Some of the world's top experts on the circulatory system of ostriches and hippos work right here at the Walt Disney World Resort. But surprisingly, they don't work at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. That's because the ostriches and hippos in question are among the fantastic topiaries Guests will find at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, March 7May 20, 2012.
As Area Manager for Walt Disney World Horticulture, Tom Wyatt works with a team of irrigation specialists who keep all the topiaries well watered throughout the Festival and all through the year.
"Inside every topiary, we install a drip irrigation system," Tom told us. "And over the years, our irrigation specialists have refined their techniques through trial and error. They've figured out that an ostrich neck will dry out a lot quicker than a hippo tutu. In thinner areas, they simply place more water emitters. The whole thing is run off a valve that's connected to a water source near the topiary, allowing us to control the flow through the day. It's a little bit of a mix between art and science."
A Festival in Bloom
The mixture of art and science is something of a recurring theme at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Each spring, the Festival brings together great Walt Disney World artists and horticulturalists to create a blooming display of gardening at its best.
Beyond the millions of flowers on display, Epcot Guests can explore topiaries and gardens, learn planting, style and design techniques and rock to live "flower power" music from stars of the '60s and '70s.
At Bambi's Butterfly House (three times the size of the Festival's original house), Guests will be surrounded by a fluttering fantasy of brilliant butterflies. Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden will delight young fans with fabulous Disney Fairy topiaries in a whimsical garden designed with play structures for children ages 2 to 5.
The HGTV Designers' Stage will present HGTV celebrity designers who'll offer a few home and garden tips each Friday through Sunday. Some of the stars scheduled to appear include Genevieve Gorder of Dear Genevieve, John Gidding of Curb Appeal: The Block, Brandon Johnson of My Yard Goes Disney, and Sabrina Soto from The High/Low Project.
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Flower Power Concert Series will welcome back such 20th-century pop favorites as Jose Feliciano, Chubby Checker and The Wildcats, Paul Revere & the Raiders and several other bands that will rock the America Gardens Theatre with their timeless tunes. (Performers and appearance dates subject to change.)
Topiary Magic
Of course, one of the hallmarks of the Festival is the more than 75 Disney Character topiaries that populate the Park during the event. All around Epcot Guests will find delightful topiary re-creations of characters from The Lion King, Lady and The Tramp, plus Disney•Pixar's Cars and Toy Story films, and much more. Plus, at the front entrance, some favorite friends from Walt Disney's animated classic, Fantasia, bloom into life.
Standing atop a 12-foot-tall floral mountain cliff, and towering above the Park's front entrance topiary bed, the commanding Sorcerer Mickey will direct a riot of color in the manicured shapes of dancing broomsticks, buckets, mushrooms, hippos, alligators and elephants, straight from the classic Disney film.
"To make the Sorcerer Mickey topiary a bit more magical, we'll be adding a water vapor special effect to the flowery cliff Mickey stands atop," Tom said. "It works like an ultrasonic humidifier on a much larger scale. Ceramic disks atomize water through sound waves to create a billowing smoke effect. And it uses less than a gallon of water per day!"
Water, Water Everywhere
According to Tom, thoughtful water management is one of the most important aspects of Walt Disney World gardening. "For us, water management is applying just the right amount of water to keep the plant healthy," Tom said.
"When I first started 29 years ago, during a rainstorm, someone had to turn off 60 irrigation controllers just in Magic Kingdom Park. Now it all happens automatically. We have three weather stations throughout the property that constantly measure temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind run. Using these four factors, we can measure exactly how much moisture a plant needs."
"On top of that, we monitor 81 rain sensors throughout Walt Disney World Resort, and all that information is relayed to computers that operate the irrigation systems. Frankly, the irrigation industry is just catching up to what we've been doing for 21 years."
For the Gardener in Us All
The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is a celebration of the gardener within us all. Whether you're looking for the latest high-tech way to pep up your petunias or just want to take in the bountiful beauty of millions of blooms, you'll find exactly what you're looking for.
Get more information about the 19th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. The Festival, including all gardening programs and exhibits, is included in regular Epcot admission.