the garden of monet

With the weather absolutley beautiful in Paris and us not sleeping with still adjusting to time differences, we undertook the great pilgrimage today and went by train and bus to Giverny to visit the garden and house of Monet.
We had luckily seen some of the famous painting by Monet in the Musee l'Orangerie the day before so it put us in the mood.

It was truly beautiful.  It's actually quite a simple garden over a relatively large area.  The house was quite amazing with classically french farmhouse colours and finishes.  A beautiful blue on blue salon and a bright yellow dining room and a fabulously classic blue and gleaming copper farmhouse kitchen.   Unfortunately no pictures of these as we weren't allowed to take photos inside.
I do wonder if poor old Monet is turning over in his grave though.....the number of people trooping through his garden and house has got to be seen to be believed.....I am not so sure he would approve??.  As much to say....it was crowded (and we got there on the first bus).

But back to the garden....all our normal, well known, easy to grow flowers are in the garden and they provide all the colour and interest.  They are planted en mass in sweeps and long allees and walkways so colour is utmost.  And of course this is just how Monet intended it to be.

There are oodles of flowering plants packed in tight to decrease weed growth and I decided that it would take an army of gardeners to magane it all.  Everything seems to be timed for consecutive  ongoing waves of colour and flowering  interest so there is always a host of plants flowering at any  momnet.
The tulips, bulbs, pansies and violets, cornflowers and wall flowers were flowering profusely.  The iris, peony, poppies and roses area all just starting and going to be the next wave of colour.
The wisteria was at its absolute best, dangling in great swathes of violet purple and white.  And the green to offset it all is ever present and provides a vibrant backdrop.
If you close your eyes and just listen to the birds, insects and doves, you can imagine the joy and passion that Monet put the garden together with and how he would have relished painting the colour and just being in the atmosphere.

Simple, remarkable, enjoyable but certainly country and earthy and rather inspiring and beautiful actually.