Tinkerbells
Oct 10, 2008, 09:55 AM
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Itâs easy being green if youâre a Mickey Mouse topiary in the hands of an expert Disney pruner. Disneyâs chlorophyll zoo of more than 200 characters is an example of creative gardening at its finest all around Walt Disney World Resort.
Examples of this gardening whimsy include intricate Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and other character topiaries created from as many as 20 different plants and flowers that appear in different Disney parks throughout the year.
Each spring, during the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, gardeners create new twists on topiary, including leafy characters that move and turn. Traditional hedges and trees stylized geometrically complete the Vacation Kingdomâs topiary picture.
Topiary gardening first became popular more than 2,000 years ago, and it took off like a flying elephant during 17th century Europe. Today, precision pruners at Walt Disney World Resort carry on the topiary tradition with a fanciful twist, fashioning Disneyâs popular characters -- Dumbo included -- of shrub or sphagnum moss and vine with plenty of floral splash.
It was Walt Disney himself who first planted the seed to create topiaries in Disney parks and resorts. Combining the talents of his film animators with those of park gardeners, Disney helped grow the topiary techniques to fit the whimsical theming of his first park, Disneyland. Walt Disney World Resort followed suit, beginning its topiary nursery three years before the resortâs 1971 grand opening.
A menagerie of green or blossoming hippos, panda bears and other critters joins Disney character stars such as Mickey Mouse in the backstage growing areas at the Walt Disney World Nursery. Disney artists create the shapes to become blueprints for the wire framework that supports each topiary figure. Gardeners prune the plant material weekly during the growing season. Quick-growing figures are fashioned of sphagnum with creeping fig, as well as a variety of plant materials that include lichen, palm fiber and dusty miller.
The topiary figures of Walt Disney World Resort are a major guest attraction, and Disney gardeners are kept busy year-round with the planting and pruning of these popular ornamental shrubs.
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<font size="1">TOPIARY2/rev:4-26-07:jh
Examples of this gardening whimsy include intricate Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and other character topiaries created from as many as 20 different plants and flowers that appear in different Disney parks throughout the year.
Each spring, during the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, gardeners create new twists on topiary, including leafy characters that move and turn. Traditional hedges and trees stylized geometrically complete the Vacation Kingdomâs topiary picture.
Topiary gardening first became popular more than 2,000 years ago, and it took off like a flying elephant during 17th century Europe. Today, precision pruners at Walt Disney World Resort carry on the topiary tradition with a fanciful twist, fashioning Disneyâs popular characters -- Dumbo included -- of shrub or sphagnum moss and vine with plenty of floral splash.
It was Walt Disney himself who first planted the seed to create topiaries in Disney parks and resorts. Combining the talents of his film animators with those of park gardeners, Disney helped grow the topiary techniques to fit the whimsical theming of his first park, Disneyland. Walt Disney World Resort followed suit, beginning its topiary nursery three years before the resortâs 1971 grand opening.
A menagerie of green or blossoming hippos, panda bears and other critters joins Disney character stars such as Mickey Mouse in the backstage growing areas at the Walt Disney World Nursery. Disney artists create the shapes to become blueprints for the wire framework that supports each topiary figure. Gardeners prune the plant material weekly during the growing season. Quick-growing figures are fashioned of sphagnum with creeping fig, as well as a variety of plant materials that include lichen, palm fiber and dusty miller.
The topiary figures of Walt Disney World Resort are a major guest attraction, and Disney gardeners are kept busy year-round with the planting and pruning of these popular ornamental shrubs.
-30-
<font size="1">TOPIARY2/rev:4-26-07:jh