Note: we are republishing this story which originally made the news in July 2012.
Howard Howes lost his wife Janet 17 years ago. In the months that followed, he planted thousands of oak saplings in a six-acre field next to his farmhouse, leaving a heart shaped meadow in the middle in her tribute. The point of the heart is facing Janet’s childhood home.
Howard Howes posing with his late wife Janet, Photo Credit: Facebook/British Heart Foundation
Howard Howes posing with his late wife Janet, Photo Credit: Facebook/British Heart Foundation
The secret heart meadow was revealed after 42-year-old Andy Collett, a hot air balloon enthusiast, flew over the woods and saw the heart, capturing it in all its glory.
Speaking of his tribute, 70-year-old Howes said: “I came up with the idea of creating a heart in the clearing of the field after Janet died. I thought it was a great idea – it was a flash of inspiration – and I planted several thousand oak trees. Once it was completed we put a seat in the field, overlooking the hill near where she used to live.”