A Husband’s Hidden Forest of Love: 6,000 Trees Planted in Memory of His Wife Reveals a Heart-Shaped Secret

When Janet Howes passed away at just 50 years old in 1995, her husband Howard was left heartbroken. In the quiet countryside near Wickwar, Gloucestershire, he decided to honor her in a way that would outlast stone or marble. On a six-acre field beside his farmhouse, Howard planted thousands of oak trees—carefully leaving a meadow in the shape of a heart at the center, its point directed toward the village where Janet grew up.


For years, the hidden heart remained unknown to the wider world, visible only from above. That changed when hot air balloon enthusiast Andy Collett happened to float over the property and saw the breathtaking design carved into the woods. Capturing photos of the vast green heart, he revealed a story of grief, devotion, and love that had been quietly growing for over 15 years.

Howard, now in his 70s, explained:

“The idea came to me after Janet died—it was like a spark of inspiration. I planted thousands of oaks, and once it was finished, I placed a seat in the meadow so I could sit there and think of her. It’s a lasting tribute that will live on long after I’m gone.”


The heart-shaped clearing isn’t easy to find. Hidden deep within the forest, a small track leads only to its tip. Around its edges, Howard planted towering oaks and a hedge for protection. In spring, daffodils bloom across the open meadow, turning the tribute into a sea of gold.

Howard and Janet were married in 1962 and shared decades together before her sudden death from heart failure. For him, the woodland heart is both a sanctuary and a message written in living trees—a love letter in nature.

“I go there from time to time, just to sit and remember. It’s peaceful, it’s hers, and it will always be there,” Howard shared. He even took to the skies himself years later, flying over the field to see the forest-heart from above.


Collett, the balloonist who first discovered the secret, said he’d never seen anything like it:

“I’ve flown many times, but this was the most incredible sight. A perfect heart hidden in the middle of the trees—you’d never know it was there from the ground. You can just imagine the love story behind it.”

What began as one man’s grief has become an extraordinary symbol of eternal devotion—an oak forest with a secret heart, rooted deeply in memory and love.