The Greater Perfection

One of the best books ever written about the making of a garden by its creator. The Oxford Companion to the Garden -- 2006 Les Quatre Vents, in Charlevoix County, Quebec, has been acclaimed as the most aesthetically satisfying and horticulturally exciting landscape experience in North America. This finely wrought set of gardens nestles in rolling farmland between the shore of the St. Lawrence River and the margins of the boreal forests that clothe the Laurentians. Elements drawn from the best gardening traditions are seamlessly combined with the original and the unexpected into a splendid composition that nevertheless belongs perfectly in its natural setting. The work of a consummate plantsman endowed with an artist's eye, Les Quatre Vents celebrates that purest of pleasures, the making of a garden. Breathtaking color photographs by five leading garden photographers document the masterly bones , architectural features, and inspired planting that characterize Les Quatre Vents, in intimate closeups and spectacular long views. All demonstrate the sensitivity with which the garden combines with the natural landscape and offer an invitation to savor an exquisite garden experience.