Week 9: Animal Kingdom

Friday was my last day at the resorts. This week I begin my last rotation which is Animal Kingdom.

Monday morning Vanvisa and I trimmed Muhlenbergia dumosa which is the grass pictured to the left and some bamboo near the front entrance at Animal Kingdom with Rob. Then, we removed and replaced some bromeliads in the beds just inside the entrance to the park. After that, we walked around the oasis a little to get to know the area better. While walking through Oasis Rob pointed out some of the plants that were on our plant ID test as well as pointed out the Ling Ling Tree as well as the Shave Brush Tree. After that, we helped Karen clean up some debris. We also had a short gardener meeting to go over the safety tip of the week.

Tuesday morning I went with Karen and did some planting in the entrance area of discovery island to fill some empty spots. One of the things that we planted is Sasa bamboo which is a dwarf variety of bamboo. The shrub crew was in Karen's area so we had to show them what to trim which involved cutting back some bamboo and cutting shrubs in various flowerbeds down to waist height in order to open up the view. Then, we trimmed back Tecomaria as well as the other plants in the island bed. After that, Karen showed me around her area which is discovery island. She went through some of the plants which would be on our plant ID test as well as showed me some other plants including the Monkey Puzzle Tree and Musenda which is pictured above. Next, we planted some liriope near the large gift shop in discovery island. To end the day we cut some cat's claw vine which was growing up some of the palm trees. After work on Tuesday was our plant ID test.

Wednesday morning Vanvisa and I went with Cindy and did some mad calls which are calls that come in from the managers within different departments of the park requesting that a project gets taken care of. In this case the mad calls were about some bamboo which had bent over one was near the train station in Africa and the other was for the ice cream shop in Asia which we had the area gardener take care of. After that, we planted six lady palms in the fastpass queue line for the Jungle Safari. Next, we had the opportunity to feed the otters backstage with the keeper watching us while Karen weed whipped in the exhibit. After weed whipping was completed we went down to the pond by flame tree BBQ and measured the water temperature as well as the size of Victoria water lilies as this data will be plugged into a program to determine how much fertilizer is needed. We also used the pole saw to cut off a seloum branch which was yellow and hanging down. Then, I trimmed back some Thunbergia erecta plants which were getting leggy as well as some jasmine and Tecomaria which were too tall near flame tree BBQ and pizzafari. After that I went over by the Galapagos turtle exhibit and pulled some cats claw off of the rocks as well as trimming back some Tecomaria while Karen went back near the tree of life. I couldn't go back there as they were working with the high reach and I didn't have a hard hat. To end the day I went with Vanvisa and Cindy and picked up some plants that Cindy was going to use on Thursday. Also, we got an email saying how we did on the plant ID test. I am happy to announce that I got 100%.

Seaworld

Hanging baskets Seaworld

Thursday we had a class trip to seaworld and gaylord palms instead of our regular work. It was very cool to tour seaworld and see the different topiaries as well as the similarities and differences of the plant palette. We had the opportunity to see the dolphins and do a walk through of the nursery while we were there. Two people work at the nursery, but unlike Disney which buys in plugs for the topiaries and only grows the hanging baskets seaworld gets plugs in and re-pots them in larger pots until they are ready to be planted outside. Gaylord palms is a large hotel with a huge indoor Atrium. It was interesting to hear about how the larger trees were brought in before the roof was put on and now if any need to be replaced they have to be brought through the giant front door. They also talked about integrated pest management which is how they take care of any pest problems. While at gaylord palms we got to see some unique plants that they have in their collection specifically the Coco de Mer also known as the sea coconut. To end the day some of the interns worked on their projects, but I had mine finished so those of us who were finished worked on putting name plates on mickey statues which are to be given away to people who helped out with the flower and garden festival.

Coco de Mer

Friday morning Vanvisa and I trimmed jasmine while Karen watered. We also picked up the older brown branches which had fallen off of the monkey puzzle tree.  After that we went back by the tree of life with our hard hats since this is a construction area and picked up debris piles that Karen had left behind. After that we had a short meeting to review the safety topic of the week. To end the day Vanvisa and I dumped the Toro and watered in the yard.

