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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – An elaborate “Cinderellabration” topiary
and an environmentally friendly Green Garden bring fresh springtime
flair to the 16th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden
Festival, presented by Disneynature, March 18-May 31, 2009. Amid a
colorful tableau of flowers, plants and topiaries, Walt Disney World
guests of all ages can explore myriad exhibits and activities geared
toward gardening and outdoor fun. Flower Power concerts pump up the
volume and spread a groovy vibe each weekend at America Gardens
Theatre in World Showcase.
Every spring, Disney gardeners channel their creative energy into
presenting an intricate topiary display against the backdrop of
Spaceship Earth. This year, Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow
White and the seven dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip, and
Belle and Beast from “Beauty and the Beast” debut in all their
“blooming finery” as the grand front-entrance topiary during the
75-day festival. Disney’s topiary gardeners display extraordinary
craftsmanship using a variety of plants, flowers, grasses and mosses
in the “Cinderellabration” topiary – as well as 70 additional
topiaries decorating the park landscape.
New gardens, events and children’s play areas offer more reasons to
visit the 16th annual festival:
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Green Garden– Guests
discover how anyone can create an environmentally friendly
garden as they learn about low-water-use gardens, incorporating
native plants into their garden and recycling.
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Pixie Hollow Fairy
Garden– Colorful topiaries of Tinker Bell and her friends from
Walt Disney Pictures’ “Tinker Bell” sprinkle pixie dust over
this whimsical garden. Every day, kids can participate in
hands-on activities and, at 2 p.m., children dressed as fairies
or princesses can join in a pixie processional. On March 21,
from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the director and producer of “Tinker Bell
and the Lost Treasure” will be on hand to meet and greet guests.
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Pirates Adventure
Zone – Captain Hook and Croc topiaries lure young swashbucklers
to this interactive space designed for exploration and
adventure.
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Floral Floating
Gardens – Guests strolling the concourse between East and West
lakes will discover a new twist to the colorful floating
gardens: larger-than-ever 8-foot floaters of brilliant blooms
serve the eco-function of drinking up excess nutrients like
nitrates and phosphates in order to keep pesky pollutants at
bay.
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Special
Environmentality Celebration (April 24-26) – This special event
showcases how to keep the planet green through solutions like
reducing waste.
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Sweeping floral beds and
exhibits will feature 30 million blooms. A Fragrance Garden at the
France pavilion tells the “love story” of plants and perfume with
Guerlain hosts guiding your tour. The English Tea Garden at the
United Kingdom pavilion offers complimentary guided tours daily
exploring the art and history of blending tea plants such as the
camomile flower, peppermint plant, lemon tree and ginger root – all
on display. The art of bonsai will “wow” guests at the Japan
showcase.
Other festival highlights include:
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Flower Power
concerts -- Popular bands rock the open-air America Gardens
Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The concert lineup is
slated to include new acts like Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes plus
pop favorites like Davy Jones, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats,
Tony Orlando, Jose Feliciano, Herman’s Hermits starring Peter
Noone and other top acts.
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Minnie’s Magnificent
Butterfly Garden -- Hundreds of butterflies will flit inside a
walk-through screened enclosure that includes a live exhibit
showing how caterpillars form a chrysalis and emerge as
butterflies.
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Disney Gardening at
Home presentations -- Disney horticulturists will share
gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity
every Friday-Sunday. Got kids? They can learn how to grow a
pizza garden during “Kids Gardening-It’s More Than Mud Pies”
April 24-26. Want to discover your gardening style? Experiment
with styles and techniques May 1-3 at “Contain Yourself-Consider
Your Style.”
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The Great American
Gardeners series -- Gardening celebrities and authors from
across the country will reveal their gardening secrets. Meet
dynamic diggers like “Ground Breakers” host Joe Washington,
Shirley Bovshow of “Garden Police” and Joe Lamp’l a.k.a. “joe
gardener.”
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The Garden Town
Discoveries -- Every weekend, guests can attend speaker
presentations and demonstrations and ask the experts their
gardening questions.
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Simba’s Birthday
Celebration -- A lineup of topiary characters straight from Walt
Disney Pictures’ “The Lion King” will greet guests at World
Showcase Plaza.
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Poster Signings --
Artist Heather French will sign festival posters each Friday,
Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at Canada Garden
Retreat.
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More Festival
Celebrations -- An “Art in the Garden” celebration of plein air
artists and a “Kids Paint Out” will occur March 27-29; a
“Florida Farmer’s Market” celebration will take place May 8-10.
More celebrations will bloom throughout the festival.
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Epcot Gardens of the
World Tour -- For an in-depth exploration of Epcot’s many
different gardens, this tour is scheduled Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday for the festival’s duration. Guests get the inside
scoop on World Showcase gardens that re-create landscapes from
around the world, as well as tips for adding some landscape
magic to their own gardens. For guests 16 and up, $59 plus Epcot
admission.
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