Impressions of Monet’s wild oasis

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The garden created by Claude Monet in Giverny in France is a stunning space so reminiscent of the artist’s work. It has explosions of colour and scent and the whole space has a dreamlike quality to it, almost too beautiful to be true.

The garden is basically divided into two spaces, one is the flower garden, called ‘Clos Normand’, which is located to the front of the house and the second, a Japanese style water garden which is across the road. The flower garden is divided into borders which have a stunning mix of varying heights.

It can be said that in a way Monet was a fan of the ‘naturalised’ style of gardens – he disliked too much order and wanted to make the garden look as though it had always been there.

True to his artistic instincts, he planted flowers which had complementary colours and left them to grow freely. From the famous water lily pond which inspired his Water Lily paintings, to masses of roses – climbing, shrub and creeping – in all colours this garden is a true gem. The garden is daily from March 25 to November 1 from 9.30am to 6pm.

GETTING THERE

Ryanair flies twice daily to Paris where you can catch a traing to Vernon. Taxis from the station to the gardens cost about €15. To book tickets in advance or find out more, see www.giverny.org