Smell the air – fresh, invigorating with a hint of spring flowers and a touch of rain. Ah, in Florida it is the magic time of year, when new growth springs out of plants that looked dead over the winter. Birds gather twigs to make nests. Suddenly a trip to a nursery to check out plants and pots moves to the top of the list.
garden festivals – Epcot
Springtime perfect for garden festivals
Sure, the calendar hasn’t announced spring officially but we know better. It takes will power to hang on and not plant a few vegetables in the ground or a pot before March 15, the recommended start date for spring gardens.
But in the meantime, while you are waiting, go for it. Imagine to your heart’s content. Visit a botanical garden for inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, two gardeners share their garden stories with Saturday Morning Magazine.
First, Kathy Nelson, editor of Florida Gardening, a bi-monthly magazine that is a must-have, must-read for anyone puzzling out the bizarre world of Florida Gardening. Kathy shares how her mom moved to Florida, planted things that were wonderful up North . . .you know what happened next. We’ve been there. But the story unfolds to new blooms and a happy ending.
Then Eric Darden, Epcot’s Horticulture Manager shares his love of upcoming, and very exciting, Epcot International Flower and Garden Show. One of his favorite things is Bambi’s Butterfly Garden. I agree. It is magic to see all the butterflies.
The photos of flowers are all from Epcot’s 2011 Flower and Garden And be sure to check out the partial list of upcoming garden festivals. Yes, it is that time of year. Enjoy the blooming season.
garden festivals – Epcot
Florida Favorites and Garden Festivals
In my Florida travels I meet fantastic people who are travel writers, residents, newcomers, guides and entrepreneurs, all are digging into the Florida places they love and finding treasures worth keeping. Here is Kathy Nelson, editor of Florida Gardening magazine
When my mom moved to Florida from Pennsylvania, she had no idea what she was facing in her new garden. She planted tropicals that froze that first winter and temperate plants that couldn’t take the summer heat. She planted all sorts of wonderful new things, but probably took out almost as many as she planted, due to the many “issues” new gardeners often encounter here. So when I followed her south a year later, I already knew that Florida wasn’t exactly a gardener’s paradise.
But it was still a shock to find that I couldn’t keep anything alive in my new yard. Rose bushes died, vegetables were deformed by nematodes, orange trees produced sour fruit and I didn’t know why. When my grass died, I had to admit that when it came to growing things down here, I was a flop.
So I know how newcomers feel when they first try their hand at growing things in our challenging conditions. Many of them give up entirely and hire a lawn service. I got lucky and met Wae Nelson, my future husband. He knew the secrets to successful Florida gardening.
Soon we were growing a wide variety of edibles, including vegetables, herbs and exotic tropical fruits. And we also couldn’t resist the fabulous ornamentals that Florida is famous for – hibiscus, gingers, bromeliads, bougainvillea and flowering trees, just to name a few. Our motto became, “There’s always room for one more plant!” We were having so much fun that we decided to share our passion with as many people as possible by publishing a gardening magazine just for Florida.
garden festivals listed in Florida Gardening magazine
From the first issue which came out in the fall of 1995, to the 100th issue which is due out in April 2012, Florida Gardening has covered just about every subject that could possibly interest gardeners in Florida. And it still the only gardening magazine published exclusively for the Sunshine State. Find out more on www.floridagardening.com or call (321)951-4500 to order a subscription.
And here is Eric Darden, Horticulture Manager for Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, March 7-May 20, Walt Disney World Resort. I met Eric last year while doing a story for Florida Gardening on the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival (see the Feb-March 2012 issue). Eric smiles a lot – he has a great job and shares his enthusiasm for the Festival.
garden festivals – Epcot
I’ve been involved with the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival from the very beginning. During the first festival, I was a foreman on the topiary crew and remember sitting on the back of a flatbed truck plugging topiaries right before it opened. That first festival was about 38 days long; in 2004 it expanded to 52 days, then 60, and now our festival is 75 days long.
garden festivals – epcot
Not only has the festival expanded in length and size, the gardens are now more complex. Our Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden is whimsical and fun, with tiny topiaries of Disney fairies from popular films. We know our guests enjoy the Disney character topiaries, and it’s fun that we (in horticulture) get some of the glory that belongs to the Disney artists who created these amazing characters like Woody and Buzz from the three “Toy Story” films or Mickey Mouse and Goofy. This year in our front-entrance topiary display we have Sorcerer Mickey Mouse perched atop a giant floral topiary rock as he “directs” 27 other “Fantasia” topiaries. There are three ostriches, two hippos, two alligators, two elephants, nine stars, a spiral and eight mushrooms. It’s going to be quite a scene!
Our guests also love the festival color – we have 30 million blooms across the park’s 260-acre landscape – pansies, petunias, snapdragons in every color imaginable. Our flower towers are back this year with a vertical show of blooms, and the floral patterns along the lake beds will be a huge “wow.” So will the 240 floating mini-gardens of impatiens.
Another popular feature of the festival is that there are always great tips to take home: how to improve your home irrigation system, how to build an herb and vegetable garden, and how to have fun outside with your family, whether it’s creating a plant tunnel for the kids or designing a stepping-stone arrangement. This year we’re also showcasing some really creative potting methods using old wagons, bathtubs and even bed frames. And you can always go to our Festival Center in Future World to talk to a Disney gardening expert at any time.
garden festivals – Epcot
One of my favorite things is Bambi’s Butterfly Garden. On Saturday mornings when it’s still early, you can watch the butterflies emerge and, for about an hour while their wings are drying out, I can take them and let kids hold them on their fingers so parents can get pictures. That’s pretty neat and, every time I do that, it feels like a really special moment.
UPCOMING
Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, March 7 through May 20, Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando
Marion County Master Gardeners’ Spring Festival 2012, March 10-11, Ocala
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10th Annual International Orchid Festival, Friday March 9 through Sunday, March 11, Coral Gables
Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Spring Garden Festival, March 24-25, Gainesville
Florida Wildflower and Garden Festival, March 24, DeLand
Did you know?
Ch. 15 in my new eco-gardening book Florida Gardens Gone Wild is about classes and festivals around Florida and Chapter 6 gives garden road trips you can take.
UPDATE: the second edition of my gardening book with 5 new chapters, color photographs and even a recipe for dirt, debuted March 2015 and is available here Florida Gardens Gone Wild(er)