Landscape Architect Articles

A Stately Assignment02-03-16 | Feature

A Stately Assignment
Annapolis, Maryland Government House

The grounds at the official residence for Maryland's governors, Government House in Annapolis, have been maintained by TDH Landscaping of Monkton, Maryland, for the last seven years, each year as an annual contract. Framing the front entrance are four identical gardens of boxwoods located where the side brick walkways connect with the main walkway. These shrubs, as well as the yews located on the property, are pruned twice per year: in June after the spring flush, and in November before the Christmas lights are put up. The year this photo was taken, TDH installed white vinca and hot pink geraniums in the front flower gardens.

While performing routine maintenance tasks, the crew from TDH keeps a lookout for disease, insect infestation and root rot, and then they triage the problems. If root rot is found, they pull the mulch away from the base of the affected plant, prune the diseased area, and check for the cause such as an inadvertent source of water.

Installing annuals is critical to enhancing the image of the historic property and as such is a separate yearly contract. This raised brick planter is located in the vehicular lot and is filled with celosia castle orange, pink pentas, white petunia and wave purple petunia.

The crew of three, all of whom had to pass background checks for security purposes, visits once a month for a full day of edging, planting, mulching, pruning and weeding the gardens, trimming the hedges, and other tasks. Between the monthly visits, a crew from the Department of Ground Services mows the lawn, picks up debris and dog waste, and makes sure the grounds remain in good order. The trees, many of which are on a historical registry, are maintained by an arbor care specialist.

Originally constructed as a Victorian mansion, then converted to a Georgian-style country home, Government House in Annapolis, Maryland has been the official residence of the governors of that state since 1870. According to the Maryland State Archives, it has hosted many important visitors including Mark Twain, Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother.

Greeting visitors these days are gated grounds that a local media outlet reported as "pristine and well-kept," with "newly planted flowers and attentive landscaping," thanks to the maintenance efforts of TDH Landscaping.

The company, located in the northern Baltimore County town of Monkton, was founded in 1965 and besides maintenance services, offers landscape design, hardscape and swimming pool construction, lighting installation, erosion control and snow removal.

TDH started maintaining the Government House's surroundings about seven years ago, the first time the job went out to private bid, and has won the contract every year since then. Before that, the executive residence had a fulltime gardener who went on to work elsewhere. At that time, Karen Gahs, a landscape designer at TDH, was one of the professionals asked to offer a proposal, which included a new design along with a bid for caring for the grounds. She continues to be the company's lead liaison – overseeing the crew as well as pricing, bidding and updating the appearances of the landscaping, including a new plan for the front of the house, adding a rose garden and one year, planting a vegetable garden.

Though theirs may not be a typical public/private contract, it does point out that working arrangements with a government entity as a customer can be different than what a landscape company is used to.

Besides the yearly (July through June) maintenance contract, there is a separate one for taking care of the annual color, which TDH has also received seven years running.

Because of being in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which has been deemed highly fragile due in part to years of polluted runoff in the area, TDH is very careful about the fertilizers they use on plants like this camellia. One example of a fertilizer they deemed appropriate is osmacote; a coated NPK fertilizer that slowly releases its nutrients over time.

After the winter of 2014, English boxwoods in the front entrance garden declined and died in large areas: probably due to weathering the area's coldest winter on record, although boxwood decline and volutella leaf blight could have played a role according to Karen Gahs, a designer at TDH and the lead on this contract. The crew removed them and Gahs drew up a plan for new gardens staying with the symmetry the property demands. The flowers here include canna "Tropical Yellow,' salvia blue Veronica and zinnia Magellan mix.

Next to Government House is Lawyer's Mall, which TDH also maintains. It has four long planters along one side. This particular season, one was planted with Delaware Valley azaelea. In the inset photo, the planter on the right holds knockout roses, tall Ilex glabra (inkberry) and variegated liriope. The roses are pruned to about 2' in the late fall and soft pruned in mid summer. The planter in the foreground is cared for by Homestead Gardens of Davidson, Maryland, which has the contract for watering all pots and planters in Annapolis, outside of the Government House. In the background is the Maryland State Capital building.

Gahs deals directly with the "head of house" but the first lady authorizes the work. In TDH's tenure, there have already been three different families, so three different bosses, living at the Government House.

"Typically the first lady approves all annual flower colors according to what she enjoys," says Gahs. "So beginning in late February, I will compose a few annual color combinations that get proposed to her. Once approved, the list and plant count gets sent out for two other competitive bids."

The current occupants are Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr. and his wife Yumi. Gahs reports that this first lady is very hands-on with the look and care of her new home's yards.

The crewmembers had to be approved and pass background checks for security reasons. And the same three workers are expected every visit, which is once a month for an entire day.

The bulk of the work is edging, mulching, pruning and weeding the gardens. A municipal crew does the mowing. An arbor care company maintains the trees on the property because many are on a historical registry.

Seasonal tasks include removing debris and getting gardens ready one week before Easter, planting annuals around the first or second week of May, pruning the boxwoods and Taxus species (yew) hedges in June and November, deadheading the roses in July and again after the last leaves drop, cutting back the perennials, removing the annuals and planting mums in September.

The mums are then scheduled to get pulled in November, but TDH has a special arrangement that allows them to take the flowers out as soon as the first frost since that causes them to turn black. "We can't have that." Gahs states.

They used to plant 2000 tulip bulbs in November to bloom in the spring, but for the last four years those garden areas are filled with daffodils and other perennials.

To prepare for winter, the gardens are cleaned and given a light mulching, leaves are picked up and the holly is pruned.

The crew does not schedule the irrigation nor maintain the pop-up system but it does water the plants when needed.

In an example of how a maintenance contract can lead to installation work, TDH was asked to install Hadco well lights and pole lamps on the property.

Tours of Government House are given on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Gahs says that there are private affairs held weekly, which once in awhile leads to particular landscaping requests such as additional drainage.

The same local media outlet, WJZ-TV, that praised the job done by TDH Landscaping, reported on the poor condition of the grounds of the state Capitol, which is located across the street from the Government House.

The state's Lieutenant Governor blamed it on budget constraints at the Department of General Services, the property's caretaker. Recently the maintenance contract went out to private bid and, based on the strength of their proposal due to the familiarity with what it takes to successfully maintain highly-visible, historical public grounds, TDH Landscaping won the contract.