Gardens of riotous colour

France's vibrant blooms fuel the imagination and leave a lasting impression.

“Suddenly I had the revelation of
how magical my pond is. I took up
my palette. Since that time I have
scarcely had any other model.”
- Claude Monet

When impressionist artist Claude Monet designed his garden at Giverny with the eye of a painter, his detailed eye for colour combinations and the effect of light and shade came to the fore. The result? A garden, simple in its form and choice of plants, but noted for its riotous and imaginative use of colour.

It was in 1883 that Monet moved to Giverny, a village along the Seine about 46 miles to the west of Paris. In his water garden is the famous Japanese footbridge covered with wisterias that was the source of his inspiration for more than 20 years. Other smaller bridges, weeping willows, colourful flowerbeds, a bamboo wood, nympheas that bloom all summer long and the artist's renowned water lilies stand as a silent tribute to the painter who shaped his subjects in nature before painting them.

Gardens of Giverny

From April to October, the gardens of Giverny appear to change with the season, beginning with a vibrant spring show, becoming more and more brilliant throughout the summer, before cooling off with a subtle and wistful autumnal finale. For those who appreciate warm and deep colours, autumn is the time to explore these gardens.

Monet's garden is divided into two parts. The rectangular Clos Normand that lies in front of the house is a garden full of perspectives, symmetry and colour. Here he created a wonderful series of formal beds that experience a succession of blooms, starting in February with flowering bulbs in whites, blues, and yellows. In late spring tulips, peonies and roses offer pastel colours, which give way to summer perennials in strong hues of yellow, red, orange, and purple to create the famous images the world has come to know.

It is said that Claude Monet did not like organised or constrained gardens. He planted flowers according to their colours and left them to grow freely. The Water Garden that fuelled the painter's imagination lies further away. The dreamy, contemplative quality of this enchanting Japanese garden with its interplay of light and shadow was to set the stage for his Waterlilies series. July is the best time to see these exquisite waterlilies in their full glory.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, many gardens in France were created in elaborate designs with formal parterres of clipped boxwood, and sweeping majestic vistas. Andre Lenotre's stately landscapes of Versailles and Vaux-le-Vicomte marked the beginning of a garden style that was soon imitated all over Europe. In fact, the Palace of Versailles near Paris is one of the greatest examples of how art dominates the landscape in the form of a rectilinear design that produces long straight drives with rectangular borders.

Monet's garden

The garden consists of stretches of forest intersected by alleys and dotted with small forest areas, terraces, and flowerbeds. Here, every tree, bush, fountain, pool and every piece of statuary and square foot of grass has been perfectly laid out. Expressing the spirit of the age of Louis XIV, every element in this grandiose and vast ensemble is subdued to a certain space discipline, giving special perspectives and showy views. Flowerbeds, terraces, water basins and fountains dominate this luxurious landscape.

The garden at Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is the most elegant and geometrically harmonious of all high baroque gardens. Organised on a central axis that passes through parterres, over basins of water, and into forests, the composition is balanced from every point of view. Designed as place of show, Vaux is perfect for a day trip.

Perhaps the most noteworthy project in the history of garden design, and in the development of Paris as an axial city, is the Jardin des Tuilleries. Started by Catherine de Medici, this garden was made on the site of a tile-works ( tuilleries) within the old walled city on the banks of the River Seine. Though it began as a private royal pleasure garden, with flowers and fruit, today the Tuilleries is one of the most elegant promenades of Paris.