Late summer is a great time of year to visit Giverny, especially because of the fantastic dahlias that are now at their best in the flower beds.
Monet loved dahlias. We know from his step-son Jean-Pierre Hoschedé that he was fond of a variety called ‘Etoile de Digoin’, a starry dahlia that can still be admired in the garden. The gardeners do their best to find old varieties, as far as possible. They also plant lots of modern dahlias, because Monet looked for the newest hybrids of his times.
Dahlias are said to be easy to cross fertilize. Monet himself is supposed to have made an attempt and obtained a new variety – unfortunately it is lost now. Each year new dahlias appear on the market, and they are just amazing. They range from tiny to huge, from one color to several, they have all kinds of petals, of shape, of hues… They play their part in the stunning beauty of late summer at Giverny.