Seed to Dust: Life, Nature, and a Country Garden
by Marc Hamer
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For readers of Late Migrations and Vesper Flights From the acclaimed author of How to Catch a Mole, this meditative memoir explores the wisdom of plants, the joys of manual labor, and the natural cycle of growth and decay that runs through both the garden's life and our own. Marc Hamer has nurtured the same 12-acre garden in the Welsh countryside for over two decades. The garden is vast and intricate. It's rarely visited, and only Hamer knows of its secrets. But, it's not his garden. It show more belongs to his wealthy and elegant employer, Miss Cashmere. But, the garden does not really belong to her, either. As Hamer writes, "Like a book, a garden belongs to everyone who sees it." In Seed to Dust, Marc Hamer paints a beautiful portrait of the garden that "belongs to everyone." He describes a year in his life as a country gardener, with each chapter named for the month he's in. As he works, he muses on the unusual folklores of his beloved plants. He observes the creatures who scurry and hide from his blade or rake. And, he reflects on his own life: living homeless as a young man, his loving relationship with his wife and children, and-now-feeling the effects of old age on body and mind. As the seasons change, Hamer also reflects on the changes he has observed in Miss Cashmere's life from afar: the death of her husband and the departure of her children from the stately home where she now lives alone. At the book's end, Hamer's connection to Miss Cashmere changes shape, and new insights into relationships and the beauty and brutality of nature emerge. Just like all good books and gardens, Seed to Dust is filled with equal parts life and death, beauty and decay, and every reader will find something different to admire. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Part memoir, part philosophy, part gardening guide; Seed to Dust is one mans look at a garden over the course of one year. From the relative ease of the winter to the pandemonium of the spring - Marc Hamer ponders flowers, bugs, animal, weather, and many other things that are not just relegated to the garden. Marc works for a wealthy old widow and revels in working all the acres of her property. Gardens like hers are going by the wayside so Marc relishes every minute pruning, weeding, planting, and mowing for Miss Cashmere. He has the freedom to plant what he likes and create organized chaos in the dahlias or shrubbery. Marc is a Welsh gardener who knows how to wax poetic about nearly any aspect of the garden - even the tedious show more backbreaking things. Reading this book is like seeing a garden through your eyes for the first time. It's a wonderful experience. A must read for any gardener or nature lover! show less
Das Buch war Balsam für die Seele. Je weiter in dem Buch ich las, desto mehr hatte ich den Eindruck, dass auch der Autor lebenslang daran arbeitet, eine von ihm erwünschte Geisteshaltung zu kultivieren. Ich würde auch mehr als 5 Sterne geben. Nicht zuletzt, weil es selten Bücher gibt, in denen über 60jährige über das Leben reflektieren. Entweder sind es Menschen, die erzählen, dass sie sich mit 60 wie 40 fühlen, oder es sind Hochbetagte, die ein Resümee ziehen.
Apr 2, 2023German
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Science: Earth
109 works; 1 member
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4 Works 296 Members
Marc Hamer was born in the North of England and moved to Wales more than thirty years ago. He is also the author of Seed to Dust.
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- Genres
- Home & Garden, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Science & Nature, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 635.09429 — Applied science & technology Agriculture Garden crops (Horticulture) modified standard subdivisions History, geographic treatment, biography Europe England & Wales
- LCC
- SB455 .H3225 — Agriculture Horticulture. Plant propagation. Plant breeding Plant culture Gardens and gardening
- BISAC
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- 111
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- 292,905
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.63)
- Languages
- English, German
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- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 4





























