Plant of the week: 

Branch of Monkey puzzle tree

The plant of the week is Tecomaria capensis also known as Cape Honeysuckle. It is found in the Bignoniaceae family. Cape honeysuckle is a sprawling, sometimes vine-like shrub with evergreen, opposite, pinnately compound leaves about 6" long. There are 5-7 diamond-shaped leaflets that are toothed and about 2" long. Cape honeysuckle produces clusters of red-orange to scarlet tubular flowers in the fall and winter, each about 2" long. As a shrub it can be maintained to 10' or more in height and half as wide, but if left alone without pruning it can cover 25' or more. Cape honeysuckle grows rapidly. Specific cultivars include 'Apricot' which is smaller and more compact with orange flowers and 'Aurea' which has yellow flowers. Cape honeysuckle originates from the Cape of Good Hope region of South Africa, where there are more endemic plant species (species that occur nowhere else) than any other area in the world. It has escaped from cultivation and become established in disturbed areas in Hawaii and Central Florida. Cape honeysuckle does best in full sun but tolerates light shade. It needs good drainage and does best with regular water, but is moderately drought tolerant once established. Tecomaria is for USDA hardiness zones 9-11 and is hardy to at least 26ºF. Propagation involves softwood cuttings at any time of the year and by seeds. It will take root anywhere branches touch the ground. Common uses of cape honeysuckle include as a climbing vine or barrier hedge/screen, trained as a specimen shrub or used as a ground cover on steep slopes or rocky banks. It can also be used as a cascading plant over walls and planters or trained as a garden arch. Tecomaria is salt tolerant and accepts acidic to alkaline soils. Cape honeysuckle is known to attract hummingbirds and orioles and flowers most of the winter. Information from: http://www.floridata.com/ref/t/teco_cap.cfm 

Week 8: All-Star Resort

Monday morning started with Karina and I driving through All-Star Sports which is Cathy's area. We were looking for palm boots and other debris. Then, we met up with Chic and trimmed Allamanda as well as helped plant Tibouchina lepidota around the ballerina at the fantasia building. After that, we trimmed Selloum which was dead or hanging over the sidewalk area around the calypso and piano pools in music. After break, we drove around looking for any noticeable debris or low hanging branches that needed to be removed.

Tuesday morning Karina and I went with Dan to water Rafiki's. Then, we watered the interior plants in sports, movies, and music. After that, we drove around and cut out dead saw palmetto fronds and those hanging over the sidewalks in the tree save area. We also helped unload a truck of plants which had come in.

Wednesday I went with Brian. First, we drove around looking for any palm boots and other debris. Then, we drove around looking for any low hanging branches which Brian cut using a pole saw and I helped him clean up the debris.

Thursday morning Chic and I drove around looking for debris. Then, with the help of Brian and Geraldo we planted Cereus sp. which is a type of cactus. An image of the planted Cereus can be found to the right along with a close-up of the flower. As you can see in the image to the right one of the arms broke off. This actually happened when unloading them from the delivery truck. The delivery person told us that we could plant the broken arms and they would grow so Chic and I planted the three arms which broke off and left them in the yard where they will hopefully grow. The cactus was in a 7 gallon container. First, Chic tied a rope around the arms of the cactus to make them more stable for transportation and planting. Then, the three guys carefully lifted them into the bed of the Toro. Upon getting to the planting site we moved the rocks to the side, dug two holes, and the guys lifted the cactus out of the Toro and moved them by the hole. Then, while one person held the pot the other two cut the pot off and then they slid the cactus into the holes and put soil around them. After that, we cut down dying stems and leaves in the area. Then for the rest of the day, Chic and I drove around cutting down limbs in the parking lot which were covering the signs.

Class on Thursday consisted of a tour of the central shops which is where the ride vehicles go for repairs, where the character  heads are put together, and where the printing is done. It was very cool to see this area but pictures are discouraged due to it being backstage.

