Southern Treasure

By Jenny Boyle, regional editor

Because the resort is a public place, temperatures and humidity levels are kept at an optimum for guests, rather than for the tropical plants. The constant 71 degree temperature and 55 percent humidity level allows more unwanted pests, like the two-spotted spider mite, to thrive. But the horticulture staff has learned to adapt their maintenance methods without interfering in the guests?EUR??,,????'??? enjoyment of the gardens.
Photos courtesy of the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, Tenn.

The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, in Nashville, Tenn., is widely known for playing host to the biggest country stars, and the country?EUR??,,????'???s biggest gatherings. But the resort in the heart of music city offers another reason to stop by those parts.

The hotel reveals a beautiful treasure once you walk inside. There, you?EUR??,,????'???ll find acres of lavish gardens filled with 50,000 tropical plants, rare international blooms and romantic Southern spices. Hollis Malone, manager of horticulture and pest control, has overseen the design, construction and maintenance of these gardens since 1982. He shares the challenges and triumphs of working in such a unique environment.

Because the resort is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, maintaining the elaborate garden areas is a never-ending process. Not only does the horticulture staff have the challenge of working around the constant presence of guests, but caring for tropical plants takes on a whole new meaning when, what should be outside, is now trying to grow inside. ?EUR??,,????'??Most gardens are able to shut down at some point for maintenance,?EUR??,,????'?? says Malone.

The garden conservatory has a collection of 10,000 tropical plants, representing more than 215 species. There are 37 different plant families represented and the collection includes six kinds of ficus trees, four kinds of banana trees, 15 types of palms and a sampling of little orange trees.

The presence of hotel guests at all times alters the way his team can care for the plants. ?EUR??,,????'??Being open 24 hours a day cuts down on some of the things we can do,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??Keeping the plants clean is hard. We have to do it in segments when guests are at a lower level. It?EUR??,,????'???s a little bit of a wrinkle compared to other areas.?EUR??,,????'??

Malone says each of the gardens are cared for in a similar manner, but in one area called the Delta, they have the added care of window boxes on the balconies of rooms that overlook the garden. ?EUR??,,????'??The frequency of getting into the rooms is difficult and it makes it hard to get to the window boxes on a regular basis,?EUR??,,????'?? he says.

To remedy this, Malone has installed a sub-irrigation system that waters the plantings and makes maintenance on the window boxes a less-often-performed chore. ?EUR??,,????'??It spreads out the amount of visits to water those areas,?EUR??,,????'?? he says.

The cascades atrium features three waterfalls (inset) and a 12,500 square-foot lake. More than 8,200 tropical ornamental plants, representing 449 species, are featured here. The larger variety of flowering bushes and trees requires the humidity levels to be at a higher range than the other two gardens?EUR??,,????'???from 60 to 65 percent.

Climate Control

Development of the atrium required thousands of hours of study, design and technical drawings by a team of experts, as well as inspection of conservatories in England, Scotland, Italy and Canada. The end result rivals even the best botanical gardens in the world. But unlike many places that house tropical plants, where humidity is kept at a high level, the guests, once again, come first. As a result, an elaborate climate control system keeps the temperature at about 71 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity at 55 percent?EUR??,,????'???a more comfortable environment for guests to enjoy the gardens, but one that also makes plant care a bigger challenge for Malone and his team.

?EUR??,,????'??One of our biggest challenges is pest control,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??There are a lot of restrictions about things you can use inside.?EUR??,,????'??

Because the gardens are indoors, explains Malone, the team is unable to use heavy pesticides to control unwanted insects. They use predacious insects to try and control pests, but because of the drier environment, these preventative measures are less effective.

?EUR??,,????'??Predacious insects work great in greenhouses,?EUR??,,????'?? he says, ?EUR??,,????'??But if you have low humidity, they don?EUR??,,????'???t last as long or work as well.?EUR??,,????'??

The resort is fortunate to have three wells on the property that produce good-quality water; preventing the need to use city water and resulting in huge savings for the horticulture department. Of the two irrigation systems in place, one allows for hose hook-ups at several locations around the property. Only a 50-foot hose is needed to water any part of the resort.

Malone says pests would normally be controlled by factors in the plant?EUR??,,????'???s natural environment, but bringing the plant inside causes much more stress, especially when that environment is maintained more for people than for plants.

?EUR??,,????'??We use as many different methods as we can to keep the plants healthy and unstressed,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??We implement an IPM program using a lot of soap and water and we also apply insect growth regulators, which are safe to use around people.?EUR??,,????'??

The regulators inhibit a stage of insect growth, which helps some, but pests are still prevalent. ?EUR??,,????'??We can?EUR??,,????'???t drown the plants with pesticides,?EUR??,,????'?? says Malone. ?EUR??,,????'??So what we?EUR??,,????'???re trying to do is keep the amount of insects at a comfortable level.?EUR??,,????'??

