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Blooming bulbs, colorful gardens, and more than 100 topiaries will spring up during the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival April 19-June 2. The six-week festival, which has more new elements than ever before, also features presentations by horticultural experts plus special musical fun.

"Now is a great time to come out to Epcot and celebrate spring at the International Flower & Garden Festival!" said Brad Rex, vice president of Epcot. "With all the new elements, incredible flower displays and wonderful entertainment, the festival is especially fun for families to enjoy together. I can't wait to bring my family here to see the 30 million flowers, hear the wonderful music and watch my children have fun at the Kids Garden and Kids Zone."

The festival is busting at the seams with new and bigger displays such as the largest Floating Gardens in festival history, Terrific Trees, Florida Dooryard Garden and Power of Flowers. For "budding" gardeners, the Kids Garden features story telling and favorite character topiaries from Disney films.

Another new highlight to this year's festival is a special tribute to Walt Disney and his contributions as a pioneer in animation. A Topiary Salute to 100 Years of Magic features Disney classics such as "Steamboat Willie," "Flowers and Trees," "101 Dalmatians" and "Fantasia." The 100 Years of Magic celebration, going on now until Dec. 31 at Walt Disney World Resort, honors the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney's birth with new attractions and entertainment at all four theme parks.

In addition to the special topiary display, festival guests will enjoy: the Great American Gardeners Speaker Series featuring tips from experts such as Paul James, host of HGTV's "Gardening By the Yard"; award-winning displays; kid-friendly activities such as ladybug and butterfly releases; and handy horticulturists who can answer gardening questions.

The festival fun continues into the evening with the "Flower Power" concert series, which rocks with groups popular in the 60s and 70s and 80s such as Davy Jones, who appears opening weekend. Others scheduled to appear include The Turtles, Paul Revere and The Raiders, and Arlo Guthrie.

Here are some more highlights of this year's festival:

What's New

* Kids Garden: Storybook Adventures -- Children will enjoy topiaries and favorite Disney stories such as "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast." Young gardeners can also participate in special crafts, and ladybug releases.

* Floating Gardens -- The 2002 festival will feature 75 additional floating gardens, bringing the total for the festival to nearly 200.

* Florida Dooryard Garden -- This display features five different architectural styles found in Florida and showcases plants that can be used to create them.

* Power of Flowers -- A colorful display of more than 15,000 bedding plants.

* Terrific Trees -- Guests can learn how to select the perfect trees for accenting and for shade, how to plant them and what to look for in a nursery. A variety of trees will be on display.

* Tip Top Turf -- A visit with specialists in the turf garden will result in tips for a perfect, green lawn.

* New Displays in World Showcase -- The countries of World Showcase bloom with floral displays. Check out the heritage palette in The American Adventure with colorful containers, floral flags and star topiaries; the rose palette in Morocco; and the color palette in Canada, which has a unique 50-foot floral peacock with 25-foot-long plumes.

* Gardening For Food Around the World -- Scientists from international research centers in Asia, Africa and Latin America show crops that people from their homelands grow for food and demonstrate the many challenges of food production.


Themed Weekends

* Opening Weekend (April 19-21) -- The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off with a blast of petal power and more new festival elements than ever before.

* I Dig Bugs (April 26-28) -- Guests can get their hands dirty as they dig up cool facts about bugs -- friends and foes -- which keep gardens healthy, and find out secret occupations of insects. Guest specialist is Nathan Erwin, manager of the Smithsonian Institution's Insect Zoo.

* Art in the Garden (May 3-5) -- Renowned artists will delight guests by magically capturing the beauty of Epcot gardens. Central Florida garden experts Tom and Joani MacCubbin give tips on how to add style and pizzazz to personal gardens with unique garden elements.

* Mother's Day Invitational Flower Show (May 10-12) -- Moms are treated to a photo and a flower on Mother's Day (May 12) and have the opportunity to enjoy the Food Among the Flowers Brunch. Seating times on May 11 are at 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30 p.m. Seating times on May 12 are at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Price for the buffet is $29.95 plus tax for adults and $10.95 plus tax for ages 3-9. Call 407/WDW-DINE for priority seating. Space is limited.

* Green Thumb Weekend (May 17-19) -- Garden experts reveal trade secrets to help guests turn their green thumb greener. P. Allen Smith, host of "P. Allen Smith Gardens," demonstrates how to create beautiful mini-gardens with a simple design.

* Kids Weekend (May 24-27) -- The festival salutes "budding gardeners" with a weekend packed with a variety of activities specifically designed for young gardeners. Special Kid Zone activities in the Festival Center at Epcot include seed masks and pet rocks.


Guided Tours

* Epcot Garden Discoveries ($59) -- A Disney horticulturist guides guests on a three-hour tour of special displays and the award-winning international gardens of Epcot. Guests can register at Epcot Guest Relations or in advance by calling 407/WDW-TOUR or at Epcot Guest Relations. Tours are offered Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

* Behind the Seeds - A Guided Greenhouse Tour ($6) -- This one-hour tour at The Land offers the latest techniques used to grow more than 60 crops from around the world. Guests can register at the tour desk in the Green Thumb Emporium at The Land pavilion.