Design Notebook: April 2001

TIMING CHALLENGES. Most of the plants and flowers that were used in the landscape were ordered six months in advance. The requirement to have them in full bloom for opening day was extremely difficult. The designers chose to install a selection of Vinca Marigold, black-eyed Susan (rudenbeckia), sago palm, canna lilies, frucraya striata, celosia and Ageratum.

The phrase, "You only get one shot at a first impression" is true for opening day. Once the race meet starts, the time to work on the landscape is further condensed. The horses were scheduled to train in the Paddock area from 4:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. In addition, the crews needed to enter the area and complete all work by 1 p.m., before the gates opened.

The lawn in the Paddock was the greatest challenge. More than one million visitors had damaged the grass only a few weeks before. Resodding the area or even installing artificial turf had been ruled out, said Dave Ericson, Stay Green. "Actually, there was one year we had a cold, damp July and had to apply green lawn paint on opening day to temporarily solve the problem."

GRAND ADDITIONS. Stay Green crews also installed the interior landscaping of the Grandstand area. They installed the plants and flowers from the main lobbies up to the 6th floor railing boxes. The quality standards that are expected in these areas are the highest as private director’s suites belong to some of the wealthiest people in San Diego. The dress code is suits, ties and dresses and the furniture, food and beverage service is all "top of the line."

Invariably, a number of last-minute project additions changed the scope of the project. The crews had to deal with these amendments to meet their deadline. The group sales director ordered three new theme areas for the crews to create, including a cigar bar in a "Tropical Cuban mini-forest." Twenty-four hours before opening day, the director also requested a garden for the horse owners and trainers.

The last-minute additions and detail-oriented nature of this job presented several challenges. The effort it takes to plan, procure, organize and then to maintain all the areas is considerable. Timing was critical to the success of this project, and the crews followed a stringent schedule to meet the deadline.