The Magic of Gardening, the 8th International MG Conference, was held May 29 - June 1, 2001 at the Hilton in the Walt Disney World® Resort. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and maintained, with lots of tropical plants and water features.
The conference, sponsored by University of Florida Extension and Florida Master Gardeners in conjunction with Walt Disney World, provided exciting gardening information through educational programs, workshops, special presentations and exhibits at the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. Attendees were given tote bags filled with complementary products, including a trowel supplied by Fiskars, Inc., Miracle-Gro fertilizer (a product of The Scotts Company), caladium bulbs from Bates Son's and Daughters of Lake Placid, FL, and many other useful items. The American Horticultural Society is giving all registered attendees a complementary one-year membership in that society, which includes a subscription to their magazine The American Gardener.
The program began Tuesday morning with an introductory welcome and remarks by Florida MG Coordinator Tom Wichman, UF administrators, and others on a palm and tropical-plant lined stage, with two giant screen on either side on which was projected the image of the speaker or their visuals to make it easier for the very large audience to see what was going on.
Then
opening keynote speaker Rebecca Kolls entertained the group of over 700,
beginning with tales of her early gardening experiences as a child in her
grandparent's backyard in Utah. She then proceeded to describe her evolution
from meteorologist to TV show host. Her fascination with nature led her to
pursue a degree in atmospheric science from the University of Kansas. After
graduation she worked at TV stations in Utah, became certified as a MG through
the University of Utah, and began incorporating gardening tips into her nightly
forecast as a opportunity to educate a wider audience. Her expertise and screen
presence landed her a job at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis in 1992. She described
in humorous detail the saga of creating the 4,000 ft2 roof-top garden
on the station's downtown building. Hearst Broadcasting lured her away from
weather forecasting by asking her to host a new nationally syndicated TV series
on gardening to premiere in fall 1996. She talked about the program, with
segments taped a year in advance now, showed us a professional
(promotional-style) video on producing the show, that included a lot of fun
out-takes, and then mentioned how so many of the things she focuses on now can
relate back to her grandfather's compost pile and garden. The program Rebecca's
Garden has succeeded probably because she's such a personable and likeable
host, and has spawned several spin-off projects, including books and the website
rebeccasgarden.com.
The rest of that day and the two following days were spent attending a variety of concurrent seminars and workshops. Each was one hour and 15 minutes long – to allow a presentation of an hour with 15 minutes for questions. Breaks were scheduled between each of the sessions so we never felt rushed moving from room to room. Many of the sessions were of interest to gardeners throughout the continent, such as sessions on Plant A Row for the Hungry, Trees & Construction, Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses (by Minnesota MG Coordinator Mary Meyer), Garden Gadgets, Butterfly Gardening, and The Junior Master Gardener Program. The session on Unusual Vegetables and Edibles turned out to be just a laundry list of slightly different cultivars of common garden plants, with almost nothing on cultivation information, and only a few truly unusual plants that I'd never heard of before.
However, a lot of the sessions were focused on gardening in Florida (or at
least areas much warmer than Zones 3-5) and took advantage of local
expertise. Sessions included Bamboo: Its Culture and Use in a Landscape, Palms for Everyone,
The Florida School Garden Competition and Heat
Zone Gardening.
The session on Bromeliads:
Living Color Made Easy was fascinating. Speaker Bud Martin is a
passionate proponent of these interesting plants and provided lots of cultural
information, both for growing outdoors in warm areas and indoors as houseplants in places like Wisconsin. This diverse plant family includes many species that
are quite amenable to culture as a houseplant, all with long-lasting color –
and some not just when flowering. Although
each individual plant blooms only once, and then dies, the inflorescences are
long-lived and the plant produces numerous offsets after flowering that will
then grow up to flower eventually. Many types
are shade-loving plants, so the dim light in homes is just fine for these
plants. Instead of slides, Martin had brought along a lot of gorgeous specimen
plants which the audience could inspect up close after the session, and he had several handouts with additional information. To find out more
about his plants (and business) see Blossom
World Bromeliads.
