The Magic of Monet's Garden: His Planting Plans and Color Harmonies

"Gardening was something I learned in my youth. I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers"
- Claude Monet

Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926) created a magnificent five-acre garden that he considered to be his greatest artistic achievement. It was restored in 1980 and is now the most visited garden of its size in the Western world. With its spectacular color combinations and distinctive structural elements, the Monet garden at Giverny, France, inspires the dreams of thousands of gardeners.

Award-winning garden writer and photographer Derek Fell has visited Giverny many times and always admired the beauty of its plantings and the subtle balance of colors. After years of carefully studying Monet's design and plantings, he shares the artist's secrets. In The Magic of Monet's Garden, Fell reveals Monet's breathtaking color harmonies and describes how the artist "painted" his living masterpiece. He guides the reader on how to scale down Monet's ideas for the home garden, with attention to:

• Understanding the laws of colors
• Building color harmonies
• Creating innovative combinations
• Recognizing the power of monochromatic plantings
• Using black in the garden
• Working with structure and form
• Building rhythm and surprise
• Capitalizing on sunlight and shadow
• Incorporating water features
• Attracting birds and butterflies.

With 175 color photographs and illustrations and a dozen detailed planting plans, The Magic of Monet's Garden will inspire and instruct home gardeners to create their own versions of Giverny.