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When I was 12 years old in 1979, we went to Walt Disney World. One thing from that trip that stands out in my mind and is still with me as a Magical Experience, for whatever reason, was an elephant. No, it wasn’t the Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction it was an elephant off the side of the road, between the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Resort. It was an elephant with a ball on its trunk. I know that sounds odd, but it was joined by other animals that I can’t fully picture in my mind’s eye. All of these animals were off to the side of the road, as if a kind of welcoming party to Walt Disney World, which at that time was the Magic Kingdom, the two resorts I just mentioned, the Fort Wilderness Campground and the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village. These animals were amazing, because they were never trained, and they never roamed away from the roadside. If you are scratching your head at that one, I’m sorry, let me fill you in, I’m talking about some wonderful topiaries that the Disney horticulturists used to use to decorate the area coming into the Magic Kingdom. Today the Disney Horticulturists still use topiaries throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. These wonderful sculptures are today’s Unknown Magic.

During the Epcot International Flower and Garden Show there are many topiaries shaped like characters that are found throughout Epcot. They change every year, but as you walk into Epcot, there is always a main topiary. This past year it was a tribute the celebrating the Great Outdoors. A few years back when we were there, they had Pooh and Tigger as well as many other characters that provided Magical Experiences for many people, including us.

But the Flower and Garden show isn’t the only time that you can see these types of topiaries around the Walt Disney World Resort. There are Topiaries in the other parks throughout the year. Over in the Magic Kingdom, you might be able to see Alice and the Mad Hatter around the Mad Tea Party.

In the Disney Hollywood Studios you can see Sorcerer Mickey and his helping Brooms dancing in the grass, near the Animation Courtyard.

But in the Parks isn’t the only place that you can find these wonderful Unknown Magics. There is one at the Ticket and Transportation Center, and there are some found at the Resorts that are like the ones in the parks, in that they are shaped like characters.
Another kind of topiary that is found in the Walt Disney Resort is a Geometrical Topiary. This kind of topiary is when they shape a tree or shrub into a certain shape. This type of topiary can be found outside of the Contemporary Resort. From the upper floors of the Resort’s A-Frame, you can see great examples of geometrical topiaries, by looking out the front of the building at the giant Mickey Mouse Watch on the ground. Which itself can create a Magical Experience.



The elephant that I saw in 1979

 So, now you know, there are Unknown Magics that are in the form of different types of topiaries in the Walt Disney World Resort. These can be found in Epcot especially during the International Flower and Garden Show. But they can also be found all over Disney World throughout the year. To find them, you just need to keep your eyes open and maybe you’ll see an elephant on the side of the road and maybe you can have a Magical Experience of your own.

For more on the Disney Topiaries at the Flower and Garden Show go Here.