Greetings all from the geek labs
Little bit of Flower and Garden info
The roses and wildflowers, topiary and herb gardens of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will flourish for an extra week in 2004 during an expanded, seven-week run that begins April 16 and continues through June 6. The 11th annual festival, presented by The Home Depot, features topiary displays that celebrate the new Walt Disney World Magical Gatherings program, and activities geared to everyone in the family.
In the spirit of Magical Gatherings — a program that helps extended families and friends plan group vacations at Walt Disney World Resort — the festival showcases new topiary displays of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck grouped in a Magical Gathering of their own. Tinker Bell, the online icon of the www.disneyworld.com/magicalgatherings Web-based vacation-planning tools, spreads some topiary pixie dust of her own throughout the festival.
Flower Power concerts return to America Gardens Theatre in the park's World Showcase with nightly musical entertainment from the 1960s and '70s. Throughout the park, guests can attend gardening seminars and demonstrations. They also can browse among colorful displays that include an herb and spice garden at the Morocco showcase and a wild geese topiary display at the Canada pavilion.
Guests will find the hub of program activity at the Festival Center, located inside Innoventions West behind Fountain View Cafe. Regularly scheduled speakers of the "Disney Gardening at Home" and the "Great American Gardener" series present here daily. The Festival Center houses special displays featuring artwork from Photography Weekend professional photographers and Art in the Garden Weekend artists. Festival merchandise, program guides and information will also be made handy in this one-stop welcome shop.
Other highlights include:
• A WaterFULL World Garden focusing on the importance of water conservation and wetlands restoration via a meandering water display lush with native Florida plants.
• Dozens of fragrant rose varieties developed through the centuries in a display that touches on the history of roses.
• A "see and sniff" Fragrance Garden at the France pavilion highlighting flowers in many perfumes.
•Disney's DogGone Maze, a whimsical play area for children.
• An Ultimate Backyard Garden display, presented by The Home Depot, exploring the trend of gardeners' enjoying their home gardens as a retreat or entertainment venue.
"We'll talk about how to enjoy living in your garden, not just working in it," says Eric Darden, horticulture manager of the festival. "More and more people are starting to really use their gardens and backyards and enjoy spending time in them. We're going to show outdoor living ideas as well as planning ideas."
Each festival weekend will be themed with special speakers and events, including an Art in the Garden Weekend with regional artists performing their art in the park, and an I Dig Bugs Weekend, featuring insect experts and multiple ladybug and butterfly releases.
"Even though we release ladybugs and butterflies every day of the festival, the I Dig Bugs Weekend is very popular with kids who can't get enough of the bugs," Eric says. For more information on the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, call 407/W-DISNEY.
Little bit of Flower and Garden info
The roses and wildflowers, topiary and herb gardens of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will flourish for an extra week in 2004 during an expanded, seven-week run that begins April 16 and continues through June 6. The 11th annual festival, presented by The Home Depot, features topiary displays that celebrate the new Walt Disney World Magical Gatherings program, and activities geared to everyone in the family.
In the spirit of Magical Gatherings — a program that helps extended families and friends plan group vacations at Walt Disney World Resort — the festival showcases new topiary displays of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck grouped in a Magical Gathering of their own. Tinker Bell, the online icon of the www.disneyworld.com/magicalgatherings Web-based vacation-planning tools, spreads some topiary pixie dust of her own throughout the festival.
Flower Power concerts return to America Gardens Theatre in the park's World Showcase with nightly musical entertainment from the 1960s and '70s. Throughout the park, guests can attend gardening seminars and demonstrations. They also can browse among colorful displays that include an herb and spice garden at the Morocco showcase and a wild geese topiary display at the Canada pavilion.
Guests will find the hub of program activity at the Festival Center, located inside Innoventions West behind Fountain View Cafe. Regularly scheduled speakers of the "Disney Gardening at Home" and the "Great American Gardener" series present here daily. The Festival Center houses special displays featuring artwork from Photography Weekend professional photographers and Art in the Garden Weekend artists. Festival merchandise, program guides and information will also be made handy in this one-stop welcome shop.
Other highlights include:
• A WaterFULL World Garden focusing on the importance of water conservation and wetlands restoration via a meandering water display lush with native Florida plants.
• Dozens of fragrant rose varieties developed through the centuries in a display that touches on the history of roses.
• A "see and sniff" Fragrance Garden at the France pavilion highlighting flowers in many perfumes.
•Disney's DogGone Maze, a whimsical play area for children.
• An Ultimate Backyard Garden display, presented by The Home Depot, exploring the trend of gardeners' enjoying their home gardens as a retreat or entertainment venue.
"We'll talk about how to enjoy living in your garden, not just working in it," says Eric Darden, horticulture manager of the festival. "More and more people are starting to really use their gardens and backyards and enjoy spending time in them. We're going to show outdoor living ideas as well as planning ideas."
Each festival weekend will be themed with special speakers and events, including an Art in the Garden Weekend with regional artists performing their art in the park, and an I Dig Bugs Weekend, featuring insect experts and multiple ladybug and butterfly releases.
"Even though we release ladybugs and butterflies every day of the festival, the I Dig Bugs Weekend is very popular with kids who can't get enough of the bugs," Eric says. For more information on the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, call 407/W-DISNEY.