[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-83923656.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n
\n\tFrance has endured record-breaking successions of heatwaves this summer, which have led to massive wildfires and a spike in the normal death rate, according to French public health services. Gardeners are also struggling with the scorching heat, including at one of the country\u2019s most cherished landmarks: Claude Monet\u2019s gardens in Giverny, Normandy.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly sad,\u201d R\u00e9mi Lecoutre, deputy head gardener at the Claude Monet House and Gardens museum, told France 24<\/em>. \u201cThis is the first time it has happened to this extent. It\u2019s awful.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLecoutre showed reporters where nasturtiums typically grow at this time of year, now among the flowers entirely killed off by the heat. He and a team of gardeners are trying to protect what flora they can by grouping plants together and watering more vulnerable flowers at night. Their efforts appear to be paying off, and media reports say the damage remains mostly visible on closer inspection.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWith mini-sprinklers and underground irrigation, we were able to fight against water stress,\u201d Lecoutre told France 3<\/em>. \u201cThat said, some foliage still burned. There are physiological phenomena happening at the plant level. They close their stomata, and they stop flowering. So we had a lot of wilted flowers. It\u2019s also the gardener\u2019s job to adapt \u2026 and work out solutions for the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLecoutre and his team are also considering shifting to more heat-resilient plants in the future, while also planning for earlier blooms as plants are thrown off their usual schedule, in response to the intense heat. These changes, however, can present another quagmire: This unique garden, crowned by Monet\u2019s beautifully preserved home, painted pink with green trim, is meant to invoke the iconic floral landscapes depicted in the Impressionist\u2019s paintings, even if it cannot claim to be a precise replica.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSince it\u2019s a historic garden, it\u2019s best that these plants answer to the aesthetic criteria, and that they are as close as possible to the plants that Monet knew,\u201d Lecoutre told France 24<\/em>. But the gardeners are not afraid to take some liberties. \u201cUltimately, we are not a museum garden, but truly a space that evolves with its time,\u201d Lecoutre said.<\/p>\n \n\tIn fact, Monet wanted gardens full of diverse plants, often arranging them in successive waves of flowers that bloomed for only a few weeks, creating an artwork in itself. \u201cThat is the added value of this garden here in Giverny: lots of plants with a short cycle, but in very large numbers,\u201d the gardener explained.<\/p>\n \n\tOn that note, one type of flower that Monet adored luckily doesn\u2019t mind the rising temperatures: His famous water lilies love the heat\u2014and are apparently thriving.<\/p>\n \n\tThis year also marks the 100th anniversary of Monet\u2019s death, commemorated with several fall exhibitions and events. In Paris alone, the Mus\u00e9e de l\u2019Orangerie will present \u201cMonet: Painting Time,\u201d opening September 30, while the Mus\u00e9e Marmottan Monet will host the exhibition \u201cStories of Landscapes: From Monet to Hockney (1893 to 2026),\u201d opening September 24, featuring the Impressionist\u2019s paintings in dialogue with modern and contemporary artists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/crushing-heatwaves-in-france-threaten-monets-gardens-giverny-1234795339\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-83923656.jpg?w=1024″] France has endured record-breaking successions of heatwaves this summer, which have led to massive wildfires and a spike in the normal death rate, according to French public health services. Gardeners are also struggling with the scorching heat, including at one of the country\u2019s most cherished landmarks: Claude Monet\u2019s gardens in Giverny, Normandy. 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