Week 5

On Monday I worked with Scott. We began the day by pulling weeds in the daylily bed by the frog pond in order to prepare the area for mulching. Then we started putting down wood chip mulch in the daylily bed which will help prevent future weeds from growing. I went down to gates ajar on my own in the morning to water and later in the afternoon Scott went down with me and we planted some Alternanthera that was found in a plug tray in the greenhouse and Scott trimmed the junipers that are down by gates ajar.
 
Tuesday I worked with Kerrick. We started off the day by putting down manure mulch in the bird yard. Last week we were told to only put manure mulch around the annuals but we were told wrong and were actually supposed to put it around all of the flowers. After that we put wood chip mulch around the rest of daylily bed, along stairs by excedra, and half moons on the edge of the intern bed so that people can get out of there cars without having to walk on the plants. We ended the day by putting on hip waders, getting in the frog pond, and pulling weeds in rocks.

Wednesday as usual means mowing day. I mowed on zoo grounds while Kerrick and one of the indoor interns Joe mowed Como Town and the wolf lot. I then went up front and helped blow off the path before the facility opened. After that the boulevards and smaller areas in front of the conservatory that could not be done using the riding mower. We then did the lily pond. All of these areas were finished by lunch. After lunch we washed off the mowers. To finish off the day I went up front by the carousel and weeded the flowerbeds that are near the carousel.

Thursday morning consisted of manure mulching for Kerrick and me around the zebra and kudu exhibit. We did this until 10am as that is when the zoo opens and carts must be off grounds at 10am. While manure mulching we got a short break by trying out the zip line in Como town that opens this weekend. After break, we went and planted the remaining Joseph's Coat on the back side of gates ajar and planted the larger Joseph's Coat from which the cuttings were taken in the flower bed surrounding gates ajar. After planting in the flower bed, Amanda, Kerrick, and I mulched that bed. We also watered gates ajar. Then, we mulched around the edge of the intern bed and swept up the mulch that was spilled in the parking lot.

Friday morning Amanda, Kerrick, and I started off the day by planting some Creeping Jenny Lysimachia nummularia as a ground cover to fill in the open spaces in the garden. Then, we watered in the plants. After that we weeded the beds by the excedra and put down fresh wood chip mulch. Then, we swept up the mulch that had fallen upon the path. After that, we started weeding in the beds around the pine trees near the frog pond. There was a lot of clover along with some dandelions and thistles in these beds which took us the rest of the day to weed.


The plant of the week is Creeping Jenny Lysimachia nummularia. Creeping Jenny is native to Europe and has become naturalized in the eastern United States and is often found at the edge of wooded areas. It is good for zones 3-9 and grows to be 4-8" tall by 24" wide. The flowers are yellow and occur in early summer. The leaves are rounded and 1" long. Plants can produce adventitious roots which can result in rapid multiplication. Large patches appear in a single season where soil is moist. Creeping Jenny is used as ground covers by streams, pools, or other moist areas. They are easy to remove so are seldom thought to be invasive. Propagation can occur by dividing plants in the spring or fall. The cultivar 'Aurea' is the most common because of the lime green to yellowish leaves. 'Aurea' is the cultivar which we planted. (Information obtained from "Herbaceous Perennial Plants" Third Edition by Allan M. Armitage)

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/24123/

 

Week 4

I have now been at my internship for 4 weeks and what an experience it has been.

This week Monday I worked with Kerrick. We started off our morning by mowing the perimeter around the wolves while one of our supervisors, Heather, mowed inside with the riding lawn mower. The weeds and grass around the perimeter were 3-4 ft. tall in spots because the area had not been mowed all season since the keepers did not want us to do it until they could get the male wolf inside and he was being stubborn every other day that we were going to mow. After mowing, we pulled weeds in various beds in front of the zoo that the horticulture department is responsible for. Along with pulling the big weeds by hand, we also used a torch to burn the weeds along the rocks and in the cracks around the frog pond. Finally, we ended the day but watering gates ajar.

Tuesday I worked with Kerrick. First, we put up some bamboo fencing around the new gorilla exhibit because people were walking in the flower beds near the exhibit and not only trampling the plants but it was also making the gorillas feel uncomfortable according to the keepers. Then, we did manure mulch in the bird exhibit around the annuals that were planted last week. We also finished putting wood mulch around the perimeter of the edible garden. Finally, we put on some hip waders and got in the frog pond and pulled weeds that were in the cracks of the rocks surrounding the pond.

Wednesday was once again mowing day. Kerrick and I started off by mowing in Como Town. Unfortunately, it started pouring rain along with thunder and lightning while we were still mowing so we ended up going into the greenhouse and helping out in there for a few hours. While in the greenhouse, we trimmed four varieties (Lime, Citrosa, Peppermint, and Old Fashioned Rose). We also trimmed other geraniums that were not scented. In trimming the geraniums, we removed the apical meristems in an attempt to make the plants more bushy and fuller near the bottom rather than continue to grow in height. While in the greenhouse, we also pinched the flowers off of begonias and spread the pots out more in order to allow for the plants to grow bigger which was inhibited when the plants were too close together. After lunch, we went back outside and mowed along the service drive. After we finished mowing, we washed off the mowers and put them away.

