Garden Photo of the Day

Les Quatre Vents – Curved and circular steps

Photo/Illustration: Virginia Small

Today we see a couple of gorgeous curved staircases that are planted with alpine and rock garden plants. Not only are the shapes of the stairs a softened version of the norm, but the plants soften these steps even more, making this a relaxed and inviting space. The stairs almost seem to spill out into the lawn. If you look closely at the second set, you’ll see that the top stairs curve inward, while the bottom stairs curve outward, creating a full circle if viewed from above. Quite a feat of stonemasonry!

Photo/Illustration: Virginia Small

**All this week and next, we’re featuring photos of the gardens at Les Quatre Vents, the home of Frank and Anne Cabot in Quebec. If you’d like read more about this garden, check out this interview with Frank Cabot that ran in the April 2005 issue of Fine Gardening. Frank also wrote a book about the garden. You can get it on Amazon here.**

Photo/Illustration: Virginia Small
Photo/Illustration: Virginia Small
Photo/Illustration: Virginia Small

 

Welcome to the Fine Gardening GARDEN PHOTO OF THE DAY blog! Every weekday we post a new photo of a great garden, a spectacular plant, a stunning plant combination, or any number of other subjects. Think of it as your morning jolt of green.

Sign up to get new posts delivered to your inbox each morning so you’ll always remember to take a look, or subscribe to our RSS feed. We look forward to sharing our garden travels with you.

READER PHOTOS: We love featuring your photos, too. If you think you have a photo that we should share on the Garden Photo of the day, email us. Send hi-res images if possible. We’ll only respond if we plan to use your photo.

View Comments

Comments

  1. Deanneart 08/31/2011

    Wow! how gorgeous! they seamlessly tie into the landscape. Love this.

  2. rwotzak 08/31/2011

    I love how the bottom 4 steps in the last two photos would fit exactly into the space created by the inward curve of the upper 4 steps, creating a balance of positive and negative space.

  3. arboretum 08/31/2011

    the building and builder of the walls and steps- were featured in the wonderful dvd i mentioned yesterday.
    best,
    mindy
    http://www.cottonarboretum.com/

  4. sheilaschultz 08/31/2011

    These stairs are screaming, 'walk on me and I'll take you on the next part of the adventure.' The plantings add the comfort level... plus the softer side of beauty.

  5. sheilaschultz 08/31/2011

    PS Thanks rwotzak, you gave me a new perspective.

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Related Articles

The Latest