WDW Fact of the Day 5/12

[alpro2]

The fir trees you see perched atop the Rockies in the Canada pavilion in EPCOT spend three years adapting to the Florida climate before they go onstage, where they are not actually planted, but rather nestled among rocks in large plastic planters. Each tree has an understudy waiting in the wings, so a quick switch can be made in the event that the tree is struck by disease or hit by lightning.

[CanadianWDWFan]

See not all Canadians like the Florida heat!:D

Thanks Alex!:mickey:

[scottgr]

Thats Cool...:thumbsup:

[DisneyorBust]

Interesting! Thanks Alex!

[Jasper]

When I was on the greenhouse tour at the Our Land Pavilion at Epcot several years back there was only one other person on the tour so we really had a great chance to speak in depth with the horticulture staff. And this issue of getting non-native plants to flourish in the Florida climate came up more than once.

At that time the greenhouses we were seeing weren't really for landscaping at the parks but they did tell us all about how they had greenhouses and other facilities on the grounds to "harden off" plants so they could survive the heat and humidity of central Florida. Plus they told us how they had deals with plant companies in places like Canada to always have certain types of plants in specific sizes and quantities to be ready to be shipped to Florida at a moments notice if needed.

Of course, the most interesting thing was how they spent so much time looking for plants that both like the Florida climate and yet resemble plants from other parts of the world. I know this really got a lot of publicity after Animal Kingdom was opened because of the use of the Florida Oaks trimmed to look like certain trees on the African plains! I guess you have to be a plant person to appreciate how you can pull off a plant deception like that.

[vizsla]

Thanks Alex :thumbsup:

[BluewaterBrad]

Thanks Alex!:mickey:

[Jeff]

Cool fact!:thumbsup:

[SgtTigger]

Cool................


Thanks............






:cop: :tigger:

[Mickey91]

Cool!:cool:

[pdrlkr]

:thumbsup: