Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove. Ray went about 4
years ago but I'd never been. It was a 'special' visit in that it was a
group which had bid for entry in an auction at a Prince's Trust 'do' in
various parts of the UK and my son had done this and given it to us as a
present.
With one exception, I thought it was a terrific garden. The exception is an
archway with the busts of various people important to him on top of it. I
found it a bit macabre. The rest of it is thoughtfully planned and
beautifully executed, as one would hope and expect. What is special, I
think, is that it is indeed a private and personal garden designed by the
owner for the owner, with the help of others but with a lot of personal
input from him. The guide said repeatedly "The Prince wanted to plant such
and such here; the Prince decided to plant azaleas in huge pots because they
don't grow in the ground here; the Prince decided to turn this bit into the
arboretum etc. etc." So there isn't at all the feeling of going around a
garden designed to win the approbation of others. It's their garden and if
you don't like it, that's too bad. One thing I liked most particularly was
the fact that in front of one side of this really quite formal building
there is a garden which is a riot of e.g. Alchemilla mollis and fennel and
other country plants run mad with a pond in the middle of it all. Where
others might have matched the house with a formal planting or a parterre,
here there is a cottagey feel and it works very well, partly because it has
real charm and an aura of peace and partly because it's unexpected in such a
setting and so, underlines the personal preferences of its owners. On
another face of the house there is the black and white garden, originally
planted with lavender and roses. Here, the beds are formalised shapes but
the planting is anything but. It works extremely well, IMO.
The Atlantic cedar which he fell in love with when he bought the house had
to be felled although they tried for 7 years to save it. A large 'spire'
has been built on top of its stump and one sad, dead branch extends from the
base but - and here's the nice bit - on it hang several pagoda style bird
feeders. So even while the tree is dead and mourned I feel sure, it is
giving life and sustenance to birds, still.

The hedge Roy Strong planted all around the more formal part of the garden
is a real beauty with dipped tops to it and little windows in it too. And
in the arboretum we saw a tree I had never encountered before and now lust
after, a Fagus sylvatica 'Roseomarginata'. It is just *such* a pretty tree.

The walled veg. Garden is a work of art in itself and the apple tunnel is
really lovely, something I'd never seen before.

Our group was about 24, split up between 3 guides but we were told that on
normal visiting days they can get 12 groups through a day. Those guides are
volunteers and they must be very dedicated. We ended with champagne and
canapés in the Orchard Room which is dedicated to a long-serving and now
deceased member of the staff who was at Highgrove before Prince Charles
bought it but who remained there for many years after he became the owner.


Ray was very pleased to be singled out by one of the gardeners, the one in
charge of the Hosta collection. We were taken aside to be shown that a
Hosta 'Mr Big' which Ray had given the Prince after his first visit to
Highgrove, was still flourishing. We were most earnestly asked for any
details we could supply for this plant so that it could be added to their
database. This time, having noticed that Prince Charles often wears pinks in
his buttonholes, Ray took him 3 plants of Dianthus 'Green Lanes', a pink
that never went into commercial production but which was bred by Cecil
Wyatt, who lived not far from here, naming many of his pinks after Dartmoor
or Devon locations. Mr Wyatt gave D. 'Green Lanes' to Ray shortly before he
died and the short stems which prevented it from being a commercial
proposition will make it a perfect buttonhole!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove. Ray went about 4
years ago but I'd never been. It was a 'special' visit in that it was a
group which had bid for entry in an auction at a Prince's Trust 'do' in
various parts of the UK and my son had done this and given it to us as a
present.
With one exception, I thought it was a terrific garden. The exception is
an
archway with the busts of various people important to him on top of it. I
found it a bit macabre. The rest of it is thoughtfully planned and
beautifully executed, as one would hope and expect. What is special, I
think, is that it is indeed a private and personal garden designed by the
owner for the owner, with the help of others but with a lot of personal
input from him. The guide said repeatedly "The Prince wanted to plant
such
and such here; the Prince decided to plant azaleas in huge pots because
they
don't grow in the ground here; the Prince decided to turn this bit into
the
arboretum etc. etc." So there isn't at all the feeling of going around a
garden designed to win the approbation of others. It's their garden and
if
you don't like it, that's too bad. One thing I liked most particularly
was
the fact that in front of one side of this really quite formal building
there is a garden which is a riot of e.g. Alchemilla mollis and fennel and
other country plants run mad with a pond in the middle of it all. Where
others might have matched the house with a formal planting or a parterre,
here there is a cottagey feel and it works very well, partly because it
has
real charm and an aura of peace and partly because it's unexpected in such
a
setting and so, underlines the personal preferences of its owners. On
another face of the house there is the black and white garden, originally
planted with lavender and roses. Here, the beds are formalised shapes but
the planting is anything but. It works extremely well, IMO.
The Atlantic cedar which he fell in love with when he bought the house had
to be felled although they tried for 7 years to save it. A large 'spire'
has been built on top of its stump and one sad, dead branch extends from
the
base but - and here's the nice bit - on it hang several pagoda style bird
feeders. So even while the tree is dead and mourned I feel sure, it is
giving life and sustenance to birds, still.

