Synopses & Reviews
A horticultural fanatics yearlong journey to the worlds greatest garden spots When James Dodson fell for gardening, he fell hardso hard that he soon found himself on a whirlwind tour of the globe, feeding his horticultural obsession at gardening shows in London and Philadelphia, smuggling cuttings from the estate of Thomas Jefferson, and eventually hanging off a cliff in the South African rain forest in his quest for new and exotic plant species. Dodson chronicles his year of green-thumb fever in Beautiful Madness, a story rooted in the fertile soil of Americas passion for all things gardening. Dodsons journey through other peoples gardens includes an encounter with the high rollers who bid top dollar at auctions of rare plants; a meeting with the retired business executive nicknamed the Botticelli of Bulbs; and a weekend with the Mad Man of Kew, whose wife tends the garden of Queen Victoria. A tale of one mans mania for gardeningand of the many others who share itBeautiful Madness is sure to stoke the passion of anyone who loves to dig in the dirt.
Review
Takes us on a four-season dash through other peoples gardens--with weeks off for frenetic work in his own. (The New York Times Book Review)
Synopsis
Behind-the-scenes accounts of the Philadelphia Flower Show and the Chelsea Garden Show reveal what the author learned about some of the western world's most influential gardens and describe his encounters with such plants as a smuggled exotic day lily and stolen cuttings from a Founding Father's shrubbery. By the author of Final Rounds. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.
About the Author
James Dodson is the author of Final Rounds, the 1996 bestseller that was named the Golf Book of the Year by the International Network of Golf. He is also the author of The Road to Somewhere, The Dewsweepers, and Faithful Travelers.