Friday morning started off by replacing the huge pots in front of the sports, music, and movies lobbies containing Adonidia merrillii Adonidia Palm also known as Christmas Palm and the Epipremnum aureum also known as Pothos which surround them. First, everyone pitched in and took out the old Pothos and the three men Geraldo, Brian, and Chic took out the Adonidia palms. Then, they put in the new palm which had been tied to the Toro upon loading. After that, new soil was added if it was needed and then Karina, Cathy, and I planted the new Pothos. There are four large pots at sports, four at music, and two at movies. Between each resort, we had to go back to the yard to dump the Toro and grab more plants. I have a few pictures of the process as can be seen to the left. The final product is very similar to what the pots looked like at the beginning except that the new palms are taller and not as beat up as the old palms. This took a good portion of the morning. After planting, Karina and I went around to water the indoor plants in the check-in areas while Cathy went to water the newly planted outdoor pots using the water cart. Then, Karina and I drove around looking for debris. We found an area by the piano pool that looked particularly bad and raked that up. After that, we continued driving around looking for other debris.

Plant of the Week: 

Adonidia merrillii Adonidia Palm also known as Christmas palm is the plant of the week. Adonidias bloom with white flowers and then red berries (seeds) around Christmastime hence the nickname Christmas palm. It is a showy, highly ornamental palm that works well in small landscape areas. Dead palm fronds of adonidias fall off by themselves making it self-cleaning. Adonidia also typically is pest-free. Both of these things make it low-maintenance and good for home gardeners. Adonidias can be single or multi-trunk (the ones we used had three trunks. The palm has a green crown shaft, gray trunk, and long full fronds making it look like a miniature royal palm. Adonidia palm makes a good focal point as it is in the pots we replanted on Friday. Christmas palms work best in zone 10 however Orlando is zone 9b, but the palms are in a pot which won't freeze as easily and they are well protected by the buildings. Adonidias can grow to be 12-15 feet but they are slow growers. In the pots they will be changed out every 3-5 years so will not grow too tall for the space even though they were approximately 7 feet tall upon planting. The palm is moderately salt-tolerant. Christmas palm performs best in full-sun, but can tolerate partial shade however too much shade causes the trunks to grow skinny and fronds thin. The adonidias we planted are in partial shade, but they seem to grow well there. Palms should be fertilized with granular fertilizer three times a year (once in each season of spring, summer, and autumn. Allowing the fronds to fall naturally as they brown releases nutrients which go to the newly forming fronds. When planting in the landscape single trunk adonidias should be planed 5-6 feet away from the house. While multi-trunk adonidias need adequate room to spread out as the trunks naturally bow causing the fronds to extend a bit further. The trunks should be positioned so they won't be in the way once they gain some stature. The palms can easily grow in large containers as they do at all-star the pots just need to be large(the ones at all-star have a diameter of 46"). They can then be planted in a garden if it outgrows the pots or simply replaced. Some landscape uses for palms include using them by the main entry, as a corner accent, single yard specimen, focal point for small gardens and island beds, in tall pool cages, as the center of a circular drive, patio or pool container plant, accent for blank walls or privacy fences, or on each side of an entrance to a long driveway. Information from South Florida plant guide http://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/adonidia-palm.html

Week 7: All-Star Resort

Monday morning Karina and I started out our morning by driving around music and looking for any debris from the weekend storm and pulling large weeds. Then, we went with Chic and planted some Princess Caroline Purple Fountain Grass. After that, we put down pine straw throughout the movies resort. To end off the day, we explored all of the resorts keeping an eye out for large weeds and branches that were hanging down.

Tuesday morning I went with Chic and we planted Ilex vomitoria 'Nana' Dwarf Yaupon Holly also known as schilling. We also dug out some sod that wasn't looking good and replaced it with fresh sod. Then, we got rid of some bad plants and old sod that were in the yard in preparation for the plants that are coming in this week. After that, we put down some fresh mulch to dress up the edges of the flowerbeds around the calypso pool in all-star music. After that, Chic used the chainsaw to cut out some saw palmetto's that were dead or dying while I cleaned up the debris. To end the day, we moved some barricades which are to be picked up by the place they were rented from in the next few days.

Wednesday morning Chic and I drove around looking for debris and watered. Then, we put mulch around the grasses and ended the day by putting down pine straw.

