Spring always makes me think of France, and specifically Monet’s beautiful garden at Giverny. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Paris twice and take a day trip to Giverny both times. One visit was in the month of May and the second was in June. The gardens were glorious both times.

In the spring months including May, you will find the garden blooming with amazing flowers. Beautifully arranged are daffodils, tulips, poppies, cherry and crabapple trees, wallflowers and pansies, fritillaries, irises and so many more. 

When my sister and I arrived at the gardens, we wandered around and took a little respite in the gift shop during a brief rainshower.  We found the irises beautiful but were rather unimpressed. Only after rounding a corner did we realize that we hadn’t even entered the gardens but were only on the edge of the grounds. Once we went into the actual gardens, we were awestruck. It is something that must be seen for yourself.

If you have ever looked at a tulip in sunlight, the flower practically drinks in the sunlight and forms a pool of light deep in the petals. The colors change as the tulips is illuminated. To truly appreciate this flower you have to look at it from the side but you must also look down into it to see more colors. It reminds me of a person filled with joy.

Once the calendar moves into summer, the garden takes a completely different look as roses spring in to bloom and climb on the myriad of trellises in the garden. Summer was the second time we visited the gardens. The incredible planning and bursts of color and fragrance were so wonderful.

The Giverny gardens are so popular that nearly half a million visitors come every year. Claude Monet spent the last forty-three years of his life perfecting the garden. His impressionist paintings are nearly inseparable from his gardens. You get a strong sense of that when you stroll down the garden aisles  and stand on the bridge overlooking the waterlilies on the pond. As the sun comes and goes behind the clouds, you see how the images change and why he was so intrigued with light and shadows.

On my bucket list is to visit Giverny in the fall as the leaves change color and as the sunflowers bloom and nasturtiums spill over into the pathways. Actually I want to see it every month of the year, but fall will be first. I hope you get a chance to visit and enjoy it just as much as we did.