The EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival features a lot of well-known favorites including themed food and drink options, spectacular Disney character topiaries, the purple martin bird houses, and the Garden Rocks concert series. However, there are a few exhibits tucked away in World Showcase that you may not have noticed before.
Extraordinary Orchids
On the right-hand side of the Mexico pavilion is a slightly hidden trail of multi-colored orchids. Aside from being a popular house plant, most orchids reside in the tropical rainforests. Orchids are considered epiphytes, or air plants, extracting moisture from the humid air. Their roots extend to absorb water and their attractive petals draw in pollinators. You truly feel transported walking through this nature trail of orchids and tropical plants.
Miniature Garden
In the Germany pavilion, close to the model trains, is a collection of rocks, wood, moss, and smaller plants such as succulents. This magical miniature forest includes tiny cottage dwellings that gnomes are said to inhabit. Keep your eyes open for these fairy-tale creatures!
Shishi-odoshi
Within the Japan pavilion, traditional water fountains called Shishi-odoshi, which translates to “scare dear,” delight and amaze all who wander by. These contraptions were constructed to keep away any animals looking for a garden meal. The trickling water fills the bamboo shoots, which in turn creates percussion sounds among instruments tied by string.
Spice Garden
On the right-side of the Morocco pavilion, you’ll find a garden full of sculptures and plants consisting of a variety of spices. Many spices we consider staples such as saffron, mint, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, parsley, and sesame seed are grown in Morocco. These ingredients are used in an assortment of combinations to add flavor to many Moroccan dishes. One such spice mixture, referred to as “ras el hanout,” consists of more than twenty ingredients. This phrase means “head of the shop” and refers to the spices being considered top-shelf in quality.
Shakespeare Garden
Within the UK Pavilion, there lies a garden full of flowers featured in William Shakespeare’s famous plays. Shakespeare would use them to convey a symbolic language to help tell his plays. These plants featured often had different meanings to the people in the Elizabethan era. For example, listed below, the following flowers mentioned in Hamlet held these specific meanings.
Rosemary = Remembrance
Pansies = Thoughts
Fennel = Flattery
Columbine = Deception
Rue = Bitterness
Daisy = Innocence
Violets = Faithfulness
In true Disney spirit, I hope you were able to take away some edutainment and that you’ll get a chance to see these Flower and Garden exhibits in person. If you need help planning your next Disney vacation, remember you can always reach out to Dreams Unlimited Travel at no extra cost!
Emily has a background in the arts and has been going to Disney World since 1992. As a more recent resident of Orlando, her theme park mindset has fluctuated from avid vacationer to local park goer. She enjoys sharing her love and knowledge for all things Disney and can be found on Instagram and TikTok @explorewithemilynicole
