Week 10

Monday I took off because I had an appointment.

Tuesday morning I went with Heather and we mowed the yards in the reindeer and bison exhibits. Then, I went with Kerrick and we weeded by the carousel. After that, we went and weeded under the trees by Schiller. Then, we checked the water bags around the trees down by the historic lily pond and looked to see how dry the Austrian pines down by the lily pond were because they are new trees. Next, we brought mulch piles to some of the pines by Schiller which had been fully weeded. Angie has a camp tomorrow that will be spreading the mulch. Finally, Kerrick left early so I finished up with weeding by Schiller.

We checked the trees down by the lily pond because they were newly planted. According to the city of St. Paul website, newly planted trees should be watered 1-2 times per week during dry periods in the spring, summer and fall months, and trees planted within the last 5 years should be watered once every 1-2 weeks. According to the University of Missouri extension office one method that is especially effective in the first year is using drip irrigation. Drip irrigation can occur through the use of water bags around trees. The most common brand of water bags is tree gator. Water bags are zippered bags that have holes on the bottom that allow water to slowly dispense into the root ball of trees.

Wednesday was mowing day. Kerrick and I were the only ones who push mowed today because Amanda was injured on Friday. I started off by doing the areas on zoo grounds that needed to be mowed and weed whipped where needed. Kerrick started off in Como Town and I met him when I was done. After that, we did the boulevards in the wolf lot and went out front and did the boulevards in the palm lot, wings by the historic entrance, frog pond boulevard, and excedra. We ended our mowing by doing all of the service drive. After mowing, we cleaned the mowers which took us to the end of the day.

Thursday morning I went into Como Town and worked on weeding there. Then since Kerrick, Angie, and Heather were mowing in the lion and tiger yards, we were given a behind the scenes tour of the cat house and got to see where the cats are housed at night and watched as the keeper opened the gates for them to go outside into the yards. After that, Kerrick and I went and weeded the many beds by excedra to prepare it for a photoshoot that is taking place tomorrow morning.

Friday morning Kerrick and I went and watered out front. While watering the intern bed, I noticed that the sweet potato vine has taken over the part of the intern bed on top of the rocks and is covering up ost of the millet in that area. Then, we weeded and mulched the tiered bed by the arctic fox exhibit. After that, we watered gates ajar and weeded the half moons with ornamental grass out front by the double sidewalk. Finally, we watered the young trees down by the historic lily pond and weeded around the lily pond.

The plant of the week is ornamental sweet potato vine Ipomoea batatas. Sweet potato vine is an annual plant that is a vigorous grower with a height up to 2 ft. and a width of up to 5ft.. The new foliage starts off green and then turns a gorgeous shade of purple which is a great accent to just about any plant. They do best in warm, summer days with moist, well-drained soil and thrive in sun or shade. Sweet potato vine has many uses including containers, beds, and borders. (Information from better homes and garden: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/sweet-potato-vine/)

Week 9

Monday morning the three interns started off by wood-chip mulching in flowerbed in front of the skipper garden and along the path in the skipper garden. Then, we weeded by the waterfall in the bird yard, added mulch to prevent future weeds from growing. We also pruned the dead branches out of the Spirea shrubs in the waterfall area. After that, we went on to weed around the giraffe/ostrich perimeter, and zebra/kudu perimeter. We also weeded the flowerbed across from the giraffe perimeter. Then, we went into the picnic area and weeded around the trees in there and mulched after weeding. Finally, we went out front by Schiller and weeded under the pine trees.
Tuesday morning we started the morning off by weeding the orangutan perimeter. Then, we mulched the perimeter and mulched the area behind the waterfall in the bird yard. After that we were told to once again weed the African Hoofstock perimeters. We missed the weeds that were between the fronts or the plants and the asphalt. Then, we went out for a little bit and weeded under the pine trees by Schiller. In the afternoon, our boss felt it was too hot so she told us interns to stay inside and read magazines.

