The Happiness of Monet's Gardens

In 2009, I had a lovely trip to France that included Monet's gardens.  Years of admiring his paintings in museums and books did not prepare me for the beauty of the actual gardens.

The story of the gardens is, of course, of the labor of Monet's love for them, bringing in the exotic plants, arguing with his neighbors, and making the grounds the subject of many of his most famous paintings.

But it's also a story of a garden that was abandoned and run down, lacking in funding, and lacking in gardeners.

Imagine a world with reclaiming caretakers like those who restored Monet's gardens...  Now that would be a beautiful world, indeed.  ~ Paloma


Monet was my first true love in the art world. I had a book about his life, and his childhood- it enchanted me. His favorite green cake, his sketches of a teacher that landed him in detention. What a guy!

I can't say I've yet had the chance to find myself in Monet's gardens, but I'd like to think that I maintain a little bit of nice greenery myself. So far, I've managed about three trees in our very solid, clay soil. It's hard, but in all tackiness, watching them grow is one of the highlights each spring. I've just recently transplanted a few, and now, I eat my breakfast each day to new life.

It's a beautiful life- in France, in Germany, in a well-kept garden, or in a suburban backyard. ~Beth