What I Learned at Monet’s Garden isn’t Exactly What I Expected
Monet’s garden at Giverny
It’s easy to make your world small. When the outside world feels so full of vengeance and animosity, it is easy, maybe natural, to pull inwards. What I know my soul needs, however, is to be drawn outward to make my world bigger. Like a hiker who needs to get as far from the valley as possible to take in the view, distance brings perspective.
This fall I had the opportunity to travel a bit, something I haven’t been able to do much since I became the caregiver for so many animals and plants. And something, frankly, that is hard for me. I always feel like if I am home I can keep all living beings safe.
This trip, long-planned, but not without apprehension, allowed me a deep dive into curiosity. I got to go to new places and meet people who live in different countries with a range of experiences in, and viewpoints on, the world we share. It reminded me that curiosity is a cure for almost anything that ails me.
On this trip to Spain and France, one of the places I was able to visit was Monet’s garden. Isn’t it every flower farmer’s dream to visit Monet’s garden at Giverny?
Monet’s water lily garden in October
I didn’t expect to learn much about my flower field on this visit for I don’t have a water lily garden, or even much of a garden at all, because I grow in rows, production style. What I do know though is that every garden, like almost every person, has something to teach, and so I leapt at the chance to visit, an opportunity to soak in flowers and to get a peak into the mind of a renowned painter and gardener. On this visit to Monet’s garden I did learn about flowers. I saw the visual impact of salvia next to dahlias and Nasturtium along pathway edges.
I was also treated to a window into so much more than flowers. I witnessed the magic of reflections, and negative space, and the presence of air. I saw flowers in new ways that will influence what I grow for my designers.
While the influence on my business is immediate and profound, its impact on me personally was even greater.
I saw the beauty Monet created even at a moment of intense grief and loss—the death of his wife, his son, and the impending loss of his eyesight. As our guide noted, he achieved his life’s ambition at one of his lowest moments.
Salvia, asters, and dahlias
Nasturium along the Grand Allée
It reminded me of the incredible resilience of the human spirit and the ability to overcome such monumental hurdles, in part through the pursuit of beauty. Could there be any greater inspiration for a flower farmer? Is there any more powerful reminder of the importance of stepping out into the world with an open mind to learn something brand new. The experience was a vital reminder that the pursuit of beauty and joy can be an act of resistance against all that makes me want to draw inward.
