A piece of rough grass area from the deep Dordogne to the pond below was designated to be the wild garden .The original paths around this area were at first only two feet wide. Sir Richard decided to widen these paths as it was the Harvey’s intention to open the gardens for Charities to benefit and there providing wider paths were a priority. The gardens were opened for the first time in July 1969. The gardens were enjoyed by hundreds of people until Sir Richard’s death in 1979.The pond was originally matted with silt and bull-rushes. These had to be chopped out and discarded until the ponds were completely clear(1968). Some water lilies were found in amongst the bull rushes and then replanted . The water was then let back into the pond and more new plants were added. The rough garden was then planted with bulbs and always looked splendid in the spring.