Summer in Giverny

Last summer, in June, I travelled to Giverny, France, to work in Claude Monet’s garden. 

Monet’s garden has been in my heart and mind for many years. During my history of art degree, I vividly remember sitting in lecture theatres and being absolutely enchanted by his paintings, especially those of his garden.  

There was a desire in me then to visit his garden and to experience with my own eyes how his skills as a gardener and plantsman married with his creative eye for design and beauty. We all know Monet of course, as the founder of the impressionist style, a painter of nature, a painter of light and as an artist who painted en plein air. However, it is sometimes forgotten, that he was very much first and foremost a gardener. He painted with flowers as his palette and in his own words he stated…

‘My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.’

After trying to plan my trip to Giverny numerous times but it being postponed due to covid, it was a delight that last summer it happened at last. 

My working week at Giverny was Monday to Friday with a 7am start each day. My accommodation was on site which was ideal. 

On my first evening I was given a tour around the garden, and I was blown away by the beauty and serenity surrounding me. His garden was all and more than I had hoped and dreamed it would be. I remember standing still and absorbing the twittering of birdsong, the warm breeze, the floral perfumes, the exuberant colours and the golden shimmering evening light. I stood with a huge smile on my face, soaking it all in. Finally, all the years of waiting and dreaming had come to fruition.  

I was given the privilege of having 24/7 access to the garden which was incredible. Having access to it after hours, with no tourists around, was something very special indeed. 

I worked on a rotation so I could experience each area of the garden. The garden is 2.5 acres and is separated into 4 areas. This includes the water garden, the flower garden (which is split further into East and West) and production.

My first week I worked in the main flower garden on the East side in vice head gardener, Remi’s team. At this stage in the season there were still huge and magnificent bearded irises flowering. 

         Lysimachia clethroides

The poppies too were opening in abundance. The Papaver beds in the main flower garden are tall, wild and seamless. They are designed in such a way that when one looks across the garden the gridwork of paths is invisible. They are a curated wildness of perfect fluidity and flow.

I spent a week working in the famous water garden. The water garden was a welcome respite from the baking heat of the main flower garden as temperatures there are slightly lower. June was the month of replanting beds which meant seasonal annuals were removed and redesigned with colour matching replacements. I was given free rein on designing some of the cleared beds with new annuals, this was a very enjoyable and creative job. Every day I chose the plants for the next day of planting from the production sector of the garden. It was like being a child in a sweetie shop, there was such a great variety to choose from. 

The other delight of working in the water garden was the everyday cleaning of the pond in the traditional wooden rowboats. The pond is kept in mirror like condition and therefore reflects all the trees and planting surrounding it. The water lilies (les nymphéas) are of course a special attraction in the water garden as these beautiful flowers were so famously painted by Monet.

When cleaning the pond, I had to use the net as an oar to carefully sweep across the pond and guide the boat. I had to be very careful to avoid the precious water lily flowers whilst trying to balance and remove leaves, algae and debris from the water. Talk about multitasking! This was all done whilst hundreds of tourists watched on and took photos. Not always the easiest of tasks, especially when balance is compromised when one has a prosthetic leg. However, it was a fun challenge that I was happy to do on numerous occasions. 

     Dusk in the water garden from beneath the weeping Salix babylonica

 

 

My third week was spent in the west side of the flower garden replanting beds, deadheading, watering and weeding. My fourth week involved spending 2 days seed sowing in the polytunnels and 3 days back at the water garden.

The team of full-time gardeners I worked with were so welcoming and I made some very good friends. I look forward to going back in the future. I learnt many things that I intend to use at my work in the Cruickshank Botanic Garden, especially with aquatic plant and pond related matters. I have so much more I could write but I better stop. 

I will finish with these words of Monet’s which reflect my own feelings exactly…

‘I work at my garden all the time and with love. What I need most are flowers, always. 

My heart is forever in Giverny.’

 

Bien à vous, 

 

Lesley