LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The 17th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off March 3 – earlier than ever – and continues for 75 days through May 16, 2010, with bold strokes of seasonal color and brand-new topiary whimsy. Last year’s festival began March 18; now Walt Disney World guests get a head start on the gardening season as they explore exhibits and activities geared toward discovery and outdoor fun.

Even before spring has sprung, Donald Duck and his topiary pals set up camp in full floral color to celebrate the Great Outdoors at the Epcot front entrance. The elaborate topiary with a North American theme, live waterfall and pond features Goofy in a fly-fishing misadventure, Daisy Duck roasting marshmallows over a campfire and Pluto in his “pup tent.” It’s a must-stop photo op for guests as soon as they pass through the park turnstiles. Packing more floral punch this year, the festival showcases nearly 100 expertly crafted topiaries – including a new American Gothic Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

“The advantage of starting earlier is that we’ll be able to feature more brilliant color than ever, with richly hued petunias, violas, snapdragons and other hardy flowers,” says festival horticulture manager Eric Darden. “By starting earlier and going through mid-May, it allows more guests than ever to experience the festival and to plan ahead for their spring and summer gardening.”

New This Year!

Special gardens, events and children’s play areas throughout the park offer more reasons to visit the 17th annual festival:

· New “Community Garden” – Disney’s “fab five” topiary pals – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy – gather at American Adventure to tend tomatoes, beans, peppers, herbs and other edibles in their first Community Garden for a salute to the many community gardens being planted across the country.

· Newly Expanded Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden – Colorful topiaries of Tinker Bell and friends from Walt Disney Pictures’ latest DVD release “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” will sprinkle pixie dust over this playful, expanded garden for kids. New characters on display with returning fairy favorites are fast-flying, sharp-tongued Vidia and charming Terence, dispenser of pixie dust. Tinker Bell’s Nook has hands-on activities. In a synergistic turn, the “Lost Treasure” DVD includes a bonus feature on “The Making of the Fairy Garden,” featuring Disney cast members who designed and built Pixie Hollow, along with the movie’s producer and director, who helped plan the garden.

· Fawn’s Butterfly House at Pixie Hollow – Formerly known as Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly House, the butterfly garden this year is part of the Expanded Pixie Hollow and named after fairy Fawn from the popular Tinker Bell films. Hundreds of butterflies will flit among the lush foliage, and guests can wander and watch as winged beauties of multiple species light on flowers filled with nectar and as caterpillars emerge from their chrysalis in a special discovery exhibit.

· First-Ever American Gothic Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse – Topiary experts pull out all the stops to create an American Gothic Mickey and Minnie topiary scene based on the 1930 Grant Wood painting. At World Showcase Plaza.

Throughout the festival, nearly 100 topiaries plus sweeping floral beds and exhibits will decorate the park landscape and showcase the extraordinary craftsmanship of Disney gardeners. A Fragrance Garden at the France pavilion will tell the “love story” of plants and perfume, and the art of bonsai will “wow” guests at the Japan showcase.

Festival highlights also include:

· Flower Power concerts – Popular bands will rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. Jose Feliciano is scheduled to kick off the concert series March 5-7. On subsequent weekends, the lineup is slated to feature pop favorites like Davy Jones, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats, Tony Orlando, former Boston lead singer Fran Cosmo, and other top acts.

· Disney Gardening at Home presentations – Disney horticulturists will share gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity.

· The Great American Gardeners series – Gardening celebrities and authors from across the country will reveal their gardening secrets. Opening weekend, Robert Bowden, author and director of lush Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, kicks off the series.

· The Garden Town Festival Center – Guests can shop for festival merchandise, attend speaker presentations and demonstrations and ask gardening questions of the experts.

· Special Festival Celebrations – An Art in the Garden celebration of plein air artists is scheduled March 26-28; a Florida Farmer’s Market celebration is April 23-25, and the popular I Dig Bugs event is set for April 30-May 2.

More information about the 17th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is available by calling 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639) or by visiting disneyworld.com/flower. The festival, including all gardening programs and exhibits, is included in regular Epcot admission.

2010 Flower Power Concert Schedule:

Epcot becomes a living jukebox featuring hit songs of the 1960s through the 1990s each Friday through Sunday of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort.
That’s when America Gardens Theatre presents Flower Power concerts – a series showcasing artists and groups involved in recordings that climbed the Billboard charts in years gone by. The 11 weekends of the 2010 Flower & Garden Festival will feature acts that produced 126 Top 40 hits – including 16 releases that topped the charts.

March 5-7 – Jose Feliciano
March 12-14 – Paul Revere & The Raiders
March 19-21 – David Cassidy
March 26-28 – Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
April 2-4 – Tony Orlando
April 9-11 – Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
April 16-18 – Ricky Nelson Remembered Featuring the Nelsons
April 23-25 – Atlanta Rhythm Section
April 30-May 2 –Fran Cosmo (former lead singer of Boston)
May 7-9 –Davy Jones
May 14 – 16 – Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
(Entertainment is subject to change without notice)

The groups’ shows at America Gardens Theatre are on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. They are included with Epcot admission.

2010 Events Line Up:

March 5-7
Disney Gardening at Home: Easy-To-Do Water Features
Great American Gardeners: Florida Fruit & Vegetable Gardening (Robert Bowden)

March 12-14
Disney Gardening at Home: Fun Family Gardening Projects
Great American Gardeners: The Truth about Garden Remedies (Jeff Gillman)

March 19-21
Disney Gardening at Home: What’s Old Is New
Great American Gardeners: Gardening with Heirloom Seeds (Lynn Coulter)

March 26-28
Disney Gardening at Home: Butterfly House-How To Create a Pollinator. Great American Gardeners: The Small-Budget Garden (Maureen Gilmer)

April 2-4
Disney Gardening at Home: Disney’s Horticulture Past-Festival Favorites. Great American Gardeners: Bringing Nature Home (Douglas Tallamy)
April 9-11

Disney Gardening at Home: Irrigation ‘How To’
Great American Gardeners: Stylish Sheds & Elegant Hideaways (Debra Prinzing)

April 16-18
Disney Gardening at Home: Creating Backyard Garden Retreats
Great American Gardeners: Sweet Herbal Recipes & the Creative Herbal Home (Susan Belsinger)

April 23-25
Disney Gardening at Home: Disney’s Top Picks for Mixed Containers
Great American Gardeners: His & Hers–What Makes a Great Garden (Tom & Joani MacCubbin)

The opening-weekend Great American Gardeners presenter, Robert Bowden, is executive director of Orlando’s Harry P. Leu Gardens, which features 50 acres of southern-styled gardens.

Disney Gardening at Home is presented at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each Friday-Sunday, with Great American Gardeners at 12 noon and 3 p.m. on those days. All sessions take place at the festival’s Garden Town, located adjacent to Mission: SPACE at Epcot. The opportunity to attend sessions is included with Epcot admission.

Flower & Garden Festival Photos:

Scenic View Bank of Flowers Spaceship Earth Floating Pots Beauty & the Beast Display Chip Mrs. Potts Belle The Beast Cogsworth Lumiere Snow White Three Caballeros Goofy, Pluto & Donald Timon & Pumba Dalmatian Puppy More Puppies Miniature Village

Canadian Geese Canada Panda Bear Goofy Stitch Lady & Tramp Tinkerbelle Sorcerer Mickey Fantasia Display Buckets of Violets Minnie Close-up Mickey & Minnie Pluto Troll Sea Serpent Future World Display Ducks Butterfly

Bonus Material:

Spaceship Earth Flower & Garden Wallpaper.

Special thanks to everyone who contributed photos for this page.