Greetings From SeaWorld’s Garden of DiscoveryJune 2003 ------------------- What’s Happening in SeaWorld’s Gardens This Month?It’s hard to believe, but summer is here! The summer solstice, June 21st, marks a special time for San Diego and SeaWorld. With warm weather (hopefully) and long days most of us are enjoying outdoor leisure time. Of course, for SeaWorld this is our peak season. In recent weeks Landscape Department crew members have been doing their part to prepare the park for this unique time of the year. With summer a number of featured shows are in place. Stages have been constructed for the nightly Mystique de la Mer program which runs June 14th through Labor Day. This program features gymnastics and aerial performances. Part of the main entrance flower bed was removed to make room for one of the Mystique stages. The Cirque de la Mer show is open again for the summer season. Prior to this venue opening the surrounding landscape was cleaned and readied. In the center of the park the 4D Theater thrills guests with a new presentation – “R.L. Stine’s Haunted Lighthouse”. Landscape team members have been busy fine tuning the gardens around the Theater. In other parts of SeaWorld work is proceeding on a grander scale. In the southwest corner of the park construction of the new Adventure Camp San Diego is nearing completion. This impressive structure occupies 1.8 acres and includes classrooms, an auditorium and a dormitory. Our SeaWorld Landscapers are working on the plantings for this facility. Progress to date includes spreading topsoil, installing the irrigation system and planting trees. The new Adventure Camp facility opens later this summer. At the east end of the parking lot work continues on the massive splashdown ride. Landscape crew members are already involved with the initial phases of the irrigation system installation. As for the existing SeaWorld landscape color continues to be outstanding. Roses, cannas and daylilies (to name a few plants) are in bloom everywhere. The annual beds are full of traditional “warm season” favorites. Petunias, marigolds and impatiens are putting on a show throughout the park. Maintaining the SeaWorld landscape is a constant year-round endeavor.
Summer always presents new challenges. With planning everything
comes together for this special time. Hope to see you in the park
soon!
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Water – To encourage a deep and healthy root zone try deeper and less frequent watering. Two or three waterings a week should be plenty. If you have an irrigation controller make sure you allow for soak-in time (at least 20 minutes) to avoid excess run off. If you’re watering with a hose end sprinkler, puddles will signal the time to move the hose. |
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Food – Regular fertilization that
includes nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be applied
according to manufacturers recommendations every six weeks.
Remember cool season grass like Tall Fescue should not be
fertilized during the heat of July and August.
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Light – In general, lawns are healthier with at least several hours of direct sunlight per day. Fescue lawns are more shade tolerant. Bermuda grass needs more sun and heat. | |
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Air – Twice a year aerification with a hollow tined aerator will do wonders for your lawns root zone. | |
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Rest – Turfgrass can stand only so much foot traffic. Give your lawn a weeks rest (at least) in between those backyard volleyball tournaments. Otherwise your lawn could end up looking like the field at Qualcom Stadium after that Rolling Stones concert in the rain!!! YUCK | |
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Mowing – After a too short haircut your scalp is sure to get sunburned. The same is true if you scalp your lawn. Never cut more than 30% of the total blade length in any one mowing. Standard mowing heights for turfgrass are: Tall Fescue 1 ½” to 3”, Bermuda grass ½” to 1”, lawns with mixed grasses 1” – 3”. |
Lawn Facts
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100 square feet of lawn will provide a family
of four enough oxygen for one day.
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In a 500 square foot lawn there are almost half a million individual grass plants. | |
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There are over 50 million homes in the United States that have a lawn. |
For complete lawn care instructions click on the following links:
At SeaWorld Turfgrass care is a high priority.
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Wildlife Watch
Recent entries from our Wildlife Spotters log include:
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Wildlife Spotted |
Name |
Hometown |
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Song Sparrow |
Ric |
New Zealand |
| Ducks/Worms | Katya/Princess | California |
| Baby Squirrels | Travis | Lakeside, CA |
| Baby/Adult Birds | Carissa | Black Hills, CA |
| Squirrels | Jordan | Phoenix, AZ |
| Egret | Andrea | Poway, CA |
| Brown Headed Cow Bird | Roberta | Minneapolis, MN |
| Dove | Evan | San Diego, CA |
| Sparrows | Charolette | England |
| Hummingbirds | Cade | Morocco |
One mallard duck out of every clutch is white.
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Outreach Update
California Youth Garden Recognition Program Awards Ceremony at
SeaWorld.
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Weather Report
Typical conditions in June at SeaWorld San Diego include night and morning low clouds and fog that will (probably) burn off for a sunny afternoon. During the mildest month in a very mild climate temperatures vary only slightly with daytime highs about 70 and nighttime lows in the mid 60s. Measurable rainfall is a near impossibility as our average total rain for the month is six one hundredths of an inch.
All in all a great month for all outdoor activities like a visit to SeaWorld.
Live weather from SeaWorld
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Visit past Garden of Discovery newsletters. Click here!
| Contact | For information on your customized educational opportunity in the Garden of Discovery contact Jeff Hall or Melanie Repikoff (619) 226-3900 ext. 2207. |
| SWCLandscape@SeaWorld.com | |
| Visit | SeaWorld Garden Web site. |
Garden of Discovery Partners
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