La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard

The Gardens of La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard

The gardens of La Petite Rochelle at Rémalard have just re-opened for the first time this year and we took advantage of an empty house on Easter Monday to pay a visit – after we had cleaned and changed the rooms and after the guests had left that morning.  Well, everyone deserves a break once in a while!

So shortly after lunch, armed with a thermos of coffee and a bag of cookies and chocolates, we wound our way by a scenic back route to Rémalard, arriving at la Petite Rochelle just before it opened on Monday afternoon.

Over the winter the owners have started work (still in progress) on two new garden areas – one an open “prairie” area with a circular pergola and climbers in the centre, looking onto open countryside; the other a new formal garden with an interestingly shaped pond and gazebo.  Both of these are still works in progress, so it will be interesting to see how they develop, assuming we get a chance to revisit as we hope to do later in the 2012 season.

On the way back we made a detour to explore the “Circuit des Manoirs et Traditions” of the Perche, part of which we had not been around before – it was very pretty and the roads were deserted, just as we like them

During the rest of this year this charming garden will be open 2 to 7pm on the following dates:

12 and 13 May 2012

23 and 24 June 2012

In the summer La Petite Rochelle gardens will be open every afternoon, 7 days a week, from 14 July to 16 August 2012.

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Gardens of Normandy – La Petite Rochelle Revisited

La Petite Rochelle Garden Revisited

We visited the garden of La Petite Rochelle at Rémalard for the first time in late summer 2010 (see Gardens of Normandy – La Petite Rochelle) and immediately fell in love with it. Even after the hot and arid summer it was a delight, so we were keen to make sure we saw it early this year to see what it would look like in spring.

We were not disappointed. Whereas last August the summer flowers like phlox, agapanthus and roses had been the stars, this time we were able to appreciate the magnificent wisterias which scramble at every turn over arches, across pergolas and up into the tops of trees, the big, blowsy tree paeonies (paeonia suffruticosa) in their rainbow colours, and scores of azaleas and rhododendrons that had been hidden in the background on our previous visit.

If you are in south-east Normandy this summer we highly recommend a visit to the garden at La Petite Rochelle, which lacks the fame and kudos of Giverny but has ten times more charm and interest for amateur gardeners; it is not enormous but is choc-a-bloc with features to inspire – ponds, fountains, statues, arches and places to pause and appreciate the beauty.

A couple of unusual pounts of interest are a fountain and statue to Saint Fiacre, patron saint of gardeners, and a memorial grotto in memory of Peter Wolkonsky, creator of the Jardin de Kerdalo and cousin of the owner of La Petite Rochelle, Helène d’Andlau.

Practical Information

La Petite Rochelle Plan (2009)

La Petite Rochelle is open one weekend per month in April, May and June. It is then open every day during the main French holiday period mid July to mid August BUT afternoons only, 13h00 to 19h00.

Entry for adults is 5€ in 2011.

Access

If you’re looking for accommodation in reasonable distance, the route shown is from our B&B on the border of Normandy and Pays de la Loire. We are about 45 minutes away from Rémalard and Petite Rochelle garden by car.

Nearby are several other Perche gardens of note such as the Jardin François and the Gardens of Château de Lorière.

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Gardens of Normandy – La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard

Garden of La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard

We had heard of the garden at Rémalard called  la Petite Rochelle before, but only came to visit it for the first time after chatting with the owner of the gardens at Château de Lorière which is nearby.  In fact there are 4 gardens in close proximity, the other two being Manoir de Pontgirard and Jardin François.  The owner of Lorière was quite insistent that we just had to see la Petite Rochelle – and time was of the essence as it would only be open for another week, its season ending mid-August.

La Petite Rochelle won the “Parc des Parcs” prize in 2006 – a good sign – and unlike most “private”  gardens it opens every day of the week in season.  This meant we could visit it the very next day.

The entrance to la Petite Rochelle (22 rue du Prieuré, Rémalard) is not obvious and we were past it before we realised it – just a gap in the wall that runs the length of the street, with only a tiny sign to indicate you’ve arrived.   But once inside a magical garden appears as if by magic – the wall keeps its secret well hidden!

The garden at La Petite Rochelle is very “English” in style, informal rather than regimented and with  good plant combinations – the garden includes national collections of daphne and pieris but you don’t need to be a botanist to appreciate it.  It is broadly divided into eight parts that were developed in stages between 1976 and the present day by the owner, Helene d’Andlau (cousin of Peter Wolkonsky, creator of the Jardin de Kerdalo) and her daughters, who will be happy to tell you the history of the garden.

La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard

Opening times are fairly restricted but it is so exceptional that we strongly recommend a visit if you are lucky enough to be in the region at the right time of year.

It took us about 1 to 1.5 hours to explore the garden; it is not huge (about a hectare in all) but it twists and turns with many  interesting features (like the fountain and statue to Saint Fiacre, patron saint of gardeners), and it is liberally peppered with seats that invite you to take a pause at regular intervals. Take advantage of them and don’t rush it!

Practical Information

La Petite Rochelle Plan (2009)

Open one weekend per month in April, May and June.

Open every day during the main French holiday period mid July to mid August BUT NB Afternoons only, 13h00 to 19h00.

Entry for adults was 3€ in 2010.

Access

If you’re loking for accommodation in the Perche, the route shown is from our B&B on the border of Normandy and Pays de la Loire. We are about 45 minutes away from Rémelard and Petite Rochelle by car.

View Larger Map

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