The Impressionist Garden

Fascinated by the art and gardens of Japan and steeped in the new colour theories, the Impressionists developed a new style of painting and, notably in the case of Monet, championed a new style of gardening. Monet turned his six acres at Giverny into one of the great practical artistic achievements of the century, and planted a garden that he could later transform into paintings. By contrast, at Les Collettes near Nice, Renoir's garden - a forerunner of the now fashionable "natural" garden - acted as the focus for his art. Van Gogh, though never a gardener himself, was intensely aware of the colour contrasts at play in the natural world, and his writings and paintings are full of lessons for the gardener. This book analyzes the unique contributions the Impressionists made to garden design and planting. Using their gardens and paintings as his inspiration, Derek Fell has produced 25 colour planting plans that bring the realization of the planting schemes created by the Impressionists within the scope of the amateur gardener with a modest-sized garden. The accent is on the practical and the achievable. Themes such as colour, companion planting, gardening in light and shade, creating focal points are explored in detail. Derek Fell is the author of "Renoir's Garden".