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Sacha[_3_] · 24-07-2008, 12:44 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 24/7/08 12:25, in article ,
"Martin" wrote:

On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:53:45 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 24/7/08 09:43, in article ,
"Martin" wrote:

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:59:40 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 23/7/08 20:32, in article
, "Judith
in
France" wrote:

On Jul 23, 1:31 pm, Martin wrote:
On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:28:31 +0100, Sacha
wrote:
A local WI went recently so it seems to be a case of belonging to a
certain
group which then applies but there's a long waiting list. The famous
tulip
'walk' has just about gone btw. It took something like ten thousand
bulbs
every year and was just too labour intensive. Our guide told us that
the
Prince has been given 30,000 (she thinks but surely not?!) snakeshead
fritillary bulbs by the pop star, Sting and these will be planted in
that
area.

The Keukenhof plants several million bulbs every year. If they can do it,
Prince
Charles should be able to manage 10,000.

How did his afternoon tea compare with your own cream teas?
--

Martin

I've been to the Keukenhof , I loved the Acers.

Judith

I've never been there but I think they probably have more workers on the
land and of course, it's commercial. ;-)

They use casual labour to do the planting when required.

The PoW is hardly hard up.

It isn't a question of being hard up but you must know his finances are
scrutinised closely. If he employed 40 extra workers to plant tulip bulbs
*every year* there would be some very critical comment.

Not if it was for a few weeks and the people were on the dole.

You can't *make* people on the dole work at what you want them to work at
plus I can see the headlines now "Prince takes advantage of plight of
jobless". And of course, planting them properly is important so it would
still need to be casual labour with some small knowledge.

How is he going to plant 30,000 snakeshead fritillary bulbs?

Very, very slowly - see below! Perhaps as a one off they willl employ extra
staff or perhaps Sting will lend his gardeners. ;-))

As it is, I think
there are 9 gardeners there but I'm not at all sure of that number. The
previous head gardener used to give some of the gardeners a thousand tulip
bulbs each and tell them they could go home when they'd planted them all!
snip

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon