Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny is as famous as his paintings, filled with water lilies, tulips, irises, roses, and countless other blooms. Below you’ll find the complete list of plants and flowers in Monet’s garden, divided between the Water Garden and the Clos Normand.
To see how these blooms change through the seasons, you can also check the flowering calendar, which shows the rhythm of color from spring to autumn.
🪷 Plants and Trees in Monet’s Water Garden (Bassin / Pond)
Below you’ll find the list of trees, plants, and flowers in the Water Garden, which frame the reflections of the pond and inspired Monet’s celebrated Water Lilies paintings.
Trees around the Pond
- Weeping willow (Salix babylonica)
- Willow (Salix spp.)
- Poplar (Populus spp.)
- Bamboo
- Black bamboo (Bambusa nigra)
- Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
- Japanese cherry tree (Prunus serrulata)
- Japanese apple tree (Malus floribunda)
- Alder (Alnus spp.)
- Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum)
- Ash tree (Fraxinus spp.)
- Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
Plants of the Water Garden
- Rhododendrons
- Azaleas (Rhododendron spp.)
- Late peonies (Paeonia spp.)
- Agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus)
- Kalmia fern
- Barberry (Berberis spp.)
- Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum spp.)
- Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)
- Raspberry bush (Rubus idaeus)
- Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)
- Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
Spring Flowers by the Pond
- Wisteria, mauve and white (Wisteria floribunda, Wisteria sinensis)
- Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.)
- Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus)
- Tulips (Tulipa spp.)
- Lupins (Lupinus spp.)
Summer Flowers and Water Lilies
- Water lilies (Nymphaea spp.)
- Stem roses (Rosa spp.)
- Lilies (Lilium spp.)
🌼 Flowers and Trees in the Clos Normand (Monet’s Flower Garden)
Here is the list of flowers and trees in the Clos Normand, from spring tulips and irises to summer dahlias, roses, and sunflowers.
Trees of the Clos Normand
- Japanese cherry tree (Prunus serrulata)
- Japanese apple tree (Malus floribunda)
- Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)
- Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)
- Laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides)
- Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
- Lime tree (Tilia cordata)
Spring Flowers in the Clos Normand
- Aubrietia (Aubrieta deltoidea)
- Iris (Iris germanica, Iris hollandica)
- Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
- Christmas rose (Helleborus niger)
- Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
- Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana)
- Horned violet (Viola cornuta)
- Crocus (Crocus vernus)
- Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
- Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)
- Mock orange (Philadelphus coronarius)
- Viburnum (Viburnum spp.)
- Tulips (red, yellow, pink, mauve, parrot varieties)
- Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale)
- Peony (Paeonia lactiflora)
- Leopard’s bane (Doronicum orientale)
- Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris)
- Clematis (Clematis spp.)
Summer and Autumn Flowers in the Clos Normand
- Anemone (Anemone hupehensis)
- Cactus dahlia (Dahlia spp.)
- Mauve aster (Aster novi-belgii)
- Carpathian bellflower (Campanula carpatica)
- Climbing passionflower (Passiflora caerulea)
- Dahlias (yellow, white, pink)
- Roses (stem and climbing, in pink, yellow, orange, and red)
- Rudbeckia (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Salvia (Salvia splendens)
- Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
- Aconite (Aconitum napellus)
- Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)
- Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
- Pelargonium (Pelargonium spp.)
- Canna (Canna indica)
- Morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor)
- Hypericum (Hypericum perforatum)
- Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
- Climbing nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
- Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
- Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
- Delphinium (Delphinium elatum)
- Bellflower (Campanula persicifolia)
- Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
- Heliopsis (Heliopsis helianthoides)
- Willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium)
- Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica)
- Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
- Gladiolus (Gladiolus hortulanus)
- Lamium (Lamium maculatum)
- Lily (Lilium candidum)
- Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
- Blue thistle (Eryngium planum)
- Pink sumac (Rhus typhina)
- Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
- Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
- Blue hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
🎨 Themes and Inspirations in Monet’s Garden
Now that we’ve seen the full catalog, let’s explore the artistic ideas behind it.
1. The Garden as a Living Palette
Monet arranged flowers like pigments on his canvas; tulips, poppies, and nasturtiums for bursts of red and orange; irises and delphiniums for cool blues and purples; sunflowers and marigolds for golden highlights. His garden was a study in color harmony and contrast.
2. Japanese Influence in Giverny
Monet’s love of Japanese prints shaped his Water Garden. The curved bridge, bamboo groves, cherry blossoms, and water lilies all reflect this influence, blending East and West into a tranquil space of reflection.
3. Seasonal Flowering and Color Drama
Monet staged his garden so that something bloomed in every season. Spring brought tulips and daffodils; summer exploded with roses, lilies, and nasturtiums; autumn glowed with asters, salvias, and chrysanthemums. The garden was never static, like Impressionism itself, it captured fleeting moments.
4. Trees as Structure and Balance
Weeping willows framed the pond, chestnuts shaded the Clos Normand, and Japanese maples blazed red in autumn. These trees gave height, rhythm, and seasonal drama, balancing the abundance of flowers.
5. Gardening as Painting
For Monet, gardening was not separate from painting, it was painting in three dimensions. He once declared: “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” His canvases of irises, poppies, roses, and especially water lilies were direct translations of the world he created outside his door.
✨ As you stroll the paths and cross the Japanese bridge, will you be able to recognize the flowers from the list and see them as Monet once did? That’s the magic of visiting his garden; it invites you to look closer, linger longer, and discover your own masterpiece in every petal.