Trib: USF campus greenery provides good lessons

[USFishin]

USF campus greenery provides good lessons

By CRAIG CHANDLER | Tribune correspondent

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A large topiary of USF's mascot is among the many creative flourishes added to the school campus.

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The University of South Florida's 600-acre Tampa campus may be the largest managed landscape in West Central Florida.

Many buildings, roads and parking lots have been added since the university was established in 1956 on East Fowler Avenue. But so, too, have trees, shrubs and other landscape elements, such as lakes, fountains and a beautiful arbor in the center of campus.

Caring for this vast landscape are three 12-person crews. I met with Nainan Desai, assistant director of USF's Physical Plant, and Paul Combast, responsible for the crews, to find out what we might learn from them about managing our own home landscapes.

In the early years, Desai says, the campus had few trees. Those planted when the university was built were still young and small, so shade was a rare commodity. Students would rush from building to building, not lingering outside to chat with friends or relax between classes.

Today, there are many large oaks and other shade trees, making the grounds a much more inviting place to rest and socialize.

The shrubs and groundcovers have changed over time, too. In the 1980s, foundation and border plants around the buildings were generally hedged to give a formal appearance. Today, the groundskeepers tend to prune only obtrusive stems, giving the plants a more natural look.

St. Augustinegrass was the primary groundcover when their was little shade and before water restrictions became the norm. Now, most of the St. Augustine is gone. It's being replaced with drought-tolerant bahiagrass in the sunny areas, while under the trees, shade-tolerant groundcovers such as Asiatic jasmine and liriope, have been planted.

"Consider drought tolerance when deciding what to plant, and be aware of a plant's water requirements after it is placed in the landscape," Combast advises homeowners. "The poor water-holding capacity of our soils and the sporadic rainfall we receive makes this extremely important."

Among his favorite plants are 'Drake' Chinese elm, a fast-growing shade tree, and Asiatic jasmine, which has been an attractive and trouble-free groundcover. Among the most troublesome are oleander, azaleas, and plants in the rose family, such as Indian hawthorn. The Indian hawthorns on campus haven't aged well, he says. "They'll look good for the first year or two and then start declining."

There are some striking plantings of crape myrtle, the main varieties being Muskogee, Watermelon Red and Natchez, which produce pale lavender, red, and white flowers, respectively. I asked about pruning practices on crape myrtle (a pet peeve of mine). Combast advises his crews not to cut any stems with a diameter larger than a No. 2 pencil, to prevent stunting the trees' growth.

Combast would like to increase the amount color in the landscape.

"We can grow every shade of green, but other colors are more difficult to obtain because our campus is in a climatic transition zone" -- too far south to grow certain temperate flowering trees and shrubs, and too far north for many of the colorful tropical plants.

Still, USF has grown up quite nicely. Its natural beauty rivals its older siblings to the north, the University of Florida and Florida State.

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[BleacherBull]

I really enjoyed this article.  During the first 25 years USF had a clear and more consistent architectural scheme; we've gone away from that in the last 25 years . . . to the point that I'm not sure what we are trying to do architecturally (maybe we are in a transition phase to something better).  Nevertheless, the landscaping has been an excellent unifying theme to the campus over time.  Props to the grounds crews that make it happen.  I've always thought we should expand the mission of the Botanical Gardens to encompass the whole campus, giving Student Clubs and Organizations responsibility for small areas, consistent with an overall botantical plan (heavy on the native species of course).  Never let an educational opportunity go to waste.  Go Bulls!

[SRQ]

BB, I for one am glad that architecturally they have gotten away from the gulag look.  The shade on the campus now is so much more inviting than when I traveresed that desert in the 70's.

[Oldsmobull]

USF's Tampa campus has to be bigger than 600 acres--that's less than a square mile.

[Dogma]

USF's Tampa campus has to be bigger than 600 acres--that's less than a square mile.

I believe that's wrong.

The main Tampa campus is about 1700 acres

I wonder if the 600 acres they are referring to is the center green-way

[crambone]

I miss The Greenery =/

[KB]

The neck is a little long on that chia bull.

[Dogma]

The neck is a little long on that chia bull.

You mean the llama garden?

[Paisa el Toro]

I miss The Greenery =/

Ah, the pub that almost survived.

[Apis Bull]

The neck is a little long on that chia bull.

You mean the llama garden?

It's not that bad.