Thursday  morning Kerrick and I started off the morning by going onto seal island and mowing the grass and weeds that were on the rocks but first we weed whipped the weeds down because they were about 3ft tall so that the mower would be able to go through more easily. Then, we mowed, touched up the weed whipping around the rocks and finally swept the grass off of the rocks. Then, we finished the mowing in Como Town, in the boulevards near the front of the visitor center, and down by the historic lily pond. After mowing, we washed off the mowers. Finally, we put waders on and continued pulling weeds along the rock wall of the frog pond. We only have a small area left that is not finished which we will do next week.
 
Friday I was the only intern since Kerrick had off and Amanda is working as an attendant since she hurt her back last week. In the morning, I pulled weeds in the beds behind excedra and put down fresh mulch which took most of the day. I also watered gates ajar in the morning and in the afternoon.

The plant of the week is scented geranium. The genus is Pelargonium. They provide a great scent when used outdoors and indoors. Scented geraniums are originally from Africa and migrated to Holland and then England in the 1600s. Now, there are 100 varieties in cultivation. The plants are shrub like and grow to be 18"-3' tall with five petaled flowers that are usually pink, lilac, or white in color. Scented geraniums are perennials in zones 8 and higher but can be used as annuals in other zones. Therefore in Minnesota, scented geraniums are used as annuals. They are typically categorized according to there scent. Plants do well in full sun and well-drained soil of average fertility. Outdoor plants must be dug up and brought into the house before the first frost. Indoor plants only require about four hours of sunlight a day. (Information obtained from Colorado Extension)

Week 3

Hey everyone! First, I just want to thank everyone for reading my blog especially my family and friends. Also, thank you to the teachers who have inspired me to pursue a career in Horticulture. I'm halfway through my college days and am doing this summer internship not only for credit but to prepare me for my future career and I'm loving every day and know that I am pursuing the right career path. This is week 3 of my blog and I will continue to have weekly posts up until the end of my internship.

On Monday morning, the interns were up front tilling, raking, fertilizing, and planting the garden around the welcome sign. Scott is entering the All-America Selections design contest so over 50% of the flowers we planted were from the All-America Selections. Amanda and I also went down to gates ajar which was the project for week 1 and made sure to water. It looks very good although some of the plants appear to be wilting and a few are falling out but Scott who is in charge of planting and upkeep of gates ajar told us that that is normal so we are just fixing as we water. Then, we tilled one of the gardens in the parking lot and put down fertilizer to prepare it for planting. The Horticulture interns also get there own bed on the edge of the main parking lot in which we decide what to plant of the leftover plants so we had some time to till that area to prepare it for planting soon. Then, Amanda and I had to clean the van by sweeping it out and wiping down the sides as well as shaking out the rugs which we used the first week. We then moved some plants to a different part of the greenhouse. After that, Amanda and I took some compost to the compost pile and finished out the day by driving the mule out to gates ajar and watering it again. Since the plants are still rooting and getting established on gates ajar, then they need to be watered 2-3 times a day for the first couple of weeks in order to get established and will be watered less frequently once the plants are indeed established.

On Tuesday, it was time to mow again so the interns got to mow the smaller areas of the zoo, Como town, front entrance, and parts of the park managed by the horticulture staff while a member of the horticulture staff mowed the larger areas using the riding lawnmower. Once we were done mowing, we did some more work on tilling the intern garden.

On Wednesday, I worked with Amanda putting down manure mulch around the plants in the edible garden. We also did some trimming of Verbena in the greenhouse when it started pouring outside which hindered our ability to put down manure mulch. We only did this for about 15 minutes because it was before lunch and the rain stopped soon thereafter. The Verbena were becoming too leggy so we trimmed them down in an attempt to train the plant to grow up instead of out.

Thursday morning Amanda and I finished putting down manure mulch in the edible garden. We then started putting down cedar mulch around the pumpkins and melons in the beds surrounding the edible garden. Kerrick also came and helped us with putting the cedar mulch around the edible garden. The zoo had the grand opening and ribbon cutting of gorilla forest so today was really busy at the zoo. In the afternoon we had the opportunity to work on planting the intern bed in the parking lot. Some of the plants include cleome which is the plant of the week, salvia, verbena, millet, ornamental peppers, zinnia, and sweet potato vine. We got about half of it planted. After planting, we watered in the plants.

Friday morning I watered the beds up front and in the enchanted butterfly garden. Then, Kerrick and I weed whipped around the frog pond and the signs. We then picked up the piles of debris left behind by the volunteers in the enchanted butterfly garden and in one of the beds in the palm lot. Then, we did some more planting in the intern bed, but did not quite get finished because we want some different plants and other colors which we have to wait to see if more plants come available to us but we added some swiss chard today and a few other plants. Then, we watered the bed and went to gates ajar and watered.

Cleome hassleriana is the plant of the week. In Minnesota, it is used as an annual plant.The cultivar used in the intern bed is 'Spirit Frost' which has a white flower. The common name for Cleome is Spider Flower. Cleome likes full sun and grows to be 24-48" tall at maturity and should be spaced 15-18" apart. Cleome is a spring/summer flower that will continue to flower until the first frost. This flower likes full sun, has fragrant foliage, is heat and drought tolerant, and attracts butterflies, birds, and hummingbirds. Cleome is great for use in flower beds, borders, and patio containers (Information found on Proven Winners website).