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The Hof van Roosmalen is a village house situated in the old town of Rekem, near Maastricht. It is built of local 'Rekem brick', and its style is typical for the region, having a tall, steeply-raked roof of rich orange tiles. The windows on its main facade are leaded, and are interspersed with gently coloured diamonds of pale green and orange glass.

Away from the formal public facade, to the rear of the house one discovers one of the most hauntingly beautiful gardens ever created. It was conjured into existence by Patricia van Roosmalen, a leading figure in the European garden world. The garden has had a profound effect upon everyone who has visited it, and this is due to the fine taste and wide botanical knowledge that its designer has fed into her creation.

The 'prielle' or 'summer pavilion' was the only feature which existed in the garden when Mrs van Roosmalen bought the property with her husband in the 1950's. Unusually, this 'prielle' is constructed of cornus, which is generally used as a hedging plant. The village of Rekem was at one time completely surrounded by this cornus hedging, but it has all since been rooted up, and that comprising the prielle is the last to survive.

The garden is made up of 'rooms' divided by beech and yew hedges, containing a rose garden, a pear orchard, a pond garden, and a newly created wild-flower meadow with a 'fairy-ring'.

The 'Hof van Roosmalen' is open to visitors during the summer months.


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