The hedge Roy Strong planted all around the more formal part of the garden
is a real beauty with dipped tops to it and little windows in it too. And
in the arboretum we saw a tree I had never encountered before and now lust
after, a Fagus sylvatica 'Roseomarginata'. It is just *such* a pretty
tree.

The walled veg. Garden is a work of art in itself and the apple tunnel is
really lovely, something I'd never seen before.

Our group was about 24, split up between 3 guides but we were told that on
normal visiting days they can get 12 groups through a day. Those guides
are
volunteers and they must be very dedicated. We ended with champagne and
canapés in the Orchard Room which is dedicated to a long-serving and now
deceased member of the staff who was at Highgrove before Prince Charles
bought it but who remained there for many years after he became the owner.


Ray was very pleased to be singled out by one of the gardeners, the one in
charge of the Hosta collection. We were taken aside to be shown that a
Hosta 'Mr Big' which Ray had given the Prince after his first visit to
Highgrove, was still flourishing. We were most earnestly asked for any
details we could supply for this plant so that it could be added to their
database. This time, having noticed that Prince Charles often wears pinks
in
his buttonholes, Ray took him 3 plants of Dianthus 'Green Lanes', a pink
that never went into commercial production but which was bred by Cecil
Wyatt, who lived not far from here, naming many of his pinks after
Dartmoor
or Devon locations. Mr Wyatt gave D. 'Green Lanes' to Ray shortly before
he
died and the short stems which prevented it from being a commercial
proposition will make it a perfect buttonhole!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon




Someone with an income of £60M must have a few gardeners............

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove. Ray went about 4
years ago but I'd never been. It was a 'special' visit in that it was a
group which had bid for entry in an auction at a Prince's Trust 'do' in
various parts of the UK and my son had done this and given it to us as a
present.
With one exception, I thought it was a terrific garden. The exception is
an
archway with the busts of various people important to him on top of it. I
found it a bit macabre. The rest of it is thoughtfully planned and
beautifully executed, as one would hope and expect. What is special, I
think, is that it is indeed a private and personal garden designed by the
owner for the owner, with the help of others but with a lot of personal
input from him. The guide said repeatedly "The Prince wanted to plant
such
and such here; the Prince decided to plant azaleas in huge pots because
they
don't grow in the ground here; the Prince decided to turn this bit into
the
arboretum etc. etc." So there isn't at all the feeling of going around a
garden designed to win the approbation of others. It's their garden and
if
you don't like it, that's too bad. One thing I liked most particularly
was
the fact that in front of one side of this really quite formal building
there is a garden which is a riot of e.g. Alchemilla mollis and fennel and
other country plants run mad with a pond in the middle of it all. Where
others might have matched the house with a formal planting or a parterre,
here there is a cottagey feel and it works very well, partly because it
has
real charm and an aura of peace and partly because it's unexpected in such
a
setting and so, underlines the personal preferences of its owners. On
another face of the house there is the black and white garden, originally
planted with lavender and roses. Here, the beds are formalised shapes but
the planting is anything but. It works extremely well, IMO.
The Atlantic cedar which he fell in love with when he bought the house had
to be felled although they tried for 7 years to save it. A large 'spire'
has been built on top of its stump and one sad, dead branch extends from
the
base but - and here's the nice bit - on it hang several pagoda style bird
feeders. So even while the tree is dead and mourned I feel sure, it is
giving life and sustenance to birds, still.

