Outdoor Gardener's finished projects!

The Gardeners have been busy with some big projects. Over at the Zoo Gardeners, along with Maintenance Staff, have been working in the Birdyard to create two new spaces for the Galapagos Tortoises. Currently they are putting in a boulder fence to keep the Tortoises from getting into the other half of the Birdyard, where they could potentially harm themselves. Above are before-and-after pictures of the Birdyard with the boulder fence and without.

Located at the Como Lakeside Pavilion is the Gates Ajar which has just been planted for the year. The picture above shows the finished planting and some of the Gardeners and Interns that worked on planting the Gates Ajar.

Azalea Pruning

Pruning the potted Azalea crop is one of the large projects during late May and early June. Over the next 2 weeks the ~500 plants will be pinched and thinned to improve their shape, structure and prevent premature flowering in the fall. Pruning the larger plants keeps them at a manageable size for yearly display. The Azaleas will regrow during the summer, receive a cool temperature treatment in the Fall and then be forced to flower during the Winter flower show in late January thru mid March.

Como Shuttle Ready For Action!

The new Como Shuttle kicks into gear THIS WEEKEND! Stop circling the parking lot looking for that elusive spot and hop aboard the super comfortable, super convenient shuttle. It will drop you off at the front door! It is wheelchair and stroll assessable. Pick up location is at the State Fair Grounds Parking Lot at 1736 Como Ave. It starts at 9:30am and the last run is at 6:30pm.

GET CLOSER WITH THE COMO SHUTTLE!

Gates Ajar Preparations

Preparation for Summer continues with work on the Gates Ajar near the Lakeside Pavillion. On May 1st 20 volunteers joined the Horticulture staff to take cuttings from 'Alternanthera ' stock plants. The 1" to 2" cuttings were stuck into small plug trays and put in the propagation house to root. The vertical Gates are being prepared for planting by mudding the gates with moist sifted soil to fill in the wire mesh surface. Starting May 15th the Gates will be planted with 'Alternanthera' and 'Echevaria', with plans to finish by May 25th. During mudding and planting the Gates need to be watered twice a day to keep the soil wet and until the small plants root into the wall

This morning on FOX-9!