University of Virginia: A Jeffersonian Campus

By Kevin Burrows, editor

University of Virginia icon, the Rotunda is shown here framed by Ilex ipaca, Platanus and Azalea. Standing at the north end of the Lawn, it is half the height of the Pantheon in Rome, which was its primary inspiration. It, along with the Lawn have been the model for many similar designs of ?EUR??,,????'??centralized green areas?EUR??,,????'?? at universities across the country including Duke University, Johns Hopkins University and Elon University.

The University of Virginia, a 2007 PGMS Green Star Honor Award winner, is located in Charlottesville, Va. and was founded by Thomas Jefferson. Established in 1819, together with Jefferson’s home at Monticello, it is a World Heritage Site?EUR??,,????'???the first collegiate campus ever to be awarded the designation.

Jefferson was known for his architectural and landscape designs, as is evident in the school?EUR??,,????'???s 10 pavilion gardens. Each is unique in design and pedestrian flow. In addition, these gardens, surrounded by signature snaking curves of brick walls, are broken down into outdoor rooms that allow professors and students small intimate places to interact and learn among the plants.

Before coming to UVA, Superintendent of Grounds, Richard Hopkins got his start working for Charlottesville Landscape Contractor, Jay Townsend for 7 years. ?EUR??,,????'??That really gave me my base of experience that I?EUR??,,????'???ve built from in plant material and customer service,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??I credit Jay with where I am now.?EUR??,,????'??

Superintendent

Superintendent of Grounds, Richard Hopkins has been at UVA for 11-and-a-half years and has been in the landscape industry for over 20. After starting at the school as an area supervisor, overseeing the historic Jeffersonian sections of the grounds, he was promoted to Superintendent four years ago. ?EUR??,,????'??I love the history of UVA, so it was great to get broken in on that section,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins.

Staff

Hopkins oversees a staff of 49 full time and 4 seasonal landscape employees, 10 of which are certified pesticide applicators or certified spray technicians.

An I.P.M. manager with a number of ?EUR??,,????'??right of way?EUR??,,????'?? licenses oversees all of the spraying. Also on staff are two arborists, an irrigation specialist, a turf specialist, two mechanics, a planting crew, a landscape coordinator, as well as the three zone supervisors and their crews.

Annuals get hand-watered once every three days, and are found throughout the areas around the graduate school. This employee deadheads and straightens the foliage in and around the Ipomoea, Caladium and Impatiens.

?EUR??,,????'??So much of what we do is window dressing for the University.?EUR??,,????'??

Grounds

The team is responsible for 701 total acres, 211 acres of turf, 21 acres of display beds, 92.5 acres of paved areas and 376.5 of wooded acres broken into three zones. The Central Grounds area is composed of the Lawn and pavilion gardens and the historical grounds, which contains the most specimen and ancient plants. The West Grounds area is composed of academic and maintenance buildings with the next oldest and more diversified planting. Lastly, the North Grounds is composed of the new graduate school buildings and support staff buildings. This is also the newest of the landscapes, offering a more adventurous use of plants. Each one of the zones has a separate mowing crew, each taking between a week to ten days to mow their area. ?EUR??,,????'??Any given day we have 15 people cutting grass,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins.

Seeding

The crew seeds the turf primarily with a blend of fescue and perennial ryegrass. The true seeding season begins at the end of August and lasts until Thanksgiving. They then start again at the beginning of April, seeding everything again for spring ?EUR??,,????'??green up.?EUR??,,????'??

?EUR??,,????'??The mix changes depending on the season,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins. ?EUR??,,????'??In the spring, for example, we are racing graduation.?EUR??,,????'?? The team then performs a seeding right at the end of August before the students come back. ?EUR??,,????'??Certain areas will be seeded with rye, and it is iffy if they will survive long term,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins. ?EUR??,,????'??We want it to look good that weekend.?EUR??,,????'??

Irrigation

A Toro irrigation system is used throughout the campus, utilizing potable city water. OSMAC smart software is used on two areas, while a SitePro system is used on the Lawn and library special collections. ?EUR??,,????'??Our irrigation technician manages everything,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins. ?EUR??,,????'??He?EUR??,,????'???s been a godsend.?EUR??,,????'?? All other irrigation sites are on stand alone clocks and timers.

The Pavilion Garden V renovation by the UVA gardening staff is shown here restoring English boxwood shrubs. ?EUR??,,????'??We ripped the old hedges out and replanted them,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins. The old shrubs had been in place since the last renovation in the 1950s and were overgrown to the point where the walkway was hidden.

Chemicals and Fertilizers

A nitrogen only fertilizer blend of 21-0-0 is utilized on the turf because of a strict state mandated nutrient management plan. In it, cool season grasses are only allowed 3.5 lbs of nitrogen per year. Additionally, all fertilizer use must be documented and the entire university is sampled at least every three years.

Some broad leaf control is performed, however, on low-traffic areas such as around the President?EUR??,,????'???s office and the area around the graduate school. ?EUR??,,????'??We only spray on green space that?EUR??,,????'???s not often occupied and where the grounds are more focused on appearance,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins.

The planting crew installs Ophiopogon. The John Deere Pro Gator shown at left is very versatile and plays a major role in the winter. ?EUR??,,????'??We put spreaders on the back for snow removal for all campus sidewalks using a mixture of two parts sand one part rock salt,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins. In addition, blade attachments can be used to plow. Blower attachments also make them valuable for leaf removal as well. ?EUR??,,????'??They get a workout.?EUR??,,????'??

Tree care

Two certified arborists on staff handle 85 percent of tree care. ?EUR??,,????'??An outside contractor comes in to do some of the big takedowns that are too much for them to handle,?EUR??,,????'?? said Hopkins. ?EUR??,,????'??We have no bucket truck, so once a year we rent one for about a month before students come in.

Ash, oak, poplar, sycamore are the most common trees found on campus.

Chemicals are used on the trees when necessary, often utilizing injections and keeping aerial sprays to a minimum. While there have been no signs of the dreaded Emerald Ash Borer yet, Hopkins feels it?EUR??,,????'???s coming. ?EUR??,,????'??If it does come in here and puts us in quarantine, we?EUR??,,????'???ll have to remove every ash within 50 miles. It will really change the character of the university,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

Budget:

• Total budget: $2,424,000
• Equipment: $221,096
• Chemicals and Fertilizers: $89,098
• Seed and Plant Material: $218,902

Equipment:

• 7 John Deere 1545 72-inch front deck mowers
• 3 Ferris 72 inch zero-turn mowers
• 2 Scag mowers
• A number of Ferris 48-inch walk behind mowers
• An assortment of string trimmers and backpack blowers
• 9 six wheel John Deere Gators
• 2 John Deere Pro Gators.
• 2 Gehl skid steers
• 1 Bobcat skid steer
• 2 full size Bobcat backhoes
• 3 John Deere tractors (4700, 4550, and 850 series)
• 1 Kubota tractor
• 20 pickup trucks, made up mostly of one ton dump trucks