over the winter the team has been preparing the borders, and whilst the cold weather has helped to sterilise the ground somewhat, it has held back our schedule for planting.  Today we got underway, and as the season progresses we will enjoy watching the borders as they evolve.

New Season begins!

Iford opens its doors to the public tomorrow, Easter Sunday, for the first time for 2013.

It has been a very challenging winter, and continues to be so, with frost damage to stonework, and some structural repairs to the entablatures of Peto’s colonnades along the terraces.  The old Ash tree by the road bridge had to be removed as it was potentially endangering the ancient structure.  Most sad of all was the ongoing loss of our cypress tress to the Seiridium disease.  The search continues for a cypress form which is resistant.

Right now, the major challenge is the delay of spring warmth.  As I write it is 4⁰C. outside.  This has put on hold any hope of fully ‘planting out’ the borders for the time being.  The challenge is exacerbated by the fact that for the first time in 45 years Iford has just begun an historic corrective replanting to bring the planting back into line with Peto’s ethos. 

This is a major project, and visitors to Iford will see significant changes over the coming three years to Iford’s plant-scape.  Right now there is a lot of visible (exposed) work in progress as we wait for the weather to allow us to fill many of the gaps created by clearing large areas of the main borders along the terraces.  On the plus side, this allows a rare glimpse into the underlying structure of a terraced garden.

Design work is being undertaken by Alison Jenkins and as the project develops, we will be sure to ‘ name-check’ other suppliers and experts who help us along the way.  This is a very exciting time horticulturally, but we really could do with the end of this cold spell so we can get some plants in the borders.

Happy Easter!

Spring alleges that it is around the corner; winter pushes back

It's all very pretty, and wonderfully optimistic that Spring is on the way... but with the snow falling outside, and temperatures accordingly low, it certainly doesn't feel quite appropriate seeing at all this blossom in the farmyard.

Come on Spring!

Getting stuffed for the Iford Arts 2013 season

The Iford community is so much about the people that support the various activities which go on in the valley.  Early January sees the printing of the annual Iford Arts festival brochure and that means it's time to stuff the envelopes and get it in the post for our Opera, Jazz and concert lovers to book their tickets.  If you aren't on the mailing list, get onto the Iford Arts website and take a look at the 2013 season.

www.ifordarts.co.uk