The Greater Perfection - by Francis H Cabot (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A story behind the creation of one of the world's most breath-taking public gardens. As featured in the 2018 film The Gardener, Les Quatre Vents in Charlevoix County, Quebec, has been acclaimed as the most aesthetically satisfying and horticulturally exciting landscape experience in North America. The garden seamlessly combines elements from the best gardening traditions with the original and the unexpected into a splendid composition that is nevertheless perfectly compatible with its natural surroundings. The Greater Perfection illustrates the delights, diversions, and surprises that await a visitor to these extraordinary gardens. The book chronicles the family origins of Les Quatre Vents as well as the story of its expansion during the last twenty-five years. Author Francis Cabot's account of the challenges of developing and enlarging Les Quatre Vents reveals the fascinating process behind the creation of a world-class garden that has become a mecca for horticultural enthusiasts from around the globe. Featuring photographs by five of today's leading garden photographers, this is one of the most beautiful books on gardens to appear in years"--

Book Synopsis

The Greater Perfection, now with a new foreword by Francis H. Cabot's daughter, tells the story behind the creation of Les Quatre Vents, one of the world's most breathtaking gardens.

Featured in the 2018 film The Gardener, Les Quatre Vents in Charlevoix County, Quebec, has been acclaimed as the most aesthetically satisfying and horticulturally exciting landscape experience in North America. This twenty-acre garden seamlessly combines traditional and novel elements into a splendid composition, adorned with unexpected touches and perfectly compatible with its natural surroundings.

The Greater Perfection, first published in 2001, illustrates the delights, diversions, and surprises that await the garden's visitors. Francis H. Cabot's account of the challenges he faced in developing Les Quatre Vents reveals the fascinating process behind the creation of a world-class garden that has become a mecca for horticultural enthusiasts around the globe. Winner of the 2003 Annual Literature Award of the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries and featuring stunning full-color images by five leading garden photographers, The Greater Perfection is one of the most beautiful books on gardens to appear in years. This new printing includes a foreword by Marianne Cabot Welch, Cabot's daughter, that further contextualizes the gardens and explores how a place rooted in the past can confront the future.

Review Quotes

"Cabot is one of the most interesting figures in American gardening."-- "Washington Post"

"Les Quatre Vents deploys many different features and styles but manages, by some process or alchemy, to make harmony out of its richly varied ingredients and to preserve a strong sense of individuality."-- "Telegraph"

"The evolutions of that land under different hands interest Cabot almost as much as the evolutions he has brought about. Cabot is also delightfully candid about the range of sources that have influenced Les Quatre Vents. He is an unabashed bricoleur."-- "New York Times"

About the Author

Francis H. Cabot (1925-2011) was an American financier, gardener, and horticulturist. He founded the nonprofit Garden Conservancy in 1989 and served as chairman for the New York Botanical Garden.