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

The book captures the seasonal rhythms of his remarkable natural garden on BC's beautiful Denman Island. The 52 sections follow the seasonal cycle week by week, beginning in winter dormancy, awakening to new life in spring, swelling into the lushness of summer, then gradually declining into melancholy, mold, and memories with the season of dying-away. Des despairs about broken trees and shrubs damaged by a massive snowstorm, then immediately discovers a silver lining, using the storm as a convenient cover-up for years of inadequate tree pruning. "A killer snowstorm every once in a while is a real boon to bad pruners", he enthuses. He talks about enjoying the stoneworks in his garden and his own "romance with the stone". "It's no mystery to veteran stone croppers how the great pyramids were put together, or Stonehenge, or all the rest, not with several thousand dullards like myself all juiced on testosterone for the moving of stone". Sniffing about the current vogue for gardening fashion statements he writes: "here the whole idea seems to be not so much that one actually gets out there and mucks around doing dirty work but rather that one is fashionably attired in such a way as to suggest that brute physical labor is altogether possible". Despite his witty self-deprecation. Des Kennedy also sees the profound beauty and practical truths that nature provides, his astuteobservations and intelligent, literary musings offering us a pathway into a rich and romantic garden delight.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.AN ECOLOGY OF ENCHANTMENT captures the seasonal rhythms of the remarkable natural garden author Des Kennedy shares with his partner on British Columbia's Denman Island. In 52 week-by-week reflections, he explores the triumphs, failures, mishaps, and magic of a year-long tango with nature. Des Kennedy offers his unique combination of sensitivity, zany humor, and deep understanding of the natural world.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, Kennedybrings readers deep into his garden, week by week, from winter's dormancy to summer's splendor. With histrademark self-effacing humor, the author captures the essence of the gardening experience, exploring his triumphs, failures, mishaps, and occasional magic. Undaunted by setbacks andlusting 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.