Let’s face it. After this season, we’ve all got a case of the winter blahs. It’s time to push past them and get a peek of the glories of spring to come.
Therefore, I’d like to take you on a quick tour of the new spring plantings that grace Disneyland’s famous gardens and give you names of varieties that you can find to duplicate the look in your own “magic kingdom”. From primroses to pansies, daffodils to radicchio – there’s something for everyone. Come along with me and smell spring in the air!
You notice spring’s arrival as you enter the park. The famous Floral Mickey is bright with deep purple and white violas, while mixed shades of yellow to white pansies (possibly Matrix Yellow Topaz Mix) brightly grace the swirls around it.
As you enter the Main Street’s Town Square and then go on to the hub, plantings of tulips and daffodils wait to greet you.
The sight that greets you as you enter the hub is a cheery one – pink and white snapdragons with Matrix Yellow Primrose pansies, in front of the boxwoods that are permanent plantings.
The interior of the hub boasts a “budding” secret…
These tulips still have some time to go before they show their full colors, but the hints of pink and yellow show how cheery a display this will be! Those Matrix Yellow Primrose pansies, in front, add great highlights to the border. I would mix pink Angelique tulips, yellow single Darwin or Triumph tulips, and either Avalanche or Ice Follies daffodils to get the same look.
The Partners statue at the hub is already blessed with full blooms of pink, painted, (possibly v. FoxTrot) double-flowering tulips!
Also in the hub, baskets of pastel (possibly Mariposa Peach blend) pansies create an eye-level burst of color and romance.
Throughout the park, cool weather-loving primroses, like these blue ones found in Fantasyland, add great color impact wherever it’s needed.
Bursts of color can also be obtained through the use of smaller, less hardy bulbs – like anemones and poppies. This photo is from over at California Adventure, but it shows another great use of color. Orange and yellow poppy varieties are interspersed with blue anemones to create a big impact!
Outside of it’s a small world, the variegated leaves of pink cyclamen lift their butterfly-like blossoms to the sun. They really add variety to the base of the sculpted evergreen topiary and boxwood hedge.
it’s a small world also boasts a couple of wonderful color floral designs, done in blue and white violas. Designs like this require a little advanced planning, but they make a big statement, once all the plants are in flower!
Of course the alpine areas of Fantasyland wouldn’t be complete without the use of daffodils. Here, Salome daffodils, with their pink trumpets, are mixed with traditional “Johnny Jump-Ups” violas, white violas, and white Carpet of Snow allysum.
Turning away from traditional spring flowers, the entrance to Tomorrowland hosts a whole different type of spring horticulture – edible plantings. That’s right. All of the main plantings in this area of the park are consumable in one way or another. The trees are mostly citrus varieties and the beds change with the seasons. Larger, cold weather vegetables are used to create levels of height and texture – such as the artichoke thistles that reach the same level as the permanent privet hedge behind them. The Peacock White ornamental kale and lettuces make for lower level color and texture.
This orange tree is surrounded by Rouge d’hiver – a variety of red, romaine lettuce.
This circular bed, below, hosts a great display of a Tuscan Blue rosemary. Its pale blue flowers indicate that it’s at the peak of flavor for harvesting! Behind the rosemary, a sea of purple sage stands at the feet of young brussel sprout plants.
Other plants create rows of interest. From the curry plant in the front, to lettuces, variegated sage, radishes, and the kale in the back, the subtle change in colors and textures turns the ground into a striped blanket of edible goodness. This is something that is very easy to do in the home garden and doesn’t require a lot of space!
The nice thing about Disney horticulture is that almost all of the plants used are common to your local garden centers. If you put some effort into your search, you can even find some pre-sculpted ornamental shrubs to complete that unique look that the parks offer! If you didn’t plant bulbs, like tulips or daffodils last fall, that’s okay – you can buy those pre-chilled or already sprouting. It costs a little more, but it will create that effect. If you are a seed-starter, vegetable seeds can be started indoors for replanting after the final thaw or you could buy starter plants for that instant gratification.
Hopefully, now that you’ve seen some of the great examples of spring plantings that are happening here at Disneyland, it will inspire you to start planning your own spring displays. Nothing says spring more than a freshly planted garden bed!
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