Author(s): Susan Irvine (photography Simon Griffiths)

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Gardens are full of memories - of places, of plants, of people, of beauty created and shared, beauty which can be relived and enjoyed again years later. In a mostly incomprehensible world, a world increasingly dominated by cruelty and fear, it is in gardens that many people seek and find, even if temporarily, peace and tranquillity. In 1996 Susan Irvine and her husband bought Forest Hall, a derelict property in the Tasmanian countryside, and began the enormous task of restoring the house to its former grandeur. For three years, Susan kept a diary in which she recorded the challenges involved in trying to uncover the shape and beauty of the once extraordinary garden from beneath a confusion of weeds and rubble. Magnificently illustrated with the photography of Simon Griffiths, Rosehips and Crabapples will restore your faith in the power of gardening to draw people and communities together, and will inspire you to pull on the gloves, and get to work on your own garden creation. First published 2007.