Seed to Dust: A Gardener's Story

by Marc Hamer

Any garden belongs to everyone who sees it – it is like a book and everybody who visits it will find different things.

Marc Hamer has designed and nurtured 12 acres of garden for over two decades. It is rarely visited so he is the only person who fully knows its secrets; but it is not his own. His relationship with the garden’s owner is both distant and curiously intimate, steeped in the mysterious connection which exists between two people who inhabit the same space in very different ways.

In this life-enhancing book Marc takes us month-by-month through his experiences both working in the garden and outside it, as the seasons’ changes bring new plants and wildlife to the fore and lead him to reflect on his past and future. Through his peaceful and meditative prose we learn about gardening folklore and wisdom, the joys of manual labour, his path from solitary homelessness to family contentment and the cycle of growth and decay that runs through both the garden’s life and our own.

Beautifully illustrated, Seed to Dust is a moving and restorative account of a life lived in harmony with nature.

You’ve seen gates like that at the side of the road, you’ve wondered what’s behind them. They really are the entrance to the wonders you imagined.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Memoir, Gardening, Biography, Audiobook, Environment

397 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2021

About the author

Marc writes about the natural world, the animals and plants, the wind and the rain, the rivers and lakes, the streets and towns and the people that live in these places. He was homeless for a number of years and spent his time sleeping outdoors in the countryside, under hedges, in woodlands and at the margins of fields, employed in a hundred different jobs, from cooking in a chicken shop to building drystone walls and catching moles. For many years he has worked as a gardener.

Through all this time he has asked the question, 'Why'? what is it all about, 'Why live?'. 'What is our true nature?' Marc writes about this in his recent book 'How to Catch a Mole - And Find Yourself in Nature'

Marc has written for many years, he is an old man and has with this book released his words into the wild.

Marc's work is published by the great literary publisher Harvill Secker / Vintage in the UK, Greystone Books in North America and the USA and a dozen or so publishers in Western and Eastern Europe.

Reviews

[Donna Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is honestly the most beautiful , endearing book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. This gentleman’s way with words is unique, there are times you read and have to stop and take a breath and think about the words . Marc’s knowledge of the world and the flowers and creatures that live in it are remarkable. It’s like a gardeners diary with his own personal life story but also gives you an education on how to look after some plants and also yourself . I feel lost now , I need to meet Marc in cafe for piece of Victoria Sponge and a cup of tea. To me he is a living legend , I will keep this book forever as one of my greatest treasures, I have also told people that I know will enjoy it to read it too. I won this book on Twitter and was thinking I hope I like it. Like it ? It’s life changing I’m bereft it’s over. Peggy is a lucky lady but I think she knows it 💚

Thank you Mr Hamer 🌱

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the past two decades, Marc Hamer has cared for a twelve-acre garden. It is not his, rather it is owned by a lady called Dorothy Cashmere who lives alone on this vast property. They have a strange relationship, they are formal and polite with each other and yet there is an intimacy there that comes from knowing each other for a long time and sharing this garden.

The book follows his work and musings about life and the universe seem through this garden. There are the mundane elements of gardening such as cutting the grass and deadheading, as it is about finding the joy in the way that the garden changes every single day. He sees beauty in all parts of the growing process, from the unfurling of a leaf in the spring, the hum of bees around a proliferation of flowers in the summer and the gentle decay of a dahlia flower in the autumn.

I wake to the applause of rain and wonder for a moment…

As he explains in the book, he has had a tough life has been a vagrant, homeless and had stood at the very edge of the abyss at times. That has all changed now and one of the things that come across in his writing is that he is immensely happy with his lot now. He has learnt from his life that he wants for little apart from his books and a dram of whisky on a regular basis.

This garden is my temple. I come here and expect to feed and taste the world. I make it lovely for the pleasure of it being so, for the labour that is good for my body and my mind.

Hamer’s writing has a wistful melancholy about it and it is often quite beautiful. It is basically a collection of essays, some less than a page and others that are much longer. The essays are loosely pulled together in some order, but there are some that don’t quite fit the month that he has grouped them into. The book also feels a bit like I imagine the gardens he creates, not formal, more arranged in a way that there is beauty in the disorder, surprises as he changes the subject depending on what he wants to write about at the time. It might not be for everyone, but I really like it.

