Inside Busch Gardens?EUR??,,????'??+

What, Another Hurricane?!?EUR??,,????'??+No Problem

by Stephen Kelly, regional editor

Just before the park opened for the day, Joe Parr (right) gave me a tour of the facility in a utility vehicle. He stopped to examine some finishes touches to the spectacular 18?EUR??,,????'??? tall ?EUR??,,????'??A & Eagle,?EUR??,,????'?? the Anheuser-Busch trademark since 1860. The topiary comprises red alternanthera, silver miniature bromeliads, yellow pansies, red begonias, orange heleconias and lime coleus.

While I was in Tampa in mid-November 2004 to attend to our exhibitor?EUR??,,????'???s booth at the International Irrigation Show, I arranged to visit Joe Parr, who manages the team that designs, and maintains the award-winning Busch Gardens Tampa (BGT) landscapes. Joe was kind enough to give me a tour one morning before the park opened.

Joe whisked me around in a Club Car, pointing out areas where trees had toppled during Hurricane Jeanne, the tropical storm that had made Florida landfall only a month before (Sept. 26, 2004). As hurricane-force winds neared BGT, the park, of course, had to close.

?EUR??,,????'??People were upset that it closed,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe said with a laugh. Some people, particularly the non-Floridians who had never experienced a hurricane?EUR??,,????'???s force, were not going to let a little wind cut their fun short. Jeanne left the park out of commission for only two and a half days.

?EUR??,,????'??We diverted everyone from maintenance to the clean up,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe explained. ?EUR??,,????'??It took us a day and a half to clear the sidewalks. There was debris everywhere; none of the sidewalks were passable. Our crews were amazing. We had sidewalks cleared and rides safety inspected and operating in record time. Our guests were amazed and did not think that the storms had affected our park. That’s a huge statement for the massive cleanup and quick work of the park employees. We lost power for a few days at home but Tampa was very lucky on the whole.?EUR??,,????'?? There was no park building damaged, though trees did topple.

?EUR??,,????'??The fast growing tropical and African trees fell,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe told me. ?EUR??,,????'??Acacia trees blocked the train tracks and went down elsewhere in the park, damaging sidewalks and fences. An oak fell near the lion habitat.?EUR??,,????'??

Some hand watering was being done when I visited, but Rain Bird has since supplied Busch Gardens with a new central control computer system called SiteControl, which currently controls new irrigation in the guest parking lot, along 40th St. and in the Veldt. The Bird Show Theater is among this background of selloum philodendrons and sabal and queen palms.

In the service area, downed trees destroyed a fence and blocked two lanes of road. During the clean up, there were 30-foot piles of debris.

?EUR??,,????'??We?EUR??,,????'???re just now trying to get back to our maintenance,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe told me on that November 2004 visit. Still, the park was relatively unscathed?EUR??,,????'??+not so for other areas. Joe said the old Cypress Gardens ?EUR??,,????'??got blasted?EUR??,,????'?? by the spate of hurricanes and that a lot of tree and roof damage occurred in the Orlando area. A few days after visiting with Joe I was in Orlando for the IAAPA Show. Orlando had clean up well, particularly around the theme park area in southern Orlando, but roof tarps were a common sight elsewhere.

Joe recalls Hurricane Isabelle in 2002, which was rough on the flagship of Busch Gardens, the Williamsburg, Virginia park. Joe estimates that big wind tore up 800 park trees there.

As we motored around, Joe spoke of his staff of 50 landscapers. ?EUR??,,????'??We could use more,?EUR??,,????'?? he observed. ?EUR??,,????'??There?EUR??,,????'???s not much waste around here. We are lean. I think that?EUR??,,????'???s the way all the parks are getting. They have shareholders to report to. We have enough, but we don?EUR??,,????'???t have a moment to rest. Used to be in the winter you had time to break, but now it?EUR??,,????'???s busy all year long.?EUR??,,????'??

Joe greeted members of the grounds crew as we venture along the path ways and received several calls via the walkie-talkie, or in this case, a riddie-talkie.

?EUR??,,????'??Sterilize your blade as you move from tree to tree,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe directs into the communicator. This is a procedure I hadn?EUR??,,????'???t thought of. When pruning trees with diseased branches, such as canker, galls, or ?EUR??,,????'??witches broom,?EUR??,,????'?? a cut is made 6-12 inches below the infected area. It?EUR??,,????'???s good arbor procedure to sterilize the pruners. A solution of one part Pine Sol or similar product to three parts water is said to be effective.

