Walking around the World…EPCOT’s 2012 Flower and Garden Festival

Disney’s 19^th annual Flower and Garden Festival is now in full bloom here at EPCOT. Sponsored again by the popular cable show HGTV, this year’s Festival brings new topiaries, workshops and seminars by your favorite HGTV stars in the Festival Center. (The old “Wonders of Life” building located between Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Mission Space).  Inside the center you’ll find merchandise and find information all about the 75 day event. You can get the seminar schedules where on Fridays through Sunday, your favorite HGTV personalities will be on the “Designers Stage” and on Monday through Thursday, other garden notable experts will be giving advice and lectures.

Popular attractions at the Festival not to be missed are the “Flower Power” concert series which are held at the American Gardens’ Theater every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All the popular groups of the “Flower Power” era will be there to bring back those musical memories. The Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden for kids is again at the Test Track Walkway and Bambi’s Butterfly House is by Innovations West’ Imagination Walkway.

Guests will be greeted at the entrance to EPCOT with none other than “Sorcerer Mickey” directing characters from the classic film “Fantasia” Broomsticks, alligators and hippos are among some of the beautiful topiaries in this new display. Mickey will be atop a 12 foot flora mountain. For those who remember the 2002 Festival, the mountain is from a previous “Steamboat Willie” display.

Also in the Festival center, you can meet and talk with experts from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida. Get tips and ideas from these gardening experts. Check for times and schedules at the Festival Center. In other countries in World Showcase you can see an Herb and Spice garden at Morocco, Orchids at Mexico and Bonsai at Japan. Also in the Festival Center…April 13 through the 15, learn about insects from experts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom April 27-29 see floral arrangements from the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and from May 4—6, learn about the fresh produce from Florida.

You will see new landscapes around the Norway and Italy pavilions. And do not forget to check out the new Sand sculpture on the Rose Walk path showcasing Disney’s new movie “Chimpanzee” It is magnificent. And just like last year’s Food and Wine Festival, Disney has a mobile web app called “EPCOT in Bloom” Once inside the park you can scan the QR code and be directed to the site. The app has an audio guide, event guide, maps and details on all the topiaries. Go to http://m.epcotinbloom.com and enjoy.

Some interesting facts…It takes more than a year for the 400 Disney experts to plan for the Festival. There are 30 Flora “Towers” made up of impatiens and thousands of flowers making up beds that cover the 260 acre landscape. There are approximately thirty million flowers and 700 containers of plants, vegetables, flowers and herbs. The two ponds contain 240 floating gardens in them. And some of the flowers that make up the “Fantasia” topiary are… blue pansies, pink geraniums, white poppies, blue delphiniums and violet petunias. And don’t forget the topiaries around World Showcase, including Mater, Lightning McQueen, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto. You’ll also see Lotso and Buzz and Woody.

For further information call 407-W-DISNEY (934-7639). You can also visit Disneyworld.com/flower. All of this is included in your park admission. Enough talk, I have uploaded some nice photos for your enjoyment!