The hedge Roy Strong planted all around the more formal part of the garden
is a real beauty with dipped tops to it and little windows in it too. And
in the arboretum we saw a tree I had never encountered before and now lust
after, a Fagus sylvatica 'Roseomarginata'. It is just *such* a pretty
tree.

The walled veg. Garden is a work of art in itself and the apple tunnel is
really lovely, something I'd never seen before.

Our group was about 24, split up between 3 guides but we were told that on
normal visiting days they can get 12 groups through a day. Those guides
are
volunteers and they must be very dedicated. We ended with champagne and
canapés in the Orchard Room which is dedicated to a long-serving and now
deceased member of the staff who was at Highgrove before Prince Charles
bought it but who remained there for many years after he became the owner.


Ray was very pleased to be singled out by one of the gardeners, the one in
charge of the Hosta collection. We were taken aside to be shown that a
Hosta 'Mr Big' which Ray had given the Prince after his first visit to
Highgrove, was still flourishing. We were most earnestly asked for any
details we could supply for this plant so that it could be added to their
database. This time, having noticed that Prince Charles often wears pinks
in
his buttonholes, Ray took him 3 plants of Dianthus 'Green Lanes', a pink
that never went into commercial production but which was bred by Cecil
Wyatt, who lived not far from here, naming many of his pinks after
Dartmoor
or Devon locations. Mr Wyatt gave D. 'Green Lanes' to Ray shortly before
he
died and the short stems which prevented it from being a commercial
proposition will make it a perfect buttonhole!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon




Many thanks Sacha for such an uplifting account


David

"Sacha" wrote in message

Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove.

I'm pea green with envy! I've always liked Charles attitude to the world
even when he was being criticised left right and centre about his loopy
views, Dianna (who I always thought was as nutty as a fruit cake), his
criticism of inappropriate development etc, etc.

I saw "The Garden at Highgrove" at a friend's place and thought that I
wouldn't bother to buy it. I didn't think that, other than the pretty pics,
I would find anything or real interest or applicablity therein. I live in
dry, scruffy rural Australia and a gardener charges more than a surgeon, if
you can find one. I also live in a nasty climate for drought and heat.
He's a rich royal living in a drop dead gorgeous area of the UK with
multiple resouces at hand. Not at all promising, but having bought it, it's
amazing how inspiring it is. I refer to it again and again. I can't use
the same plants or the same vastly expensive pots or the statuary ...., but
the inspiration is all there and I can find alternatives even if not as posh
or as expensive.

As I said, I'm pea green with envy, as that is one garden, I'd almost be
prepared to kill to see.

On 23/7/08 08:25, in article
, "FarmI"
ask@itshall be given wrote:

"Sacha" wrote in message

Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove.

I'm pea green with envy! I've always liked Charles attitude to the world
even when he was being criticised left right and centre about his loopy
views, Dianna (who I always thought was as nutty as a fruit cake), his
criticism of inappropriate development etc, etc.

I was never mad about Diana myself and felt he got a lot of very unfair but
carefully orchesrated flak over that situation.

I saw "The Garden at Highgrove" at a friend's place and thought that I
wouldn't bother to buy it. I didn't think that, other than the pretty pics,
I would find anything or real interest or applicablity therein. I live in
dry, scruffy rural Australia and a gardener charges more than a surgeon, if
you can find one. I also live in a nasty climate for drought and heat.
He's a rich royal living in a drop dead gorgeous area of the UK with
multiple resouces at hand. Not at all promising, but having bought it, it's
amazing how inspiring it is. I refer to it again and again. I can't use
the same plants or the same vastly expensive pots or the statuary ...., but
the inspiration is all there and I can find alternatives even if not as posh
or as expensive.

