Jardins de Rocailles

The Jardins de Rocailles is a secluded rock garden tucked into a woodland hillside just south of the village center, with more than 450 plant varieties arranged through terraced beds and natural rock formations. The garden focuses on alpine and woodland plants, with an emphasis on species native to or hardy in the Laurentian climate.

The garden opens in late spring when the first alpine flowers come into bloom and closes after the first heavy frost. Walking the paths takes about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace, and the combination of crafted garden beds and undisturbed forest around them gives the place a more private and personal feeling than larger botanical gardens. It is a good quiet afternoon in a village that values quiet afternoons.

things to do garden
A story
The garden was created by a single family over several decades, beginning in the 1940s, by hauling rocks from the surrounding forest and setting them into terraced beds by hand. The original founders had no horticultural training — they simply started moving rocks and planting things, and kept going for the rest of their lives.