I’ll admit it – I don’t have a green thumb.  I see my neighbors every weekend diligently pruning bushes, planting flowers, pulling weeds, but it seems like such an unforgiving hobby.  All you need is a bad storm, a local bunny or even the neighborhood kids to rip through and ruin hours of tedious labor!  My husband does 100% of the yard work at our house and for that I am so thankful!  Otherwise we’d be living in mile-high grass and the only flowers we’d have are the ones no gardener wants to see – dandelions!

I like enjoying the view of a beautiful landscape, I just don’t like doing the work.  And after seeing how much work goes into a small yard with modest landscaping, I can’t begin to imagine the hours that go into the amazing displays of horticulture at Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival – not to mention the sheer volume of plant life needed to pull off this magnificent display!

The event is sponsored by HGTV and it turns both Future World and the World Showcase into an amazing wonderland of perfectly manicured flowers, topiaries and Disney characters made from plants.  For those who love HGTV, the weekends have special events where personalities from HGTV and DIY have demos in the dome that’s in Future World over towards Ellen’s Energy Adventure.

Epcot Flower and Garden Sign

Here are some of the HGTV celebrities who were there for the 2012 show.

HGTV Personalities at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival 2012

The flowers throughout the park were amazing, with floating bouquets on the lake area by the Odyssey Center where you cross between Future World and the World Showcase.

Floating Flowers at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival

But the most amazing part was the characters.  It was really incredible to look up close and see how the different colors were incorporated and everything was done with such precision – it was hard to believe that these were live plants!  To make it fun and engaging, there was a scavenger hunt throughout the park to locate all the different topiaries.

Epcot’s Topiary Scavenger Hunt

I think we found most everything on the scavenger hunt – we may have missed a few photos, but not many!

Mickey & Minnie Topiary

Aurora & Prince Phillip

Beauty and the Beast

Cinderella & Prince Charming

Snow White

Fantasia Ostrich

Pluto

Daisy Duck

Lady & the Tramp

Woody

Magician Mickey

I have yet to see any garden outside the Disney bubble that matches the perfection of the Flower and Garden Festival in terms of amazing arrangements.  It’s definitely a must-see for everyone, whether you are an avid gardener or just the owner of a chia pet – prepare to be amazed!

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Tagged: Disney, Epcot, Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, Garden Festival, HGTV, World Showcase