This was the home of the painter Claude Monet for the last 43 years of his 89 year live and features in many of the most important paintings of the impressionist movement. Though now preserved due to its importance it was very much the product of a passionate gardener. The garden and his work as a painter often overlapped, never more so than his water lily pond and the iconic paintings of it. The whole garden is a rich tapestry of plants suited to the climate of northern France with little room for paths and lawns. The garden doesn’t rely on vistas and dramatic views so much as draws you into the plants which the garden is all about.

The garden is naturally divided into two distinct areas, the one adjacent to the house is more open and formal in its layout with straight paths. The other is across the road, now reached by a short tunnel, and it is here the water lily pond is found in a more informal setting. In the end this was a garden created, like all be best gardens, for the pleasure of its creator and it shows in both the garden and the paintings it inspired.