Everything is bigger in Texas! Case in point; the Texas State Capitol building located in Austin. Standing at the head of Congress Avenue, the building stands 302.64 feet high, almost 300 feet wide and stretches just over 585 feet long. The enormous building is the largest of all state capitol buildings and is second in total size only to the National Capitol in Washington. The building itself is dwarfed by the landscape, which amounts to nearly 14 acres of turf, flower beds, trees and sidewalks.

Ivan Giraldo, Branch Manager with TruGreen LandCare, and his crew have the prestigious task of maintaining the capitol's landscape; from regular maintenance to fertilization, weed control, pesticide work and irrigation. Giraldo's company has cared for the Texas State Capitol since 1997.

The Historic Capitol

The Capitol Extension Building was built underground on the north side of the Capitol building. Occupants of the underground building can gain entry into the capitol through an elevator. The circular open-air rotunda creates a unique visual effect. The Capitol is surrounded by nearly 14 acres of landscaping.

In 1853, the first Capitol was built in Austin. After being destroyed in 1881 by fire, Elijah E. Myers won a nationwide design competition for a new building and was paid $1,700.

Construction on the new Texas Capitol building began in February, 1882. Myers authorized several design changes; switching from a square tower with a Mansard roof to a cast-iron dome. Myers original plans also called for limestone to be used on the exterior walls, but it was discovered that limestone discolors easily. Therefore, "Sunset Red" granite was chosen. Laid on March 2, 1885, the Capitol cornerstone weighed 12,000 pounds. Inside the cornerstone, a zinc box was placed containing a stone from the old Capitol building, currency of the Republic of Texas and of the Confederate States of America, an Austin city directory and an 1862 meal ticket worth 25 cents.

Completed in 1888, the building covered 360,000 square feet. At one point, the project was said to have 1,000 men working every day for four years. The building housed 392 rooms, 18 vaults, 924 windows, and 404 doors. Four thousand railroad cars delivered the granite while another 11,000 cars delivered limestone and other materials. The total bill for construction was $3,744,600.

Almost a century passed before the Capitol was plagued by another fire in February, 1983. The 68th Texas Legislature recognized the unique architectural and historical qualities of the building and created the State Preservation Board. Their purpose was to "preserve, maintain and restore the Capitol, General Land Office Building and their contents and grounds."

Years later, Governor William P. Clements, Jr., developed the Texas Capitol Master Plan. The plan would restore the building as close as possible to the original 1888 design as well as add an underground building to the north.

On January 10, 1995, the 74th Legislature convened in the restored Capitol. The project received the Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Species

The grounds around the capitol are comprised of many different plant materials. There are a couple different species of grass, several different trees and a changing supply of flowers.

The turf consists of St. Augustinegrass and Bermudagrass. "Almost 85 to 90 percent of the turf is St. Augustinegrass," Giraldo said. "We have some areas that are fully exposed to the sun but there are some pretty large trees around the area. Bermudagrass wouldn't make it."

Capitol grounds also contain many trees ranging from live oaks to pecan trees. "There are a lot of historical live oaks that have been here for a long time," Giraldo said. Many of the trees were donated.

Adorning the property are flower beds filled with seasonal plants. "We have three annual change outs on the property," Giraldo said. Changes occur in late winter/early spring, summer and late fall/early winter. Flowers include pansies, petunias, begonias, vincas and snap dragons. The rotating flowers are chosen based on the climate.

The Work

Maintenance on the grounds is done once a week and is usually completed in one day. Some instances however, require more time; sometimes up to a full week is spent maintaining the grounds.

Mowing the grass is just one chore Giraldo's team does. Caring for the trees can prove to be a grand task. "Squirrels damage a lot of the pecan and live oak trees," Giraldo said. "Sometimes we have to go and cut down those branches damaged by the squirrels and keep them clean." Trees are inspected twice a month during the summer months.

Part of the work entails keeping the irrigation system operational. Any reports of irrigation problems are forwarded to Giraldo's company. This includes problems with sprinklers and damaged water lines.

