Did You Ever Notice? Here Are Botanical Easter Eggs to Look for When You Return to Disneyland.
The park may have been closed for a year, but the horticulture team was as busy as ever.
Courtesy of Disneyland Resort
More than 3,000 species of plants indigenous to 40 nations grow at the Disneyland Resort, making it one of the most extensive and diverse botanical locales in the western United States.
The over 70,000 flowering plants and 3,000 shrubs and perennials at Disneyland—that’s not even counting the hotel gardens, or Disney’s California Adventure—don’t care about pandemics or quarantines. Even though Covid-19 safety measures shut down the park for a whopping 412 days, the massive “Horticulture and Resort Enhancement Team” was hard at work consistently caring for the garden, waiting not-so-patiently for the guests to return and enjoy the result of their efforts. Now that the park is open again, here’s what you need to know.
Courtesy of Disneyland Resort
While plant life may take a backseat to the main attractions, there’s no denying that the garden is a thing to behold. Throughout Tomorrowland, vegetables and herbs are used to create colorful landscapes and may hold a few inspired edible gardening ideas, if you look closely. And regular park-goers might notice something new around the pathway to the Haunted Mansion.
In the pet cemetery, Walt Disney Imagineers worked with the Horticulture team to reinforce the story-telling with plants. Each creature “buried” there has its own collection of themed flora. Magical toad lilies now surround the marker for a frog named Old Flybait. Society Garlic is a purple flowered plant that looks pretty but smells, well, a little stinky. It was planted in remembrance of a skunk named Stripey. Its tombstone reads “Your presence will always linger on.”
Courtesy of Disneyland Resort
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Can’t get enough of that garden? Die-hard Disney Fanatics can recreate a little of that magic at home by planting the official Disneyland rosebush, a compact bush that also works in containers and producers vibrant and fragrant apricot and pink blooms.
Courtesy of Disneyland Resort
