It is when you leave Fernand's Living Gardens that you understand the history of the humble stone house. After purchasing the land in 1970, Fernand and his wife immediately began building their home and garage. One piece at a time, the couple knew how to keep their patience, thinking that the long road would lead them to certain achievements. Previously, the land was a simple bare pasture. But Mr. Gosselin had a plan. Like a landscape architect, the man chose one by one the trees he would plant. Apple trees, pine trees, willows, plum trees, trees for all seasons were planted like the lines of a painting. This is precisely what Mr. Gosselin calls his garden: natural painting.

As a young man, Fernand loved to draw. Without people being able to understand what direction his work was going to take, he would giggle with pleasure at knowing the answer. Visionary and ambitious, over the years, the two enthusiasts ran to various garden centers to discover the new color that would be added to their palette. Ms. Gosselin recounts that they once made the mistake of visiting garden centers around Montreal in a van. They arrived at the opening and left when the center closed, the vehicle overflowing with rare species of perennials at the cost of a small fortune.

Today, the gardens are beyond belief. It is impossible to comprehend the number of hours behind this masterpiece. The couple has carefully memorized the names of each plant and flower. From the waterfall to the flower cascade, passing by the wooden culverts, the pavilion and the log cabin, everything, everything, was sown and built by hand. Mrs. Gosselin and her granddaughter spend many 8-hour days maintaining the gardens. With over 500 varieties of daylilies, Fernand's Perennial Gardens is at the top of the list of the richest perennial parks. The garden covers 140,000 square feet. Over 100,000 plants and more than 2,500 varieties of perennials are planted in different rock garden forms.

An encounter is worth a thousand words. You will visit "the gardens of a lifetime", as Mr. and Mrs. Gosselin's daughter, author of a book about them, would say.

Open from Tuesday to Sunday. By reservation for groups of 20 people or more.