Gardeners - what is not to be missed at Epcot F & G

[PinkMagnolia]

This is a question especially for gardeners and garden fans. I've never been to Flower & Garden and don't know much about it except for the topiaries. Is there anything I should be sure to check out that is especially interesting? What are your favourite gardens or features? I live in a Zone 4 that is still under snow, so I'm really looking forward to seeing inspiring gardens!

Also, any IG accounts that are Epcot garden-focused that I should check out?

 

[TikiRob]

This might be the most thoughtful question ever asked on Disboards!

As a northerner without a green thumb visiting EPCOT tomorrow, this is the type of insider info I’d like to have!

 

[Skippyboo]

They used to have seminars and such same with Food and Wine. But those never came back after Covid.

There a butterfly garden and smaller gardens areas around the park.

 

[monorailmom]

As a Northerner who just came back today I can share my favorites! I'm a big tea drinker so I love the tea gardens in the UK pavilion. They run free tea garden tours throughout the day, or you can grab a booklet at the pavilion and do it self-guided. Additionally in the garden out back they have a couple of "vintage" topiaries of what they used to look like back when the Festival first started years ago. I think the Italy pavilion has some of the most beautiful flower displays, take your time there and check them out. The Butterfly Garden over by the Land Pavilion is also just beautiful and it's so fun to see all the butterflies. Finally on the walkway from Imagination to World Showcase don't miss the incredible flower quilts that are along the water there, they are stunning!!! Have a wonderful trip and enjoy the sunshine!

 

[mn51]

As a Northerner who just came back today I can share my favorites! I'm a big tea drinker so I love the tea gardens in the UK pavilion. They run free tea garden tours throughout the day, or you can grab a booklet at the pavilion and do it self-guided. Additionally in the garden out back they have a couple of "vintage" topiaries of what they used to look like back when the Festival first started years ago. I think the Italy pavilion has some of the most beautiful flower displays, take your time there and check them out. The Butterfly Garden over by the Land Pavilion is also just beautiful and it's so fun to see all the butterflies. Finally on the walkway from Imagination to World Showcase don't miss the incredible flower quilts that are along the water there, they are stunning!!! Have a wonderful trip and enjoy the sunshine!

Thank you for all of this great info. We will be going soon and this post is so very helpful.

 

[PinkMagnolia]

OP here - we've just gotten back from our Epcot visit and I can report back! I really loved the obvious - flower quilts and topiaries. I spent a lot of time checking out the details of these wonderful displays. I also loved the impatiens towers, vintage topiaries in the UK pavilion and the displays in Communicore Hall.

My absolute favourite, though, was the Bold Bromeliads garden along the entrance ramps to the Land Pavillion. Specifically, there is a Bromeliad tower in between the two ramps that blew my mind. I've only ever seen single Bromeliads as a houseplant, never in the landscape, so this was really cool. Several of the tower Bromeliads were blooming, which were especially beautiful.

I did do the UK tea garden tour, and although it was interesting, it kind of felt like a long promo for the Twining's brand, not necessarily anything about gardening specifically. They did give us tea samples at the end, which was nice. I've always wanted to do the Behind The Seeds tour, but there wasn't enough time this trip.

 

[LoveDaisy]

Thank you for coming back to give an update! I haven’t been in several years and would like to go back (I miss the workshops!). As a gardener I recommend the behind the seeds tour anytime, it doesn’t have to be during F&G. I really enjoyed it.

 

[EsseG]

I took a tour with the Head Gardener before Covid. Four things I remember most vividly and think of during every visit:

1. Planning for each festival begins more than a year out, so her team is already designing topiaries, hanging baskets, flower beds, and floating planters for Food and Wine 2027. Every event, every year has to be different, with a combination of reliable favorite and newly tested plant material. The actual planting may begin in their greenhouses a year prior. The crews work all night, every night to deadhead, prune, tidy, water, and replace plant material to look fresh every morning.

2. She recommends a one zone stretch for home gardeners. I live in 6b, so this means occasionally trying a perennial zoned for 7. EPCOT is like a super-botanical garden to see plants outside your zone and note which ones you'll research later.

3. You probably don't have acres of land, dozens of staff, a huge budget, and an audience of millions, but you do have the ability to note particular color and texture combinations to duplicate at home. When you take inspiration pictures, try to include the plant labels. This year I'm trying an arrangement of ferns around my deck fountains, thanks to Moana's Journey of Water.

4. As a professional horticulturist, she is a big supporter of county extension offices' Master Gardener programs. They provide free research-based information specific to your area through seminars, demo gardens, hotlines, and links to your state agricultural university. Directory