Monet’s Nymphéas is one of the most well known and iconic series of paintings in the world and it also happens to be one of my favourites. I fell in love with the dreamlike quality of these beautiful works in art class at school and ever since then I’ve wanted to have my own little pond with water lilies in it, hopefully one day it will be a reality. I can totally understand why a garden as beautiful as the one at Monet’s Giverny home could inspire such magical paintings.

I think that the true impact our gardens have on our mood and creativity is often under appreciated. I realised this when for a time we had no garden after it got destroyed in winter storm and we got badly let down by the contractor who we had hired to fix it. Every time I looked out a window at the derelict, muddy site my heart sank. Several years later when we finally finished renovating it, it brought me so much joy to see all the colour and smell the incredible scents of the flowers. It is a little sanctuary away from the world, a place to think and just be. Those quiet moments surrounded by nature are the moments where your thoughts can wander at will and they are the catalyst of ideas - some of my best ideas have arrived after sitting in a garden.

I have big plans for the formal gardens of Castle Araluen, but they are in a very nascent state at the moment. I will be developing them over the course of the series, drawing inspiration from some of my favourite gardens to visit. For now it is more Capability Brown with a hint of Monet.