[Jeanette]

No rating. Not at all what I expected. Love gardens and gardening. Not lyrical self-centered philosophy much. Not at all my cuppa.

I will profoundly live in the moment and not waste my hours.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a review, it's a love letter.

Marc Hamer hasn't had the easiest life. He lost his mother when he was young and his father wasn't who he needed him to be. He was homeless for a while when he was young, and then he worked at a railway, as a mole catcher, and as a gardener, before taking up writing. I don't know if he thinks of writing as a job. I feel he probably doesn't, or he wouldn't do it.

This book expands on his life as a gardener after How to Catch a Mole: And Find Yourself in Nature, and takes you with him through several days of each month for an entire year, from January to December. He also tells you about his life at home, with his wife Peggy. His love for her drips from the pages like sticky, sweet honey. But Hamer doesn't just tell you about what he does; he also tells you about what he's thinking, which is always nothing short of illuminating.

We all have ingrained thought patterns that we'd rather we didn't have. Things we may or may not believe, about ourselves and others, that aren't kind, or helpful. Hamer has become very good at being loving, and is able to recognise these thoughts when they're happening and letting them go. I think most of the people who can do that with the same ease are Buddhist monks. The insight he has into his own prejudices and the gentleness and compassion with which he handles them is something I'd like to be able to do too, someday. It takes practice. Rilke had his Angels, and Hamer has his flowers.

I have had a completely different life from Hamer, and through a different path, I've arrived to the same conclusions. Seeing some of my doubts and contradictions reflected in his experiences was immensely helpful. I cried several times reading this book: for the author, for some of the people in the book, and for the memories it brought back to me. I am grateful I was able to process my feelings in parallel to the book.

Other than poetry books, I feel this is the first time I have re-read a book while I was still reading it. I kept turning back and reading passages several times, underlining and adding sticky notes. My book is substantially thicker now than when I got it. I intend on re-reading it (and How to Catch a Mole) every year, maybe month by month, maybe when I feel like I need it. You know, in case of emergency.

There are a few questions I'd like to ask Marc Hamer, but above all, I think I'd like to seat beside him under a tree, drink hot tea from a thermos, eat an apple and some Cheddar, and quietly watch the sunset and listen to the birds.

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aug 9, 9am ~~ Review asap, after I go play in my garden.

Aug 11, 730pm ~~ Seed To Dust is the second of three books Marc Hamer wrote about his life. I have finished all three, I'm just a bit slow with my reviews for this one and Spring Rain, the third book. I have been trying to sort out what to say.

I liked this book for the garden moments, for the enjoyment the author got from working the soil and living in the moment as he worked. I also found myself identifying with MH because of his admitted preference for solitude, his social awkwardness (I too am terrible at small talk) and his keenness to live life according to Nature's rhythms.

Usually when I finish a book like this I wish I could hang out with the author and chat. I don't feel that way here, I don't think we would be able to manage much of a conversation. But I do think it would be fun to work in a garden with Mr. Hamer. To get our fingernails full of dirt and to stop every so often to watch ants or birds or just to look at a colorful flower. No words, just the companionship of another person who understands the allure of paying close attention to moments in a garden.

In my review for How To Catch A Mole I said I felt that the author was reluctant to speak too much about his past because maybe he was more interested in his present. In this book the past creeps in more and more, until I began to wonder if he was really as detached from his past as he repeatedly claimed to be. The third book sort of provided an answer to that question, but I should save any comments for that review, I guess.

Seed To Dust was more personal, more of an intimate visit, and less natural history than the book about catching moles. It was nice to spend time in Hamer's garden (even if it did 'belong' to the fascinating Miss Cashmere) and I certainly plan to read this again Someday.

And no, I was not playing in my own garden all this time from Aug 9 to the moment of writing this review. I simply got a bit lazy. lol

[Kimberlee (reading.wanderwoman) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In my imagination, this life has been a path with many, many forks, each one a choice to be made. Each unchosen route fading from view as it became the past, its destination unknowable. No destination is really known until you arrive, and then it becomes merely a point along the way -- a vague place rarely planned for, simply the start of another adventure. The only thing to do is be happy with the outcome, whatever it is. The path leads to the end, as all paths do."


I finished this wonderful book and recommend it to anyone who has an appreciation for nature, an open mind, and a true connection to the planet. It's part memoir, part poetry, part daily thoughts and musings, part gardening, part beauty, love, suffering, loss and acceptance.

