Open Gardens: Lot-Et-Garonne

Member of France’s Open Gardens scheme, John Massey shares what grows best in his south-west garden.

- John Massey

I moved here from England in April 2005, just short of two years after my retirement, at the age of 66.

The first task was to make the house, ‘Pardissous’, habitable, which took the first six months. During this period I surveyed the plot and drew an outline plan. This defined the position of the swimming pool, which was installed during the same period.

Outside the house was a small area of grass and beyond this a field planted with wheat, which had to be harvested before any work on the garden could commence. The ‘hard landscaping’ and planting of trees and hedges began, only to be interrupted by the discovery of buried walls, and pieces of old pottery and tiles. An expert investigated and declared them to be Roman, and stopped all work in the surrounding area. The excavation identified the building found as a workshop, and further investigation resulted in the discovery of a villa. All this took two years. However, work in other areas was able to continue.