Great Gardening Weekend 2012 - The Henry Teuscher Award Presented Posthumously to Francis H. Cabot

MONTREAL, May 25, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Montréal Botanical Garden, a Space for Life, has honoured Francis H. Cabot posthumously with the Henry Teuscher Award on Friday, May 25, at 10:30 a.m., as part of the Great Gardening Weekend. Mr. Cabot, designer of the Jardins des Quatre-Vents in the Charlevoix region, was a passionate plantsman and a champion of gardens everywhere. He had a tremendous influence on the development of horticulture and the promotion of the gardener's art in Quebec. The Henry Teuscher Award is an annual distinction saluting its recipient's exceptional contribution to the advancement of horticultural knowledge in Quebec.

Creator of the Jardins de Quatre-Vents
Francis H. Cabot, originally from New York, was the descendant of one of the first families to vacation in Charlevoix. He adopted the region in 1965, after inheriting the former Fraser seigniorial estate, known as Mont Murray. He transformed the property into a true landscaping masterpiece, the Jardins de Quatre-Vents, at Cap-à-l'Aigle. The private gardens, at 20 acres considered the largest in Canada, are among the loveliest in the world. They boast over 1,000 plant species in displays of stunning beauty, diversity, rarity and imagination. Some of the rare plants presented actually grow nowhere else. The gardens now enjoy a worldwide reputation and have been widely covered in the media. They are open to the public a few days a year, with the proceeds going to the Centre Écologique de Port-au-Saumon (CÉPAS), and also serve as inspiration for horticulture and landscaping students, horticultural societies, and both professional and amateur gardeners.

A rich heritage
Mr. Cabot has bequeathed us more than the Jardins des Quatre-Vents, in fact. From 1973 to 1976, he was the Chair of the Board of the New York Botanical Garden. In 1989, he created the Fondation Héritage Charlevoix, with the goal of preserving the region's built heritage, natural sites and landscapes. That same year he founded The Garden Conservancy, a non-profit international organization dedicated to protecting private gardens. In 2001, Mr. Cabot was made a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Quebec and published The Greater Perfection: The Story of the Gardens at Les Quatre Vents, a major horticultural work and a reference in the field of the gardener's art. In 2005 he was made an honorary member of the Order of Canada. He died last November at his home in La Malbaie, at age 86.

Other recipients of the Henry Teuscher Award
Over the years since 1999, the award has gone to:  Hélène Leclerc (2011); Jacques André Rioux (2010); Elsie Reford and Alexander Reford (2009); Jean-Claude Vigor (2008); Émile Jacqmain (2007); Fred Oehmichen (2006); Daniel A. Séguin (2005); Gaëtan Hamel (2004); Milan B. Havlin (2003); Henri and Camille Perron (2002); Wilfrid Meloche (2001); Roger Van den Hende (2000) and Tony Huber (1999).

Karine Jalbert, Communications Co-ordinator
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François Ouellet, Marketing Representative
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