I read the May 2013 edition of American Nurseryman. In this magazine, I read three articles. The first article talked about the increased use of LED lighting in the landscape. I also read an article talking about Ambrosia Beetles. They usually attack dead and stressed trees but have recently they have been attacking healthy trees. The research done has shown that this is due to over-watering of trees. The article said that there is nothing that can be done once a tree is attacked but monitoring can be done in the spring. In order to monitor, a trap can be set and if beetles are caught then the tree should be sprayed with permethrin to prevent an attack. More information can be found at: http://www.amerinursery-digital.com/May2013/May2013/0/0#&pageSet=13. Finally, I read a short article on Little Devil ninebark which is a dark foliaged shrub. Then, I read the March 2013 edition of American Nurseryman. I read an article on Callicarpa Beautyberry. This plant has purple berries which make it appealing to the eye. The article was about the various trials being done to select for the most favorable plant. More information can be found at: http://www.amerinursery-digital.com/Mar2013/Mar2013/0/0#&pageSet=3. I also read an article about the Bohn Farm in Maryville, Illinois which strives to practice sustainability. Sustainability measures include limiting the amount of peat in soil media, reducing runoff from irrigation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing energy, integrated pest management, reducing use of potable water, reducing waste, and recycling organic matter. More information can be found at: http://www.amerinursery-digital.com/Mar2013/Mar2013/0/0#&pageSet=12. I also read an article about Tulipa tarda which is the featured plant of the week. I also read the March 2013 and February 2013 and read an interesting article that researched whether mulch is beneficial to young trees. Research showed that mulch has little benefit relative to water loss from the root zone of newly planted trees, but mulch does help to prevent weeds and looks aesthetically appealing.

Wednesday morning began like any other Wednesday. We started off by mowing some of zoo grounds and up front where it was needed. Then, the three interns went to fix the bamboo fixing and replace the sections where there were a lot of gaps. Then, we spent a little  bit of time reading magazines. I read an article about the symptoms of various nutrient deficiencies and a different article about the various species of Coreposis. After lunch, Amanda and I were potting begonias in the greenhouse and pinching back peppermint scented geraniums so that they would grow upwards instead of spreading and becoming leggy.

Thursday morning we were weeding and putting down mulch around the path and perimeter of gorilla forest to prepare it for sunset affair which is a big donor event. After gorilla forest, we put waders on and went into the frog pond to weed the wall. Amanda wanted me to mention that there were a lot of spiders some were small and others were at least quarter sized. Then, we read for a little while. I was reading houseplant book and found out about some different houseplants and upkeep of houseplants. Finally, all of the interns went and washed the floor in greenhouse to prepare for a greenhouse walk through occurring for sunset affair.

Friday morning the interns began by moving chairs and tables from around the tortoise yard and gorilla forest closer to the cafe patio because they were used for sunset affair and needed to be moved back to the patio for use in the cafe. Unfortunately, the tents were not down yet  Then, I went to water the raised beds in Como Town. After that, I went back to help put tables and chairs in place on the patio but unfortunately the tents still were not down so we had to put up barricades and set up the tables by the bird yard since it was close to 10am which is when the zoo opens. After break, we went and weeded the big weeds out of the cracks in front of the historic entrance and burned the little ones. We also started weeding by the daylily bed. We ended our day by weeding down by the historic lily pond.

Tulipa tarda is the featured plant of the week. Tarda tulip is an early riser , normally blooming from early March to April in zones 3-8. It's easily grown in average, well-drained soil in full sun. The plant prefers a humusy soil mix but according to the author they have done well in her clay soil. Bulbs should be planted 4-5" deep in the fall and once blooms are spent foliage should be left in place until it yellows. Each flowering stem produces 3-6 star shaped blooms that emerge white with a yellow eye. Individual blooms are upward facing spanning 2.5-3" across held atop 4-6" stems. The glossy green foliage is strap-like reaching 5-7" long. Tarda tulip is perfect for rock gardens, naturalizes well around trees and shrubs, and provides a layer of color at the front of the border.

Week 8

Monday the three interns went out front into the palm lot and weeded. We weeded in between the cars and also around the pine trees that are out front. "No weeds left behind," said Amanda. Mindy told us that from now until the end of the summer we will be weeding, watering, and mowing, and other odd jobs as they come about.

