Sunday, June 22, 2014

a garden TREAT!

I have always admired Craig Bergmann's work.  He is my favorite garden designer and it has been a slight dream of mine to meet him.   My lovely mama and I went on a garden walk today and as we walked into the second garden I jokingly told her how funny it would be if we ran into Mr. Bergmann.  We settled into the garden and found a vignette that we were both taken with.  As I was inspecting the seedpod on one of the shrubs, up walks a man who begins to tell me a bit about the plant and a few other things we were admiring.  Hmmm...he was lovely we both agreed.  My mom had one more question for him and low and behold it was Craig Bergmann!

We saw him once more and I was able to introduce myself and shake his hand.  He told us several stories behind some of his gardens and answered some of my questions.  Overall, it was a pretty grand experience for me!  


I'm not going to chat any further.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.  Enjoy!



House of the Four Winds {Lake Forest}






















The Gardens at 900

"The Gardens at 900 are a sensitive renovation and interpretation of the original entry building complex and gardens of Elawa Farm. Originally designed by architect David Adler in 1917 for A. Watson and Elsa Armour, the buildings had been abandoned for nearly a decade before being acquired by Craig Bergmann and Paul Klug. Both private residence and the design offices for Craig Bergmann and Paul Klug, the use of buildings and garden areas at 900 respectively regard the history of the site, while also fostering creativity within its existing framework. Formal borders, a shade garden, an orchard, a new swimming pool garden, and a motor court constitute the garden today. A relatively young garden (2010), The Gardens at 900 are an excellent example of how quickly a landscape can be transformed with the strategic placement of plant material and a focused, collaborative vision."

















Crabtree Farm

"These gardens surround estate buildings designed in 1926 by David Adler. They are located on Crabtree Farm, the only remaining farm in Illinois that overlooks Lake Michigan. The gardens, which originated in the 1920s include a cottage garden by Ellen Shipman, a neo-classical folly house, and an original greenhouse and potting shed next to the cutting and vegetable garden. There is also a 1926 indoor tennis court with espaliered ivy walls. In more recent times, additions to the gardens include a walled garden, classical sculpture, several landscape folly buildings, and a golf course within woodland and wildflower settings. A ravine walk and raised walkways lead to a private Lake Michigan beach. Additionally, a separate woodland area to the west of the original estate has been developed to include a hermit's cottage, an 1837 Lake County log house, and other features situated along the woodland's pathways."


























 Happy making, baking, and growing this week!




53 comments:

  1. How exciting for you Nicole! The gardens are beautiful and you've photographed them so well! How I wish that I was able to explore through them and those old buildings in person :-)
    Thanks for sharing!
    Happy new week!
    Sarah x

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  2. It is a real treat! Such lush, beautiful gardens. I thought you were tending them then realized it wasn't yours. Nice post.

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  3. Nicole, these gardens you visited with your mama are amazing, I scrolled several times up and down, so beautiful. And the pleasure you met the designer Creg Bergmann, I don´t know him but I can understand quite well that you were excited. I should be excited too in such a case.
    Wish you a lovely week with happy gardening days!

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  4. Oh Nicole - what a grand time you must have had. I would have thought I died and went to England, for each garden looks like it came right out of the English countryside. Beautiful post with beautiful photos. I will come back and visit this post every time I need inspiration. How I wish that my gardens would look that beautifully manicured and weeded, even if just for one day. Sounds like you had a wonderfully inspiring time. Wish I could have been tagging along. Thanks for sharing with us.
    Cindy

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  5. Thanks so much for the tour.I love that you and your mom did this together. And you got to meet the designer.....how cool is that! What an enchanting place! The formal gardens are beautiful but, I especially love the farmhouse and surrounding gardens. Happy Gardening! xoxo

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  6. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! What beautiful beautiful gardens, they are stunning!!!!!!!!!! So many wonderful plants, the water features, flowers, topiary, the houses too!!!!!!! What an amazing time and then to top it all off by meeting your hero Craig as well!!!!!!!! You must have been in seventh heaven by the end of the day!!!! Truly wonderful!!!!!!!! Love it!!! Thank you for sharing this it is wonderful to see such beauty!!!! xx

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  7. wow! how exciting it must've been for you to meet him :) and i love seeing and reading about your love for gardens and gardening. really inspiring, nicole!!

