Yesterday in the news I found an interesting Orchid/ human interest story.I know people are mad for Orchids and how it drives them to do outrageous things to acquire new specimins, and obcessively try to replicate natural habitat to induce flowering.
An avid orchid hunter travelled to Columbia, one of the most unstable and dangerous places in the world to find plants. He was in a clearing on his knee's looking at a passion flower.
He and his friend heard the click of a semi automatic rifle being cocked. They were taken hostage and kept prisonors for 9 months.
Each day brought more psychological terror, the threat of death, and torture.What kept the orchid hunter going was his diary.
He remembered back home, and his family home, a castle in Kent.He drew the map of the world and began to dream about constructing a large world garden. With each area having native plants. He drew the world garden plan on the centre pages of the diaries.
He even started an orchid collection within the camp to keep him going, to avoid the recurring thought of death by the FARC.
Six years later and the garden is still being developed and opens for the season in April.It is at Lullingstone Castle in Kent.
There is a piece in the Daily Telegraph about it:
and another article here as well
Finally the story again from BBC Kent:
The theme is recurring the dream of the garden saved his life, and in the process rescued his family home. It is becoming a major tourist attraction, hence the media coverage.
I remember reading about when they were kidnapped, so its funny to be reminded of it again, but with the connection of gardening and Orchids!
The picture is the centre two pages of the diary with the original plan of the world garden on it.
6 comments:
Kind of beautiful story after all, isn't it?
I l,ove orchid¨s. Have a few in our home, three in bloom right now. And once wrote a blog entry about them.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
I will drop by Britt and find what orchids you have grown.I was totally oblivious to them untill i saw the hospital orchid, which i painted.The snowball effect of research and reading books is funny.Then the story today of Tim Dyke Hart, the orchid hunter.Life is funny with these spidery connections.
That is an amazing story. I don't think I would fair to well is I was kidnapped and tortured. It is amazing how some people find the strenght to go on.
I put a response back to your questions on my blog about spring gardens.
Thanks KC MO guy, i must find out your name by the way.I think KC MO is Kansas city, missouri??I left a comment on your blog about the arbor.I liked it, you must be very handy.Do you have a lot of cow farms out there?with the T posts?
Will drop by soon to see how your garden is developing.
Wow! Cool story-thanks Snappy!
I just read it again (my post).It is an amazing story.you are welcome Lisa!
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