Another interesting session was
Gardening with Tropical Perennials by
Rick Shoellhorn of the University of Florida. Although his talk was geared to
Florida and the South (95% of the audience was Floridians), most of the plants
he discussed can be grown in the north as houseplants or annuals. He showed
slides of a huge number of interesting plants, while discussing the special
characteristics of each, including specific cultural information and how the
plant would perform under certain conditions. Some of the many plants he spoke
about included Crossandra; a blue-flowered Thunbergia; the
yellow-flowered Allamanda that loves heat, drought and to be rootbound
(good greenhouse plant up here?); the pink-flowered vining Mandevillea
that is easily grown as an annual or pot plant up north (and is increasingly
available at reasonable prices in discount stores, such as Home Depot in
Madison); various species of elephant ears that will form a large tuber (that
can be overwintered indoors) when kept on the dry side; many new cultivars of
Chinese Hibiscus besides the standard red, pink, and orange; and many, many
others too numerous to list here.
I also enjoyed What is New in Ornamental Tropical Foliage? by another University of Florida specialist, Jake Henny. He discussed where and how new plants come from – including tissue culture, collecting around the world, natural sports (mutations) and hybridization. Many of these plants being produced in Florida will eventually make their way to the national market as houseplants: Philodendrons in a variety of sizes and some with colorful leaves; more compact Boston fern and Ficus tree cultivars; rubber trees with dark purple or variegated leaves; an upright, pyramidal Schefflera and one with heavily serrated leaves; a variety of Dieffenbachias with differences in leaf shape, color and patterning, branching patterns, stem and petiole color, and growth characteristics. Innumerable plants are being developed by both University and industry breeders, but not all of the plants will make it to market, regardless of how wonderful they are, if they don't fit growers' production practices, aren't uniform, or don't grow quickly. Look for exciting new houseplant cultivars in a store near you in the future!
Since we were right in the big mouse's backyard,
Disney horticultural specialists also showed up on the program. Gardening
in Miniature showcased some of the efforts of EPCOT gardeners in
creating miniature landscapes and train gardens.
They
use special dwarf cultivars of ordinary plants (often denoted by the term "nana"
in the scientific name) and then trim them to look like mature trees in
miniature. They do NOT do bonsai, which is a completely different art form. Some
of the evergreens they use for the train gardens at EPCOT include dwarf alberta
spruce, junipers, and Arizona little blue cypress. In Florida these plants don't
do well in the heat of summer, and must be replaced frequently. Those that do
survive, however, must also be replaced when they grow too large. They use
inexpensive, small plants since they will be replaced rather quickly. To create
the illusion of itsy-bitsy potted plants, they pinch off the red flowers of Kalanchoe
and put them into a ½ to 1 inch pot (and these will often root in potting soil
to last longer). Other tricks when landscaping around model railroads include
providing excellent drainage to prevent flooding and floating problems; using
basic landscape design principles; and laying out the track first, then adding
the garden around it. Creating miniature dish gardens is based entirely on scale
– the appearance of a small shrub changes to that of a tree with the addition
of a small figurine. Such props can be purchased at model railroad stores,
miniature dollhouse stores, or other places. For these dish gardens try to water
from the bottom (so the props won't be washed away), and
"self-watering" pots are good for this. All the gardens on display
were created around a single plant – many of the same types used for bonsai.
