Monet’s Giverny
While I ponder whether my last pastel is actually finished or not (it’s awfully dark) I’ve been reading about Monet, his garden, and studying his color schemes. So many of his waterlily paintings are light and ethereal, but several used darker color schemes. Still pondering…
Monet was an avid horticulturist and exercised great care in designing his garden. Art was his livelihood, but gardening was his passion. He created a painter’s paradise, and used much of his substantial income to do it. The meticulously kept grounds were an enormous task which was managed by a head gardener and included five assistants. It was while living at Giverny that he bought the adjacent property and constructed his now famous lily pond.
The pond was seeded with a variety of water lilies, and it’s banks populated with iris, rhododendrons, and exotic lilies. The entire area was bordered by poplars and willows to naturally screen the environment. One hardly realized a train track separated the main garden from the pond. Monet very thoughtfully created the environment from which his subjects would eventually be painted.
My own interest in garden design stems from a love of English cottage gardens. Water gardens are also a favorite, and I love naturalized environments. When I’ve had no yard, I’ve gardened in containers. We don’t have 65,000 sq. ft. like Monet, but it’s not bad for suburbia.
Click on the thumbnails for a full size image, but beware, they are very large files.**
The large hydrangea displays a beautiful range of pinks and purples. The front garden is quite shady, and home to two smaller hydrangeas, various hostas, and purple Siberian iris. The rear garden contains mostly vegetables, with a row of zinnias planted in front. The birdbath is surrounded by snapdragons.
My husband and I share a love of flowers. Someday we hope to have a field of wildflowers, and another just for sunflowers. They’ll be on either side of my little mini-orchard of pears and apples, and my studio will be out in the middle of it.
Fortunately, my husband the beekeeper understands the necessity of providing food and water for his little darlings, otherwise he’d never go for any of this nonsense. Monet may have had his pond, but I’m getting beehives!
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