Tuesday consisted of more weeding. I used a different method for weeding today and that was to burn them. First, I started burning weeds that were under the roller coaster in Como town. Then, a thunderstorm that was potentially severe passed through so I met Amanda and Kerrick and we did some work for the indoor greenhouse staff. While inside, we put a potting mix which consisted of peat and rock wool and some other growing media into pots that will later be planted with chrysanthemums. We made sure not to pack the potting mix too tight. After the storm passed, I went in front of the conservatory and burned weeds in the cracks by the historic entrance which took me the rest of the day.

Upon Googling burning weeds with a torch, I found an article from June 26, 2012 in the Star Tribune titled "Putting the burn on weeds" which said that "fighting weeds with fire is one of the best and most natural ways to get rid of large perennial weeds, at least temporarily. The fire kills the tops of the plants and initial research shows that fire may be better than natural chemicals at preventing weeds from resprouting. However, the roots can remain underground especially in larger weeds which allows them to spring back to life." They also mentioned to be careful when burning on dry, windy days. I also found an article from Colorado State University Extension which said that "heat from the flame is transferred to the plant tissues, increasing the thermal energy of the plant cells and resulting in coagulation of cell proteins if the temperature is above 50°C. Exposing plant tissue to a
temperature of about 100°C for a split second (0.1 second) can result in cell membrane rupture, resulting in loss of water and plant death. Thus, the weeds do not need to be burned up, but rather just scorched. Flaming works best on very young weeds." Also, they mentioned that many communities prohibit the use of torches on weeds due to fire prevention laws.

Wednesday morning the interns were once again mowing. This week there were less areas to do because the grass isn't growing as quickly and some of the areas are starting to burn up. I went and did the areas in zoo grounds which included the bird and tortoise yard, picnic area, area behind the shrubs which Amanda and I pruned last week Friday and are called Viburnum, and the timber area as well as weed whipping these areas. Then, I mowed the piece of sod by the edible garden and met Amanda and Kerrick out front and helped to weed whip around the frog pond. After we were done mowing, we cleaned off the mowers. Once the mowers were clean and put away Kerrick and I weeded various areas within zoo grounds to prepare for a donor event which is taking place next week. Finally, we attended training for new time keeping system.

Thursday morning Kerrick and I had to cut back the Diervilla shrubs in Como Town Driving School because the people running the ride could not see the kids when they were driving. At the time, the shrubs were about 3-4' tall and 2-3' wide and were flowering, but we had to cut them down to about 1' X 1' leaving only a few leaves and exposing the woody portion of the plant. After that, we once again had to fix bamboo fencing around gorilla forest. Then, we went and did some weeding in the bird yard above the waterfall and finished up the day by weeding in the other areas of the zoo where a donor event will be taking place next week.

Friday morning Kerrick and I started off by watering out front including the intern bed, palm lot entry, double sidewalk, visitor center pots, pots and urns by the conservatory entrance, enchanted garden annuals, and excedra annuals. Then, we went down to gates ajar and watered that. After watering, we picked up various debris piles that were under the trees out front. Next, we cut back vines and branches that were blocking the sidewalk and parking along the part of the service drive which leads to the overflow parking lot. We also weed whipped along the fence and blew off the sidewalk. We finished off the day by putting the mules in the garage, putting away tools and cart keys, and then walking around the Japanese Garden.

The plant of the week is Viburnum. I'm not sure what exactly the species at Como is so I will talk about the genus in general, but I do know that the leaves were purple and they have red fruit. There are about 150 species and numerous cultivars of Viburnum. They range in size from 2-3' to 30'. The fragrance ranges from the sweetest perfume to the stenchiest stink. Flowers are white to pink and produce a fruit from yellow, orange, pink, red, blue, and black. (Information from Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr)

Week 7

Monday morning I went with Kerrick. We went and pulled weeds that had been missed around the Diervilla shrubs near the bison. We then continued to pull weeds in the beds with the Spiraea shrubs that are near the bison. Then, we finished with manure mulching in the giraffe perimeter. After that, we pulled weeds around the giraffe and ostrich perimeter as well as the zebra and kudu perimeter. We also had to grab wheelbarrows, pitchforks, and hard rakes so the STS people could wood chip mulch the areas once we finished weeding. After lunch, we went out front and helped Amanda and Scott weed around the White Pine trees near the frog pond.

