The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Rating:
Summary: Been there, done that and bought the book!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: An Uneven Account of a Romantic Ruin
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: An Uneven Account of a Romantic Ruin
Review: 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.