Overseas Property Morocco's cool Oasis
Caroline Donald - The Sunday Times meets expat gardeners in Tangier, where cool sea breezes help them indulge their love for Mediterranean plants
When Dawson first spotted the tiled roof of the semi-derelict 1940s building on a walk from the nearby beach three years ago, the area was a dumping ground. However, this played to his advantage as he was able to buy it and the surrounding land for a nominal sum.
'Underneath the brambles were the bones of a rather fine garden, with figs, walnuts, olives and quinces,' he says. With the help of locals, he cleared the site and added to the folly, and it is now a delightfully eccentric haven from the busy city outside — the interiors a mixture of tongue-in-cheek European grandeur (for it is hardly a palace in size) and rich Moroccan colours and textures.