Tuesday Kerrick and I mowed in Como Town and Amanda mowed zoo grounds. After that, all three interns went out front and mowed and blowed the paths off. Then, we did wolf lot and historic lily pond and started the service drive all before lunch break. With many weeks of practice, it appears that us interns are getting down everywhere that needs to be mowed and getting faster in the process. After lunch, we finished up the service drive. We ended our day by once again fixing the bamboo fencing around the gorilla exhibit by adding more stakes and pounding in the existing stakes.

Wednesday morning Amanda and I went out front and watered the intern bed, palm lot entrance bed, double sidewalk, welcome sign flowerbed, visitor center pots, pots by the historic entrance of the conservatory, and sections of annual in the excedra and enchanted garden. All of the annuals are growing and appear to be healthy. We also found some baby bunnies chowing down on the annuals in the intern bed. After watering, we weeded in the cracks around the tiger enclosure. Then, we went out by the statue of Johann Friedrich von Schiller and weeded under the pine trees for the rest of the day.

Thursday was the 4th of July. Therefore, the interns had off because we do not get paid holiday pay. I did however still come to Como to visit with my parents and took some pictures of the plantings that I helped with and their progress.

Gates Ajar is really filling out from what it was at the end of week 1.

The Japanese Garden is looking nice.

Intern Bed

Another view of the intern bed

Friday morning Amanda and I mowed in the Japanese Garden and blew the grass off of the path. While we were in the Japanese Garden, Adam put three koi fish into the pond. After mowing, Amanda and I went and weeded the beds on the backside of the visitor center. Then, we did some pruning of dead limbs on the purple shrubs with red flowers in a planting across from zebra enclosure near the Como Town entrance. I'm not sure exactly what these shrubs are but I think they are purple plum. Finally, we weeded the intern bed and bed between cars.

The plant of the week is Japanese tree lilac, Syringa reticulata.The leaves are opposite, simple leaves that are dark green in the summer and are 2-5.5" long and about half as wide. The stem is stout, shiny brown, and heavily lenticelled resembling cherry bark. Japanese tree lilacs grow to be 20-30' tall and 15-25' in spread with a medium growth rate (9-12' over a 6-8 year period) and are considered to be a large shrub or small tree with stiff, spreading branches developing a somewhat oval to rounded crown and with time the branches and leaves become somewhat arching. They are hardy to zones 3-7. Flowers appear in mid-late June and are creamy white, fragrant wide, showy panicles that are effective for two weeks and petals that turn brown with age. A warty, glabrous fruit that is a 3/4" long capsule appears after flowering. This is possibly the most trouble-free tree lilac that makes an excellent specimen tree, street tree, and is good in groups or near large buildings. (Information from Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr)

Week 6

Monday morning the three interns started off our day by manure mulching around the ostrich and giraffe exhibits. We were later joined by the education intern for the edible garden, Anna. At 10am we got the cart off grounds and went on to a new project. We went out and picked up sticks around the frog pond, down by the lily pond, and gates ajar. One of the big willow trees uprooted in the storms over the weekend so this tree will have to be removed by forestry. The willow is currently blocking part of the path around the frog pond but nothing is in the street. We put the sticks that we had picked up near the willow. For the last 10 minutes of the day, we emptied out the green mule and took the soil out of a pellet which had cloth on the back and bottom and had been used as a planter previously.

Tuesday morning I started off by weeding in a planting near the bison. Then, I went to help with mowing in the lion and tiger exhibits. I used the leaf blower and blew the leaves toward the middle of the exhibit so that the riding lawnmower could mow over the leaves. Unfortunately, the riding lawnmower broke down shortly after we had started. Then, I pulled weeds around the zebra and kudu exhibit where manure mulch was laid a few weeks ago. After that, I went to the picnic area on zoo grounds and picked up the larger sticks so that when the area was to be mowed on Wednesday there were not any issues. In the afternoon, I went with the other two interns and picked up branches in the palm and wolf lot so that we would not have any issues when mowing on Wednesday. Finally, we weeded up front around the pine trees.