He says this is much easier to do in the summer months, due to the air conditioning system. ?EUR??,,????'??Temperatures are a key factor in pest control,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??[The air conditioner] is really our buddy. In the winter, when the heat is on, the temperature is higher and it produces an environment that insects like.?EUR??,,????'??

The staff uses a portable watering machine to water container plants in the lobbies, restaurants, and any other areas where pulling a hose might become a safety issue due to too much guest traffic. The machine can be hooked up to any water spigot with an adaptor and uses compressed air to force water out of a small hose.

Irrigation

Caring for this resort garden requires unseen methods wherever possible. Back in the early-80s, Malone developed a precise drip irrigation system that allows many plants to be watered slowly over the course of several hours.

?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s a pain and a God send,?EUR??,,????'?? says Malone, whose peers were unconvinced at the time that the system would be effective. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s not a perfect system, but even though it?EUR??,,????'???s difficult, it?EUR??,,????'???s the best way I could figure how to water everything.?EUR??,,????'??

Malone based it on the old Israeli drip irrigation system, in which water is released every hour from the pipes. Garden areas are broken up into different stations, based on the amount of light they receive, and that determines when and how much water is applied. The pipes run parallel to each other, about 18 inches apart and admitters are placed inside the tubes so they can?EUR??,,????'???t break. ?EUR??,,????'??We water the ground like it?EUR??,,????'???s a ground cover no matter what is planted there,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??The plants will take what they need and then the excess water will go down to the next level beneath the soil.?EUR??,,????'??

The soil is a special mixture of pine, peat and sand developed specifically for the environment. Beneath the soil is a landscape fabric, or membrane, which is placed above a layer of gravel that filters out soil media.

In addition to the drip irrigation system, a separate water system exists mainly for hooking up hoses. ?EUR??,,????'??A 50 foot hose is all you need,?EUR??,,????'?? says Malone. ?EUR??,,????'??That?EUR??,,????'???s real valuable because we always have to water additionally. It?EUR??,,????'???s probably as good a technology as there is for an indoor garden.?EUR??,,????'??

The property boasts six greenhouses, which are used primarily for propagation of tropical plants and annuals. Some plants are rented to clients for conventions and others are grown for seasonal displays or floral shows that are hosted from time to time.

Other Maintenance

In thinking about the intricacies of caring for three very elaborate indoor gardens, it?EUR??,,????'???s hard to imagine that Malone could be responsible for much more. However, of his 50 staff members, only half are devoted to interior maintenance. The other half is responsible for the exterior grounds and off-site properties, which include the Radisson hotel (located across the street from the resort), corporate buildings and surrounding fields.

?EUR??,,????'??We don?EUR??,,????'???t really distinguish between interior and exterior,?EUR??,,????'?? says Malone. ?EUR??,,????'??We help each other. If a rainy day slows us down outside, we go inside and help out in there.?EUR??,,????'??

Once spring comes, however, Malone says every one does all they can to get their areas up to speed. ?EUR??,,????'??The interiors are constantly going all the time,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??But once spring comes, we start mowing, mulching, pruning and getting the beds ready to plant with pansies and other annuals. Maintenance really kicks up.?EUR??,,????'??

In addition to managing the staff, Malone spends each day doing work in three of the property?EUR??,,????'???s six greenhouses. He grows plants and re-uses bulbs year after year, in order to cut down on spending. ?EUR??,,????'??Labor is expensive and sometimes it?EUR??,,????'???s cheaper to throw something away than to try and maintain it,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??But there?EUR??,,????'???s something to be said about saving [a plant]. In the past it might have been more economical to compost plants, but now we carry things on a little longer.?EUR??,,????'??

Speaking of carrying things on, Malone?EUR??,,????'???s involvement with Opryland has lasted 23 years and he couldn?EUR??,,????'???t be happier with his line of work. ?EUR??,,????'??I would have taken any of the positions just to be involved with this place,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s got a lot of freedom. To do something you love to do, for a long time, that?EUR??,,????'???s pretty satisfying.?EUR??,,????'??

Malone says he loves to see and hear the reactions of guests who see the garden for the first time. He says their interest in the place is what keeps the team ?EUR??,,????'??fired up.?EUR??,,????'??

?EUR??,,????'??They always seem to be thanking us,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s a great place to relax and I think the connection with nature is something that everyone has a sense about. They really enjoy it.?EUR??,,????'??

Beginning in July, eight staff members are assigned full-time to prepare for the resort?EUR??,,????'???s annual ?EUR??,,????'??Country Christmas.?EUR??,,????'?? The horticulture staff grows Poinsettias for the event, which begins the third week in November and brings in over 600 tour buses throughout the holiday season.