Thursday we drove around looking for debris and finished the day by putting down pine straw.

American Lotus

Class on Thursday was an adventure to wild florida to go on an airboat ride. While on the ride, we were able to see some invasive species. We also learned about how the temperature of incubation for the eggs of an alligator regulates whether it will be male or female. Temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit and below produce female alligators, 93 and above produce male alligators, and 86-93 produces both males and females. After the airboat, we had the opportunity to hold an alligator. I also learned that where you see a bald cypress forest you will probably see poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. While on the boat we also had the opportunity to try seeds from the american lotus Nelumbo lutea. 

Friday morning I went out with Chic and we first drove around looking for palm boots and other debris. Then, we put in liriope in front of a sign to cover the open gap near the bottom by fantasia pool in movies. Then, we replaced some junipers over by country fair in music, put down mulch around the junipers and some of the other beds in music until the Toro was empty. After that, we cut down some allamanda near the fantasia pool. and pulled large weeds in the parking lot between movies and music.

Plant of the Week:
Ilex vomitoria 'Nana' Dwarf Yaupon Holly is the plant of the week. Its native habitat is Southern United States, Mexico, and Bermuda. The shrub grows to be 25 feet tall however within the landscape at Disney it is kept trimmed back much shorter than that. The shrub has gray-green twigs with bright red berries that are drupe-like and appear in clusters on the previous years growth. The foliage is alternate, dark green above, paler beneath, leathery, glossy, scalloped, unarmed very fine in texture. Flowers are inconspicuous. Maximum color is in the winter when fruit assumes full color. Information from Disney's Horticulture Plant Identification Manual given to all interns upon entering the program.

Week 6: Fantasia Gardens, All-Star Resorts, and Coronado Springs Resort

Monday started off by walking the gardens and fairways courses. I found a total of 36 balls today which is the most that an intern has found in one day according to the gardener Lance. Then, I was shown my new area as I will be rotating to the resorts (All-Star and Coronado) as of tomorrow. After break I had the opportunity to try out the auger and drill some holes which is a method used to speed up the planting process. Then, we spaced out the shrubs in the yard in order to prevent the plants from becoming leggy. To end the day, I weeded and trimmed back Selloum which was touching the ground.

Tuesday was my first day at All-Star Resorts. Three resorts make up All-Star they are All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies. Within each resort there are different themes by building, All-Star Sports for example has Touchdown, Surf's Up, Home-Run, and Hoops to represent different sports themes. All-Star Resorts is the third largest resort in the nation with 6,500 rooms. I started my day by going with Cathy and watering the interiors inside the lobby's of the three resorts within All-Star. These plants are what guests will see when waiting to check-in, check-out, or ask any questions that they might have therefore we want to create a good atmosphere with healthy looking plants. While watering the interiors, Jim the manager noticed that the pots outside of the buildings need to be changed out which we will be doing next week when the new plants come in. Then, we went over to Rafiki's Planet Watch located within Animal Kingdom and watered the interiors while removing any bad looking leaves. While working on the interiors at Rafiki's planet watch, one of the irrigation people came to fix the irrigation so we had to remove the plants in the area. Unfortunately, he thinks the line might be broke in another spot but could not figure out where. A lot of soil was lost so we were unable to plant new plants in the area so we ended up leaving them in the pots and decided to come back another day as we weren't sure when the area opens. After that, we drove around with a hose on the Toro to where new plants had recently been planted and watered the areas that could not be reached with the water truck. During watering there was a lost child that another family found wandering around. They called security who came to be with the child and a few minutes later the family came and were reunited with their child. I was happy to see how quickly the staff responded and that the child was reunited with his family quickly. We then took the water truck out and watered the areas it could reach. After that, we went to an area and trimmed back Loropetalum. After lunch we drove around through the different resorts seeing if anything needed attention and took a look at some pots outside of Broadway which is an area in movies. These pots are to be replanted but they wanted some ideas as to what tree to use. The current idea is Crape Myrtle or Italian Cypress. An image of the pots can be seen to the right. As you can see the pots are rather large so the plants need to fill the pots, but they also need to be short so that they don't block the marquee.

