Overview
- This summer’s record heat in France has produced major wildfires and a higher-than-normal death rate while also stressing public landscapes.
- Garden staff at the Claude Monet House and Gardens report extensive damage in Giverny, with nasturtiums and other summer blooms killed or scorched by the heat.
- Gardeners say immediate measures—grouping plants, nighttime watering, mini-sprinklers and underground irrigation—have reduced visible damage in many beds.
- Staff describe plant-level effects such as stomatal closure, halted flowering and burned foliage that explain why many flowers wilted despite watering.
- Teams are weighing longer-term moves, including earlier bloom schedules and more heat-resilient species, while balancing those changes with the garden’s historic Impressionist aesthetic and upcoming centennial exhibitions.