Topiaries at Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival

While Team Tizzel was in Walt Disney World participating in the Expedition Everest Challenge, we had a chance to check out Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival. This event lasts for several weeks and includes special exhibits, demonstrations hosted by HGTV personalities, flowers all over the place, and many Disney-inspired topiaries, and concerts by well-known artists. Epcot looks its best during the festival and we'd love to see some more flowers year-round. For more details check out the official WDW site or AllEars.net.

There are so many topiary displays. While many of them are reused each year, they seem to shift position or are displayed differently each year. We'll take a look at some of the topiaries and where they are located in the park by using references in the official festival guide (borrowed from Mickeyupdates.com).

Fantasia topiaries are at Epcot's Future World Entrance (map 1). The positioning of Sorcerer Mickey on the smoking rock presents a great angle for photgraphing with Spaceship Earth in the background.

We're used to this Bambi setup in the Canada Pavilion. This year it's positioned in the butterfly house (map 8). Of course Dave had to pose by his favorite character, Thumper. The Disney reference for the peacock topiary (map 2) is lost on us, but it's pretty cool use of the space behind Spaceship Earth.

We believe a few years ago these topiaries of the Fab 5 had a sports theme overlay. This year they are presented in a straight-forward manner outside the Festival Center (map 3). Holly posed with Goofy since she loves The Goofy Challenge race event in January.

Over by Mission Space (between map 3 and 5) is Stitch. Pixie Hollow (map 6) is designed to look like the land Tinkerbell and her fairy friends live and usually has ties to the next direct-to-home video. This year we meet Periwinkle the snow fairy (thus the white flowers).

On the Future World side of The World Promenade (map 7) is the Peter Pan display. At the other end (map 12) is Farmer Mickey and friends.

Some of the World Showcase Pavilions get in on the action. China (map 26) has the panda and dragon displays. The train village in Germany (map 24) also celebrates a Flower and Garden Festival. There's Lotso and Cars topiaries too. Also in Germany is the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs display.




 

In Italy you can find the Lady and the Tramp topiary (map 23) and by the bridge between France and the U.K. Are Disney Couples topiaries (map 16).











By The American Adventure (map 21) are the Toy Story characters. By Japan (map 20) is the Cars 2 display. They went to Tokyo in the movie - linking them to this location.












Winnie the Pooh and friends (map 14) hang out by the English Gardens in the U.K. pavilion.




There are more topiaries and other displays to check out. This really is the time to see Epcot looking its best.