|
||||||
| Opened in October 1998, the Garden of
Discovery not only displays three composting techniques but also showcases a
self-sustaining pond, a vegetable garden, an interactive area for children, a wall mounted
with common garden tools, and information gazebo, and windows for an underground peek at
roots and earthworms. On detection day, the National Wildlife Federation certified the
garden as a backyard wildlife habitat and the National Weather Service authorized the site
as the official reporting station, San Diego SeaWorld.
On an educational level, guests visiting the Garden of Discovery can brush up on their gardening skills by taking home a monthly flyer on gardening techniques. Additionally, the graphics in the area provide direction on composting, pond ecology, vegetable growing, and the significance of soil. Guests can also benefit by attending once-a-month demonstrations. Children learn through hands-on stations and positioning of plantings. Raised vegetable and herb boxes bring plants to eye level, a soil sandbox lets little ones dig up faux fossils, and a fruitless mulberry "teepee" provides an observation post for watching birds nearby. Professionally, the garden serves as an official backyard wildlife habitat and a
weather station. Bottlebrush trees and Pink Powder Puff (Calliandra haematocephala)
are a favorite of the ever-present hummingbirds. Butterflies flock to Butterfly Bush |
||||||
| |
||||||
|
The Garden functions on three levels:
aesthetic, educational, and professional. Plant selection not only focused on "good
looks," but also on plant ability to provide food and shelter for wildlife. A section
of drought tolerant plants planted in dark shade under large existing trees include these
native species: Ceanothus 'Yankee Point,' Rhamnus 'Little Sur,' and Heteromeles
arbutifolia.
(Buddleia davidii) and Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), a
favorite of monarch butterflies. The weather station instruments measure
temperature, wind speed and direction, dew point, humidity, and barometric pressure.