Marc has a way of reminding us to live in the moment and that sometimes, a little extra time can open up a new thought process or new adventure or next chapter in life. Broken down into monthly sections and chapters within those sections, we're along for the adventure of a year long journey with Marc, through the garden of life.

I definitely got a little emotional at the end but above all his writing and musings bring me a sense of peace, calm and happiness.

[Alana (semi ia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beautiful and eloquent and makes me (a non-gardener) want to turn gardener. I haphazardly stumbled across this read, knowing nothing of it prior, yet decided to read it anyway, and my I am glad I did. Beautiful writing and a story the made me want to go out and connect with our world via gardening.

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This for me was the perfect book.

Hamer expertly manages to combine the love of gardening with a journal and memoir, whilst wrapping up the package in a staggering helping of self-awareness and self-reflection.

Hamer comes across like a zen Buddhist with his ability to analyse a situation, feeling or emotion, reflect on it, then let the moment pass and move on. His levels of patience in gardening are reflected in his observations on life in general. When he ruminates on his relationship with his wife Peggy, and Miss Cashmere, the owner of the garden he maintains; there is pure love and appreciation evident in the sentiment.

I like that Hamer is able to accept his flaws and acknowledge his mistakes and faults over the years, whilst actively trying to avoid being like his father's generation of "manly" men who labelled thinkers and sophists as "poofs" or "faggots". There is a genuine tenderness and sensitivity behind the gruff gardener's exterior.

This book just spoke to me on so many levels. I found it inspiring, humbling and soul-warming. I borrowed this from the library but am determined to buy a copy as this will definitely be a re-read.

Thank you Mr Hamer.

Re-read July 2023- I now have my own copy and savoured a re-read to bring me back to the earth and relieve a serious bout of anxiety. Remains a very special book.

[Carol]

I opened this one up in the book shop and immediately landed on a several-pages long description about the bodies of women, who the author apparently saw in a mining town when he was younger. Maybe I'll give it another try later on, but for now I have zero interest in reading a book from the type of gardener who feels like it's important to include his thoughts about the breasts and menstruations of random women.

[Tyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 81%.

I knew from the start I should have put it down, but I was ready (and very excited) for another Green Thoughts-esque book. This is nothing like Eleanor Perenyi's beloved book, so if you are expecting the same, run now.

The book is divided by the months of the year. It starts off with short, staccato sentences which remind me of poetry in its very worst form. There were so many sentence fragments too, and it was very hard to follow. As a fellow gardener, it should have been beautiful, but it was just annoying.

In mid-February, to my relief, but not staying true to a writing style, the book takes a 180 and actually starts reading like a book. However, there is never enough about gardening.

This is simply the author's musings on gardening but also life in general and his depressing past. Each chapter only briefly contains any information about it's title sake, usually at the very beginning or end of a chapter.

His relationship with Mrs. Cashmere is bizarre. Sometimes he speaks as though he despises or resents her and others, it's like he's secretly in love with her or something.

The book feels like it could have been written 100 years ago, so it is very odd when he talks about tweeting a photo of a dahlia or doing a Google search. It's just jarring compared with the rest of the way the book is written.

He feels the need to point out that he is a heathen more than most religious people mention their denomination. He's a self-righteous hypocrite. He's always talking about how everything should be natural and, if the garden were his, what he would do (or rather not do) with it. Why did he choose the profession of taming nature if he is against it?

Lastly, moles DO have a purpose, and frankly, I am surprised that he of all people would say they "just are". Like worms and other underground dwellers, they aerate the soil. They also eat grubs.

It was in the chapter titled "Molecatcher" that I finally was persuaded to put down this book. Hamer says, "That evening, the horror that Peggy and I will one day be parted creeps up on me intensely as I lie on my bed and read of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her love of the sea, which took her brother as its own, but I keep feeling to myself. Peggy and I would both be weeping if I were to say anything..."

It was here that I was reminded of my own mortality and questioned why I was wasting the precious little time I have on Earth reading this book.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this memoir by Marc Hamer about his job working in a twelve-acre garden for a somewhat mysterious lady simply known as Miss Cashmere. As someone who has worked with plants for years, I could picture the plants he talks about, understand the necessity of doing certain jobs at certain times and the importance of the weather. Although the garden is not his the sense of pride and love he has for it shines through as does the way that the routines, the repetitions and natural rhythms of the seasons, plants and birds are reassuring and comforting in a way.

