Harold Peto returns to Iford

We unveiled a new statue of Harold Peto last weekend by Wiltshire-based wire sculptor Derek Kinzett (pictured), to celebrate the mastermind behind Iford’s inspirational gardens.

Peto, as regular readers will know, was one of England’s foremost Edwardian garden designers.  He lived at Iford from 1899 to his death in 1933.  During this time, he developed the terraces and buildings behind the house into an eclectic, Italianate garden, characterised by colonnades, pools and rural views.

But it wasn't only the garden which he influenced heavily.  

Adapting the character of the valley to give a more Italianate feel, the altered the façade of the house, placed the statue of Britannia on the mediaeval bridge and changed elements of the other buildings in the yard to romanticise the hamlet.  His greatest work at Iford was undoubtedly his Cloister, and this year it celebrated its 100th Birthday.

Present at the celebratory lunch were members of the team who have spent decades curating and restoring the garden at Iford.  Gardens are the sum of many parts, but the skill of those that work with the plants and structural fabric is a cornerstone to their successful restoration and maintenance.  

The sun emerged from the rain-clouds just as the ghostly statue was unveiled.  Mr Peto had returned for the first time since his death in 1933, and he provided sunshine too for the occasion.

The sculpture is based on a photograph from 1904 (held by JH in the above photo) showing Mr Peto reading some papers while sat on the half-round seat of Iford’s great terrace.  Somehow we felt it was only natural that Harold would still be sitting there now if he could, keeping an eye on us as we maintain his garden – and Derek has created an uncanny likeness.  Here's the statue sitting where Harold was in the photo:

The gardens are undergoing a five-year historic replanting and restoration programme, the first major re-plant in decades.  By the end of the process, flower borders will have been redesigned, Peto’s rose garden will have been restored, and structural elements will have been repaired.  

The roses on Peto's papers in the top photograph are the first blooms from the newly planted historic forms: Paul Transon (pink, from 1900) and the Noisette Claire Jacquier (from 1888).

We hope Harold would raise a wry smile, at least.

A busy day, planting, casting and mowing

A hive of activity today helped by the warm dry weather.

On the back terraces, Joff and Shane have been casting the concrete foundations for the posts which will hold up the second run of Peto's climbers for our historic reconstruction of his rose garden.  

Rose expert Robert Mattock of www.RobertMattockRoses.com has managed to track down old forms of roses that Peto would have used, based on the the metal plant labels which we have dug up in the borders over the years.  Planting should be taking place at the end of the month - so watch this space (phase 1 on left, below, with phase 2 on next terrace up, to the right)

Rob has been laying down some very smart lines (above, and below) with the mower in the first big cut of the season. The smell is glorious, and the results speak for themselves:

And Shane has also planted out two venerable, old rosemary plants, one garden form (left) and one wild form (right).

It is a challenge to know what to do when a structural element is forcibly taken away from the garden.  The design must adapt for sure, but there are a lot of considerations.  The rockery here has been built following the demise in the winter storms of one of four lime trees, and whilst we wait to see whether there is any residual disease, or other factors, the rockery is a good 'for the time being' solution.

The surrounding wild flowers will fill in the bare patch above the rockery.

Rose Garden update

As part of the historic replanting scheme that we are undertaking, Peto's rose garden is being recreated behind the house on the terraces leading to the Spanish patio garden.  Completely new beds  had to be constructed.

 To build strength into the design, and to ensure that the wall below is solid for the next century, we designed concrete plinths and ties to underpin the wooden colonnade support the pillar roses.

Sterilised soil mixed with old horse manure was brought in - something like 10 tonnes in total.

  

Here are the beautiful oak posts before insertion:

 

And here they are in place:

Historic Rose Border construction underway

Last time we discussed the terrace area, but an important part of the Iford replant is the border behind the manor where Peto had originally intended a Rose garden.  Working with Robert Mattock we have designed a scheme which will bring some wonderful older forms of roses back to the garden at Iford.  These will run along the left (and in time, the right) of the lawn below.

As the cypress trees have suffered on the terraces (the last one shown in the photo above has now died and been removed, sadly), a rose garden will bring renewed interest to this corner of the garden and help to lead the eye through to the patio garden beyond.

A large laurel is removed from the corner of the patio garden.  It had grown well beyond its appropriate size and was starting to damage the wall below. 

A lot of ground work has to be done because we are on a rather 'mobile' hillside - clay layers within the ground mean that the ground slips slowly and inexorably toward the river - not good for structural walls!

 Hence, these concrete plinths which will form the fixings for the uprights up which the roses will grow.

Keep watching for more updates!

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