Greetings From SeaWorld’s Garden of Discovery

July 2003

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What’s Happening in SeaWorld’s Gardens This Month?

Throughout time perhaps no flower has received the attention and admiration assigned to the rose. Roses have been grown in gardens for over 5,000 years. During the Roman Empire large public rose gardens were established. The War of the Roses was fought in fifteenth century England. In this conflict white and red roses symbolized the 2 battling groups.

Today roses have a huge following of dedicated hobbyists. Rose growers have developed a staggering array of varieties for the garden. California is, in fact, a major supplier of bare root roses for the nation. Even in colder climates gardeners are devoted to this plant.

Roses play a significant role in the SeaWorld landscape presentation. With July here the rose beds are in full bloom. At the main gate guests are welcomed by the largest mass planting of roses in the park. The yellow ‘Sunflare’ floribunda roses have been growing in this area for over a decade. Besides wonderful color these roses are noteworthy for remaining in bloom for most of the year. On the north side of Ranch House restaurant guests enjoy the scarlet red ‘Trumpeter’ roses. For roses enthusiasts Ranch House is a good place to visit. In addition to the ‘Trumpeters’ there are other rose plantings including a new garden planted this winter. The ‘Livin Easy’ roses on the north side of Dolphin Stadium also deserve recognition. This mass planting of apricot orange floribundas greets visitors to this venue.

Contrary to what one might expect roses aren’t difficult to grow. However, they do require a certain level of care. Full sun and consistent irrigation are necessary. The SeaWorld gardeners deadhead and fertilize the park rose collection on a regular basis. Roses at SeaWorld are selected with disease resistance in mind. This is important to minimize problems with the rose fungal diseases common to Southern California.

At SeaWorld roses have long played a valued role in the landscape presentation. These prized flowers enjoy instant recognition and appreciation. On your next SeaWorld visit take a moment to enjoy the show.

Various roses from the SeaWorld collection.

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Garden Micro Climates

Have you ever wondered why one particular plant in your garden is thriving while others of the same type in a nearby location are doing poorly? Do you have certain areas where plantings are healthy and vibrant while others are sickly and weak? If so, your gardening activities may have taken a detour into the perplexing world of microclimates.

A microclimate is a small environment within your garden where growing conditions are unique. Many times gardeners will look at these areas as problem spots where plants won’t grow. Actually the reverse is true. These small locations are opportunities for the right plant to grow in the right environment. The following table is a tool matching microclimates and their common location with some plants suited to grow there.

Table

Hopefully you are now headed back on the highway to plant health. For complete information click on the following great links. For information on these plants and many others consult your Sunset Western Garden Book.

Some plants for various garden micro climates.

Wildlife Watch

Recent entries from our Wildlife Spotters log include:

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Weather Report

July marks the beginning of our summer weather. As the morning low clouds and fog burn off sooner the nights become warmer and downright balmy! Daytime high temperatures will be in the mid to upper 70’s with the nighttime lows in the upper 60’s. These are perfect conditions to enjoy the “Mystic de la Mer” festivities at SeaWorld. The park is now open until 11:00 pm.

Live weather from SeaWorld

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Garden of Discovery Partners