An Ecology of Enchantment: A Year in the Life of a Garden

by Des Kennedy

For the past 36 years, Des Kennedy and his family have lived largely outside their hand-built house in intimate contact with the Earth — its creatures, its changing seasons, and its weather patterns. In this charming book’s 52 chapters, Kennedy brings readers deep into his garden, week by week, from winter’s dormancy to summer’s splendor. With his trademark self-effacing humor, the author captures the essence of the gardening experience, exploring his triumphs, failures, mishaps, and occasional magic. Undaunted by setbacks and lusting for the perfect garden, Kennedy takes readers with him on a gardening journey rich with insights and adventures. The effects of devastating snow storms; the slow-food cuisine of rutabagas, parsnips, and carrots; the gardener's inalienable right to dress in rags; the outlandish behaviour and florid oratory induced by flowering poppies — these and scores of other topics meander through the book's gardening year alternately informing, inspiring, and amusing.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Humor, Autobiography

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Zuska · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read this book I reviewed it on my blog and said
"Gardening is not for the faint of heart. A gardener needs sources of encouragement and, dare I say, comic relief. That you will find in Des Kennedy's [book]...a series of weekly meditations disguised as a gardening book."
I get something different out of it every time I read it.
The garden, Kennedy claims, is not a place where we seek the divine; it IS the divine.
You may look at your garden, seeing only the problems - the rampant weeds, the blights and diseases, the plants that will not grow as they should, the plants that grow out of all control - and think, not my garden. But read this book. You will laugh out loud at all of these travails and more. And you will see, the garden is the divine.

[Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely and amusing look at "A Year in the Life of a Garden". Its weekly format and chapter headings are clever and hint at the topic of discussion. For example: MAY is "Lusty Tumescences, Beneath Blowzy Clouds, Seedling Dissension, At the Stake, and Flights of Fancy". I was looking forward to reading about August since that is when I read this book and wasn't disappointed. This week is called "The Devil Finds Work" and begins: "By the time August waddles onto the stage like a wheezing, sweaty Falstaff, most gardeners have begun to entertain anew the delusion that any day now they will enter, as though by wizardry, into a blissful state of refined and languid leisure."

[Oggie Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though I'm a very casual urban gardener. It's hard not to enjoy the lush wit, self-effacing humor, and deeply heart-felt sentiments and insights of Des Kennedy. At first, I thought it was like a gardening book done in the tradition of Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence" but after just a few pages, I was gladly proven wrong. To borrow Des' words, "For the nchantments of the journey, the chance to live in touch with the earth, to find ourselves within its seasonal turnings - for these, we pause and give thanks." If I may add, for this wonderful and insightful book, I pause and give profuse thanks.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book although to be honest it was somewhat different than I had expected. And yet in saying that I can also say that I was not disappointed. His literary journey over the course of a year in his garden unfolded on each page in a fascinating exchange of tales and observations. Each chapter held particular interest in the ways that each month of the year does the same, but now in the context of the garden. I am not a gardener to the level that Mr. Kennedy is but can dream to be and it is wonderful to read his experience. His wit that courses though the book made me smile and sometimes even laugh out loud. Well done!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of short and funny essays about the year of life in a garden on Quadra Island. The author covers the quirks and obsessions of gardeners as well as the victories and defeats of this time among the plants.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories and facts on plants and the life cycle of a garden.