You've summed up the reason to visit gardens, IMO. It doesn't matter
whether they're huge ones of several acres or tiny ones lovingly tended by
their owner. There is always the possibility of seeing something - a plant,
an ornament, a juxtaposition of planting, that will give you an idea for
your own garden.

As I said, I'm pea green with envy, as that is one garden, I'd almost be
prepared to kill to see.


All you have to do is get yourself over here and join some organisation
that's likely to be considered for a visit. ;-) I believe the usual
waiting list is a 'mere' 5 years long. But those visitors must raise
thousands of pounds for the Prince's Trust. What amazed me was while
security there is known to be extremely tight, it was very unobtrusive and
we were able to walk right up to the house. The blinds in the lower windows
were drawn in case anyone was rude enough to peer in but I hadn't expected
to be allowed into the immediate surround to the house.

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

On Jul 22, 10:59 pm, Sacha wrote:
Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove. Ray went about 4
years ago but I'd never been. It was a 'special' visit in that it was a
group which had bid for entry in an auction at a Prince's Trust 'do' in
various parts of the UK and my son had done this and given it to us as a
present.
With one exception, I thought it was a terrific garden. The exception is an
archway with the busts of various people important to him on top of it. I
found it a bit macabre. The rest of it is thoughtfully planned and
beautifully executed, as one would hope and expect. What is special, I
think, is that it is indeed a private and personal garden designed by the
owner for the owner, with the help of others but with a lot of personal
input from him. The guide said repeatedly "The Prince wanted to plant such
and such here; the Prince decided to plant azaleas in huge pots because they
don't grow in the ground here; the Prince decided to turn this bit into the
arboretum etc. etc." So there isn't at all the feeling of going around a
garden designed to win the approbation of others. It's their garden and if
you don't like it, that's too bad. One thing I liked most particularly was
the fact that in front of one side of this really quite formal building
there is a garden which is a riot of e.g. Alchemilla mollis and fennel and
other country plants run mad with a pond in the middle of it all. Where
others might have matched the house with a formal planting or a parterre,
here there is a cottagey feel and it works very well, partly because it has
real charm and an aura of peace and partly because it's unexpected in such a
setting and so, underlines the personal preferences of its owners. On
another face of the house there is the black and white garden, originally
planted with lavender and roses. Here, the beds are formalised shapes but
the planting is anything but. It works extremely well, IMO.
The Atlantic cedar which he fell in love with when he bought the house had
to be felled although they tried for 7 years to save it. A large 'spire'
has been built on top of its stump and one sad, dead branch extends from the
base but - and here's the nice bit - on it hang several pagoda style bird
feeders. So even while the tree is dead and mourned I feel sure, it is
giving life and sustenance to birds, still.

The hedge Roy Strong planted all around the more formal part of the garden
is a real beauty with dipped tops to it and little windows in it too. And
in the arboretum we saw a tree I had never encountered before and now lust
after, a Fagus sylvatica 'Roseomarginata'. It is just *such* a pretty tree.

The walled veg. Garden is a work of art in itself and the apple tunnel is
really lovely, something I'd never seen before.

Our group was about 24, split up between 3 guides but we were told that on
normal visiting days they can get 12 groups through a day. Those guides are
volunteers and they must be very dedicated. We ended with champagne and
canapés in the Orchard Room which is dedicated to a long-serving and now
deceased member of the staff who was at Highgrove before Prince Charles
bought it but who remained there for many years after he became the owner..

