Thousands of bulbs, which will brighten up Stockton-on-Tees, have been planted in record time thanks to a cutting-edge Dutch machine.
Thirteen commissioned Lubbe Lisse to plant more 165,000 crocus bulbs over 820 square metres of land across Billingham, Stockton, Norton and Thornaby.
The task, completed in just one day, was carried out using a specialist hand-made machine, from Holland, which is one of only five that can plant thousands of bulbs every minute.
The revolutionary machine cuts the grass and splits the turf open, before the bulbs are dropped down and the turf is folded back over.
Grounds maintenance supervisor Bryan Moore said: “We’ve been working closely with our neighbourhoods team to identify the locations, including the entrances onto the estates and main bus routes, and then we got to work making the plans.
“This is the perfect time to plant crocus bulbs. The town will reap the benefits in springtime when the crocus add a splash of colour. The flowers will continue to flourish for many years, leaving a lasting impact on the estates.”
Senior neighbourhoods manager Helen Ivison said: “Everyone living in these areas will be able to enjoy the flowers.
“We did something very similar in Hartlepool and our customers have told us that flowers make them feel happy and give them a sense of pride about their area. We want to continue to create attractive places for our customers to live in now, and for the ones we attract in the future.”
Pic caption: left to right: Andre Driebergen and Fraser Skells (Lubbe & Sons (Bulbs) Ltd.), Jason Hughff, Bryan Moore and Helen Ivison (Thirteen)