Wednesday morning started with Cathy driving the water truck while I helped water the outdoor pots by the entrances to each of the three resorts along with watering any dry areas in the outside beds. Then, we drove around for awhile in the Toro looking for anything that needed to be picked up. Then, we went over to Rafiki's planet watch with some soil and planted the plants which we had laid on top of the soil yesterday and watered them in. After that, we went over by the surf's up pool and did some pruning. While Cathy cut back Selloum, I cut back Allamanda bush to about waist height. In cutting back the Allamanda it was discovered that it had mealybugs which we mentioned to the pest management person who will spray them. We had to make a few trips to the dump with debris. Then, we drove around for awhile longer looking at different areas. Before lunch, Cathy went to go look something up on the computer so I went with her and took a few minutes to work on my project as she did not have anything for me to do. After lunch, we drove around looking for an area that Javier the pest management person said was full of weeds however we did not find any in this area and are guessing that the high school weed crew pulled them out. Then, we drove around and removed some junipers in the parking lot beds which had died. We filled the holes with surrounding soil.

Thursday morning Karina and I watered interiors by the check-in areas within All-Star. Then we explored All-Star by driving around. After that, we cut back saw palmetto. Then we dug out and replaced two Viburnum suspenpensum. After that Chic showed us how to put in St. Augustine sod.

Tower

Class today started early as we went on a field trip to Bok Tower Gardens so we left work early. Bok tower gardens was started by Edward Bok and opened in 1929. 30,000 annuals are planted here every year along with a number of endangered plants. We were given a tour by John Arnett who used to work for Disney. He told us that majority of their visitors come in the winter which is the opposite of what I'm used to being from the North gardens are visited primarily in the summer. Upon coming into the garden there were a bunch of orange groves.
Unfortunately a bacterial disease is spreading rapidly through the groves and unless a resistant rootstock is discovered it is likely that all citrus in Florida will be affected in the next 10 years. During the tour we also talked about ridge which is a native area in Florida that is now endangered due to the demand for building. To the left is the bells made up of 85% copper and 15% tin with the largest one weighing 11.7 ton.

While on the trip, we had the opportunity to go into the tower and see the bells which few people get to do (employees do after working at least 90 days, members who donate $1200, and VIPs). While in the tower we learned a lot about the history and maintenance. We also learned more about the history of the garden and how it has been affected by storms like hurricane Charlie. To the right is a picture of Victoria water lilies in the moat surrounding the tower.

 To the left is an image of air plants that were hung on a string and could be found near the cafe and gift shop.

The image to the right is from the highest point in Florida known as Iron mountain which is 290ft. above sea level. I really enjoyed the trip to Bok tower gardens.

Friday morning Karina and I went with Dan and watered pots outside the Animal Kingdom lodge. We used a sprayer that would normally be used for fertilizing or spraying pesticides but was used for just water in this case so that it could also be used to wash off the plants and because there is nowhere to hook up a hose and a watering can would be inefficient. Then, we went and watered Rafiki's planet watch and replaced some plants which had been damaged by visitors. After that we cut down some Hawaiian Ti which was getting to tall as it was blocking the window. We then dug small holes around them and stuck in the cuttings as we are going to try and get them to root. A picture of Hawaiian Ti is to the right. After that, we trimmed back some hanging baskets in an attempt to better expose the succulents at the top and those stuck in the sides of the baskets. The hanging baskets are pictured above.






Plant of the Week:
The plant of the week is Allamanda schottii Allamanda bush. Flowers are golden trumpet-shaped borne in clusters and appear for most of the year. These plants tend to become bare at the base as they become more mature. There is a dwarf variety available if the bush variety is too large for the desired area. They are evergreen and moderately salt-tolerant. Allamanda prefers full to partial sun and does best in zone 10. They can be trimmed at 3 feet while young and then 4 or 5 feet once mature. Trimming should be done in late March or early April. Watering should occur on a regular basis but allowing it to dry out between watering. Fertilizing should occur 3 times a year (spring, summer, and autumn). Plants should be spaced every 3 feet. Information from the South Florida Plant Guide http://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/bush-allamanda.html