In the cemetery of La Chartreuse de Bordeaux, the life of Laurent Robert as a lawn grower
A work which, according to him, existed for a long time only in Bordeaux and which the writer Jean Cayrol speaks of in his book “The wind of memory”, published in 1952: “Next to it, workers were sleeping on a slab, the liter of wine between the legs. Lawns, docile and fast, circulated between the vaults.
“In 2000, adds Laurent Robert, I left my job in a computer company and, with my wife, I took over from my mother-in-law who herself had taken over from her mother. So I represent the third generation. By filing the statutes of the company, I sought to know the prices that could be practiced in other cities and I discovered that this profession was unknown beyond Bordeaux. »
Laurent Robert also keeps a very precise memory of his beginnings as a lawn grower. “It was the 1uh January 2000, just after storm Martin which ravaged the region. The cemetery remained closed for a month. For my first steps as a lawn grower, I therefore informed my customers that I could not access the graves. His mother-in-law had ceded her clients to him. Laurent Robert from an expanded repertoire. It has up to 600 people who call on its services, three-quarters of them in the Bordeaux metropolitan area. “I mainly work at the Chartreuse, but sometimes I go to Talence, Arcachon or La Réole,” he explains. Indifferent to religion, he also maintains graves in the Jewish cemetery on the course of the Yser and in the Protestant cemetery. He just has to respect the rituals in force.
On All Saints Day, from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Laurent Robert’s activity is divided into two. On the one hand, a maintenance contract on the tombstones, usually twice a year. The other part is happening now, at the beginning of November. It is necessary to clean the graves, sometimes covered with tree leaves, to change the flowers, to maintain the perimeter of the tombstone, even if the maintenance of the paths or the trees is the responsibility of the municipal services.
For a sod grower, All Saints Day corresponds to Easter for a chocolate maker or the 1uh May for a lily of the valley grower. This is the period not to be missed. “I have very long days, from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., admits Laurent Robert, but I love what I do, so that doesn’t bother me. »
Being his own boss, Laurent Robert chooses his pace, as long as his customers are satisfied. Customers who, for the most part, live far from Bordeaux. “I have known some of them for a very long time, including one who lives in Mexico and is already talking to my mother-in-law. A relationship of trust has been established. Most of the time, I take before/after photos and I have never made people unhappy. »
“The Calm and the Song of the Birds”
The price of Laurent Robert’s services is variable, depending on demand. This can range from 80 euros to ten times more if it is a question of giving back to a burial the whiteness lost by urban pollution. We must not save elbow grease but Laurent Robert is not complaining, considering that he is the most beautiful office in Bordeaux. “Death still scares a lot of people. Some never set foot in a cemetery, others go there every day. There is no judging. Me, I like cemeteries, their calm, the song of birds. I like to chat with certain regular visitors and I also sometimes inform passers-by who are lost. »
Laurent Robert also meets a few “competitors” but we don’t rush to exercise it. Like the two sons of the lawn grower. “One lives in London and the other works at Apple. We’ll see. » When he is not maintaining the graves, Laurent Robert devotes himself to his passion, photography, especially portraits or concerts. “My life is divided between the Chartreuse and photography, which I have practiced assiduously since 2016.”