Wednesday morning the interns mowed. Kerrick and I mowed Como town. Then, we met Amanda and one of the indoor interns, Joe, in the front of the visitor center to help with mowing and blow off the sidewalk. After break, we mowed the wolf lot, finished up out front, and went down to the lily pond to mow. Since it was very hot and humid, our supervisor Mindy told us to go sit in the air conditioning and read some horticulture magazines in the afternoon. I read the May 2013 volume of the magazine The Scoop. I read an article about Sustainable Food Systems and about the new Certificate in Sustainable Food Systems at Dakota County Technical College. More information about the certificate can be found at http://www.dctc.edu/academics/programs-majors/design/landscape-horticulture/sustainable-food-systems-certificate/. I also read an article about taking a sustainable approach to landscape design by looking to take portions off the lawn off life support because lawns require a lot of water which is difficult when facing drought. Suggestions included confining high maintenance lawn to areas where it aesthetically highlights a residence and has a practical function, converting turf to drought tolerant/low mow grasses such as fescue, and replacing turf with woodland plants and mulch in shade conditions to make the best use of limited sunlight while maximizing water retention. The larger the lawn the more water it needs so having smaller lawns and more plantings is more efficient for water use. I also read a short excerpt about permeable pavers which are a best management practice. The two other articles I read in the January 2013 and April 2013 volumes of The Scoop talked about Bachman's Trials Demonstration Garden in Farmington, MN in which plant are only watered in the first season with no water after the initial season and never any pest control and an article about the trials for All American Selections at the West Central Research and Outreach Center at the University of Minnesota's Morris Campus.

Thursday morning Amanda and I went into the Japanese Garden with Adam and helped him mow. Then, we went and helped Kerrick to finish mowing the service drive. Finally, we mowed an areas in the tortoise and bird yards that had been missed and touched up around the trees and picnic tables in the picnic area on zoo grounds before Como opened at 10am. After break, the interns went out to fix the bamboo fencing around gorilla forest. We also added lava rocks which are very light but can easily scratch you so we used gloves when picking them up. The lava rocks were placed in the gaps between the permanent fencing and the temporary bamboo fencing because the managers were afraid that little kids might try to go through these small gaps. After that, we weeded around the Diervilla shrubs that are in a bed near the bison exhibit and weeded around the Spiraea shrubs in the beds behind the African Hoofstock Building. After our break in the afternoon, we went down to the historic lily pond which was drained after the past weekend storm and swept out about half of it in order to remove the debris before the pond is filled again.

Friday morning the three interns started off our day by picking up some stick piles in the bird yard and tortoise yard. We then fixed the gorilla fencing in the morning and added more fencing where it had been missed in the afternoon. Then, we weeded by the pine trees near the frog pond. We ended the day by finishing sweeping out the historic lily pond which was filled after we finished and picking up the debris piles in the enchanted butterfly garden.

The plant of the week is Diervilla sessilifolia. Southern Bush-honeysuckle is the common name. The leaves are opposite, ovate-lanceolate, 2-6" long, half as wide, and sharply serrate. New foliage has a bronze-purple cast changing to dark green, sometimes lustrous. Buds are often superposed, sessile, and have about 5 pairs of exposed scales. The stem is rounded, brownish, with 4 crisp-puberulent ridges from the nodes. Diervilla sessilifolia is a low growing, suckering deciduous shrub that grows 3-5' high and 3-5' wide or greater spreading. The flowers are sulfur yellow, 1/2" long, and flower June-July into August. The bushes at Como are currently in bloom. Flowers do not carry any fragrance. This is an extremely tough plant that makes a good filler and is a good choice for rough cuts and fills, banks, and perhaps even planters or containers in outside areas. Foliage is not affected by diseases or insects Full sun is preferred by Diervilla but it can withstand shade. In order to propagate, Diervilla can be readily rooted from cuttings. Diervilla is licensed to Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, MN. (Information from Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr)