TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – This week, thousands of Florida State University graduates will be snapping pictures in some of the most iconic spots on campus – the Unconquered statue, Landis Green and in front of Westcott with its famous fountain.
Thousands upon thousands of cap-and-gown pictures and family photos are taken there year after year.
The lush, colorful backdrops come courtesy of a massive grounds and landscaping team.
“To see the families and the graduation photos happening, it’s very rewarding to see that and know that I had something to do with the little plants when they were small,” said Horticulture Design Specialist Jake Hartung.
A grounds and landscaping team of more than 100 tends to trees, plants and flowers on the FSU campus.(WCTV)
Perhaps what many don’t see is the massive grounds and landscaping team it takes to keep this spot and all of campus picture-perfect.
“For me, being an artist, it kind of allows me to be a little creative,” groundskeeper Alaundre Jefferson said as he knelt in a flower bed not far from Westcott Hall.
This flower is blooming near FSU’s Friendship Garden.(WCTV)
WCTV caught up with this team on a bright and breezy morning, working behind the scenes – deadheading flowers to spur new growth, pulling tenacious weeds and cozying up blooms in a bed of pine straw.
“I know it’s a background job. You kind of set the scene and walk away and people appreciate it,” groundskeeper Sonia Zayas said. “I like making the students happy and also creating an environment that is beautiful for their mental health and keeps them going for their studies.”
“They’ll tell us, oh man, this is beautiful, I love it, and that’s what I really love to see, is how much they enjoy what we do,” Garden Maintenance Supervisor Preston Sharpe said.
Preston Sharpe is one of more than 100 employees who tend to FSU’s 1500 acre campus.(WCTV)
Horticulturist and Assistant Director David MacManus walks the campus each day, noting the beauty of late-blooming azaleas and early blooming magnolias.
“Normally, we would see the Southern Magnolias blooming in May and into June, and for them to be blooming this early is quite unusual,” MacManus said as he snapped a picture of a fragrant white magnolia bloom.
Southern Magnolias are already in bloom on FSU’s campus.(WCTV)
They call MacManus “the Lorax” for his love of trees. His daily photos have earned FSU Grounds and Landscaping a Facebook following of more than 16,000 people, including FSU fans and fans of all things blooming and beautiful.
“That’s one of the things that people enjoy about Florida State University. There are a variety of places where you can come and enjoy just being outside,” MacManus said.
Beyond the iconic spots like Westcott Hall, Landis Green and the Unconquered Statue, there are nearly two dozen gardens across campus.
The Friendship Garden, with its native oak-leaf hydrangea, a slab of black rock and a bench of recycled concrete curb, invites people to have a seat and take a deep breath.
These flowers are just one of hundreds of varieties of plants on FSU’s campus.(WCTV)
Across campus near the med school is the Wellness Garden, where crews work to trim palms so only the best fronds remain.
“We try to keep it looking beautiful and green,” Sharpe said with a fistful of fronds.
This team is up early each day to beat the heat and tend to 1,500 acres and hundreds of varieties of trees, plants and flowers in hopes that FSU’s campus looks like Florida and feels like home.
These flowers are blooming in the Wellness Garden near FSU’s medical school.(WCTV)
There are more than 100 employees who work to make sure the campus is beautiful in each season, and some of them have been rolling up their sleeves for more than 30 years.
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