Customer Reviews

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We all have a fascination with man-made works that lie in ruins. Rose Macauley wrote an entire book on "The Pleasure of Ruins." Think of the ruins of the Acropolis, all that white marble bleaching in the Athenian sun. But then, think of the Acropolis as it was when it was built-- its many statues covered with what we would consider gaudy paint. Which does the modern eye prefer? Somehow, the romance of ruins wins out, and it is the ruin of Heligan that seduces us rather than its restoration. Restoring the lost gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall, has been Tim Smit's enviable job for the past decade. Heligan "fell asleep" after WWI, when much of its gardening workforce was drafted to fight. Smit is at his best when he describes the eerie atmosphere of the overgrown gardens under their canopy of self-seeded trees. Ghosts haunted the gardens, spreading a creepy air, and Smit relates how he had to call in a vicar to exorcise them. Smit's account lags, though, in the many paragraphs devoted to the nitty gritty of dealing with camera crews, staffing the ticket booth and applying for various grants. Unfortunately, Smit's earnest writing would have greatly benefited from collaboration with a professional writer. While this book describes a wondrous project, Smit's writing is often tedious. Personalities don't quite emerge as clearly as certain plants do. Still, I'd recommend this book to any serious gardener. The book is nicely illustrated with many color photographs that evoke the romantic atmosphere of the ruins as well as show the beautifully-restored, productive gardens of today.

For anyone even remotely interested in gardens this is the book for you. A totally absorbing chronicle of the restoration of a unique Victorian garden in Cornwall, Great Britain. To think I once lived only 10 miles from it and never knew of its existence makes me want to make a return visit to Cornwall to see this magnificent restoration.

You will love this if you are interested in gardening. Especially old gardening tools which are a favorite of mine.

I bought the book at Heligan. After reading it I found I wanted to go back and see it all again (not that easy as I live in Sweden). Found the story of the discoveries and the restoration fascinating, moving and descriptive. I just loved it. Should be read before you visit the gardens.

A story of patience, perseverence and love of all things that grow, which any gardener would love to read. Generations to come will enjoy the fruits of these gardener's labours. I have bought this book for a friend, as my own is always at hand.

Tim Smit has made a very considerable contribution to the revitalisation of English Gardens and Ecology. The first of his two books 'the Lost Gardens of Heligan' is really vibrant reading, and an insight into how he goes about doing what he does. It needs to be read as a precursor to his second book 'Eden', about the development of the Eden Project, and how that grew out of his work at Heligan.

Robert Morris-Nunn

If you've visited Heligan, you'll want to read more about the details of how this Victorian garden - abandoned after all the workers went to WWI and never came back - was found, restored, and opened to the public.
If you haven't yet visited Heligan, you'll want to, after reading this book. Nothing is more romantic than finding a lost garden, and Tim Smit relates the story of finding the garden, the work involved in restoring it, and the fun and stress of getting it open to the public. I bought this book at Heligan, and my day visiting there was memorable. Reading the book helped make my memories even better.

This is not an actual review of LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN. I would like to purchase the hard back version. NOT THE SOFT BACK... I see Amazon only has the soft back. I have the book here from my local library which is hard back and that is what I want to purchase. I have checked the major book stores in Los Angeles but can't find anyone that can order it for me. I really enjoyed reading about this magnificent gardens that the two men rescued. I plan on visiting the garden the next time I am in Cornwall.