You can create unique themes and use these gardens for centerpieces, gifts, etc.
as remembrances of specific events, locations, or personal interests. Presenter
Doug Hearne had brought several examples where he focused on golf, the seashore,
or
Creating
Topiaries was a hands-on workshop that gave MGs a chance to
create their own topiary with instruction from horticultural professional Wayne
McGonigal. Topiary is training or controlling a plant into a recognizable shape,
not necessarily dwarfing the plant. This can be accomplished by pruning plants
into a specific shape, training plants onto a frame set into the ground (shrub
topiary) or growing plants in moss in a frame (stuffed topiary). Shrub topiaries
are long-lived and most suitable for geometric, rather than detailed, shapes,
but take a long time to develop the shape. Stuffed topiary is the instant
gratification version – the type MGs created here – but the plants require
special maintenance. These stuffed topiaries can be made into intricate shapes,
and is the way most of the topiaries at EPCOT are created – but on a much
larger scale than attempted here. The large animals in the parks can take
several days for a crew to stuff the frame, and more time to plant. A small ball
standard about 6 inches in diameter was the project in this workshop. To create
one of these topiaries, moss is stuffed into a frame and plants are planted into
the moss. McGonigal guided the class through every step so that everyone went
home with a professional-looking stuffed topiary. [More
about topiary]
Container Gardens
Disney Style was one of the last sessions offered. The slide show
focused on horticulture in the Disney parks.
All
horticultural activities follow the Disney philosophies of:
themeing (to create a feel or represent a region – which in many cases must be accomplished with look-alike plants that will grow in Florida)
Some hints provided to create stunning container gardens included choosing a moveable container and providing good drainage; use a piece of ground mat to cover drainage holes to prevent root growth out the bottom and use styrofoam pellets instead of gravel to reduce weight; use a soilless mix for annuals, but include soil for trees or permanent plants; add slow release fertilizer (they use 14-14-14) to the soil mix for annuals and water with a soluble fertilizer weekly; choose plants you like – there are no rules on color combinations; layering plants (planting annuals under trees) and clustering containers together adds more color.
Thursday morning the general session was on Plant Breeding and Genetic Engineering: The Key to Better Plants. Two keynote speakers presented information about plant breeding – both traditional and high tech methods. Dr. Ruth Kobayashi, a plant breeder at Paul Ecke Ranch in southern California, which specializes in poinsettia cultivars, spoke first about "conventional breeding" by selection and hybridization to create new cultivars or plants. She showed slides of many of the new cultivars of poinsettia that have been developed recently. Then Dr. Dave Clark, a UF horticulture professor, focused on biotechnology – as just another tool for the plant breeder, but one that has accelerated the breeding process, since both attempt to achieve the same goals: improved plant characteristics. The first wave of biotech plants focused on "producer traits" (herbicide tolerance or insect resistance) to reduce costs, decrease erosion through reduced tillage, increase yield and farm revenue, and reduce pesticide use. Now biotech is exploring pathogen resistance (primarily viral, since the resistance to fungi and bacteria is multigene and a more complex system) and expanding into other crops (eg. trees that grow faster so they don't accumulate the toxins that must be removed during the paper-making process). A herbicide resistant bentgrass is being developed (more for golf course use than homeowners) for control of Poa annua with Roundup. Improved "consumer traits" will be the emphasis of genetic engineering in crop plants in the future. Some examples include creating better oil quality in certain crops for industrial uses or healthier cooking oils; better nutrition (e.g. golden rice) and pharming (plants with vaccines for edible medicines); improved scent and color (Purdue University is working on rose cultivars with designer colors); longer-lasting flowers by incorporating ethylene-insensitive genes into geraniums and other flowers (ethylene causes the flowers to drop their petals); and improved morphology by changing genetic responses to certain plant hormones (slower growth turfgrass that requires less mowing or non-senescing petunias that are more drought tolerant). In the future most of the bioengineered plants will be determined by consumer demand, rather than just producer input.
