Apr 25, 2022 3 min read

After it wowed thousands of guests with its Van Gogh in Bloom show in 2019, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens turns its attention to another iconic artist when it debuts its summer flower show.

Starting May 7, Phipps presents Monet in Bloom, based on the works of impressionist painter Claude Monet. I

In this new show, summer displays will give three-dimensional life to Monet’s scenes of delicate flora and dreamlike design – works that have stood the test of time for 100 years.

Just as Monet connected with the natural world by painting outdoors to immerse himself in nature, Phipps now reimagines his art through the flora that inspired it, paying transformative tribute to “Water Lilies,” “The Saint-Lazare Station” as well as the artist’s iconic studio boat through horticultural display.

Among the exhibit features are:

• Arbors from Monet’s own garden in Giverny, France, painted in Monet’s signature green and covered with annual vines and garden bed mixes at the entrance;
• ”Water Lilies” re-created with lobelia, begonias and other flowers in a giant vertical mural in the Welcome Center;
• ”The Woman in Green” rendered as a green- and- black-striped topiary against a black foliage backdrop in the Palm Court;
• ”The Saint-Lazare Station” in the Sunken Garden, which is reimagined to hold a massive train with bugleweed tracks and steam billows made from hanging baskets of dusty miller and verbena;
• Monet’s “Studio Boat” as it floats in the Victoria Room pond surrounded by beds of impatiens, begonias and other colorful blooms;
• ”The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil” posing for a photo by a vintage wagon between tall plantings of canna, everlastings and sunflowers;
• The “Woman with a Parasol” as arbors arch skyward and Monet-green benches invite relaxation in the South Conservatory;
• The Serpentine Room with its ponds of “Water Lilies,” a Japanese footbridge and purple dahlias, and a surprise at the end of the path.

The open of Monet in Bloom coincides with Mother’s Day weekend and the conservatory’s 86th annual May Market, where patrons can stock up on plants, gardening accessories, handmade jewelry, lawn décor and more.

May Market is free and open to the public; for hours and a list of participating vendors, visit phipps.conservatory.org/MayMarket.

On May 14, Phipps’ Butterfly Forest will open for the first time in three years. This experience awes visitors with an up-close look at some of nature’s most prized pollinators alongside the blossoming flowers that feed them.

Butterfly Forest runs through Sept. 5 and is included with cost of admission.

The summer flower show, designed by Associate Director of Exhibits Jordyn Melino, runs through Sept. 25.

Phipps is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and until 10 p.m. Fridays.

Visit phipps.conservatory.org/Monet for more information or to reserve tickets.