Monet explained to one of his visitors at Giverny, "My garden is a slow work, pursued with love, and I don't deny that I'm proud of it.  Forty years ago, when I established myself here, there was nothing but a farmhouse and a simple orchard."

The Artist's Garden At Vetheuil
Claude Monet, 18409-1926, French
National Gallery Of Art, Washington, D.C.