Blog: Epcot in bloom

A big fan of Disney and topiary, Liliane Opsomer couldn’t wait to check out the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

"As soon as I saw the larger than Fab Five Disney character topiaries – floral versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck in a celebratory cookout scene – I was smitten. I love Disney and I’m a topiary addict too, so this was the perfect combination.

Each year Epcot stages a Flower and Garden Festival, with over 30 million blooms and 500,000 plants, trees, and shrubs. It takes a full year and about 24,000 cast member hours to prepare for the annual event. Some 400 Walt Disney World horticulturists are needed to install the festival landscape, topiaries, and many exhibits, while 100 Epcot horticulturists maintain topiaries and other festival displays.

This year’s festival started on March 6 and runs for 75 days. Visitors can enjoy topiaries, floating gardens and floral displays, seminars and celebrity presentations, and Flower Power Concerts. New this year is the Garden Marketplace, 12 food kiosks nestled around the World Showcase that give the festival a foodie feel.

The flowerbeds surrounding Future World, the hanging baskets, the spice and herb gardens, and the floating gardens are all incredible, but the highlight for me is the 75 topiary displays. Armed with a park map specially designed for the annual festival, I set out to catch them all.

New and fabulous are Pixar’s Monsters University, featuring Mike and Sully, Phineas, and Ferb, and the heroes of Radiator Springs, Lightning McQueen and Mater. Not new but always an eye-catcher are topiaries of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Aurora dancing with their princes, The Lion King, and Woody and Lotso. Winnie the Pooh and Friends welcomed me at the entrance to the UK pavilion. Peter Pan is perched tall on top of the roof of a building where he looks down on Captain Hook chased by a crocodile. My all time favorite, Lady and the Tramp, are found in Italy; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs hold court in front of the Germany Pavilion.

Kids and grown-ups alike will enjoy the three themed gardens, which come complete with playground and benches for tired feet.  Paying tribute to the movie Oz the Great and Powerful, the Oz Garden features scenes and props from the new film, a children’s play area, and midway-style games in circus-themed tents. Radiator Springs has a play area near Test Track floral renditions of Lightning McQueen and Mater, and tucked between the France and Morocco pavilion is the annual Backyard Garden and Playground. Another must for kids is a visit to the Butterfly House. Topiaries of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends including Fawn, Vidia, and Terence reign among countless butterflies in a screened-in gazebo.

A total of 198 gardening seminars and workshops are presented during the festival.  Several daily workshops are offered free of charge at the different stages inside the Festival Center. I opted for the "Topiary Through the Years" workshop at the Greenhouse Stage, which turned out to be very informative, and I even got to plant my very own, soon to be, topiary.

The food kiosks are a great addition to the festival. Some of my favorite dishes were crab tostadas with chipotle aioli and salsa in the Jardin de Fiestas in Mexico, and a spring pancake with grilled chicken and green apple at the Lotus House in China. Both portions were generous and priced  under $5. I went for a Taste of Marrakesh where I enjoyed spiced lamb kebabs with couscous salad, priced at $5, that was a delicious but rather small portion. That was a perfect excuse, however, to go for desert. Equipped with a Dole Whip with rum on top, I settled for the Flower Power concert. I loved the high-energy show by Chubby Checkers and the Wildcats at the America Gardens Theater. Concerts are held at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 pm, Fridays through Sundays. The park map lists the different performing artists.

As night falls the park’s Future World and World Showcase Illuminated Gardens take on a life of their own. I revisited my favorite spots, to see how they looked all lit up. The Beauty and the Beast dancing near the France Pavilion was my favorite nighttime topiary.

All year long Epcot has a nightly 15-minute sound and light show called IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. I love the show, and while I have seen it countless times, I can never get enough of it. The best place to view the show is from the lakeside veranda of the Hacienda at the Mexico Pavilion or the Rose & Crown Pub at the UK Pavilion. The show is very popular, so claim your spot 30 minutes before it starts.

It was a long but great day. Gorgeous flowers, incredible topiaries, fabulous food, a free concert and fireworks, what is there not to like? This, the 20th Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, runs through May 19, and is sponsored by HGTV. Most activities are included in the regular park admission. For more information, a concert schedule, and a festival park map check out the website."