Coral Reef Garden

[Eric in Orlando]

Last year at Sea World, they redesigned this area and put in a Coral Reef Garden using rocks and succulents. Next to it they also but in a Beach Garden. The coconut palms survived the past winter.

[Eric in Orlando]

[Eric in Orlando]

[Eric in Orlando]

here is the Beach Garden next to the Coral Reef Garden

[Eric in Orlando]

[Palmzilla]

Love those aloe herc's!

[Tomw]

That’s a great idea; it does look like a coral reef.

[fastfeat]

Rather clever and cool-looking! I like it!

[palmislandRandy]

Neat idea! Very reef like & i love the fish

[Eric in Orlando]

Don't some of the botanic gardens in California have similar plantings, to simulate a coral reef with succulents ?

[Takil-Explorer]

Nice garden but they should use another palm then those Cocos nucifera. They look not happy there! To far north I guess.

Alexander

[The Silent Seed]

So what is the botanical name of those Aloes? I need some!

[palmmermaid]

Eric,

Thanks for positng those pictures. It does somewhat resemble a coral reef, though not as colorful. Love the fish!

And I also want the name of the aloe. Would love to put 1 or 2 or those in my succulent garden.

[SubTropicRay]

Those parks must provide supplemental heat on cold nights.

[Eric in Orlando]

Those parks must provide supplemental heat on cold nights.

They do some but couldn't imagine the entire park. After the landscape matures those parks really create nice microclimates. Lots of bamboo for windbreaks and hardy native trees (live oaks, pines) that provide canopy and heat traps. Then theres all the concrete too.

[Eric in Orlando]

I think they are Aloe 'Hercules' .

[paulgila]

the 1st coupla pix remind me of the way succulents were growing right outta the rocks at the "coral castle" in south fla.

its a nice look.

[SubTropicRay]

Eric,

I believe the concrete helped but the mature landscape did to a much lesser degree. I overestimated what a mature landscape could do in Jan 2010 and lost a ton of stuff. Even the live oak canopy that had been bulletproof for 13 years did little to mitigate the prolonged 12 consecutive days of cold. The things I don't have are thousands of square feet of concrete to radiate heat at night and grove heaters strategically placed around the garden to keep the more tender plantings warm.

Ray