Winston Howes’ grief transformed into something beautiful when he picked up a shovel in 1995. Mourning the loss of his wife Janet, the English farmer began planting oak trees on their land—not randomly, but in a design that would take nearly two decades to fully reveal itself.
The result was a breathtaking heart-shaped clearing spanning six acres, its point carefully oriented toward Janet’s ancestral home. While neighbors admired the growing woodland, the romantic secret at its center remained hidden until an aerial photograph exposed Winston’s masterpiece in 2012.
“People need something to help them through the pain,” said Winston of his arboreal labor of love. His oaks now stand as living proof that the deepest love stories don’t end—they simply take root and grow in unexpected, beautiful ways.