Foreword / Barbara Whitney Carr -- Introduction -- Classic gardens. Harris Garden, Winnetka ; Garden hybrid, Highland Park ; Beauty without boundaries, Winnetka ; Byron Garden, Highland Park ; Clinola, Lake Forest ; Edgecliff, Winnetka ; Crowe Garden, Lake Forest ; Halcyon Lodge, Lake Forest ; Camp Rosemary, Lake Forest -- Contemporary gardens. Bluhm Garden, Winnetka ; Crab Tree Farm summer house, Lake Bluff ; Garden of curves, Winnetka -- Country gardens. Mettawa Manor, Mettawa ; Balusek Garden, Winnetka ; Crab Tree Farm, Lake Bluff ; The gardens at 900, Lake Forest ; Kelton House Farm, Fredonia, Wisconsin ; Old Mill Farm, Lake Forest ; Tenbroek Garden, Lake Forest ; Lenhardt Garden, Winnetka -- Naturalistic gardens. Levin Garden, Highland Park ; Mary Anne's Garden, Mettawa ; The secret garden, Lake Forest ; Williams-Becker Garden, Glencoe ; The Rumsey Estate, Lake Forest ; Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe

Ben Lenhardt, an avid gardener and preservationist, explores the rich tradition of gardening along the shore of Lake Michigan from Evanston to Lake Bluff. This area, which includes Winnetka, Highland Park, and Lake Forest, is one of the most affluent in the United States, and the gardens are verdant retreats, lushly planted and meticulously maintained. Twenty-five gardens are included, organized according to their design--classic, naturalistic, country, and experimental. Lenhart's authoritative and engaging descriptions, based on detailed interviews with the owners, are complemented by vivid images by noted landscape photographer Scott Shigley