In between the descriptions of and thoughts on the garden and nature generally he also writes about his childhood, the two years he spent living rough when he was kicked out of home, the different jobs he has done, his relationship with his wife and children and his own reading and writing. He acknowledges that although he has worked for Miss Cashmere for years he doesn’t really know her although you get the sense that there is a quiet understanding between them.

The writing is lyrical and meditative and this is a book to be savored slowly. I found it such a calm and relaxing read whether he is spending a busy, backbreaking Spring day in the garden or taking a rain day off sitting by the fire with whisky and a good book. There is so much wisdom and beauty in what he writes about whether it is a poem by T.S Eliot, his body’s aches and pains, the snow of cherry blossom on a wet street or quite literally the meaning of life. His advocation for a simple life and simple things, particularly as one gets older is something that very much resonates with me and although this probably isn’t a book for everyone, it was very much a book for me.

'There is a melancholy, a sadness to getting older; life changes and there is a clear knowledge that things that have never been will never be. But there is also a freedom that comes, responsibilities are lessened and there is space to be creative. Less is possible, but so is more; age is a knife that cuts both ways.'

'I just seek comfort, avoid discomfort, curl up in a warm spot and watch. I have become a cat and have reached the peak of my evolution.'

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 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!

[Kristina Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It took me almost a year to read it because I read a chapter before bed to help fall asleep. It is really relaxing and beautiful. The author is a really special soul and I love his outlook on the world.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series musings or observations about gardening, aging, family and relationships. This is not a book to read in one sitting but one to ponder and reflect upon. The chapters follow the seasons and months in the gardening calendar. The prose is stunning. It is not just descriptive but almost transcendental. The book is meditative like gardening can be for some, including me. His words calm and allow you to escape into his world. I can smell the roses, hear the bees buzzing and see the colours as the days go by tending to what I can only imagine was a beautiful garden. The style is mesmerizing.

It may not be for everyone but certainly one I enjoyed.

[Vincent Desjardins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seed to Dust: A Gardener’s Story is definitely not one of your great grandmother’s gardening books and it is also not just about gardens. Yes, it does talk about plants and what’s in bloom during various parts of the year, but it’s also about so much more. Divided into the months of a year, the book beautifully highlights the changing of the seasons and the rhythms of life that can be witnessed in a garden, but it’s also about finding your place in the world, accepting the hand you’ve been dealt in life, living in the moment and making peace with growing older. The book is filled with beautiful observations on being alive, coming to terms with our mortality and our relationships to the natural world. The author Marc Hamer is just a few years younger than I am but he is years ahead of me in the wisdom he seems to have accumulated in his sixty-odd years. This is a book I knew nothing about before I picked it up on impulse from my library’s New Arrivals section, but it’s one I’ve already decided I will purchase at some point. There are so many passages in this book that resonated with me, that this morning, I spent an hour adding some of them to my favorite Quotes here on Goodreads. This is a lovely book and one I know I will be reading again and recommending to friends.

[Sylvia Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What beautiful writing! I loved the way the author gardens, inclusively, with room for everyone, even slugs. I loved his concept of the Earth dreaming us and breathing us in and out. The book is thought-provoking and honest. I'm so glad that I've read it.

[Stephanie Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamer has penned his second memoir following How to Catch a Mole which I loved. This lovely reminisce of his life, philosophy and his work as a gardener makes me yearn for the outdoors and wish that I had his skill. He artfully blends his love of the garden with his thoughts about life in a twelve month period and shares with the reader how the flowers and plants come and go in their time. Thought provoking! A lovely read.

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book demanded that I read it slowly, just like gardening, not to be rushed. Hamer shares so much information about nature and his approach to it and also, his own journey. I am a gardener but this book makes me want to slow down even more and take time to really see what is happening. How many slugs have I passed by?

[Karen Kelliher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe it's due to the personal "season" of my life, mixed with a little pandemic, but I realize I've never dog-eared a book as much as this one. The language and deep observations just resonated with this avid gardener. Loved it - putting it BACK on shelf for some future time instead of letting it leave the house.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book. Marc's way with words paints a beautiful picture of a hard life, lived. He is a reminder to the reader to slow down a while & live life at his pace. He is more than "just a gardener".

