Into the Wild: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Valleyfair's Landscaping
Valleyfair
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The bitter cold of winter and the humid heat of summer give our landscaping team many challenges both in and out of season here at Valleyfair. Nonetheless, we persevere and manage to keep our park clean, safe, and beautiful. The natural splendor guests enjoy daily is, in large part, thanks to the very hardworking landscaping crew right here in the park. They are primarily responsible for having thousands of plants ready for our guests to experience come opening day.
There are over 60 varieties of perennials within the park, with over 75,000 annuals planted a year. It truly is a massive undertaking. Alongside the beautiful flowers that decorate the many hanging baskets and beds of the park, there are over 50 different kinds of trees, over 10 acres of lawns mowed and trimmed each week, and they put down over 200 yards of mulch a year!
Plan, Prepare, Execute
The planning begins in the fall of the previous year, and plants for the park are preordered to ensure they arrive on time and have enough. This means that the task of keeping Valleyfair lush is a year-round endeavor. Many of our annuals and perennials are ordered locally. However, we order from out-of-state vendors for the more exotic flowers and the few palm trees we have.
Roughly 60% of the garden beds in the park are irrigated, but the other 40% and the many hanging baskets around the park must be watered nearly every day, or they stand to wilt. For the not irrigated beds, our landscaping crew must hand water them each day.
Keith Kratz, Valleyfair's Coordinator of Visual Displays, explains that aside from the deadlines and the risk of plans going awry, the most significant hardship the landscaping team faces is the unpredictability of Minnesota weather. Plants cannot be placed too early, or they risk freezing and dying. However, the crew is always conscious of the temperature, and those carefully laid plans tend to come in handy this time in the season.
Sit Back, Relax, and Take in the Beauty
Of all the places in the park to get a great photo or enjoy the beauty of our foliage, Keith says that he has a few particular favorites that set themselves above the rest. First and foremost, the South train station, which is now traditionally surrounded by iconic orange buds. The contrast between grass, flowers, and flags lining the lampposts in the area has become an expectation to many fair-goers. "The South train station has been orange since 1991," said Keith, "I think if I changed at this point, people would be upset." Another beautiful spot in the park to enjoy thousands of flowers surrounds the Gazebo stage across from Coaster Diner.
We hope you have the chance to visit the park this season and appreciate the work that goes into keeping Valleyfair beautiful. Let us know your favorite spots in the park. Take a picture during your next visit, and be sure to tag us!