King Charles' Garden Secrets Revealed

0:00On April 22nd, a former gardener at King Charles' high-grove house just dropped a tee on the monarch's top veggie picks. David Perse, who landed the gig during the pandemic, says they dedicated whole beds to salad and asparagus just for the king. He also grew cauliflower, spinach, onions, leeks, and foreign's fennel plus the special crudite carrots sized like your little finger. No squash or corgets allowed, though. Those were straight banned from the kitchen garden. Pears says it was all about Charles' personal taste, and the king was way ahead on eco-vibes, swapping chemical sprays for electric pest sappers, and turning lawns into wildflower meadows. Pears came from a wild youth in Hampshire, then a princess that spots like vet nor botanic garden and whizzly before hitting high-grove. He'd stroll the grounds with Charles, who pointed out exactly what he wanted, planted where. After that, Perse bounced to fancy hotels and top gardens like Abbotsbury. But not all smooth, last summer reports hit about massive staff turnover, with 11 of 12 gardeners quitting between 2022 and 2025.

1:07Claims flew of minimum wage pay, overwhelming demands, injuries, and low morale from the king's hands on notes in red ink. The king's foundation pushes back hard, saying, pay matches industry standards, turnovers low, and staff satisfactions high. Highgrove's been Charles' baby for 45 years, drawing 40,000 visitors yearly, all fueled by his passion for that blank canvas green. Space.