The gardens of Claude Monet at Giverny

Spread out before Monet's house, the Walled Normandy garden covers around one hectare. Its central walkway is bordered by abundant flower beds. In summer, nasturtiums gradually invade the path, blanketing it with their warm hues.
 

Monet shaped this garden as a living composition. He had apple trees, cypresses, box and spruces removed to create a great central alley topped with metal arches that support climbing roses. On either side, beds welcome a mosaic of colours and species : tulips, irises, peonies, daffodils, narcissi, daisies, poppies, all mingled with no rigid ordering.
 

It is in this water garden that Monet imagined his series of Water Lilies, which would occupy him for almost three decades. Far from a still life, the surface of the pond becomes the very subject of the canvas : reflections, mists, transparencies, shifting light. The largest of these compositions today take pride of place in the two oval rooms of the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris.

The gardens of Giverny are open from late March to early November. Each season unfolds its own palette : tulips and irises in spring, roses and water lilies in summer, asters and dahlias in autumn. To savour the place to the full, the months of May and June remain particularly enchanting.

• Two gardens : Clos Normand and water garden
• Around 1 hectare for the flower garden
• Japanese bridge made of beech, painted green
• Open from late March to early November
• Best season : May and June