Germany, rabbit-proof fences afford a certain degree of protection but at Brookwood Military Cemetery, in England, a road through the cetery makes complete fencing impractical. Other animals which have madheir mark literally this year include a pack of wild boars that invaded Arezzo War Cemetery in Italy and damaged both turf and borders. At Nairobi South War Cemetery, Kenya, termite infestation of the bougainvillaea hedge beds so affected the plants that they had to be destroyed.
The very dry summer of 1990 had a serious impact on horticulture in northern Europe, where the Commission relies on rainfall, except at a few very sandy sites which have irrigation systems. The lawns were looking very brown by the end of August but mostly revived when the rains came in autumn. Some cemeteries that had been newly sown in spring had to be resown in autumn and even the assistance of the local fire brigade in watering the 7,000 square metres of new lawn at Adegem Canadian War Cemetery could not entirely save it. Many plants in headstone borders died in the drought and the Commission's nurseries were not able to supply enough plants to fill all the gaps. The main nursery behind Bayeux War Cemetery has now reached its target of supplying 75,000 plants a year, and some smaller nurseries in the Netherlands and Germany have been made more efficient through the installation of self-watering beds.
The Commission's nurseries are mainly used for growing herbaceous plants for the headstone borders. Most roses, shrubs and trees are bought in. Recently, the replacement of roses has been put on a more methodical footing over a 15 year cycle. Roses have been contract-grown in bulk by specialist commercial rose growers. This has enabled the Commission to buy at very competitive prices by ordering several years in advance, and the first 70,000 roses purchased in this way were planted this year.
Rose replacement programme in France
One of the Commission's principal suppliers offered the Commission the opportunity to name a new rose. It is a spectacular red floribunda variety of the right size and form for cemetery borders. After a competition amongst the staff to find a suitable name for it, the Commission chose 'Remembrance'. The new rose will be available commercially in 1992.
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