Thursday evening was the banquet, featuring the keynote presentation:
A History of
Floral Art by René van Rems. This entertainment was a mixed bouquet
of music, light, flora and on-stage drama designed to transport the audience to
the early 1600's. van Rems, dressed in period costume, took on the persona of
the painter Ambrosius Bosschaert (1573-1621). This great Flemish painter
illustrated the botanical discoveries of the day. Van Rems created
three-dimensional live floral pieces of the 17th century in the Flemish style,
amid an elaborate set overflowing with buckets of flowers flown in to Florida
courtesy of the California Cut Flower Commission – all the while telling the
audience about the flowers as he picked them up and put them into the
arrangements. As he handled the flowers he also discussed the religious
symbolism or herbal properties of the plants, and the artistic significance of
various aspects of the paintings of that time. In most of the paintings of that
time flowers were depicted together in a huge bouquet regardless of whether they
might actually all bloom at the same time, and the good painters attempted to
faithfully depict the botanical characteristics while using multiple layers of paint to
create the illusion of light and air coming through the flowers. After the show
everyone clustered around the stage to get a closer look at the opulent props and gorgeous
flowers.
In addition to all the educational sessions, the
trade show was open on Tuesday and Wednesday. Smaller than some trade shows at
previous IMG conferences (43 vendors), the emphasis seemed to be on tools and
related garden products. Some very nice door prizes were given out at specified
times, and the grand prize drawing at the very end was 2 packages (including
airfare, hotel and registration) to the 2003 IMG Conference. [I don't know who
won – I was busy taking photos after the container gardening session.]
The final event was Friday at Disney's EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of
Tomorrow) and the Epcot
International Flower & Garden Festival. MGs were given special access to
the World Showcase, with 11 countries represented in different pavilions, two
hours before the general public, and Disney horticulturists were on hand to
answer questions. Buses left from the hotel at 7:00 a.m., and soon we were let
off at a special entrance. We were at one side of the World Showcase, and
trooped across the bridge and down into France.
 As might be expected, the
France skyline is dominated by a replica of the
Eiffel
Tower, however the streets which are (again as expected) kept spotlessly
clean by Disney staff, are a long way from the streets of Paris itself. Brightly
colored flowers and majestic shade trees suggest the romance of
springtime in Paris. The urban ambiance of La Belle Epoque, and
architectural style common in the early part of the 20th century is
complemented by long stemmed flowers perfect for a bouquet. Nearby, an
urban forest, reminiscent of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, provides
shady seclusion from the bustle of the city. A neatly trimmed parterre
garden suggests the grandeur of the French country estates, known for
their grand formal vistas. This intricate garden is an example in
miniature of parterre de broderie, or embroidered parterre. It is
patterned after Caster, France. |
 We continued
around the World Showcase, in a counterclock direction, into Morocco.
The Morocco showcase faithfully represents the architecture (all of the
building materials were
actually imported from Morocco, and hand assembled on site) and atmosphere of
this famed African kingdom. Like most Moroccan cities, the pavilion is
divided into two distinct sections. The Ville Nouvelle (New City)
features the Royal Gallery and Tourist Information Office, whereas the Medina
(Old City) hosts the bustling market and tiled landmarks. The Restaurant
Marrakesh offers guests a complete Moroccan dining experience, complete with
exotic belly dancers.
Plants of economic importance (such as dates and citrus), a reflection of the important role that agriculture plays in this country. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sahara desert, Morocco is one of the chief agricultural producers of the area. Hundreds of marigolds in pots and hanging containers (balls of stuffed sphagnum moss planted with little plants) added color throughout the Moroccan souk. |
 Next up was
Japan, with the pavilion dominated by a stunning reproduction of the 8th century
Horyuji Temple. You could compare the two very different garden styles
of the Far East – Japan and, later on, China. In the Japan Showcase,
there is the activity, symbolism and a reverence for nature blended with
painstakingly fastidious maintenance to create a garden with truly
unique beauty. More than 80% of the plants present in this garden are
native to Japan. The authenticity of the garden extends beyond the plant
material – many of the azaleas in the garden are planted with
different colors such as pink and white intermingled rather than as a
solid mass of a single cultivar as you would find in an American garden.
Bonsai specimens could be seen in various locations around the gardens.
