Forget El Nino. Epcot’s 2016 International Flower and Garden Festival starts March 2! The topiary characters are my favorites, but this year, I’m also going to check out what’s cooking from the Outdoor Kitchens at the World Showcase. Here’s a snapshot of Minnie from the 2015 fest.
Just got back from Epcot’s 2010 International Flower and Garden Festival in Orlando–wow! I was invited to speak at their “Great American Gardeners” series, and in between my talks (the weekend of March 19-22), I kept running outside to check out the flowers.
Epcot is always beautifully landscaped, but coming from the gray, cloudy weather we’ve had here in Georgia, where it’s raining and chilly, and going outside under the blue Florida skies to “oooh” and “aaahh” over the pansies and impatiens and Gerbera daises and roses–well, it was just incredible. Really a lift to my spirit after the long winter. It also made me want to fly home and head straight to the garden center, but it’s still too early here–gotta wait at least until mid-April to be sure we’re past the possibility of a late frost.
I’ll post a few more pictures over the next few days. And check back, and I’ll share some info a gardener named Greg told me about an heirloom watermelon. It’s called ‘Scaly Bark,’ and while I’d never heard of it before, I want to try it now (in spite of its strange name).
Okay for now..enjoy the pictures!
This big green guy is positioned near– what else? The butterfly gardens and exhibit!
You probably recognize Tinkerbell, part of the Disney gardening magic.
I’m really looking forward to this year’s International Flower and Garden Festival, which will be held at Epcot in Orlando, FL.
I’ll be there as a speaker for Epcot’s Great American Gardener series. The park’s horiculturists are already planning to “grow out” many of the beautiful heirloom veggies and flowers I’ll discuss (and I’ll appreciate having the plants already set up around the speaker’s stage. Can you imagine trying to travel with a pot of petunias or zinnias? If you can’t make it through security with more than an ounce of, say, mouthwash, I don’t think I’d make it onto the plane with a bag of delicious Italian frying peppers or a box of heirloom tomatoes).
Hope you can join me at Epcot on March 19-21. I’ll speak twice daily, at noon and three pm. Think spring!