A pleasure to dwell in the beauty of everything & nothing. A joy I hope to return to in the future.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beautifully written, something more than a book about gardens or gardening but about mythology, herbology and psychology.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Marc Hamer's 2nd book, the first being "How to Catch a Mole". As much as I liked reading ".....a Mole", I was not prepared for how much I enjoyed "Seed to Dust". I swear that my heart rate and breathing slowed a bit. I felt so relaxed by the time I was a couple of pages in.
This book is Mr. Hamer's telling of his life working in the garden of Miss Cashmere. This was his name for an elderly widow who had 12 acres of land that he was able to work and nurture. His relationship with his employer is quiet and honest. Here is I thing that he is focusing on his settled life. He'll never forget or totally leave behind his wandering and hard days. Now he has a wife, children (grown at the time of writing) and a solid existence. However, having read "How to Catch a Mole" I appreciate that he's moved on and has written the next chapters of his life.
Each chapter begins with a specific task in the garden. I think what I liked about that was how Mr. Hamer described the task then moved on to include his thoughts about the work, what he felt and thought while doing it and in general just letting me tag along while his mind wandered.
I love that his favourite plant is the dandelion. I've often mentioned that they're so prolific and pretty that we should stop trying to get rid of them (probably won't happen in my lifetime) and just adopt them as our provincial flower.

I encourage you to read "Seed to Dust". Honestly, I don't think that you need to read "How to Catch a Mole" first, but it wouldn't hurt. I was able to get both of these books from the Edmonton Public Library. Many thanks to whoever decided that they should be in the catalogue!

[Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, loss, kindness, empathy and mindfulness through the changing seasons.

Beautifully written, gentle, down to earth, poetical and mindful.
A lovely meander through the authors garden and mind. I thought I would enjoy the nature musings the most (which are amazing and fully immersive), but the parts that struck a chord the most were about being an outsider, social awkwardness, going against social conditioning and his take on toxic masculinity.
Borrowed the ebook via the library but is now added to my must buy a copy list as there are passages I would re-read and as a whole it can be dipped into as and when needed (reading as medicine).

Trigger warnings
There are some uncomfortable sections but written beautifully and honestly, the two subjects that stood out to me were -
Suicide does feature written about both matter of fact and poetical.
A fair bit of alcohol is drunk, again described enticingly.

Don’t let that put you off just be aware that it is not all sweetness and light, it is achingly human.

Be a flower.

Now to read the mole book.

[Book busy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely second book of Hamer's. I was very glad to be reintroduced to his homely and wistful writing style once again. This book was very tranquil and a nice thing to pick up when I wanted to just feel at one with nature. I enjoy hearing of the life of Hamer as it seems quite the rich existence; I feel I have a lot to learn from his outlook on life and nature as it is one which I consider to be healing and experienced. I would recommend this for anyone searching for something calmer to read compared to the high-fantasy romps and thrillers that seem the most popular at the moment.

[Tressa Rauh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a lovely and insightful book that forced me to slow down and read more reflectively. It is full of observations on life, the natural world, and Miss Cashmere's garden. I felt compelled to look up many of the plant references which helped me to bring the garden to life in my imagination.

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf .. was so looking forward to this book being a gardener myself but I was sadly disappointed.
Found the style of writing hard work and unengaging, not the beautiful emersion story I was expecting .
Gave up pretty quickly as wasn't enjoyable or relaxing for me . Thankfully I didn't purchase this and loaned it from a library.

[Mary Elizabeth Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you think gardening isn't for you, this book will teach you about the beauty of growth and death in such a wonderful way.

[Stan Georgiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy and comforting

[Andrew Westle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart feels full after this book! So many things that resonate with me. Both my parents are gardeners and I spent my whole childhood in the garden. My biggest idle was no pop star or sports hero, but instead Peter Cundall, the host of Gardening Australia.

The book charts the season, with musings about life. The intersections of class and notions of ownership were fascinating to me. It exposed so much to me in the difference between how my parents where respected and part of the families of the people they work for, and the way working class people are positioned differently in the UK.

I think this is a book for everyone, you don’t need to be a gardener to relate, it’s filled with empathy, hope and a reminder to live in the moment. It’s beautiful written by a fellow dyslexic.