7 The Garden and the Water Lilies

Chapter 7 The Garden and the Water Lilies

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Monet spent more and more time and money on his garden. He enriched the chalky soil. He bought rare plants. He built more trellises for roses. He bought more land for a vegetable garden so he could use all the beds in his garden for flowers. At one point he had six gardeners working for him. But Monet was always in charge.

With so much money coming in, Monet was able to buy some land across from his house. There, the river formed a small pond where arrowheads and water lilies grew. Monet added more water lilies, all different kinds. A few years later he bought more land so he could enlarge his pond. He had to have ditches dug to bring water from the river to fill his

pond. It ended up being three times bigger than the original pond. In 1892, he began to paint pictures of water lilies. This was his last and probably most famous series. He painted the lilies and their reflections in the water.

Sadly, Alice was now suffering from a blood disease called leukemia. Her doctors could do nothing to save her. She died in 1911. Monet was desolate without her. He was seventy years old. Often he was dizzy and weak. Worst of all, his eyesight was failing. He had cataracts, which are like thick layers of film that cover the irises.