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  8. Dear Nicole, I have never heard about Craig Bergmann so far, but his gardens are absolutely stunning! There is something so grand and majestic about them, it just takes your breath away. You can only stare in awe, with mouth wide open, of course ;-). I have to google that guy and find out more about him. Thanks for passing on the treat of being able to see these gardens to your readers! Warm regards,
    Christina

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  9. Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful place and photos. Thanks so much for sharing them!

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  10. So beautiful. I am really glad you had a chance to see this all in person. The photos are wonderful, I really feel like I was there. He is a very talented designer indeed. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. What a fabulous garden! I could quite happily move there, how lovely for you to bump into him. xx

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  12. That is one talented man - what beauty he has created.

    I am so excited because I just came from the nursery and we bought two native plants - Matilija Poppy and Rock Rose - both drought tolerant and hardy.

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  13. Hi Nicola, how lucky you were to bump into Craig Bergmann! I bet you could not believe it. Your photos are all breath taking, what a beautiful place. It looks so lush and tranquil, certainly somewhere I could feel relaxed in. I can just imagine the amazing aromas when you are walking around. Thanks for sharing and have a lovely week! xx

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  14. So much beautiful garden goodness in these photos! How amazing that you mentioned running into Mr. Bergmann and it actually happened. What a delightful treat that must've been for you and your mom. His work is magnificent! Hope your week is off to a wonderful start Nicole!

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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  15. Nicole, you have got it bad!! What an amazing set of photos of these gardens. How wonderful for you to meet your gardening idol in person. These are beautiful gardens and I really like how the House of Four Winds' gardens were created from the original garden structures ... it adds such an aged feel to the gardens. Thanks for sharing :) Wendy x

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  16. What a treat, indeed!!!! How exciting to actually get to meet Mr. Bergmann!!! I can't imagine how thrilled you were! Your photography is absolutely stunning, too!!! You've done a fabulous job capturing these gardens! What a special memory you and your lovely mama have!! Happy week, friend!

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  17. You took some really beautiful pictures in those gardens. I was tempted to go to the Lake Forest garden walk but that weekend was both Judy's birthday and our 29th anniversary and we had a lot going on. I love the old stonework and concrete archways at House of the Four Winds, and all of those gardens have some really striking plant combinations. To be honest, I never heard of Craig Bergmann, but now I'm going to check out his work.

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  18. It is all so beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

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  19. So much loveliness, Nicole. The crabtree farm looks especially beuaitful to me. And great you got to meet Craig Bergmann (I googled him to find out who he was!)

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  20. Hi Nicole,

    Beautiful gardens and flowers and your photos are gorgeous. Also how wonderful that you got to shake hands with Craig Bergmann.
    Happy week, dear friend
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  21. Simply glorious! Your photos are stunning. -derrith

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  22. Oh if only I had the space to put some of these ideas into practice. It must have been wonderful to meet the man himself.

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  23. Wow! How amazing are those gardens. I want to come looking at incredible gardens with you x

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  24. I love the garden utensils all up on that wall! Great idea! xoxoxx

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  25. I would have loved to have seen these gardens in person, out door space is so important to me. I love exploring other people's gardens for inspiration it is enjoyable x

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  26. Wowee, those are some seriously stunning gardens! How amazing the tours must have been in person!!! And how exciting for you to meet a gardening guru. :) Great photos!!

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  27. Wowsers! Such beautiful gardens, their serenity transcends your beautiful photography. Sure can't beat Mother Nature for beauty.

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  28. Nicole, thanks for sharing the gorgeous photos! I would eventually like to replace all or nearly all of the lawn area of my backyard with ground cover, hardscape, paths, plants, etc. So I'm on the lookout for ideas.

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  29. That is so cool you met Craig Bergmann, it must have been meant to be, because you thought it, lol!! Such a fun treat for you and you totally deserve it! Beautiful photos Nicole! You have a great eye, and the gardens are stunning! Like heaven on earth!

