Francis H. Cabot (1925-2011)

Frank Cabot, who described himself as a "horticultural enthusiast," founded the Garden Conservancy in 1989 after a visit to Ruth Bancroft's garden in Walnut Creek, California.

(Left, Frank  Cabot and Ruth Bancroft in her garden, 1989. Photo by Fred Mertz, NYT Pictures)

We are very much in his debt for his vision and leadership. His accomplishments will continue to inspire us for years to come.

 

Following is the text of his official obituary, which he approved in advance.

 

CABOT, Francis Higginson of Loudon, New Hampshire, and La Malbaie, Quebec, died peacefully at home on November 19, 2011after a long illness. He was 86. Born in New York City on August 6, 1925, graduate of St. Bernard’s and Groton Schools and Harvard College class of 1949 where he was a founder of the Krokodiloes, he served in Europe and the Far East during World War II with the Signal Corps. He worked initially for Stone & Webster Inc. and subsequently as a venture capitalist in New York. His overriding interest in horticulture consumed his later years when he was active in the American Rock Garden Society, the Friends of Horticulture at Wave Hill, New York Botanical Garden, and the Garden Conservancy, which he founded in 1989. During these years, with his wife Anne, he created Stonecrop Gardens, a public garden for plant enthusiasts in Cold Spring, New York; founded the Aberglasney Restoration Trust to rescue and restore a sixteenth-century garden in Carmarthenshire, Wales; and enlarged his parents’ garden in La Malbaie, Quebec, into what has been described as the most aesthetically satisfying and horticulturally exciting landscape experience in North America.

 

His book, The Greater Perfection, received the Council of Botanical and Horticultural Libraries’ 2003 Literature Award, and was described as “one of the best books ever written about the making of a garden by its creator” by The Oxford Companion to the Garden (2006).

 

He was the recipient of numerous awards from horticultural societies, including the Gold Veitch Memorial Award of the Royal Horticultural Society. He was also named a Chevalier of the Order of Quebec as well as a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his efforts, through his family’s Quatre Vents Foundation, to preserve the patrimony of Charlevoix County, Quebec.

 

He is survived by his wife of over 62 years, Anne Perkins Cabot; by three children: Colin and wife Paula of Loudon, New Hampshire; Currie and husband Thomas A. Barron of Boulder, Colorado; and Marianne and husband James S. Welch of Prospect, Kentucky; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

 

Funeral services will be private. Contributions may be made to the Garden Conservancy, P.O. Box 219, or the Quatre Vents Foundation, P.O. Box 222, both at Cold Spring, New York 10516; or to the charity of your choice.

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Envisioning a Greater Perfection: A Garden Conservancy Tribute to Frank Cabot was held at the New York Botanical Garden on April 30, 2012.

 

Click here to access documentary videos of the Envisioning a Greater Pertection presentations.

 

Click here to download a PDF of the printed program, with 24 pages of stories and perspectives of Frank Cabot.

 

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NEWS OBITUARIES
New York Times, November 22, 2011

Washington Post, November 30
Globe and Mail, Toronto, December 1

Martha Stewart, At Home in the Garden blog, December 1

American Gardener magazine, January 2012

REPRESENTATIVE TRIBUTES

Garden Club of America, in presenting Frank with the 2006 Achievement Award

“the greatest horticultural accomplishment in America in the last half-century”

 

House Beautiful, June 2003

"the ultimate plant perfectionist" 
Click here to read "Giants of Design: Frank Cabot, Visionary Gardener"

 

Peter Raven, president, Missouri Botanical Garden, 2007  "...you have made it possible to protect dozens, if not hundreds, of gardens around the world and the idea itself will spread far beyond its current localities...

 

(Frank Cabot at Les Quatre Vents with sculpture by Charles Smith. Photo by Richard W. Brown.)

 

Mac Griswold, "Champion of the American Garden," House & Garden, January 1992

"Frank Cabot is a tireless advocate of our living horticultural heritage."

Penelope Hobhouse, "Scaling New Heights," Gardens Illustrated, November 1996
Frank Cabot may best be compared to one of the great eighteenth-century gardeners such as Charles Hamilton, who created Painshill Park in Surrey, or even to Thomas Jefferson, building his classical villa and developing the 'English' style in the grounds of Monticello at the turn of the century. Certainly, Cabot has many characteristics of the age of reason. He is part eccentric, part scholar; a thinker, a gatherer of ideas, a plantsman, and a patron. But above all, as is essential to all great gardeners, he is a visionary."

 

Martha Stewart, "Plantsmen I have known and loved" [including Frank Cabot by name], Martha Stewart Living, July 2002
"What is a plantsman? I would guess that we can lump into this category any human being who has a love, a passion, a curiosity, and a depth of knowledge about plants that sets him or her above ordinary mortals. That this passion has led to a cereer in the world of gardening matters not in the least. But sometimes a professional career, a nursery, a serious catalog, or a showplace garden makes that plantsman especially important."

