Disney-Landscaping: Summer Edition
Home gardeners find Disneyland more than a place to ride attractions and see fireworks. Around each corner and little alcove grows both familiar and unusual varieties of plants that change with every season. I visited the park in early June and spent time enjoying Disneyland’s summer gardens. Throughout the park I found common perennials used in bold ways and excellent use of drought resistant plants and shrubs, as well as a few plants I’d never seen before.
Hanging flower baskets are a trademark of Disneyland, and Main Street’s lamp posts are dressed in soft pink in early summer.
Enormous baskets of petunias hang from the lamp posts on Main Street. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Here, a small fenced-off area in front of the Matterhorn echoes the landscaping around the mountain.
Echinacea (purple cone flower) coexist peacefully with rosemary, evergreen trees, and ornamental grasses. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Impatiens and pansies are a staple in the home garden, but few gardeners use them in the expansive way Disneyland can.
Delicate impatiens blanket New Orleans Square. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Cool shades of petunias fill the beds around the hub. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Passing through New Orleans Square to Adventureland I came across a beautiful little patch of landscaping with a tall yellow plant as its centerpiece. I had to ask some gardening experts to help me with the identification, as I had never seen anything like it before.
Australian kangaroo paw grow almost unnoticed under Tarzan’s Treehouse staircase. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Fantasyland is the home of many traditional perennials, as well as the flavor of English cottage gardens.
Hollyhock and foxglove compete to grow the tallest in Fantasyland. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Foxglove at its peak. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
The fruit trees and vegetable plants in Tomorrowland are the envy of every gardener.
See Innoventions, have a snack afterwards. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Corn waving in the breeze. Carrots are planted in between the stalks. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
I was impressed with Disneyland’s use of drought resistant plants throughout the park. Californians take special interest in plants and shrubs that will grow well with little water since our state is so dry, and the park has some excellent examples of plants that are not only hardy but beautiful as well.
A mammoth butterfly bush begins to tickle the Monorail track. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Drought resistant ornamental grass lines the Autopia speedway. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Robust yellow cannas line the pathway to Adventureland. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Of course, no garden tour of Disneyland is complete without a look at a rose garden. Around Sleeping Beauty Castle, the roses are looking particularly lush.
Roses in full bloom around the castle moat. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Blossoms open with a creamy yellow center, then fade to a soft pink. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
One of my favorite garden spots in Disneyland is tucked away between “it’s a small world” and the Matterhorn. I love the mature foliage of the evergreens, splashes of color from the bougainvilleas, and the use of the small waterfalls into the lagoon to add interest.
A lovely alcove between the Matterhorn and “it’s a small world.” Bougainvilleas, cyprus, and rosemary grow under the shade of a massive olive tree. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
I hope this little taste of Disney landscaping has inspired you to look at your own garden with fresh eyes at the possibilities. Summer is a great time to visit your local nursery and try something new. If nothing else, check out the plants the next time you are waiting in a long attraction queue. I guarantee you will see something new and beautiful along the way.
