IELTS Speaking Part 2 – Topic: Describe a garden you visited and like

I would like to share with you my impressions of a garden that I visited last summer, which was full of colour and interest: Claude Monet’s house and garden in Giverny, France.

As a big fan of Monet’s paintings, especially the famous „Water Lilies‟, I had always dreamed of seeing the scene in real life. So, when some friends suggested a visit last year, I jumped at the chance. After a journey of about an hour by train from our hotel, we arrived at Giverny. The garden was exactly as he had painted it – it was a riot of colour, from the peaceful white of the water lilies to the striking reds and oranges which filled some of the flowerbeds.

The two parts of the garden complemented each other perfectly. We first admired the array of bright flowers and fruit trees in the Clos Normand, but my favourite part was the water garden, and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll, taking in all the colours, perfumes and bird songs. Monet avidly collected prints of Japanese gardens, and these inspired the Japanese bridges covered with wisterias, the water lilies in the pond, and the bamboo and weeping willows which he planted.

For me, it was like a wonderland of colours and a dream come true after so many years.

– impression: feeling or feelings (in the plural) about the garden (impressions) “His impression of the meeting was that it didn’t go very well.”

– fan: although the word is often used in the context of football nowadays, here it means a person who admires [ Monet’s paintings]. “She is a huge fan of Maroon 5.”

– jumped at the chance: I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to visit the garden.
“He jumped at the chance to go to Las Vegas with his boss.”

– a riot of colour: a collection of many different colours.
“Sandra’s rose garden is a riot of colour.”

– striking: very attractive and unusual.
“The woman he was with was wearing a striking outfit last night.”

– flowerbeds: a piece of a garden or park in which flowers are grown.
“He loves digging in his flowerbeds.”

– complemented each other: each part of the garden added something different to the other part, so that the garden as a whole became more attractive.
“The wine and the fish complemented each other to form a perfect meal.”

– the array of bright flowers: the large and impressive collection of flowers. “The array of bright flowers in her garden surprised everybody. They didn’t realize she had planted so many varieties.”

– a leisurely stroll: a slow, relaxing walk.
“We went for a leisurely stroll along the beach this morning.”

– taking in all the colours: our eyes noticed all the colours and features of the garden.
“We were taking in all the colours of his garden, when all of a sudden we heard a large crash outside the garden gate. Two cars had just bumped into each other.”

– avidly: Monet collected prints of Japanese gardens enthusiastically.
“He studied English avidly, from morning until late in the evening.”

– prints: copies of original drawings or paintings.
“The artist offered her prints for $100 each.”

– wisterias: white or purple flowers which cover walls, bridges or trees.
“The wisterias in the garden were in full bloom.”

– pond: a small area of still water, usually in a garden.
“There are many beautiful fish in the pond.”

– bamboo: tall tropical plants which have hollow stems‟ [the long, thin part of the plant] used for building or furniture. “Pandas love to eat bamboo.”

– weeping willows: trees which grow near water and have „branches‟ which hang downwards.
“There are two weeping willows on the property, but we should cut one down.”

– wonderland: an imaginary place in children’s stories.
“The amusement park was a wonderland for both children and adults.