More than One Iota

If you consider the garden as another room, then you will want to keep it as tidy as any other. Truth might be messy, but neatness rejoices the eye. We must have order in the garden.

We must have order in the garden

You have the standard approaches to keeping a garden tidy: expelling univited weeds, brushing paths, pruning and deadheading. Design can help too. We know that good hedges make good neighbours, but they also serve as walls for your garden 'room'.

You cannot imagine what my emotions were behind the yew-hedge, ...

Once your green walls are erected, one can bring in the furniture. Well considered positioning of pots and planters can help to partition spaces. For pots and planters Iota of Somerset have some mightily impressive solutions. The examples at the top and below are lead-clad steel planters commissioned for the Rosewood Hotel in High Holborn, London.

Not scary modern

The Rosewood is a Grade II listed building that was the former headquarters of Pearl Assurance. The interior of the hotel is described as 'historically modern' (not scary modern). I think you will like it.

Scarfes Bar comes much recommended. The bar is named after the artist and illustrator Gerald Scarfe and has the ambience of the drawing room of a country house or gentlemen's club. As you swirl your brandy, you can browse over a thousand antique books. Remember to switch your mobile phone off in there. Just not done, old boy. Besides, Major Smith is snoozing in the corner. We don't want to disturb him.

Iota's huge pots look fantastic outside the hotel.

Iota can also make bespoke commissions in copper, brass or zinc, though I believe traditional lead would be your first choice. Because Iota creates the lead planters over a steel structure, they are stronger and lighter than solid lead planters, which is just as well given the bloody size of some of them.

People shepherding

From Iota's previous commissions, it's nice to see that some councils are getting the message that street furniture doesn't need to be ill-considered and ugly. As well as softening a hard-landscaped area, planters can also perform a security and people shepherding role as well as any barrier. With careful placement of one or two large Iota planters containing bay tree lollipops (or spirals), any would-be hostile would need to think twice about launching a vehicular assault on Tweed Towers.