{"id":38175,"date":"2015-03-25T13:00:50","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T17:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=38175"},"modified":"2022-05-04T20:29:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T00:29:19","slug":"epcot-flower-garden-festival-comes-food-frozen-top-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/epcot-flower-garden-festival-comes-food-frozen-top-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Epcot Flower and Garden Festival comes with Food and Frozen on Top! – A Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Anna and Elsa Topiary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 22nd<\/sup> annual Epcot Flower and Garden Festival<\/a> officially kicked off this month on March 4. This year saw many changes, but the new highlight was that the Frozen girls, Anna and Elsa, now appear in topiary form and can be seen center stage at the entrance to World Showcase.<\/p>\n

According to Eric Darden, Horticultural Content Manager, it was quite a challenge to capture the sense of Elsa\u2019s blue Snow Queen gown with plants. A variety of ficus, which comes in many shades, was used to create shimmering effects. The entirety of the display shows the story of the transformation from winter to summer in the landscaping around the Frozen royals, with flowers melding from hues of blues and whites to bright colors. I admit I was smitten and really liked it a lot.<\/p>\n

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Mickey and Minnie topiary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While experiencing the event this year, I was relieved to see at the main entrance garden that Goofy, Pluto, Daisy, Donald, plus Chip and Dale were the stars and I loved the Farmer Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse topiary found in Future World.<\/p>\n

Other returning favorites included some of the classic Disney Princesses as well as beloved characters from The Lion King, Peter Pan and Bambi. This year Cinderella and Prince Charming stand under the clock in the France Pavilion and I thought it was very fitting. In addition, Belle and the Beast were front and center at the water fountains in France.<\/p>\n

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Cinderella with her Prince as well as Belle and the Beast were relocated this year. Fleur de Lys Pulled Duck confit with garlic and parsley potatoes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As for the annual Butterfly House \u2013 it was a real letdown and I simply did not understand why so little thought went into the overall d\u00e9cor of the house. I am not talking about the amount of butterflies present; I am talking about the decoration inside the house.<\/p>\n

Many areas were simply devoid of flowers or topiaries and a far cry away from last year’s beautiful fairy houses that were incredible and inspiring. I photographed pictures of every fairy house last year dreaming of the day when I would be able to replicate some of them in my backyard.<\/p>\n

(Editor’s note: This year’s Butterfly House actually has a new theme\/sponsor overall and is now called Butterflies on the Go. For those of you looking for Tinker Bell, you can still see her in topiary form right outside the entrance to the Butterfly House, but the house itself is no longer themed after the famous fairy.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Year of the Sheep – China Pavilion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the small new gardens were interesting but in areas that really did not stand out such as the \u2018Trial Garden\u2019 or the \u2018Prehistoric Plants\u2019 garden. I was disappointed to see that the \u2018Pollinator\u2019s Paradise with Winnie the Pooh Topiary\u2019 and the \u2018Miss Piggy Topiary and Tour de Fleurs Garden\u2019 were labeled as NEW; To me NEW means what the word implies. These two were certainly not new \u2013 if anything they were missing accessories such as Pooh’s friends and in the case of Miss Piggy \u2013 Kermit the Frog. One new topiary display though was found in China to represent the Year of the Sheep.<\/p>\n

On a positive note here are a few facts: Over 30-million blooms, 240 floating mini-gardens, nearly 100 Disney character topiaries, 30 flower towers, 10 new themed gardens still turn Epcot into one enchanted place.<\/p>\n

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Shakespeare Garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My favorites among the new gardens were\u00a0Shakespeare garden at the United Kingdom pavilion, the Health & Healing garden at Future World West, the Pizzeria Garden at the Italian Pavilion and the Bold Bromeliads display at Showcase Plaza.<\/p>\n

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Urban Farm at Epcot Flower and Garden Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While not new, the Urban Farm garden located at Future World West just before reaching World Showcase was my favorite garden. Visitors can learn about aquaponics, a combination of harvesting fish and hydroponically growing vegetables in a recirculating system. The garden was simply amazing and would have deserved being labeled NEW as so much was indeed new.<\/p>\n

At the adjacent Urban Farm Eats kiosk my favorite dish was Kale Salad with dried cherries, almonds and goat cheese with white balsamic vinaigrette ($3.50). Other dishes of note were a Quinoa vegetable \u2018naanwich\u2019 with arugula pesto and oven dried tomatoes ($4.25) and the Ghost Pepper dusted Tilapia with crisp Winter Melon Slaw ($4.75).<\/p>\n

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Delicious Kale Salad from Urban Farm Eats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New Name for the annual concert series at Epcot Flower and Garden Festival:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Flower Power Concerts have been renamed \u2013 long live the Garden Rocks Concerts<\/a>! During the 75-day Flower and Garden Festival the America Gardens Theater each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is host to the Garden Rocks concerts. The concerts are held at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and at 8:00 p.m. Here is the lineup for the remaining weekends:<\/p>\n