Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

Monet’s garden was a living canvas. In this space he experimented with his love of color and form. His knowledge of color theory and his artist’s eye informed the choices he made in his garden design. In turn, they offer good suggestions for the homeowner who is about to embark on their own planting project.

Last week we mentioned how one of Monet’s prominent concerns was capturing light and atmosphere. His garden was no different from the scenes he painted on his canvas. The color sequences that he created in his garden echoed changes in light and weather that he observed in the space. He used his artist’s eye to accentuate these changes and enhance the atmospheric quality of the place.
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You didn’t think we would forget Monet’s famous bridge, did you? Come see it in person when Monet’s Garden opens to the public on May 19!

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

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Claude Monet may have defined his career as a painter with the iconic irises and water lilies that sprung from his palette, but his garden at Giverny offered a menagerie of color and shape that reached far beyond his most common canvas subjects. And it does to this day: over a century later, a crack staff of gardeners still tends the dazzling variety of plants that makes up the Impressionist’s living legacy. This includes a collection of vibrant indigo flowers well-known to home gardeners, cattle ranchers, and one of the 20th century’s greatest creatives.

As May makes its case for cheerful spring weather, a prime example of the Impressionist’s varied tastes blooms at the NYBG‘s Nolen Glasshouses, awaiting the opening of Monet’s Garden. And if ever an eponymous color did its namesake proud, it would be that of “delphinium blue.” There are other hues in the plant’s repertoire, of course–lavender, white, red–but each understated alternate might seem almost banal in comparison.
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Creating a masterpiece takes more than simple inspiration. It requires preparation–arranging each color and readying the canvas. And as with a painting, Monet’s Garden at the NYBG is a work of art with as much going on behind the scenes as happens in the open.

Marc Hachadourian, Manager of the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections, takes us through the expansive collection of delphiniums, poppies, nasturtiums and other flowers that will soon embody our homage to Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny. Months of careful tending in specialized growing environments have allowed us to tease the flowers into bloom all at once, re-creating the artist’s living muse at its kaleidoscopic peak. But you won’t have to wait that long to see them.

If you haven’t reserved your tickets yet, get to our ticket page! The doors to the French master’s private paradise open to New York on May 19.

The Sun Sets on the Palm House at Kew by Jeff Eden - Winner of the IGPOTY special commendation for Best Image of Kew

Happy Monday everyone! Ann Rafalko here, editor of Plant Talk and Director of Online Content at NYBG, to let you know that Plant Talk is going on vacation. Or, more precisely, I’m going on vacation, and I’m taking you with me!

I’ll be visiting a few of the world’s greatest gardens, and sharing my adventures with you, right here on Plant Talk. Additional posting will be light, so stay tuned for this special two-week adventure.

In just a few hours I will be hopping the pond to London where I’ll be visiting a few of my colleagues at Kew. I will also be taking a look at the IGPOTY exhibition (where at least one talented NYBG visitor’s photograph will be on display next year!), visiting the Chelsea Physic Garden, and checking out some of the best gardening shops the capital city has to offer. Then, on Friday, I’ll be heading to the City of Lights for a few days. I’m hoping to visit Monet’s garden at Giverny (more on why soon!), and to explore how the Parisians fit gardens into their historic urban landscape.

So stay tuned, and if you have any tips on garden-related places I should visit while in London and Paris, please feel free to leave a comment below. Bon voyage!