ANAHEIM – David Bishop is oblivious to the eight live reindeer prancing in the Big Thunder Ranch corral.
Bishop, a lifelong Fullerton, Calif. resident, and his crew worked from 2-7 a.m. Nov. 10 plugging hundreds of red poinsettias and cyclamen into the Frontierland gardens for the 8 a.m. opening of Disneyland's holiday season.
"We had to wait until workers strung all the Christmas lights before we could do our job," said Bishop, 44, the lead gardener for Frontierland, Critter Country and Tom Sawyer Island.
The "holiday magic" can't appear until the first day of the seasonal celebration, leaving one morning to replace fall foliage with red-and-green flora.
Although the 10,000 poinsettia plants ordered for the entire resort look hardy, they are perhaps the most fragile decorations, Bishop said.
"Children stand on foot rails to see the reindeer, and accidentally step on the plants," Bishop said. "Or guests stumble into the planters."
The seasonal plants are also susceptible to Botrytis disease caused by over watering or bugs.
"We sometimes have to change the plants out every two days," he said.
Bishop worked the night shift beneath movable halogen lights to also spruce up all sizes of live Christmas trees, amaryllis plants and showy ornamentals.
Each year, the 1 million annuals, 5,000 trees and 40,000 shrubs are planted throughout the resort. More than 800 species from 40 nations are represented, making Disneyland one of the most extensive and diverse botanical locations in the western United States.