A U G U S T 2 014 To t a l L a n d s c a p e C a r e . c o m 7
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Text and Photos By Lauren Heartsill Dowdle
Statues of jockey Pat Day and Aristides
are focal points in the formal garden.
Planting
to Win
Churchill Downs
doesn't disappoint
with spectacular
foliage
A
s the world turned its attention to California Chrome
during this year's Kentucky Derby race, the grounds
crew at Churchill Downs focused on something just as
fl ashy: plants.
Keeping the 147 acres at this Louisville, Kentucky, attrac-
tion in immaculate shape is no easy task. More than 25,000
plants come out of its greenhouse each year, and tropical
plants are especially popular, says Matthew Bizzell, director
of horticulture at Churchill Downs.
They start installing the foliage after the last frost in April,
which was in the middle of the month this year. Needing to
be ready for the Kentucky Derby in May, Bizzell and his team
added about 18,000 plants in a seven-day span. Bizzell's
department, which has eight employees including him, does
