Gardens of the North Shore of Chicago

A privileged view of private gardens along the shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago’s Gold Coast.

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. Lenhardt’s authoritative and engaging descriptions, based on detailed interviews with the owners, are complemented by vivid images by noted landscape photographer Scott Shigley.

A board member of the Garden Conservancy for more than fifteen years, Benjamin F. Lenhardt served as chair from 2011 to 2018. An avid gardener and preservationist in both Charleston, South Carolina, and Winnetka, Illinois, Lenhardt serves on the boards of Drayton Hall, the Gibbes Museum of Art, the Preservation Society of Charleston, and the Chicago Botanic Garden. He is a contributor to Garden Master Class, forthcoming from Rizzoli in spring 2020.

Scott Shigley is a well-known landscape photographer based in Chicago. He is the principal photographer for Movement and Meaning: The Landscapes of Hoerr Schaudt, among many publications.