Busch Gardens closed for two and one-half days during the September 2004 hurricanes. ?EUR??,,????'??The fast growing tropical and African trees fell,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe explained. ?EUR??,,????'??Acacia trees blocked the train tracks and went down elsewhere in the park, damaging sidewalks and fences, including an oak near the lion habitat and this large specimen. Anheuser-Busch donated $1 million to Volunteer Florida, American Red Cross and the Salvation Army for hurricane relief efforts last year.

Growing Pains

In just the short seven months since I visited BGT, Joe notes a world of changes for BGT:

1. A mile-long arrival drive with hundreds of new palms, flowering trees, 15 acres of sod and tens of thousands of new annuals and shrubs
2. parking lots with palms, hardwoods, annuals, vines
3. palms, flowering trees and tropical plants for the park front entrance; Xcusions, a conservation gift shop, (color, bronze, water feature, macaw tree)
4. National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat Garden (tropical theme of butterfly and humming bird gardens, water features, wind chime music)
5. Zambia Smokehouse
6. Sheikra?EUR??,,????'??+the monster coaster

One challenge for Joe and crew is creating topiary and garden designs. Here they have rendered in red and lime coleus, peach Crossandra, white pentas and red crushed stone mulch of the A & Eagle. Their similar rendering for the 2004 Tampa Flower Show garnered the ?EUR??,,????'??People?EUR??,,????'???s Choice?EUR??,,????'?? award, an award they also won this year.

Three Shifts, Seven Days a Week, 365 Days a Year

The landscape staff is on duty at BGT 20 hours a day in three shifts, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The annual color staff arrives at the unholy hour of 3:30 a.m., the park horticultural detail at 6:30 a.m., a half-hour before I get out of bed, and the arborist crew starts at park closing, which can vary from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. depending on the season.

Joe?EUR??,,????'???s team manages all horticultural maintenance, IPM spraying, installation, landscape detail, annual color, landscape installation, irrigation maintenance, arboriculture, aquatics, fertilization and landscape design.

Irrigation and Water Reclamation

The park irrigation automation was recently updated with the assistance of Rain Bird Corp. A water reclamation system also just went in, a necessity because the park has no reclaimed water available from public sources.

?EUR??,,????'??This system supplements the well water source,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe explains. ?EUR??,,????'??The system collects water from park rides, from daily park cleaning operations, from zoological displays and from rainfall runoff. This water is moved via lift stations throughout the park to three settling and purification ponds. It then goes through a mechanical purification system and then the water quality tested.?EUR??,,????'?? This reclaimed water irrigates the park.

Another water conservation practice mandates that the park irrigation staff shuts off all irrigation whenever 1” or more of natural precipitation is recorded within a three-day period. The staff also does continuous zone checks to assure the system is running efficiently.

Pesticides and Tree Care

When it comes to the use of pesticide/herbicide, BGT is understandably cautious. ?EUR??,,????'??Park rules are often tougher than state and federal regulations,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe notes. There is a pesticide/herbicide review board comprised of staff zoologists, park safety representatives and water quality personnel.

?EUR??,,????'??The group reviews MSDS (material safety data sheet) forms on all pesticides before they are deemed safe for application in the park,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe notes. Guests, employees, the park animals and the flora must all be considered. Applications of pesticides/herbicides are of course done during non-guest hours and under the supervision of certified pest control operators.

BGT arboriculture operates mainly in the evening hours after the park closes. Only certified arborists attend to the trees. Large projects are supplemented by independent certified arborists.

?EUR??,,????'??The park is on an annual rotation where trees are dead wooded and brown fronds are removed form palms,?EUR??,,????'?? Joe explains. There are hundreds of thousands of trees and palms within in the 365 acreage of BGT. ?EUR??,,????'??Minor tree work is supplemented in the early mornings before the park opens.?EUR??,,????'??

What it might look like if you poured liquid annual colors atop grassy knolls of St. Augustine turf: a ?EUR??,,????'??river?EUR??,,????'?? of newly planted yellow/orange marigolds, red salvia, purple spoon daisies, yellow African daisies.

Tiers of floral chameleon’s tail, lime and burgundy coleus, pink pentas and black fishtail palm.

Recycling and Environmental Conscientiousness

In addition to water reclamation and retention ponds for irrigation, recycling is an important consideration. Recycling is stewarded by the Busch Environmental Support Team (BEST). In a year the park collects more than 480 tons of cardboard, paper, aluminum, batteries, plastic and scrap metal, which BEST says represents a 37 percent recycling rate for solid waste.

The environmentally conscientious extends to the landscaping. The Land of the Dragons play attraction received the 1995 Environmental Improvement merit award from the Associated Landscape Contractors of America for use of native plants and park compost.