Val Rahmeh in Menton – the general's garden that became a botanical treasure

From a lemon grove to an English holiday home, and since 1967 a botanical garden under the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. In Val Rahmeh grows, among other things, the toromiro, a tree from Easter Island that is extinct in the wild.

In the Garavan district of Menton, a few hundred metres from the beach, stands an ochre villa with arcades in a garden full of palms, water lilies and daturas. The Jardin botanique Val Rahmeh-Menton is one of France's botanical gardens run by the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris. The story behind it begins with a lemon grove.

01From lemon grove to Villa Henriette

According to the garden's own history, the land was in the 19th century a farm owned by the Monléon family, a noble family from Menton. On the terraces grew centuries-old olive trees, lemon trees and vines. Henriette de Monléon (1803–1903), widow of the politician Charles Emmanuel Trenca, had Villa Henriette built when she was 72, and the wrought-iron gate is dated 1875. When she died in 1903, the estate passed to a younger relative, Henriette de Galbert.

02General Radcliffe and Rahmeh

In 1921, Henriette de Galbert sold the estate to Rahmeh Théodora Swinburne, wife of the British general Sir Percy Radcliffe. The couple bought the surrounding land and turned the terraces into a pleasure garden. In 1925 the Menton architect Frédéric Orrigo was commissioned to design a villa in Italian-Provençal style, built around the old house.

Insider tip

Closed on Tuesdays.

Rahmeh died in 1924, and when the house was extended in 1927 the property was named Val Rahmeh in her memory. The east wing became guest rooms and servants' quarters.

03May Campbell – the lady of the daturas

After two owners in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Val Rahmeh was bought in 1957 by the English botanist May Sherwood Campbell. She renamed the villa Casa Rossa and bought a plot below the terrace to preserve the sea view. Campbell traded in rare plants from every continent and became known as the lady of the daturas, after her passion for Brugmansia, the large hanging trumpet flowers from South America.

In 1966 she was in debt and forced to sell most of the property. She turned down the developers and approached the French state instead, which bought the rest. In May 1967 the garden opened to the public with the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle as custodian. Today it holds the Jardin remarquable distinction.

04Toromiro, lotus and water lilies

The garden is laid out in terraces by biogeographical zone and benefits from Menton's microclimate, according to the regional tourist board. Among the collections are lotus, water lilies, daturas and toromiro, Sophora toromiro, a tree from Easter Island that is extinct in the wild. There is a botanical trail, temporary exhibitions, guided tours and a shop, and at the entrance there is a relief map and a tactile model for visually impaired visitors.

Source: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourisme. Closed on Tuesdays. Current prices are available from the garden; there are reductions for children and groups, among others.

05Combine with more gardens in Menton

Up in the Gorbio valley lies Serre de la Madone, Lawrence Johnston's terraced garden, and down by the sea Jean Cocteau's museum in the Bastion – see our guide to Menton in winter light. If you're planning a bigger trip along the coast, start with our guide to Monaco and our Riviera guides at metromode.co.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.