Ray was very pleased to be singled out by one of the gardeners, the one in
charge of the Hosta collection. We were taken aside to be shown that a
Hosta 'Mr Big' which Ray had given the Prince after his first visit to
Highgrove, was still flourishing. We were most earnestly asked for any
details we could supply for this plant so that it could be added to their
database. This time, having noticed that Prince Charles often wears pinks in
his buttonholes, Ray took him 3 plants of Dianthus 'Green Lanes', a pink
that never went into commercial production but which was bred by Cecil
Wyatt, who lived not far from here, naming many of his pinks after Dartmoor
or Devon locations. Mr Wyatt gave D. 'Green Lanes' to Ray shortly before he
died and the short stems which prevented it from being a commercial
proposition will make it a perfect buttonhole!
--
Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Great narration Sacha, I was there seeing it through your writing. I
would love to go but I know it is by invitation only so I guess I
won't be seeing it.

Judith

On 23/7/08 09:56, in article
, "Judith
in France" wrote:

On Jul 22, 10:59 pm, Sacha wrote:
Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove. Ray went about 4
years ago but I'd never been. It was a 'special' visit in that it was a
group which had bid for entry in an auction at a Prince's Trust 'do' in
various parts of the UK and my son had done this and given it to us as a
present.
With one exception, I thought it was a terrific garden. The exception is an
archway with the busts of various people important to him on top of it. I
found it a bit macabre. The rest of it is thoughtfully planned and
beautifully executed, as one would hope and expect. What is special, I
think, is that it is indeed a private and personal garden designed by the
owner for the owner, with the help of others but with a lot of personal
input from him. The guide said repeatedly "The Prince wanted to plant such
and such here; the Prince decided to plant azaleas in huge pots because they
don't grow in the ground here; the Prince decided to turn this bit into the
arboretum etc. etc." So there isn't at all the feeling of going around a
garden designed to win the approbation of others. It's their garden and if
you don't like it, that's too bad. One thing I liked most particularly was
the fact that in front of one side of this really quite formal building
there is a garden which is a riot of e.g. Alchemilla mollis and fennel and
other country plants run mad with a pond in the middle of it all. Where
others might have matched the house with a formal planting or a parterre,
here there is a cottagey feel and it works very well, partly because it has
real charm and an aura of peace and partly because it's unexpected in such a
setting and so, underlines the personal preferences of its owners. On
another face of the house there is the black and white garden, originally
planted with lavender and roses. Here, the beds are formalised shapes but
the planting is anything but. It works extremely well, IMO.
The Atlantic cedar which he fell in love with when he bought the house had
to be felled although they tried for 7 years to save it. A large 'spire'
has been built on top of its stump and one sad, dead branch extends from the
base but - and here's the nice bit - on it hang several pagoda style bird
feeders. So even while the tree is dead and mourned I feel sure, it is
giving life and sustenance to birds, still.

The hedge Roy Strong planted all around the more formal part of the garden
is a real beauty with dipped tops to it and little windows in it too. And
in the arboretum we saw a tree I had never encountered before and now lust
after, a Fagus sylvatica 'Roseomarginata'. It is just *such* a pretty tree.

The walled veg. Garden is a work of art in itself and the apple tunnel is
really lovely, something I'd never seen before.

Our group was about 24, split up between 3 guides but we were told that on
normal visiting days they can get 12 groups through a day. Those guides are
volunteers and they must be very dedicated. We ended with champagne and
canapés in the Orchard Room which is dedicated to a long-serving and now
deceased member of the staff who was at Highgrove before Prince Charles
bought it but who remained there for many years after he became the owner.

Ray was very pleased to be singled out by one of the gardeners, the one in
charge of the Hosta collection. We were taken aside to be shown that a
Hosta 'Mr Big' which Ray had given the Prince after his first visit to
Highgrove, was still flourishing. We were most earnestly asked for any
details we could supply for this plant so that it could be added to their
database. This time, having noticed that Prince Charles often wears pinks in
his buttonholes, Ray took him 3 plants of Dianthus 'Green Lanes', a pink
that never went into commercial production but which was bred by Cecil
Wyatt, who lived not far from here, naming many of his pinks after Dartmoor
or Devon locations. Mr Wyatt gave D. 'Green Lanes' to Ray shortly before he
died and the short stems which prevented it from being a commercial
proposition will make it a perfect buttonhole!
--
Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Great narration Sacha, I was there seeing it through your writing. I
would love to go but I know it is by invitation only so I guess I
won't be seeing it.