The musical clacker garden incorporated bells, chimes, cymbals, drums and other noisemakers to create "music" with directed water. Gently running water fills the hollow bamboo tubes that are set on a fulcrum, and when the weight of the water caused the tube to tip, it bangs against one of the "instruments." These clackers were probably originally used to deter plant-hungry animals. |
 America is the smallest of the showcase countries, and is more a celebration
of the country's history and constitution than anything. Themed within an 18th
century setting, the pavilion features a faithful replica of Philadelphia's
Liberty Hall, outside which a fife and drum band often forms part of the street
entertainment. The traditional architecture of the American Adventure pavilion
is complemented by a landscape that includes many important American
native plants. Formal rows of southern magnolia march down either side
of the pavilion as laurel oaks stand guard in the forecourt. Eastern
sycamores are pleached to form a welcome canopy of shade in summer over
the America Gardens Theatre, and a color scheme of red, white, and blue
add to the patriotic theme.
A Disney horticulturist was answering questions about creating the sphagnum topiary that is a prominent feature not only in this showcase, but in many areas of the park, especially for the International Flower & Garden Festival. A small Mickey frame covered in creeping fig sat on the edge of the pool as a demonstration, even though it wasn't in keeping with the patriotic theme here. Several containers had a beautiful grass growing in them, whose arching inflorescences suggested fireworks in the sky above the red or blue flowers below. Unfortunately none of the horticulturists stationed there knew what type of grass it was. |
 The
gardens of the Italy showcase are
reminiscent of those surrounding a 16th century villa of the Italian
Renaissance. The Italian plaza, or piazza, is a very good reproduction
of one near St. Mark's Square in Venice. Elements of water, stonework,
and greenery with Italian cypress and olive trees give a feel of the
Italian countryside. This garden becomes more of a patio garden by using
authentic terra cotta pots filled with flowering plants throughout the
showcase. Garden statuary is a focal point of this garden and hanging
baskets bring color to eye level. Their texture and soft colors
complement the "old world" aura of the Italian Renaissance.
There are several hundred containers in this pavilion. Disney horticulturists start out with large containers filled with quality soilless potting mix (for annuals) laced with slow-release fertilizer. They then use add blooming plants (from 4" pots) to create an instant plantings. The combinations of plants vary considerably, depending on the illusion they want to create. In the Italian country garden many of the pots use bright green sweet potato vine for contrast with the pink and purple flowers. Many containers incorporate contrasting foliage types, growth shape and color to maximize the impact in a relatively small space. The containers are fertilized weekly with a water soluble fertilizer to keep the plants in top shape. However, regardless of their condition, the plants are replaced every 4 months to create different palettes and invoke different feelings at different times of year (and also because many of the annuals used won't thrive during certain seasons because it's too hot or not warm enough). |
 The
landscape of the Germany showcase
heightens the feeling that you have arrived in a small Bavarian village.
Abundant window boxes, pots of flowers and hanging baskets - all
overflowing with blooming geraniums - bring the beauty and charm of a
country in love with flowers to the platz or plaza. Many of the
geraniums are grown in plastic sleeves filled with sphagnum moss and
then plugged with plants to create the tall colorful columns of flowers.
There were far fewer flowers and containers here than in the Italian
showcase.
In the late fall when the leaves have fallen, the sycamore trees along the promenade show that they have been "pollarded/" A traditional style of pruning, pollarding involves the removal of small branches each year to form a limited number of knob-like stubs, creating a rounded appearance in the summer. The Garden Railway depicts a tour of the Romantic Road from Füssen to Würzburg. Drainage was a big concern when planning the railroad, to prevent flooding and floating problems in Florida's frequent downpours. Very young dwarf alberta spruce create the appearance of a conifer forest – although in Florida these plants must be replaced after 6-12 months since they don't do well in the heat of the summer. Other plants must be replaced when they grow too large for the miniature scale. To create tiny pots of real flowers, Disney gardeners root red kalanchoe flowers in 1" or smaller terra cotta pots. |
 Architecturally,
Norway is well themed, with an authentic reproduction of a
Stave Church (there are only something like 30 real examples of Stave Churches
remaining in Norway). The scale of the church, along with the other buildings in
Norway is emphasized through a very heavily forced perspective, though the
effect works well, even if you are aware of the way it has been achieved. The
stone, wood and tile architecture is complemented by a landscape that
evokes the feel of this very far northwest European country. Deciduous
trees lend a northern feel to the cobblestone plaza. Evergreens help to
convey a sense of the spruce and pine forests of Norway. One building
has a sod roof. in Norway, sod roofs would be found in the countryside
on buildings set into hillsides. The sod roof serves as insulation
against the bitter cold and may be kept in bounds by grazing
animals.
