With Spring almost upon us (much to the delight of many in the cold, snowy Northeast), many Guests look forward to visiting Walt Disney World to get out of the cold, and enjoy all that it has to offer.
And as the season changes, so does the landscape of the parks, as throughout the resort, new plants and flowers bloom to celebrate the change. And of course, that hold true in Epcot moreso than anywhere else, as more than 30 million blooms in artfully designed floral beds, lush rose gardens and floral floating islands plus expertly crafted bonsai trees and whimsical topiaries will grace the 300 acres of Future World and World Showcase during the 17th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, scheduled to blossom at the Walt Disney World theme park March 3 through May 16, 2010. More information about the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is available by calling 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639) or by visiting disneyworld.com/flowerfestival.
But beyond Epcot, and certainly not limited to Spring, much of Walt Disney World’s beauty can be found all around us, as the entire landscape of the resort is truly a work of art – and quite an undertaking. So I thought I’d share with you some fun facts about the Walt Disney World Resort landscape, to give you an idea of just what goes in to making it the happiest (and one of the most beautiful) places on Earth:
Bloomin’ beauty: Nearly 12 percent of the Walt Disney World Resort property — an area equivalent to nearly 3,000 football fields — is devoted to gardens and maintained landscapes. That’s 4,000 acres worth of beauty.
Sprouting up all over: Three million bedding plants and annuals are planted each year at Walt Disney World theme parks and resorts.
Inside-out and all about!: Horticulturists use 8,500 interior plants each year and add 6,000 trees to the exterior landscapes throughout Walt Disney World Resort . . . and they maintain some four million shrubs in landscapes.
Landscape Buffet: The African savannah of Disney’s Animal Kingdom was designed with munching in mind. Elephants, giraffes, antelope and other creatures eat and play with the theme park landscape, so landscape designers created a 100-acre “browse farm” to replace natural forage including acacia, hibiscus, mulberry and other shrubs.
Hanging out: More than 4,000 hanging baskets are produced each year and are planned a year in advance to theme with seasonal flowering trees, bedding plants and surrounding architecture. Most baskets take three months to produce . . . Hangings grow to three feet in diameter and may weigh more than 65 pounds . . . Some 800 baskets are displayed at one time.
We do promise a rose garden: Nearly 13,000 roses are shown throughout the Disney property. Removing spent blooms in the rose gardens of Epcot requires a good day’s work each week — more than 400 hours per year.
Plants of the world: More than 3,000 plant species are shown . . . They represent flora from all over the United States and 50 other nations on every continent except Antarctica.
Chlorophyll zoo: Topiaries number more than 200 — composed of shrub or sphagnum moss planted with “creeping fig” and English ivy vine material. As many as 20 different plants and flowers are used to create various topiaries.
Mowing for miles: 450,000 mowing miles, to be exact — that’s what it takes to maintain 2,000 acres of turf. For the record, those mower miles are the equivalent of 18 trips around Earth at the equator.
Good bugs: An army of 10.5 million beneficial insects is released each year to control plant pests . . . A single adult predatory beetle can eat up to 500 white fly eggs a day.
Good people: A diverse group of over 600 horticulture professionals — gardeners, arborists, irrigation specialists and pest management specialists — join the bugs in keeping the flora beautiful.
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