Claude Monet's Impressionist paintings aren't his only legacy. In the French village of Giverny, his vibrant gardens, which the artist tended for more than 40 years, are just as impressive, attracting tourists from around the world. "Monet composed his garden like a well-balanced palette," writes author Adrien Goetz in the new book A Day with Claude Monet in Giverny ($35, Flammarion), which offers an up-close view of the artist's property. "In the Clos Normand, he dug regularly shaped rectangular beds that were each assigned a color. The result is never monotonous because the palette constantly changes." To this day, the landscape continues to burst with hyacinths and tulips, rhododendrons and water lilies, cosmos and sunflowers; it's not surprising that the gardens inspired many of Monet's best-known works. Read on for a tour of the verdant space.
The central path in Monet's walled garden, Clos Normand, explodes with jewel-toned nasturtiums during the summer.
Tulips and forget-me-nots greet you at the entrance to Monet's manor house, which was once a cider mill.
A view of the riotous garden from the residence's eye-catching teal porch.
Monet often painted water lilies from one of his two Japanese bridges. In May, the structures are covered in white and lavender wisteria.
To see more, pick up a copy of A Day with Claude Monet in Giverny.