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"The Gardener", thanks to Yayagal!

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Yayagal recommended this documentary on the Martha Stewart thread, and I felt it deserves a thread of it's own. Thanks to her suggestion, DH and I watched it earlier today and were absolutely enchanted. Mr. Cabot's gardens are the perfect combination of pristine controlled perfection and wildness. He had such an artistic eye, and left behind a legacy of great beauty. Here's a brief synopsis of this film, available for free on Amazon Prime:
"The Gardener is a film that reflects upon the meaning of gardening and its impact on our lives. Shortly before his passing at the age of 86, influential gardener and plantsman Frank Cabot recounts his personal quest for perfection at Les Quatre Vents, his twenty-acre English style garden and summer estate that was opened to a film crew for the first time ever in 2009. Nestled amongst the rolling hills of the Charlevoix County in Quebec, Les Quatre Vents has become one of the world’s foremost private gardens. Created over 75 years and three generations, it is an enchanted place of beauty and surprise, a horticultural masterpiece of the 21st century. Through the words of Cabot and his family, and with the participation of gardening experts and writers, the film looks back at this remarkable man's personal story and the artistic philosophy that gave birth to one of the greatest gardens in the world. One hour, 24 minutes; directed by Sébastien Chabot."

Featured Answer

Ded tired

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Which room was at the tippy top and very few had visited.? Was it a little library. I love the term folly for a house like the pigeonnier. ( aside, my autocorrect keeps turning that word into pigdonkey). I love how the word pigeon ire just rolled off his tongue. ( lol, now it’s ”pigeon ire”). The people in the film are mostly from a bygone era, it seems to me.

I was telling my mother, who is nearly 103, about the show. It reminded her of this little poem:

And this is good old Boston,
The home of the bean and the cod,
Where the Lowells talk to the Cabots,
And the Cabots talk only to God.

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Comments (16)

IdaClaire
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
A few photos of his creations...

It was a lovely nearly 90 minutes of blissful escape!
jakabedy
3 years ago
Adding to my list. I spent the day installing a backsplash and this is just the ticket for a quiet evening.
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I'm with you Jackie. I consider the social distancing an opportunity to get some serious garden work done. This does not of course minimize in any way the seriousness of needing to keep the virus spread contained or limit contact with medically fragile individuals. I also have plenty of sympathy for people whose incomes depend on putting in hours that they are not allowed to spend at the moment, or people who have to wrestle with competing concerns for kids staying home from school and work if available. It's just that for gardeners the notion of "having" to stay home and play in the dirt is not exactly a bad thing, coming as it does at springtime no less. With my work moving almost entirely online I can choose to spend nice days outside and rainy/snowy days or nights inside doing work. Gardening gives us something positive to focus on in this time of stress. It also gives extra incentive to vegetable and fruit gardens so that we won't have to shop for as much produce in about 48 days (as soon as the early lettuce and radishes start bearing). Any good news is nice to have at times like this and my garden is always a source of peace for me anyway. Cynthia
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IdaClaire
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Wonderful! Would love to know if you like it. I keep thinking back to certain scenes. It was filmed so beautifully, and made for a very enjoyable little "getaway".
Ded tired
3 years ago
Just finished watching it. It is an absolute delight. If it weren’t night time, I’d be out planting something new. Mr. Cabot was a fascinating man. I highly recommend this program. Thanks SO much for pointing it out.

As an aside, why the heck does Prime Video make it so darn hard to find things.
IdaClaire
Original Author
3 years ago
I thought I'd like to have Mr. Cabot's book, but not at this price! Yikes!
IdaClaire
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Oh, but Dedtired... wasn't the interior of the pigeonnier divine? I was not expecting that room with the beautifully delicate botanical prints and gorgeous table set for tea, and when it was shown with rain falling outside the window, I longed to be there so much that I felt like crying!
Fun2BHere
3 years ago
Thanks for the recommendation!
gsciencechick
3 years ago
Thanks! Free on Amazon prime is great.
lizzie_grow
3 years ago
We watched 3/4 of it last night & will finish tonight. Got a late start as we were enjoying sitting outside reading on a beautiful evening. So enjoyed it & what a creative mind he had. I loved the line where he said they built the suspension bridge in two weeks! I'm telling all my friends about it.
tannatonk23_fl_z9a
3 years ago
@Ded tired how sweet that is how your mom was reminded of a poem. you are so lucky to have her!

My afternoon plan is to watch this show and I’m eagerly anticipating it!
l pinkmountain
3 years ago
Mr. French was a famous gardener??!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist that one.) Esoteric Boomer reference.
aok27502
3 years ago
Wow, what an amazing artist. I've sent the link to a friend, I know she'll love it.

I appreciated at the end, while the credits were rolling, that they showed the name of the plant pictured. Nice touch!
DLM2000-GW
3 years ago
Oh I can't wait to see this - thanks for giving it a thread of its own - I would have missed it otherwise.
Yayagal
3 years ago
It haunted me so that I went back and watched it all over again. It was even better lol.
IdaClaire thanked Yayagal
Yayagal
3 years ago
You're welcome.

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