Thank you .. ‘Dirt du Jour’

for the glowing review! "Go ask Alice ... where all the best vineyard gardens are. She's an erudite charmer; you'll have fun!"
England

Lushly Romantic .. Peto Garden at Iford Manor

Iford Manor – Peto Garden Stairway  © Alice Joyce

An influential figure of the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain, architect Harold Peto lent his name and remarkable artistry to the garden at Iford Manor, near the city of Bath in Bradford on Avon, England.

Iford Garden Wisteria and Fountain © Alice Joyce

In Iford Manor’s idealized setting, Peto created a captivating landscape, now restored and open to the public. The potency of the Peto Garden is enticing, a place to wander delightedly amid terraces reminiscent of an Italian villa. To take in breathtaking vistas…..

Iford Manor Peto Garden Vista 

Iford Manor River God  © Alice Joyce

Working during the Edwardian period, Peto designed a garden steeped in a lush romanticism: a style that rings true despite nostalgic references. In leaving his mark upon the Wiltshire landscape, Peto forged a gateway to another  era, an oasis of great beauty.

Iford Manor Peto Garden Great Terrace © Alice Joyce

Magnificent hardscape elements harmonize with emerald green topiary; the garden’s terraces and buildings clothed in exuberant Spring-blooming Wisteria, Ceanothus and Choisya.

Iford: Stone Bench © Alice Joyce

   Topiary and Fountain © Alice Joyce

Peto furnished the landscape with arrays of stone statuary and bronze sculptures:The eye-catching ornamentation provides compelling counterpoints throughout the layout, from the arcadian Loggia to the Blue Pool, Casita to the Cloisters and Japanese Garden.

Iford Manor – Peto Garden Canal © Alice Joyce

 

Iford Manon Peto Garden Cloisters © Alice Joyce

Iford Manor – Peto Garden

Iford Manor draped in Wisteria © Alice Joyce

5 comments - (Comments are closed)   England   , , ,  
France

The Art of Marc Nucera, Tree Sculptor

Marc Nucera .. ‘Listening To Trees’

I first met tree sculptor, Marc Nucera during a 2004 visit to Provence. Our small group of garden devotees – led by Louisa Jones – toured one landscape after another, from an intimate cottage to sites with vistas of Mount Ventoux and sweeping estates. These sublime settings demonstrated the forefront of garden-making, taking in the art and design of Dominique Lafourcade, Ossart and Maurières, Michel Semini, Pascal Cribier, to name a few; along with land art by Alain David Idoux, and the renowned hilltop terraces of French gardening doyenne, Nicole de Vesian, both no longer living.

Marc Nucera’s ‘tree shaping’ emerges in many Provençal gardens, along with Nucera’s wood sculpture, and site specific installations. In 2010 Marc opened his atelier in Noves for an exhibition that ran through May. You may want to search the internet for a Nucera exhibition if you plan a sojourn in France.

The photo reveals the resonant form of Nucera’s work in the landscape: it can be breathtaking. Image is from a book published in 2009, I’ve only found it to be available on Amazon.fr.

A l’ecoute des arbres (Listening to Trees) Actes Sud, May, 2009
Marc Nucera/Anne Hauben text/Aline Dautresme photographs
4 comments - (Comments are closed)   France   , ,  
England

A Dutch Landscape in Gloucestershire .. Westbury Court Garden

Rescued by the National Trust in 1967, Westbury Court stands as a rare example of a formal Dutch water garden … dating to 1700s.

The most striking feature:  A reflective canal abetted by a T-shaped canal running parallel. Here, Neptune reigns.  (Alice Joyce photo)

Westbury Court - Canal Long View (Alice Joyce photo)

Westbury Court Gazebo Walled Garden (Alice Joyce photo)

Heirloom vegetables combine with espaliered fruits and fragrant flowering vines like honeysuckle, amid walkways lined with scented perennials adorning warm brickwork walls.

Westbury Court - Lonicera caprifolium (Alice Joyce photo)


Rich with history, the garden features a parterre garden – pictured in early Spring (Alice Joyce photo).

Westbury Box Spires and Artichokes (Alice Joyce photo)

A long narrow room with mixed planting beds, enclosed by hedges and flanked by box spires.

Westbury Court Ancient Oak (Alice Joyce photo)

Thought to be the oldest evergreen oak in England, this magnificent tree grows at Westbury Court Garden, stiriring thoughts of this uncommon landscape. Originating 300 years prior, Westbury Court is particularly uncommon for the very fact that it was not destroyed when the landscape style of Capability Brown dominated.

Westbury Court Garden Parterre in Spring (Alice Joyce photo)

3 comments - (Comments are closed)   England, Historic Gardens   ,  
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