Monet's Garden, Not Every Garden Deserves the Name 💜

It's the beautiful month of May again, the season of blooming flowers. I was flipping through photos from last year at this time in the Giverny town at Monet's garden and realized I haven't shared them yet. Nowadays, we often hear about so-called "Monet gardens" and see too many gardens that are hastily arranged for Instagram-worthy snapshots, beautiful in photos but only for a few seconds of social media attention. So, I've always wanted to discuss what makes a garden a garden, and why Monet's garden can be "the" Monet garden. 🌸As a flower lover, Monet's former residence and garden in Giverny, just an hour's train ride from Paris, is a must-visit destination in France. In fact, we went there on the day we arrived in France, still feeling jet-lagged. Despite being a global hotspot, even in a small town, Monet's garden is crowded, but it doesn't detract from its beauty. May is the season when wisteria blooms in France, and the arched bridge in the painting is covered with purple flowers, with the water lily pond that Monet depicted over and over again right before our eyes. It is said that Monet was captivated by the scenery of Giverny while passing by on a train and decided to settle down here, creating his garden and painting, spending his later years in this place. Standing on the arched bridge and looking at the pond, I thought of the huge water lilies in the Musée de l'Orangerie, feeling as if I were looking at the painter through time. Speaking of Monet's garden, it's not that large, nor does it have breathtaking views, but in my opinion, it is a small Eden created over time, a personal Eden, which Monet generously shared with the world through his paintings. Now, Monet's garden is preserved as part of his former residence, renovated several times, and many places are different from when the painter was alive. However, thanks to the year-round care of more than a dozen gardeners, every plant here is still spirited. Walking on the garden paths, every turn is a picturesque view. 🌳As a gardener for six years, I still consider myself a novice, but I have gradually come to understand the charm of gardens. A truly living garden is never instant; it requires time to polish, and it is always changing, every season, every moment, bringing surprises and tranquility. So, any garden, no matter its size, no matter the rarity of the flowers, will gradually grow into its own form if created with heart. Thus, there is only one Monet garden in the world, but there can be many, many gardens with their own unique beauty. 💜 #MonetsGarden #MonetWaterLilies #Monet #MonetsHome #Garden #SecretGarden #Gardening #GardeningLife #Wisteria #WisteriaFlower #WisteriaBlooms #WaterLilies #CulturalLandscapeSharing