I recently visited Monet’s Garden, in Normandy. You’ve probably heard of it, and of Monet himself, the founder of Impressionism.

The garden itself is rightly famous, although I was surprised to discover that almost all of the plants there are quite common varieties, rather than horticultural curiosities. What grabs the attention is the way they are all closely planted in what is a comparatively small space.

The overall impact is quite stunning, but for me the details were even more impressive. Clever old thing, Nature.