 

Dick Lighty, founding director of Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware and lifelong gardener, 2007

"Words that come to mind when I think of Frank Cabot... Gentleman... Gardener... Entrepeneur... Sage... Philanthropist... Friend..."

Click here to read Dick Lighty's full tribute.

 

Panayoti Kelaidis, curator, Denver Botanic Gardens, November 21, 2011

"the most eminent gardener of our era, and possibly the greatest gardener America has ever produced"

Click here to read Panayoti Kelaidis's full tribute.

 

Comments from the Garden Conservancy's Facebook page, beginning November 21, 2011:

 

Johnny Asmer, God rest His Soul. He is in The lush gardens of Heaven doing his work for God, There, now.

 

Marjorie Gage,  A beautiful vision put into practice. Thank you, Mr. Cabot.

 

Leah Ferrer,   :(  I hope he's in the most amazing garden of his imagination.

 

Chris Woods, He was a wonderful, crazy, committed visionary. His impact was tremendous.

 

The American Horticultural Society,  An inspiration for us all - may he rest in peace.

 

Thompson Building Materials,  We all benefit from his wonderful garden preservation today. Thank you, Sir, for your inspirational gifts.

 

ONLINE GUEST BOOK
Click here to add your own tribute to Frank Cabot.

 

Kate Kerin    My hero.

 

Jayme Bednarczyk, Wake Forest, North Carolina
New to gardening, I heard  Mr. Cabot speak at J C Raulston Arboretum...  It so inspired me to build bones in my garden, think playfully, yes, we pipe music through our garden too, and have patience...  Oh that teahouse!   It also inspired me to volunteer for the Garden Conservancy...  these 3-dimensional works of art must be shared and preserved!  Thank you, Frank Cabot.

 

Merrill Jensen, Arboretum Manager, Jensen-Olson Arboretum, Juneau, Alaska
Sad… I met him in 2003 during his inspiring Elisabeth C. Miller Memorial Lecture in Seattle.  A great garden leader by example…

Ella May T. Wulff, author, Gardening with Hardy Heathers, Philomath, Oregon

I was privileged to belong to the Connecticut chapter of the American Rock Garden Society (later NARGS) when Frank Cabot was bringing to its meetings amazing specimens of alpine plants grown at his Stonecrop Gardens.  When the rock garden society's annual meeting was held in White Plains, NY, Frank invited members to visit Stonecrop, where he was the gracious host.

     Although the gardens he personally created are incredibly beautiful, his founding of the Garden Conservancy is his greatest gift to us all, for the Conservancy will enable many outstanding North American gardens to survive to benefit future generations. For Frank Cabot's wisdom, foresight, and generosity, gardeners everywhere should be truly grateful. May his memory be honored in perpetuity.

 

Alexandra Marshall

Gone too soon!

 

SLIDESHOW

Click on the window below to view a small photo album from the archives of the Garden Conservancy and Stonecrop Gardens.

 

 

 

RELATED LINKS
Quatre Vents DVD with an illustrated talk in both French and English, narrated by Frank Cabot

 

The Greater Perfection, The Story of the Gardens at Les Quatre Vents (Hortus Press, 2001), by Frank Cabot

 

Stonecrop Gardens, Frank Cabot's garden in the Hudson Valley at Cold Spring, New York, now a public garden

 

Les Quatre Vents, Frank Cabot's garden in La Malbaie in the Charlevoix region of Québec

 

Aberglasney, Wales, UK, November 30

 

SAMPLING OF FRANK CABOT'S AWARDS

Foundation for Landscape Studies, Lifetime Achievement Award, May 2011

 

Honorary Fellow (with Anne P. Cabot), Trinity College, Carmarthen, Wales, November 2006

 

Garden Club of America, Achievement Award for outstanding creative vision and ability, 2006

 

Honorary Member of the Order of Canada, 2005

 

Winterthur, Henry Francis du Pont Award, October 2003

 

House Beautiful, Giants of Design Award, June 2003

 

Council on Botanic & Horticultural Libraries, Annual Literature Award [for The Greater Perfection], June 2003

 

Missouri Botanical Garden, Geensfelder Medal, September 2002

 

Royal Horticultural Society, Gold Veitch Memorial Medal, June 2002

 

Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec, 2001

 

Chicago Botanic Garden, Hutchinson Award, 2001

 

American Horticultural Society, Liberty Hyde Bailey Award, 2000

 

The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, Arthur Hoyt Scott Award, 1997

 

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Distinguished Achievement Award, 1994

 

Garden Club of America, Florens DeBevoise Medal, 1993

 

Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Gold Medal, 1992