Claude Monet Gardens in Giverny

Giverny is a small French village 80 km to the west of the capital city Paris, within the valley of the river Seine and the northern region of Haute-Normandie. The village is best known as the rural retreat of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet. French impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926) developed his garden in the Parisian village of Giverny, covering his extensive grounds with brilliant flowers and profuse greenery.Photographer and expert gardener Elizabeth Murray helped to restore Monet’s gardens, which are now open to the public, during the 1980s; she returns each year to capture new radiance on film. Murray’s detailed descriptions accompany her verdant subjects. Included are views of the Grande Alle, the famous Japanese-style footbridge, and the inspirational water garden. Much of the drama in Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny in Normandy, France, comes from the contrasting horizontal and vertical elements. For smaller spaces, irises, bamboos and grasses can replace the weeping willow
It is divided into two parts. The rectangular Clos Normand lies in front of the house, with archways of climbing plants wrapped around superbly coloured shrubs. The Water Garden lies further away, and provided inspiration for some of Monet’s greatest work. He came here often during his life, his imagination stimulated by the interplay of light and shadow and the dreamy, contemplative quality of this enchanting Japanese garden. It was here that he painted his Water Lilies series, exquisite canvases which seem to convey the essence of Impressionism and herald the abstract movement to come. The scene remains untouched by time and July is the best time to see the water lilies in their full glory.When you look at Monet’s paintings of his lily pond at Giverny , you begin to realise how much variation there is in them. Some have a little strip of the ground at the end of the pond, others have none; in some the water looks really deep, and in others Monet’s focused on the surface of the water. You begin to realise how there’s the potential for a lifetime’s paintings in just one subject. He loved flowers and the magnificent gardens slope gently down to the River Epte. The gardens also comprise the walled garden, planted according to Monet’s own design, and the Water Garden, shaded by weeping willows, with its famous Japanese Bridge, its wisterias, azaleas and its pond with water-lilies.

Water lilies are sensitive to cold. When the night is overcast and mild, they are all open in the morning. But if the night is clear, they close and need several hours of sunshine to open again.

They like a warm water not only to open, but also to bloom. On Monet’s pond, water lilies are gorgeous during heat waves, they become scarce during rainy and cool periods.

This is true for a big pond like Giverny. For gardeners who would like to grow water lilies in a wash basin, it is wise to look for a partly shaded spot. In direct sunshine, the water of a small container becomes very warm. If some like it hot, it is not the case of water lilies.

There are many! The scenery, the flower show change with the seasons. One of my favorite time is the tulip’s.
Tulips flower mostly during the second half of April. Their blooming is spectacular, gorgeous, breathtaking. They offer colors, colors, colors, always bright ones, they can have soft and tender or very warm flaming tones. They exist in an infinite variety of forms and aspects. And they provide amazing mass effects.
This border, for instance, was designed by Monet after visiting and painting the tulip fields in Holland. He was impressed by the large colorful stripes of these cultures.
When he came back to Giverny, Monet decided he wanted a very long border in his garden, from top to bottom, planted according to a monochromatic scheme.
This oversized flower bed records to his visual experience in Holland, as far as color and size are concerned. But Monet could not be satisfied with one sort of tulips only. His ‘tulip field’ is a very refined mixed border composed of many different sorts of tulips. They harmonize, their pink is slightly different, producing the subtle variation of tones that one can observe on an impressionist painting. A beautiful example of the way Monet used flowers like brushstrokes.

On April 1st, when it opens for the first time in the season, Giverny is like a sleeping beauty. Still a bit dreamy, it awakes gradually.

Lovers in their own dreams start walking around or sitting on the benches, enjoying the Spring sunshine.

Giverny is a nice place to celebrate love, love of a partner, of parents, relatives, and also love for gardens, nature, painting and simply beauty.

It was Valentine’s day this week: I dedicate this post to all lovers.

Monet’s Garden at Giverny is not a low maintainance garden. In the 19th Century, having gardeners and helpers was not as expensive as today. The wealthy painter could afford up to six full time gardeners to manucure his 5 acre garden.

One of the heavy task of his times that is still a daily core today was the skimming of the pond to take out all the dried leaves or petals floating on the surface.

The pond being surrounded by trees and flowers, it is the only way to keep the water clear.

The job takes two hours and requires balance and patience, and a strong back.

Have a nice virtual tour of Giverny!