Spring and summer mean a lot of things to a lot of people: warmer temperatures, the beach, and vacations come to mind right away. In this neck of the woods, particularly in this writer's household, in addition to all of those fun things, spring and summer are also a time for getting the garden in shape. Each year my lovely wife, Diane, transforms our property into a truly dazzling landscape of colors. As people walk through the neighborhood and pass our home they can't help but stop and gaze, and pass a kind comment or two. It's a labor of love for Diane. She puts a tremendous amount of time and effort into making it special and the results are pretty amazing.
Flowers bloom in the dappled shade of my wife's amazing gardens. Photo by Chris Barry.
Walt Disney World means a lot of things to a lot of people as well. That list is practically endless, but I wonder if the average Disney visitor takes the time to appreciate something that Disney does remarkably well—create positively glorious gardens. The Disney horticulturists are quite amazing and the results of their hard work and dedication to their craft may go unnoticed by many guests. The Disney gardeners are true Imagineers. Using the ground as their canvas and plants and flowers as their artistic medium, they take the ordinary and turn it into the extraordinary on a daily basis.
One of Walt's original inspirations for Disneyland was a place called Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, which is known as much for its beautiful landscaping as it is for its rides and attractions. Walt wanted the lands in his magic kingdom to be authentic; beautiful landscaping and gardens were crucial to the lasting image and type of escape he wished for his guests. To this day, the parks that bear Walt Disney's name have kept up the tradition of beautiful trees, flowers, and plants.
My Disney experience, as usual, is relegated to Florida. Walt's amazing resort in Orlando is filled with gardens everywhere you look, and not just during the annual Flower and Garden Festival in Epcot. All year long, Disney's parks and resorts in central Florida transport you to a truly magical world populated by world-class examples of flora. Let's take a look at my Top 5 Walt Disney World Gardens.
5 – Tangled Rest Area – Magic Kingdom
An idyllic brook flows through the Tangled rest area. Photo by Chris Barry.
It's hard to even define this area of Fantasyland. Its essential purpose is to house a set of restrooms, but leave it to the Disney wizards to conjure up a spectacularly beautiful little world for you to experience on your way to said restrooms. The Tangled theme is wonderfully done throughout this rest area, but it's the gardens that really make it shine and come to life. Pass through here on your way into or out of Fantasyland, but be sure take it slowly and soak up all of the beauty that surrounds you here. There are benches to sit on and phone charging stations carefully hidden into the woodwork, so you can spend a little time here and listen to the water flow through the stream while you admire the beautiful flower beds along its banks.
4 – Silver Creek – Disney's Wilderness Lodge
The view from our Wilderness Lodge balcony overlooks Silver Creek. Photo by Chris Barry.
All of the Disney resorts have fantastic landscaping and flowers, but to me the Wilderness Lodge—nestled on the natural shores of Bay Lake—really stands out the most. The rockwork, flowers, babbling brook, and path leading from the main lobby down to the pool is just gorgeous. My wife and I were so fortunate to have this exact garden path as the view off of our balcony on our grown-ups only trip together several years ago. The only thing better than strolling along this path is being able to sit there each day and have it as your own “personal” garden during your stay. Each morning we had breakfast on the balcony with the sound of the water trickling by while looking out over the lake and woods off in the distance. It's a pretty special spot.
3 – United Kingdom – Epcot's World Showcase
The beautiful gardens of the UK pavilion reflect their distinctive British style. Photo by Chris Barry.
Narrowing down the gardens of World Showcase is incredibly difficult. Each of the 11 countries featured around the lagoon has its own beauty, but it's the classic English cottage garden in the UK pavilion that always entrances me on each visit. The flowers perfectly compliment the quaint British architecture, especially in the garden out behind The Tea Caddy and Queen's Table shops. The flowers and gardens carry you throughout the pavilion back towards the hedge maze surrounding the gazebo. It's really one of the most beautiful and tranquil spots in all of Walt Disney World.
2 – Discovery Island Trails – Disney's Animal Kingdom
It could be argued that the entire Animal Kingdom theme park is one immense garden. Nowhere else on Walt Disney World property has so much attention been put into landscaping. On opening day there were more than four million individual plants throughout the park. Everywhere you look the plant life plays an integral part in how you experience this amazing place. When you think about it, considering just how many examples of flora not just fauna exist here, they could have called it Disney's Animal and Plant Kingdom, but that doesn't quite roll off the tongue now does it? Still, the amount of plants and flowers that surround you here is staggering.
A waterfall on Discovery Island that takes some meandering to uncover. Photo by Chris Barry.
If I have to choose a favorite area, it would be the trails that surround the park's icon, the Tree of Life. There's one particular waterfall nestled in the jungle-like setting that is a truly magnificent little spot. Go off the beaten path next time you're there and seek it out.
1 – Canada – Epcot's World Showcase
When I think of Canada, I don't immediately think of gardens. When I think of the Canada pavilion in Epcot however, I instantly think of the beautiful Victoria Gardens, one of the most extensively manicured gardens on Walt Disney World property. Modeled after the world famous Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, it's amazing how many people just pass them by on their way either to dine at Le Cellier, or to view the O Canada film. This is one of those places where you should take your time, stroll through, and appreciate the immaculate and stunning work the Disney gardeners have done. The rockwork and waterfalls beyond the garden are pretty impressive as well. It's a wonderful place and now that the Magic Kingdom Rose Garden is gone, it's become my favorite garden in all of Walt Disney World.
Victoria Gardens in full bloom are an homage to their Canadian inspiration, Butchart Gardens. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
This list was difficult to construct. I could have easily done a Top 5 gardens in just Epcot's World Showcase alone. There are so many beautiful spots to choose from that didn't make my list but were so very close. The koi pond and rock garden in Japan, for instance, is a wonderful spot to sit and have lunch. As soon as you enter Epcot you're greeted by an impressive garden with Spaceship Earth as an incredible backdrop. The grounds of the Polynesian Village Resort are fantastic, especially surrounding the Great Ceremonial House. Some of the prettiest landscaping yet has most recently been put into place in New Fantasyland surrounding Beast's Castle, Belle's Cottage, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It's really a never ending list.
If you were so inclined, you could probably spend an entire vacation touring Disney's gardens and not even visit an attraction or go on a ride. I didn't even touch on the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival each spring, when they take the already beautifully manicured Epcot and literally blanket it in an explosion of color. It's a remarkable sight for sure, but what really impresses me is what the Disney gardeners and horticulturists do all year long. They take the most magical place on Earth and turn it into one of the most beautiful places on Earth and I think what they do gets all too often overlooked.
So, the next time you're walking down Main Street U.S.A., or meandering down Sunset Boulevard, or heading back to your room from the Riverside Mill at Port Orleans with your full mugs in hand make sure to stop and smell the roses (I'm sorry, but I have to say it). Appreciate just how much work and artistry go into the many gardens, landscaped areas, flower boxes, hanging baskets, and overall horticultural beauty of Walt Disney World and maybe you'll find some favorites of your own to love and enjoy.
Do you pass by them on your way to the next FastPass reservation or do you notice the gardens of Walt Disney World? As usual, I'd like to hear what you have to say. Click on the link below; let me hear your thoughts and I'll see you next time with another Disney Top 5.
