They have a wide variety of daffodils planted on campus, approximately 200 thousand of them. The daffodils are planted each fall and they?EUR??,,????'???re the first signs of spring color in the landscape. They?EUR??,,????'???re easy to maintain. The squirrels don?EUR??,,????'???t eat them and they naturalize.

Maintaining a complex landscape is a complex job. However, knowledge isn?EUR??,,????'???t the only job requirement. Kevin O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell also brings a healthy dose of communication and team spirit to his staff, and that makes a world of difference.

Kevin O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell, Villanova University

?EUR??,,????'??We do all the landscape work in-house including most of the construction work and landscape installation work,?EUR??,,????'?? says Kevin O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell, landscape superintendent at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. That covers 220 acres, most of which is landscaped and maintained, however the rest is parking areas and buildings. The staff cleans the parking areas, but they don?EUR??,,????'???t do any maintenance on them. They are, however, in charge of snow removal, and that?EUR??,,????'???s a very complex job.

There is also a monastery on the campus, which they maintain. Several priests are in residence there all year round and O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell?EUR??,,????'???s staff helps them with their maintenance and their vehicles.

In the middle of the student center and dining facility is a pond, which is stocked with gold fish, or Chinese carp. Since it is inside year round, the plantings include palms, ferns, cycads and other tropicals. The staff maintains the pond as well.

Seasonal plantings

They put in perennials and annuals two or three times a year. For more seasonal color, they do a spring planting of annuals such as pansies. They also have a wide variety of daffodils planted on campus, approximately 200 thousand of them. ?EUR??,,????'??We want people to be able to see the daffodils from any location on campus,?EUR??,,????'?? says O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell. ?EUR??,,????'??This has been done over the last 15 years because they?EUR??,,????'???re easy to maintain, the squirrels don?EUR??,,????'???t eat them and they naturalize.?EUR??,,????'??

The signature tree at Villanova is the beech tree. They are found all over the campus. In addition, there are several specimen trees and a wide variety of maples and oaks along the major main roadway going through the campus.

?EUR??,,????'??Every year, every snow storm is a little different,?EUR??,,????'?? says O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell. ?EUR??,,????'??We?EUR??,,????'???re responsible for clearing all the sidewalks, plus 40 acres of parking lots and 8 miles of roadways. Much of this is athletic fields and all are internal to the campus.?EUR??,,????'??

Tree care

?EUR??,,????'??We do a semi annual inspection of the trees for any type of pruning that might be needed to maintain their health, as well as safety pruning. That?EUR??,,????'???s the one area where they have a contractor come in for the aerial pruning?EUR??,,????'??+anything above fifteen feet is taken care of by an outside arborist. They do all the tree pruning below fifteen feet.

The campus doesn?EUR??,,????'???t require any irrigation because generally, they have sufficient rainfall. They do however use portable water reels occasionally and the soccer field has irrigation. The water reels are for supplementing natural rainfall primarily in the summer on the athletic fields.

Snow Removal and Safety Training

They?EUR??,,????'???re responsible for snow removal on campus, which can be a challenge on the east coast.

?EUR??,,????'??We have training throughout the year on different aspects of our responsibilities. The snow removal procedures are reviewed. One of the keys to effective snow removal is having a written snow removal plan which is very helpful.?EUR??,,????'?? says O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell ?EUR??,,????'??They?EUR??,,????'???ve just prepared an article on snow removal for the staff alerting them to what they need to do and why they need to do it.?EUR??,,????'??

Sixteen of the 30 full time staff work directly on the grounds. The remainder of the staff works in different capacities such as trash collection and the university?EUR??,,????'???s recycling programs, which recycle over a million pounds annually. The staff cleans the 40 acres of parking lots as well, but they don?EUR??,,????'???t do any maintenance on them.

Event Management

There is a very broad scope of things they?EUR??,,????'???re in charge of which aren?EUR??,,????'???t directly related to grounds maintenance. One of the things they?EUR??,,????'???re keenly involved with is the set-up for special events, which can serve anywhere from a few people to the 13 thousand that attend graduation exercises. Depending on the event, it may take months of preparation, including making sure they have all the proper supplies, rental equipment, tents, etc. Then it often takes several days to clean up afterwards.

When the students come back in the fall they have orientation. The new students and their parents come to visit the school and get the students moved into their residence halls. Shortly after that they have St. Thomas of Villanova where all the students and faculty come to gather to start the new school year and celebrate the values of St. Thomas. They hold a dinner for six thousand people.

As a general rule, they rely on Best Management Practices (BMPs) to keep the plantings healthy. They spread fertilizer on the grounds which include 220 acres, most of which is turf, when required and reseed areas as needed.

Balanced Maintenance

O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell says, ?EUR??,,????'??As a general rule we rely on Best Management Practices to keep the plantings healthy.?EUR??,,????'?? They use mostly natural controls such as predatory insects and a lot of Integrated Pest Management practices such as making sure the plants are provided with healthy balanced soils that are maintained properly. When necessary, they use biological controls. They also do soil testing on a regular basis. ?EUR??,,????'??As a last resort, we do use chemical control, however we are very careful with those applications. We need to minimize any exposure to people on campus.?EUR??,,????'?? Even then, they don?EUR??,,????'???t do any general pesticide applications. They just treat the one or two shrubs that need it.

?EUR??,,????'??Our biggest challenge is probably balancing the health of the plants with the use of the campus by students, faculty and staff. Particularly when they design new landscape areas,?EUR??,,????'?? says O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell. ?EUR??,,????'??We try to get input from the users so we can design a site that will be healthy and functional?EUR??,,????'??+layout as well as selection of plants and materials.?EUR??,,????'??

They have a certified arborist on staff, and do a semi annual inspection of the trees for any type of pruning that might be needed to maintain their health, as well as safety pruning. Their in-house arborist does all tree pruning below fifteen feet.

Planning Spaces for People

All that goes hand in hand with their ability to keep down the use of chemicals. They want to balance maintenance so it doesn?EUR??,,????'???t interfere with the educational process. That also includes re-designing around any new buildings being built. O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell and his staff want to create an inviting landscape, which will enhance the buildings use.

By utilizing education, communication and teamwork, Kevin O?EUR??,,????'???Donnell makes sure that Villanova University is thoughtfully and intelligently maintained.