In 1711, Peter I gave his wife Catherine a piece of land located on the territory from the Moika River to the modern Italian Street, and from the Fontanka River to the modern Griboyedov Canal. The construction of the “Golden Chambers” – summer apartments for Catherine begins, a greenhouse is also being built, and a regular garden is laid out around.

A native of the city of Narva, Johann Jftman, who is often called Ivan Yakovlev in archival documents, is sent to arrange the garden. In 1704, Johann Iftman was hired by the Russian government as a gardener. At this time he was about 30 years old – the age when they became garden masters. In 1709, the craftsmen were transferred to the Summer Garden, before that he worked in the royal gardens of Moscow.

In 1709, Johann Iftman is the only foreign gardener in the Summer Garden, he begins work on its arrangement. Therefore, Johann Iftman can also be called the first foreign garden master of the Summer Garden. In 1710, other foreign gardeners appeared in the Summer Garden. These are Dutch gardeners Leonard Van Garnifelt and Jan Roosen, as well as French master Denis Brockett. Peter I checked the level of gardening masters at work in the Summer Garden. If the gardener showed himself to be a specialist, then he was assigned to other gardens. For example, Leonard Van Garnifelt was transferred to the arrangement of a garden in Peterhof in 1715.

In 1711, it was Johann Ifman who was directed to create a garden for Catherine, since he was the personal garden master of Peter’s wife. Ifman undertakes the construction of the garden with all diligence. And already in the 1720s, the Third Summer Garden became a full-fledged regular garden with rectangular bosquets, in which various fruit and berry crops were grown. In the southern part of the garden, vegetable gardens were created to provide the imperial court with fresh vegetables. In addition, fir and chestnuts were planted in the garden. At the beginning of the 18th century, these are rare plants in St. Petersburg. A greenhouse was built in the center of the garden, where exotic fruits and early vegetables were grown. All this can be seen on the plan attached to the publication.

Johann Iftman was skilled not only in growing plants in the open field, but also was an expert in greenhouse farming. In October 1728, from the greenhouses of the garden, he sent to Moscow (where the imperial court was at that moment) 4 clusters of grapes – 2 white, 2 red. He also grew pineapples in greenhouses.

In 1731, Johann Ifman was dismissed from public service due to his old age, and he was assigned a pension in the amount of half of his salary (a garden foreman received 340 rubles a year). At the end of 1740, the gardener died.

Johann Ifman worked in the Third Summer Garden for 20 years. He created this garden, planted the first trees and tended them. Even now, walking along the alleys of the Mikhailovsky Garden (it was created on the site of the Third Summer Garden), you can see the remains of the alleys of the early 18th century. And also the trees, which were planted by Johann Ifman, a garden master from Narva.

The publication uses materials from the book by Boris Makarov “Foreign garden masters of St. Petersburg”

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