The Clos Normand and Monet's pink house

The Clos Normand is the garden in front of the house, and it is nothing like an English border: Monet planted it as a grid of long straight beds, packed so densely that the paths disappear between them by high summer. The central allée runs from the gate to the front door under a series of iron arches carrying climbing roses, with nasturtiums creeping out from both sides until they meet in the middle in August.

Behind it, the house is long, low and pink with bright green shutters and a wisteria along the front. Standing at the gate end of the central path with the arches receding to the door is the classic frame; from the steps by the house, the same path runs the other way into the colour.

What you get depends entirely on the month. April and May are tulips, wallflowers and then irises; June brings the roses; July and August are at their densest and messiest, in the best way; October is dahlias and asters before the close. Overcast light suits the colour, which goes harsh and blown out under full sun.

The garden opens around the start of April and closes in early November. Everyone needs a ticket, the beds are roped and must not be entered, and paths fill from mid-morning — the first hour is the workable one. Interior rooms are visited on the same ticket and photography rules there are the foundation's.