Spring is here, the weather is warmer and the days are getting longer ... it reminds
me of market stalls with mounds of fresh garlic,
bright red and white radishes, bundles of plump, white asparagus and
wooden crates brimming with shiny, green fava beans.
me of market stalls with mounds of fresh garlic,
bright red and white radishes, bundles of plump, white asparagus and
wooden crates brimming with shiny, green fava beans.
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| The pale green of early Spring in the vineyards around Sablet Village |
Pale green leaves peep out from the dark stems of the vines in all the
vineyards throughout Provence. Restaurants near Sablet display their new Spring Menus, and the tulips in the field along the road between
Sablet and Jonquieres will be getting ready to burst into bloom, creating a sea of bright red and yellow with Mt. Ventoux in the background. By now, colorful window boxes will appear in the windows, that were hidden behind wooden shutters during the winter.
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| Rows and rows of tulips in a field on the road from Sablet to Jonquieres |
In a fit of "Springy nostalgia", I started looking through "Spring" pictures and found some that were quite literally, a dream come true for me. On the way back to California after visiting Provence a few years ago, as is quite common, we stopped in Paris. Having a longtime interest in the Impressionist school of art and a love of gardening, Claude Monet's house and garden was the natural place to visit.
Let's take a walk through Monet's garden at Giverny....
A great guide ......
"Monet's Passion" which has been in our bookshelves for many years, is very informative and has beautiful pictures. It not only provides a wealth of information to read in preparation for a trip, but also gives the you a guide to creating your own version of the Painter's garden, complete with a list of plants.
Two distinctly different gardens were inspired by the painter's love of color and form .....
Claude Monet's garden at Giverny is made up of the original walled garden and the Japanese garden across what then was the railroad, and is now the Chemin du Roy.
The walled garden - the Clos Normand, is a stunning arrangement of garden beds overflowing with colors of the season - in the Spring - pink tulips growing through a carpet of vivid blue forget-me-nots, irises in blues and yellows....
Gravel walkways separate the wide garden beds where it is very common to see groups of excited school children on field trips, hurrying around trying to find
the plants they on their assignment sheet.
The "Grande Allee" - a wide walkway adorned with climbing rose covered arches, and wide garden beds full of seasonal perennials and annuals leads to Monet's home, with its pink walls and green shutters that blends so beautifully into the landscape.
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| Pages from "Monet's Passion" show the Grande Allee in early Spring on the right, and on the left, and "black" tulips growing through a carpet of white and deep purple pansies |
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| Every garden bed is filled with flourishing combinations of plants of varying heights, grouped by complimentary colors against a background of fruit trees and ornamentals |
The Water Garden ....
Inspired by many of the Japanese prints that Monet was an avid collector of, he purchased the land across the railway tracks, about 10 years after settling in Giverny.
Today, the railway tracks have become the Chemin du Roy and a passage under the road connects the two gardens making access from one to the other very easy.
The water garden with its Wisteria covered Japanese bridge was the subject of
many, many of Monet's paintings. The garden was originally crossed by a
small brook, which was the site on which Monet had the pond dug.
Later, the pond was enlarged to its present size.
Today, the house, studio gardens and buildings are maintained by the Fondation Claude Monet at
84 Rue Claude Monet, 27620 Giverny, France Phone# +33 2 32 51 28 21
Giverny in Normandy, is a very pleasant drive of little over one hour from Paris. You can also take the train from Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris on the main line Paris-Rouen-Le Havre. Click here for information on getting from Paris to Giverny You will also find information on full day and half day trips to Giverney here.
For information on purchasing entry tickets or to purchase etickets, click here.
