Garden magic

Tending the Disney gardens is no Mickey Mouse effort. One staff gardener offers advice on beautifying and maintaining home landscapes.

By PAMELA DAVIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 3, 2000

[Photo: Phelan Ebenhack] Jose Quiles demonstrates how to use garden tools during a talk at Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival, which continues through June 11. Quiles recommends home gardeners start with quality material, whether tools or landscape plants.

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Long before the guy who wears the Winnie the Pooh costume gets to work, before any guests hop aboard Space Mountain, gardeners have been toiling throughout the Walt Disney World Resort.

The hours are rough. An average Disney gardening shift is 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes maintaining some of the park's more than 4-million trees, shrubs and flowers before guests arrive. Trimming and pruning still take place after the park has opened. For big projects, the staff gets to work as early as midnight.

[Photo: Phelan Ebenhack] Butterfly milkweed attracts this caterpillar, the larva of the Monarch butterfly, a much-sought after garden visitor.

During the International Flower & Garden Festival that began April 28 and continues through June 11 at Epcot, the horticultural staff goes into overdrive. Some gardeners even step away from their usual duties during the festival to conduct how-to garden presentations for Epcot visitors.

Disney gardener Jose Quiles recently talked to park guests about time-saving ideas for the garden.

Some of his tips:

• Start with quality material. In the long run, it will do better in your garden and require less maintenance. "With annuals, for example, we tend to look for active growth in buds instead of one that's in full flower," Quiles said. "If it's in full flower, the flowers are probably going to die much sooner, and you'll have to spend more time deadheading as opposed to getting ones that have a lot of good green growth and buds. When you get them in there, you'll be able to enjoy the full flower cycle."
• Inspect the plant for nutrient deficiency and check the root system. "You want a nice full root system but not something that's too root-bound," Quiles said. "When there's very little soil coming out of the root system, you spend a lot more time watering it to get established, and it just wouldn't be worth it in the long run."
• Consider plant placement and how big the plant may get. "We've all seen a shrub such as a viburnum used as hedges in front of windows because it's thick and full. A viburnum can get up to 10 feet tall, so you end up having to trim it every couple of weeks. You can use something like the Indian hawthorn, which only get up to about 3 feet. That will give you a nice border for your window and won't take as much trimming in the long run."
• Consider using plants that require little water. "The plumbago gets a nice flower and has a nice shape and size. Once it gets established, it doesn't take as much water. Use plants native to Florida, such as the lantana or sea grape."
• Check for insects. ""If Disney finds aphids, we'll send the whole shipment back. If you buy a plant with aphids, they will spread out to the rest of your garden, and you'll find yourself having to spray the whole garden as opposed to just that one plant.''
• Use smaller plants. It's less expensive to buy and takes less time to plant. It's also easier to get established and will take less water to get settled
• Think about where you put the plant. Put plants that need more water close to the house, so they are closer to the water source. You will spend less time dragging the hose out and rolling it back in. "Go with something like the lantana, which gets a nice flower or liriope, a nice ornamental grass, that does very well in the Florida heat."
• Go for the mulch. ""We recommend 3 to 4 inches. Not only does it give you a nice, clean finish, but it's going to really keep the weeds down,'' Quiles said. ""It's also going to help conserve water and keeps it from evaporating.''
• Water in the morning. ""During the heat of the day, about 70 percent of your water can be lost through evaporation. You find yourself having to spend more time watering. If you water at night, the water won't evaporate off the plants, making them more susceptible to fungus.''

An army of horticulturists keeps Epcot flowering

Quiles offered these specific tips for dealing with drought

• Avoid new plantings until water restrictions are lifted. "But don't give up. Trim back a little of what you have, and then on the days you can water, do it early in the morning. Use thick mulch to hold the water in. Sometimes using a tarp will help, too. The tarp is used to hold down weeds that can help conserve the moisture, especially when they're covered by some mulch."
• Plants and bushes that have turned brown may be salvageable. "The easiest way to test for that is to clip back farther from the brown areas and see if the actual wood is still green. It may not be a total loss."

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