Judith

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

On 23/7/08 13:31, in article ,
"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.

But what else do they plant/maintain/clip/mow? Apparently, it takes about 3
months in total to do the hedges at Highgrove!

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

We don't serve champagne and canapés. ;-))
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

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

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

Our local garden club went. It was a great experiences and wonderful to see what can be done. And those who are snide about it are just jealous. At least people can visit it, which is more than can be said about some other plutocrats' estates.

"Sacha" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message

Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove.

I'm pea green with envy! I've always liked Charles attitude to the world
even when he was being criticised left right and centre about his loopy
views, Dianna (who I always thought was as nutty as a fruit cake), his
criticism of inappropriate development etc, etc.

I was never mad about Diana myself and felt he got a lot of very unfair
but
carefully orchesrated flak over that situation.

Indeed! My ma-in-law is fond of reminding me that when Charles and Di got
engaged and she asked me what I thought of it, I predicted that the marriage
would be a disaster.

I saw "The Garden at Highgrove" at a friend's place and thought that I
wouldn't bother to buy it. I didn't think that, other than the pretty
pics,
I would find anything or real interest or applicablity therein. I live
in
dry, scruffy rural Australia and a gardener charges more than a surgeon,
if
you can find one. I also live in a nasty climate for drought and heat.
He's a rich royal living in a drop dead gorgeous area of the UK with
multiple resouces at hand. Not at all promising, but having bought it,
it's
amazing how inspiring it is. I refer to it again and again. I can't use
the same plants or the same vastly expensive pots or the statuary ....,
but
the inspiration is all there and I can find alternatives even if not as
posh
or as expensive.

You've summed up the reason to visit gardens, IMO. It doesn't matter
whether they're huge ones of several acres or tiny ones lovingly tended by
their owner. There is always the possibility of seeing something - a
plant,
an ornament, a juxtaposition of planting, that will give you an idea for
your own garden.

Yes. I don't think I've ever visisted one garden when I didn't pick up one
idea. I'm a garden groupie.

As I said, I'm pea green with envy, as that is one garden, I'd almost be
prepared to kill to see.

All you have to do is get yourself over here and join some organisation
that's likely to be considered for a visit. ;-)

Hmmmmm Wonder if he'd consider having some County Women's Association
visitors? That org is the equiv of the WI and I'm a memeber and have been
for years.

I believe the usual
waiting list is a 'mere' 5 years long. But those visitors must raise
thousands of pounds for the Prince's Trust. What amazed me was while
security there is known to be extremely tight, it was very unobtrusive and
we were able to walk right up to the house. The blinds in the lower
windows
were drawn in case anyone was rude enough to peer in but I hadn't expected
to be allowed into the immediate surround to the house.

I have actually seem garden visitors peer through windows that weren't
curtained. I was gobbsmacked at such rudeness.

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. 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!
I think security would rule out the employing of casual labour at Highgrove.
There is a story of some of the staff chatting over coffee with some of the
police guards one morning. One of the police asked another chap what his
job was on the estate and he said he was cataloguing all the trees and when
asked how long that would take, said he was finishing that day. The
policeman looked at him in horror and said "but how is it we've never seen
you checking in and out each day? In fact, we've never seen you at all."
The man said "I come to work on a bicycle and wheel it through a gap in the
hedge". I need hardly say that particular route was plugged up pretty
smartish!


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

On 24/7/08 10:11, in article
, "FarmI"
ask@itshall be given wrote:

"Sacha" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message

Today we visited Prince Charles's garden at Highgrove.

I'm pea green with envy! I've always liked Charles attitude to the world
even when he was being criticised left right and centre about his loopy
views, Dianna (who I always thought was as nutty as a fruit cake), his
criticism of inappropriate development etc, etc.

I was never mad about Diana myself and felt he got a lot of very unfair
but
carefully orchesrated flak over that situation.

Indeed! My ma-in-law is fond of reminding me that when Charles and Di got
engaged and she asked me what I thought of it, I predicted that the marriage
would be a disaster.

I saw "The Garden at Highgrove" at a friend's place and thought that I
wouldn't bother to buy it. I didn't think that, other than the pretty
pics,
I would find anything or real interest or applicablity therein. I live
in
dry, scruffy rural Australia and a gardener charges more than a surgeon,
if
you can find one. I also live in a nasty climate for drought and heat.
He's a rich royal living in a drop dead gorgeous area of the UK with
multiple resouces at hand. Not at all promising, but having bought it,
it's
amazing how inspiring it is. I refer to it again and again. I can't use
the same plants or the same vastly expensive pots or the statuary ....,
but
the inspiration is all there and I can find alternatives even if not as
posh
or as expensive.

You've summed up the reason to visit gardens, IMO. It doesn't matter
whether they're huge ones of several acres or tiny ones lovingly tended by
their owner. There is always the possibility of seeing something - a
plant,
an ornament, a juxtaposition of planting, that will give you an idea for
your own garden.

Yes. I don't think I've ever visisted one garden when I didn't pick up one
idea. I'm a garden groupie.

One thing I liked was the fern 'mountain'. It is probably about 10' high
and is a metal frame packed with soil and planted with all sorts of ferns. I
can't remember if it had 3 sides or 4 but it is much wider at the bottom
than the top. Apparently, it struggled to get going at first but this wet
year has done it good and it's now flourishing. Once it really gets started
it's going to be wonderful. Now anyone could do that on a scale that suits
their garden, if they have a shady place the ferns can grow in.

As I said, I'm pea green with envy, as that is one garden, I'd almost be
prepared to kill to see.

All you have to do is get yourself over here and join some organisation
that's likely to be considered for a visit. ;-)

Hmmmmm Wonder if he'd consider having some County Women's Association
visitors? That org is the equiv of the WI and I'm a memeber and have been
for years.

I don't see why not. I can email you the name of the tours organiser, if
you like though it's probably on the internet somewhere.

I believe the usual
waiting list is a 'mere' 5 years long. But those visitors must raise
thousands of pounds for the Prince's Trust. What amazed me was while
security there is known to be extremely tight, it was very unobtrusive and
we were able to walk right up to the house. The blinds in the lower
windows
were drawn in case anyone was rude enough to peer in but I hadn't expected
to be allowed into the immediate surround to the house.

I have actually seem garden visitors peer through windows that weren't
curtained. I was gobbsmacked at such rudeness.


Some do it here and it makes me extremely cross. Luckily, we have a deep
flower border all the way round the house which prevents them from walking
right up to the windows. But my son opened his garden for charity some
years ago and my daughter in law, who was outside, saw some people going up
the drive on the way out, walk right up to the windows, put their hand to
the pane of glass to shield their eyes and peer right in. She asked them
what on earth they thought they were doing and they said quite coolly that
they just wondered what 'the place is like inside'. She asked them to move
on and they looked at her as if she was quite mad to object to their
behaviour. It makes you despair as to what peoples' normal boundaries are
these days. The thing is that if we visited their house and peered in the
window there would be shrieks of outrage. It's like the woman here who was
overheard telling her small son to go and pee in our garden because she
couldn't be bothered to get up and take him to the loo. And the people who
become furious when we tell them dogs are not allowed on the premises. Our
usual answer to those who rudely persist is to ask them if they take their
dogs to Tesco or Marks and Spencer! For years we did allow dogs in but got
fed up with piles of visiting cards all over the place and never cleared up
by the owners, dog fights or a few near misses and dogs let off the lead to
run over the flower beds, so we stopped it altogether.


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

On 24/7/08 10:54, in article ,
"Martin" wrote:

On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:11:55 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

Indeed! My ma-in-law is fond of reminding me that when Charles and Di got
engaged and she asked me what I thought of it, I predicted that the marriage
would be a disaster.

The odds on you being right are better than 50/50 in UK for any marriage.

I think the point here is that almost everyone was buying into the fairytale
at the time - they *wanted* it to work and be the happy ever after thing.
Even the Archbishop that married them made some such comment.

snip


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