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  30. Holy Moly!!!!! I LOVE the photos in this post - I could live in that "little" cottage on the bottom end of the post, all by myself! Just gorgeous - and I know how much it meant to you to meet your plant guru, lucky girl! What a wonderful way to spend the day with your mom - XOXOXO

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  31. How beautiful and inspirational these gardens are! I love all the garden 'rooms' - the stone and slate and formal hedges with the beautiful water features. How exciting to meet your garden guru, too! I will have to come back and visit this post a few times to take it all in and maybe do some pinning! How nice to spend the day with your Mom in these beautiful gardens. Hugs xo Karen

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  32. Gosh it is beautiful - you could just get lots in there, in it's calm and beauty! How wonderful for you xx

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  33. There is a softness to these gardens that I really love. :o) I've never heard of Craig Bergmann but I also thought Piet Oudulf was dead, and lo and behold, he is quite alive. Shocker! The house with the crazy leaning tree must have a very brave occupant. I'd go and stand by that window whenever I felt the need to terrify myself. ;o)

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  34. Beautiful garden! Love the water component. Thank you for sharing

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  35. WOW! What beautiful impressions of this wonderful gardens! I wish I was there!!
    Have a nice evening!!
    Greetings, Helga

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  36. Just beautiful Nicole, I loved every inch of all the Gardens. The Statues and flowers all of it.. thank you for sharing such beauty.. and p.s. Thank you for stopping by.. with love Janice

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  37. Oh so fun to meet your fav celebrity!! Those gardens are gorgeous!! It would be nice to sit and enjoy, I do miss the greenery but I have your blog to look forward to! Always beautiful!!

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  38. The art and practice of garden making is fascinating. I expect you have a camera full of inspiration. What a thrill to meet and chat to Craig Bergmann. I met the owner of one of the big gardens we visited. I was frozen with shyness for about five minutes but she was so friendly we were soon chatting over our shared passion. Hugs to the beans, I missed seeing what you were all up to while I was away.

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  39. Oh my goodness! Dream garden!!! How gorgeous and how lucky you and your mum were to not only be there but to meet the man himself! Love that rusty old gate in one of the later photos. So much to love in this post, Nicole. Thanks so much for the treat:)

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  40. Those cottages and gardens are so lovely! And, isn't that just like life to throw you a treat, like meeting someone you only dreamed of meeting? Happy day to you dearest.

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  41. What an incredible post Nicole! Luck you to meet the man you admire. I am going to pin some of these terrific shots.

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  42. Oh my goodness...you lucky mama! How very inspiring! I love Crabtree Farm! Xoxo Jen

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  43. Thank you for sharing such beautiful, colourful shots of this magnificent place. I love the statues dotted about along with the white paint on the buildings. Take care xx

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  44. Oh Nicole, how fab for you to meet someone you admire so much! I don't have any real knowledge of plants, gardening or garden design, but I do love a good nose about or looking at pretty pictures... so I very much enjoyed this post, and went to look at Craig Bergmann's website too. I like the way all the tiny spaces are filled, space is defined but lines blurred and how everything looks like it belongs together and not forced. Strangely most designs look like they belong in a traditional English country garden too (or maybe that's my lack of knowledge) any way, they are all just gorgeous! As are your pictures! Happy week to you! xxx

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  45. Really gorgeous flowers! Thanks for sharing.

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  46. I am so happy to find your blog, I love (really really love) gardening. And I like every pics you share on your post.
    I love flowers and vegetables and every year I like to arrange my garden and find a new thing to grow in.
    Your blog is full inspiration.
    Have a good week.
    Miss

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  47. Fab photos of beautiful gardens. I am drooling, which is most unseemly (and probably not good for my laptop).

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  48. Wowwww! Can I live there please? What an honor to meet such a gardener! I love how there is so much green but since there is so much variation, it is not boring. Just plain gorgeous!!!

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  49. Hello Nicole,

    We have only just discovered you, via the delightful Jennifer at Thistlebear, and what a joyous post to arrive on.

    Craig Bergmann clearly has a great eye for design and a confident approach to his gardening. We love the way that strong structures are combined with less formal areas of planting. His overlay of textures from many different plants is inspirational. But, what we like best is the way that he boldly combines the very modern with the classical. This really makes for a contemporary feel whilst still recognising the design principles of the past. Wonderful and how fabulous to have met him in person.

    We are your latest followers and should you be interested in us, we are just a click away.

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  50. Such a fun story, and such unbelievably lovely gardens!!

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  51. What amazing gardens, I want a blue Hydranga right now. Love Jo x

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  52. Oh my goodness Nicole, what a treat indeed. What a place! Thank you for sharing such stunning vignettes xxxx

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