Construction Update

The Tropical Forest construction is moving along and the subsoil has been placed. It is a sandy gravel mix of varying depths. Our planting soil (about 966 cubic yards) has been ordered and will be delivered within the next week. The soil will be about 4' deep throughout the conservatory. It is a combination of Haydite(expanded shale), Pro-Base (composted pine bark), sand, and a small amount of Peat Moss. It is time to tag trees for the exhibit so I'll be heading to visit nurseries throughout Florida in the coming weeks. We are looking for some generic tropical trees for the framework of the conservatory with the bulk of plants being of Thai origin or of the Southeast Asian origin. Since last year's hurricane season wiped out many growers, the hunt for large canopy trees will be time consuming. Our maximum ceiling height is 60' in certain areas and a 12' tree just won't do it! -KD