Xavier MortensonIt's that time of year when evenings turn crisp and the leaves turn yellow.
But on Wichita State鈥檚 newly renovated campus, fall is also the time of year when the landscaping department pulls up the summer's green, tropical plants, tills the cooling soil and plants tulip bulbs for the spring season.
And with the construction of Shocker Hall, the renovation of the Rhatigan Student Center and the conversion of Alumni Drive into Alumni Walk distracting from most of the campus鈥� landscapes for years, the department is now happy to have another clean slate.
鈥淵ou can tell how big a mess we鈥檝e had the past couple years,鈥� says Arlan Clocke, a Wichita State landscape technician.
New beds have been planted around the Rhatigan Student Center with fragrant sumac and flowering mums, while landscapers continue to maintain dogwoods, yuccas and bald cypress trees planted around Shocker Hall. Grass is now growing where construction crews once worked over trampled grounds.
鈥淚t鈥檚 got to be combed for debris, construction materials, rock, concrete,鈥� Clocke said. 鈥溾�e need to get in there and till it, get the ground worked up where it鈥檚 been so compacted down by the big equipment.
鈥淲e鈥檙e usually the last ones to come in after everything鈥檚 done.鈥�
The Physical Plant鈥檚 mission is to create an environment conducive to learning and research.
鈥淲e keep in mind that for the students and faculty, this can be a stressful environment,鈥� said Kari Ossman, a Wichita State landscape technician. 鈥淲e make sure they can touch, check out the landscape and then resume.鈥�
But Ossman and Clocke agree it鈥檚 much more than that.
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 the front door to all the prospective students and visitors,鈥� Clocke said.
鈥淥ur department is like the first impression,鈥� Ossman said. 鈥淲e make sure everything is nice and tidy.鈥�
From sowing to blooming
The floral department has been hard at work preparing the soil around campus for the winter and spring seasons. In January or February, Ossman will make final decisions on what kind of plants will be on Wichita State鈥檚 campus for the next year.
Twice a year, Ossman said, plants are exchanged for new ones. The tropical plants that adorned the beds over the summer have been relocated to the Physical Plant鈥檚 four greenhouses, where Dexter Mardis, equipment operator for the floral department, prunes 鈥� or 鈥渄etails鈥� as the department prefers to say 鈥� the greenery, some of which has taken a beating in its months on display.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really important -- not just because it looks ugly,鈥� Mardis said, 鈥渂ut because pests and diseases can get in and spread from there.鈥�
Wichita State is unique, Ossman says, because the university has its own greenhouses where plants are harvested from 鈥渟owing to blooming.鈥� Three greenhouses are scattered on Physical Plant property and a third is adjacent to McKinley Hall for storage. (The greenhouse that sits atop Hubbard Hall is for the biology department鈥檚 use, Ossman said.)
Ossman follows a seed chart for each species of plant that details when to water, fertilize and relocate to another greenhouse. And after being removed from the beds at the end of a season, each plant is cared for in a greenhouse until its next showcase to the university.
Careful decisions
Every herb, color and species of plant placed on campus is a careful decision.
The department always looks for yellow flowers to match Wichita State鈥檚 colors, but those are hard to come by, Ossman said, and marigolds attract spiders.
鈥淲e look for things that are durable and like the wind,鈥� she said. 鈥淭ropicals do a really good job. We try to add height, texture and fragrance with flowers or herbs.鈥�
Landscapers discovered that red tulips looked best surrounding the Miro mural, which graces the Ulrich Museum of Art鈥檚 southern facade. And plants surrounding Millie the millipede tend to have a whimsical, Wizard of Oz or Dr. Seuss theme.
鈥淭he Ulrich has summer programs with children, and they might incorporate landscaping in art,鈥� Ossman said. 鈥淭hey make sure there鈥檚 herbs that are fragrant. Tomatoes have a really good, strong fragrance. We put things they can touch on the edges and put walkways through the beds.鈥�
Place to learn
Ossman said the department鈥檚 ultimate goal is to bring back the community garden to campus.
Originally located north of the Rhatigan Student Center, the garden was forced to close because of construction. The garden, which grew a variety of fruits and vegetables for students to pick and take home each week, was temporarily located at the Corbin Education Center.
Although the plan isn鈥檛 official yet, Ossman hopes the garden 鈥� expanded with strawberries, rhubarb and other berry bushes -- will be planted on the northeast corner of Ahlberg Hall.
鈥淚t will be a place for people to learn; maybe taste,鈥� she said. 鈥淪tudents can come help if they want to participate. It鈥檚 fun to watch things grow.鈥�
Clocke says the nature of his job sometimes keeps him from taking a step back to enjoy the final product. He鈥檚 the 鈥渃ritic鈥� 鈥� always looking for things that needs fixing. But when he travels, he鈥檚 able to gain perspective on the team鈥檚 accomplishments.
鈥淚鈥檝e been around to other campuses, at K-State and KU,鈥� Clocke said. 鈥淓very campus is different -- but our campus is pretty beautiful.鈥