Winner of the National Trust Outdoor Book of the Year
2011 The story of one man's unlikely quest to create out
of a mountainous Welsh landscape a garden fit for
inclusion in the prestigious Yellow Book -- the 'Gardens
of England and Wales Open for Charity' guide -- in just
one year. The son of two passionate gardeners, Antony
Woodward was born with chlorophyll running through his
veins. Unfortunately, growing up with Latin plant names
took its toll, and he was ingrained early on with a
profound loathing of both gardens and gardening. Buying
Tair-ffynnon, a derelict smallholding 1,300 feet up in
the Black Mountains of Wales, changed everything. Hooked
by its beauty -- when not buried in cloud -- Woodward
battles to meet the strict requirements of the famous
'Yellow Book' in this unlikely terrain. He finds himself
driven by apparently inexplicable compulsions: wood
chopping, hauling a 20-tonne railway carriage up a
mountain, even beekeeping. Soon, his voyage along the
rocky path to his own patch of paradise takes on a more
personal tenor as he unearths the deep roots linking
gardening and his childhood in this warm, funny and
unlikely memoir.Beautifully written and effortlessly
engaging, 'The Garden in the Clouds' is a compelling
read for anyone who has ever gardened -- or ever dreamt
of doing so. |
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