Topiaries from the Flower & Garden Festival

A collection of topiary photos from the 18th Annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, running for 75 days from March 2 to May 15, 2011.

TO INFINITY AND….: Buzz Lightyear from the Disney Pixar “Toy Story” movies strikes a pose in topiary form. Buzz joins his pal Woody at the entrance garden in front of the park. Dozens of character topiaries join stunning floral displays, workshops, the Flower Power concert series and presentations by HGTV personalities – all included in regular Epcot admission. (Gene Duncan, photographer).

HOWDY PARDNER: Woody the Pullstring Cowboy from the Disney Pixar “Toy Story” movies strikes a pose at the entrance garden in front of the park, greeting guests to the festival . (Gene Duncan, photographer).

TAIL-WAGGERS: Lady and the Tramp add to the magnificent topiary displays which features dozens of character topiaries, stunning floral displays, workshops, the Flower Power concert series and presentations by HGTV personalities – all included in regular Epcot admission. (Gene Duncan, photographer).

HGTV Design Celebrities and Disney Character Heroes Headline Flower & Garden Festival March 2-May 15

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- While Woody and Buzz battle the latest toy villain, HGTV's design gurus just might give their toy box a stylish makeover. As the lead toys of the Disney(Pixar film "Toy Story 3" take the art of Disney topiary "to infinity and beyond" for the 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 2-May 15, HGTV adds star power to the festival lineup.

 

Genevieve Gorder, Vern Yip and a constellation of HGTV stars bring their flair for design to the festival with weekend appearances covering a variety of design and landscaping topics. Meanwhile, the floral facsimiles of Buzz Lightyear, Woody and their nemesis Lotso the strawberry-scented teddy bear will welcome guests at the Epcot World Showcase front entrance garden.

As part of the HGTV sponsorship, the Festival Center will open daily with entertaining presentations and Disney gardening workshops. And Bambi's Butterfly Garden expands to accommodate more butterflies, plants and  guests in celebration of the upcoming release of "Bambi" Diamond Edition on Blu-ray Hi-Def.
Also new at the festival:

• At Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden, favorite Disney Fairies will pose for photos and sign autographs throughout the day. Young fans who enter this whimsical garden also discover play structures for children ages 2-5.
   
• Sleek floral topiaries of "Cars 2" stars Mater and Lightning McQueen will shine at the World Showcase Plaza in anticipation of the June 24 release of the original film's sequel.
   
• A Hundred Acre Wood wildflower display sets the scene for topiaries of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and pals, set to appear in the "Winnie the Pooh Movie" this summer.

More information about the 18th 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.

2011 Flower Power Concert Series Returns with Favorite Pop, Rock & Roll, R&B Hit-Makers

The Flower Power Concert Series is back at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival this spring. Which means artists involved with hit songs of the 1960s through the '90s will be on stage each Friday-Sunday from March 4 through May 15, 2011.

Collectively, the 11 artists performing this spring at Walt Disney World Resort were involved in 133 Billboard Top 40 hits -- 58 Top 10s including 16 No. 1 chart-toppers.

Biggest hit-makers in the lineup: Chubby Checker (22 Top 40s) and Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone (18). Newcomers Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., a husband-wife duo, were founding members of the '60s-'70s group The 5th Dimension that produced 20 Top 40 hits.

This year's lineup includes one other newcomer: Melissa Manchester.

Performances are at America Gardens Theatre at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. each Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the 18th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Here's the lineup (subject to change without notice):

• March 4-6 -- Jose Feliciano
• March 11-13 -- The Guess Who
• March 18-20 -- Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
• March 25-27 -- Melissa Manchester
• April 1-3 -- Starship starring Mickey Thomas
• April 8-10 -- Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
• April 15-17 -- Juice Newton
• April 22-24 -- Ricky Nelson Remembered featuring The Nelsons
• April 29-30, May 1 -- Paul Revere & The Raiders
• May 6-8 -- Davy Jones
• May 13-15 -- Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone

Flower Power performances are included with Epcot admission. For additional information about the festival, visit disneyworld.com/flower.

