What’s Blooming at Madden’s
At Madden’s we put as much love into our landscaping as we do for our guest and their accommodations. We also are passionate about growing our own herbs for the chefs at the resort to use in their cooking. A lot of hard work goes into keeping everything growing fresh and beautiful and the person behind all of that is Nancy Gulbrandson our Resort Horticulturist.
Tell me about what you do at Madden’s?
I oversee the care and maintenance of the gardens and container arrangements on the resort and golf courses.
Have you always been working with flowers?
No, I started working with the floral landscaping at Madden’s four years ago. Prior to that, I have always been interested in and enjoyed gardening on a personal level.
When do you typically put in the flowers at the resort?
We do a limited amount of planting and put out several containers in time for Memorial Day. The remainder of the gardens are planted within the next two weeks.
Do you have a favorite flower?
I wish I did! But it varies. Each year something new captures my attention.
Do you use any specific fertilizers to keep the flowers looking their best?
We do have specific fertilizer that we use on a weekly basis. Occasionally we will increase the frequency if we see stress in a planting. Plants typically like a little acidity so we use a water soluble 21-7-7.
What preparations do you do to prepare for fall?
Some of the annuals will begin to look “tired” so we will begin to remove them. Fall is a great time for mums. We use several container mums throughout the resort as focal points to complement the perennials and remaining flowers in the gardens. Once fall winds down, we will cut back and clean the perennials. We save bulbs for next year’s plantings and remove all the annual plants.
Are there any other tips you want to share with the Madden’s blog readers?
There are no rules! Be creative.