In maintaining the turf, TruGreen LandCare also provides pesticide application for the property. Texas is subject to invasions by grasshoppers and other insects that can be destructive to the turf, trees and flowers. However, the company does not control the squirrels taking refuge in the trees.

Irrigation

Trying to maintain a property 14 acres in size poses a variety of problems. One such problem is the climate. Lack of rainfall has brought drought conditions to the state.

Recently, the state was forced to take action on the issue of drought. "Last year we went through a very tough drought and we went into mandatory water rationing," Giraldo said. "This year we were not on mandatory rationing, but there was voluntary water rationing." To properly irrigate the lawns under these guidelines, the crew follows a set watering schedule.

"We water just once every five days, so we have to do a lot of coordination and accustom the turf to that watering schedule," Giraldo said. Steps are taken early in the spring to accustom the lawn with deep watering, fertilization and aeration. The early preparation helps handle the drought conditions the state experiences in the summer.

When the drought restrictions are lifted, the irrigation system may go on two times in a week, but this is not common. "The turf is in very good condition and accustomed enough that we don't really change the schedule year round," Giraldo said.

Brown Patch Disease

The grounds of the Capitol are home to several trees including live oaks and pecan trees (the official state tree). The maintenance crew faces several challenges keeping the trees in good condition. The biggest culprit; squirrels.

Texas summers offer searing temperatures. When these warm temperatures mix with moisture from thunderstorms or other sources, the potential is there for brown patch disease. "The problems with St. Augustinegrass and brown patch is something we have been fighting since day one," Giraldo said.

Late this summer, several inches of rain flooded Texas. Aided by the humidity, warm temperatures and the flood water, brown patch infected large areas of the turf. "It's amazing how quickly it spreads," Giraldo said.

Special Events

Being the capitol building, the site caters itself to scheduled events. To accommodate the gatherings of people, special steps need to be taken. Lawn maintenance can become tricky.

If the lawns are being cut on the same day as an event, the crew will begin at the event site. "We usually start there first early in the morning and everything is fine," Giraldo said. Since the property is so big, the crews can be out of the event location before it begins.

Care must also be taken in the irrigation of the lawn. "We try to keep the turf not too wet and not too dry," Giraldo said. If not properly watered, the lawn can be damaged. Even though the sprinklers go on during the night, the watering schedule may require some juggling.

Some of the events require a tent to be erected on the landscape. To prevent damage to the irrigation system, sprinkler heads and water lines are marked with flags to keep individuals from tripping or puncturing the pipes with the tent stakes.

The most recognized event came late last year during the presidential elections. In November, the crew had to prepare for a large crowd. Efforts were directed towards the south side where the activities were going to be held. "We worked a little extra that week and we actually went for a second time to touch up certain things," Giraldo said. "We made it nice, clean and neat."

All of the added foot traffic can wear out areas of the turf. The monuments draw many visitors and surrounding areas receive heavy amounts of foot traffic. "We usually have to replace the sod around the monuments at least once a year to keep it nice," Giraldo said. "It's almost impossible to keep it alive with groups of people coming here year-round."

The Crew

The Capitol building, seen from the south, is the largest of all state capitol buildings and is second in total size only to the National Capitol. The numerous monuments placed around the Capitol attract many visitors. The extra foot traffic can wear out the turf, which the crew occasionally replaces.

Fourteen acres of land would be a great task for one man to maintain. "During late spring and summer we have a crew of ten guys," Giraldo said. "During the winter we reduce it to about seven guys." Those individuals work only on the maintenance crew. The irrigation crew consists of three workers.

Of the people involved in maintaining the landscape, a few key workers include: Michael Harkrider, the State Preservation Board's grounds manager; Casey Vickrey, area manager with TruGreen LandCare; Jeff Rutkowski, irrigation manager with TruGreen LandCare; Jose Luis Perez, crew supervisor with TruGreen LandCare; Brent Frazier, arborist with TruGreen LandCare; and Brad Dubbels, agronomist with TruGreen LandCare.

Giraldo and his crew work very close together with the State Preservation Board, which manages the state capitol. Their staff as well as Giraldo, patrol the grounds looking for problems. The constant patrols allow Giraldo's crew to identify any potential problems and catch them before they cause excessive damage.