HGTV Sponsors 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Star Designers Bring Expertise to New HGTV Stage

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2011) -- HGTV kicks up the "curb appeal" of the 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 2 through May 15 with a first-time sponsorship featuring weekend appearances by its acclaimed designers and landscaping experts. The star-studded lineup includes Genevieve Gorder, Lisa LaPorta, Kim Myles, Brian Patrick Flynn, Taniya Nayak, Ahmed Hassan, Patti Moreno, Michele Beschen, John Gidding, Frank Fontana, and Vern Yip.

The country's leading home and lifestyle television brand brings an addictive blend of design, decorating and landscaping inspiration to the enduring, 75-day gardening extravaganza at Walt Disney World Resort.

At the Festival Center presented by HGTV, popular celebrity experts will appear each Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival on the HGTV Stage. The HGTV hosts will deliver valuable tips to Disney guests on topics including "Mobile Gardens," "Secrets to Bringing Indoor Style Outside" and "Gardening with Kids."

"We are thrilled to welcome HGTV and so many of the network's great Talent to Epcot this spring," said Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot. "HGTV's design and gardening personalities add an exciting, and entertaining new element to a festival that reinvents itself year after year."

As part of the sponsorship, HGTV also will present a new, twice-its-previous-size Bambi's Butterfly House along the Future World Imagination Walkway. Inside this popular festival stop are hundreds of native butterflies and character topiaries from the timeless Disney classic film, "Bambi." This year's display celebrates the upcoming release of "Bambi" Diamond Edition, for the first time on Blu-ray Hi-Def.

"People visit Disney for a memorable experience where they are inspired, enlightened and entertained," said Jim Samples, president, HGTV. "Our star designers will provide just such an experience for the Disney guest during The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival presented by HGTV.  Disney is the ideal venue and destination for us to connect face-to-face with our passionate viewers."

The HGTV celebrity lineup includes:

Genevieve Gorder, HGTV Design Star and Dear Genevieve (March 4-6)
The Art of Sculpting Space

Lisa LaPorta, Designed to Sell (March 11 - 13)
Design It Yourself: Easy-to-follow Tips for Designing Your Favorite Rooms

Kim Myles, Myles of Style (March 18 - 20) The 5 DIY Secrets That Can Transform Any Space

Brian Patrick Flynn, Design Happens, HGTV.com (March 25-27)
Mobile Gardens

Taniya Nayak, Designed to Sell and Destination Design (April 1-3)
Adding Value to Your Home Without Breaking the Bank

Ahmed Hassan, Yard Crashers (April 8-10)
Life, Love and Landscaping

Patti Moreno, Garden Girl, HGTV.com (April 15-17)
Gardening with Kids: Fun Seed Starting Projects

Michele Beschen, B. Original (April 22-24)
When Nature Calls: Creative, Back-to-Basics Style for All Things Natural and Decorative

John Gidding, Curb Appeal: The Block (April 29-30, May 1)
The Design Process: Curb Appeal Projects from Concept to Construction

Frank Fontana, Design on a Dime (May 6-8)
Beautiful on a Budget: High Style, Low-Cost Secrets to Bringing Indoor Styling Outside

Vern Yip, HGTV Design Star (May 13-15)

Top Design Trends Made Affordable and Accessible

Dozens of Disney character topiaries are back by popular demand at this year's festival. Woody, Buzz Lightyear and chief villain Lotso of the Oscar-nominated Disney blockbuster, "Toy Story 3," make their first topiary appearance in front of Spaceship Earth at the park's front-entrance garden. Topiary craftsmen also will debut floral versions of Lightning McQueen and Mater, stars of "Cars 2," to be released in theaters this June.

Flower Power concerts will rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre stage three times each Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening with popular acts like Davy Jones and Chubby Checker & The Wildcats. New-to-the-festival performers will include Melissa Manchester, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
More information about the 18th 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, presentations and exhibits, is included in regular Epcot admission.

About HGTV
HGTV, America's leader in home and lifestyle programming, is distributed to more than 99 million U.S. households and is one of cable's top-rated networks.  HGTV's website, HGTV.com, is the nation's leading online home-and-garden destination, which attracts an average of more than 5 million unique visitors per month.In addition to its own celebrity stage appearances, HGTV will present the popular twice-daily Disney Gardening at Home series, where guests can join a workshop and take home projects ranging from hanging baskets to water garden features. The Festival Center's HGTV Theater will present a special-engagement film featuring tips and hints from HGTV shows.