Usually the theme for this pavilion during the Flower Festival is a Christmas theme, with red and white flowers, forced poinsettias and decorated evergreens. But this year designers decided to try something different and use a pastel wildflower theme instead, with small, mildly colored flowers in the meadow garden. The hanging baskets adorning the lampposts were filled with various colored million bells, continuing the pastel theme. The effect was very nice, but not nearly as striking as many of the other more colorful pavilions. |
 Mexico is dominated by a spectacular stepped pyramid which was inspired by
various examples of Meso-American architecture from around the 3rd century.
Reproductions of ancient carvings adorn the pyramid, including a serpent head
representing the ancient god Quetzalcoatl. This Mayan temple is rising out of a
lush Yucatan jungle as it might have appeared years ago. This area holds
the largest collection of tropical and subtropical plants species in the
World Showcase. Tall dense plantings are used to soften the boldness of
the structure. Most of the trees and vines growing here have hot vibrant
colors on the foliage and flowers. To round out our realistic jungle,
bromeliads and philodendron have been added to create the beauty and
splendor of Mexico. The landscaping around the outdoor cafeteria takes
its theme from other regions of Mexico, using a variety of native cacti
and succulents including barrel cactus, agave, and Beaucarnea
recurvata (ponytail palm). |
 We
later visited Canada and United
Kingdom after going through the rest of the park. The steep
rooftops of a 19th chateau in Ottawa peaks over the trees lining the
promenade to the Canada showcase. The "Victoria Garden" was
inspired by the famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C. and uses a
variety of evergreen and deciduous plants to create a
"northern" theme. (It was raining at the time we went through,
so no pictures).
Well-groomed lawns, gabled rooftops, shops along cobblestone streets, and a waterside pub provide a British setting for the UK. This showcase includes a number of different architectural styles, with gardens to match each. The symmetrical planters in an open square park Hyde Park in London, while the knot garden is set in rural England, and Anne Hathaway's cottage has a cottage garden featuring plants that attract butterflies. |
After exiting the World Showcase area, we walked through more beautifully landscaped grounds, and many special exhibits for the International Flower and Garden Festival. Both the entrance to EPCOT and the entrance to the World Showcase featured lots of flowers and many animated feature character topiaries to greet visitors:
One of the big (artificial) lakes had huge floating rafts of impatiens to add color even in the water:
There was also a display of huge insect sculptures created from wood and metal interspersed among the landscape, as well as a few colorful insect topiaries:
Even without the wonderful special floral displays, the landscaping is dramatic and well-maintained. And of course beautiful plants (that we can't grow at home outdoors) are in abundance at every turn:
And near The Land a showstopping display of bright red Amaranthus was planted around one of the pools and the entrance. Outside edible plants of economic importance from around the world were used as landscaping, while indoors one of the rides took guests through their innovative hydroponic greenhouses where food plants are grown in experimental configurations to maximize space. Around this area there were also "Gardening for Food Around the World" displays with small gardens and periodic demonstrations featuring the staple foods of people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the U.S.
It was nearing dark when we headed back to French Island where we had prime viewing space for the evening's IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth show, featuring dazzling special effects, colorful lasers, brilliant fireworks, and fiery torches all choreographed to music. After the show we filed back on to the buses for the short trip back to the hotel after a long, but horticulturally fulfilling day.
The next IMG conference will be held in Cincinnati in 2003. Consult the International Master Gardener Committee website for more details in the future.
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