A long awaited first volume devoted to Craig Bergmann, the defining voice of traditional garden design along the North Shore of Chicago. For more than four decades, Bergmann has shaped landscapes through a considered union of design, horticulture, and architecture, creating a natural dialogue between garden and house. Celebrated as a true plantsman, he composes each space with layered plantings, where vibrant bloom and varied foliage unfold in thoughtful succession.

The Art of Fine Gardening presents twenty gardens across the North Shore, each reflecting the breadth and refinement of his work.A dedicated chapter explores the storied Gardens at 900, the historic estate by David Adler, which Bergmann reimagined as a sequence of intimate garden rooms. Clipped hedges, sculptural topiary, and generous perennial borders are set among classical ornament, creating a landscape both structured and deeply expressive.

With photography by Scott Shigley and text written in Bergmann’s own voice, the book offers both reflection and guidance, shaped by a lifetime spent in the garden.