The Adventures of Periwinkle and Stinky

 

The day was bright and beautiful and Periwinkle waited eagerly by the Teleportation Tunnel for the arrival of her fiance, Stinky.  The Tunnel began to shake and with a WOOSH, he popped our right into her waiting paws.  They whisker kissed, paw patted, and caught up on the last week.  Stinky asked how their garden was growing and Periwinkle said that was part of their Adventure today.  "We'll look at the garden later but right now we're going to look at another Garden," said Periwinkle.  She took Stinky's paw and they hopped into the Tunnel for the short trip to Orlando.

Stinky was amazed when they arrived at their destination.  Periwinkle said, "We're at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival!"

Stinky asked if they would see plants like they planted at Periwinkle's house.  She said she wasn't sure, but they would be checking them out when they returned.

They both gasped at the fabulous topiaries.  Periwinkle told Stinky "Topiary is the art of training plants (typically evergreen shrubs and trees) into intricate or stylized shapes and forms. The term may also be used loosely to describe many garden features that rely on the close clipping and shaping of plants."

First, they saw Beauty and the Beast at the French pavilion...

"Oh Periwinkle, she is nowhere near as beautiful as you are,' said Stinky.  Periwinkle blushed and thanked him. 

They saw Lady and the Tramp at the Italian pavilion.  Both agreed that, although the two woofies were romantic and in love, the woofies could not love each other as much as they loved each other. 

At the United Kingdom, they saw Winnie the Pooh and Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger.  Periwinkle sighed when Stinky climbed one of the posts but was happy he didn't go any higher.

Of course, no trip to a Disney park would be complete without seeing Mickey Minnie and Pluto and  Chip and Dale

and Goofy

Periwinkle told Stinky "The Flower and Garden festival kicked off in Epcot in 1994. It ran for 38 days and was meant to celebrate Disney's character-themed topiary arrangements. People came to the festival to admire the meticulously curated gardens that could be found all around the park."  "I can understand that.  Looking around it is magnificent.  It probably takes a lot more work than our paws could handle" he replied.

Periwinkle continued, "Every day there are fun things you can see for free."  She listed them for him.

• Character topiaries, which you can see as you stroll through breathtaking gardens filled with topiary sculptures of cherished Disney characters.
• Garden Rocks Concert Series, which brings live performances from popular musicians, bands, and more to the America Gardens Theatre in the American Adventure Pavilion.
• Blossoms of Fragrance, a walk-through experience that’s surrounded by butterfly topiaries and lets you follow your nose to six different scent stations.
• Spike the Bee Exhibit: Located at CommuniCore Hall, you can learn more about Spike the Bee and the history of the Flower & Garden festival."

Both Periwinkle and Stinky were interested in Spike the Bee since Periwinkle had a huge swarm of bees arrive in her yard so they headed to the Honey Bee-stro Garden.

Periwinkle said "There’s a springtime scavenger hunt going on at Epcot called Spike’s Pollen Nation Exploration. In this scavenger hunt, Disney’s favorite honey bee, Spike, has been pollinating his way around the flower and garden festival, giving gardeners of any age the chance to follow his pollination trail around World Showcase at Epcot."  Stinky ran off and Periwinkle heard him say "I FOUND HIM!"

"Wow, we have basil in our garden too!  You did a great job, Stinky!  Did you know these facts about Honeybees?

• Honeybees live in big families! A beehive can have up to 60,000 bees, including worker bees, drones, and a queen bee.

• They talk by dancing! Honeybees do a special waggle dance to tell other bees where to find the best flowers for nectar.

• A queen bee can lay lots of eggs! She can lay up to 2,000 eggs in just one day!

• Bees make honey from nectar. They collect nectar from flowers, store it in their hive, and turn it into delicious honey.

• Honeybees help plants grow. As they collect nectar, they also spread pollen, helping flowers, fruits, and vegetables grow. This process is called pollination!"

Periwinkle took out her cell phone and showed him a picture of the bees in her yard.

"Holy carp, that's a LOT of bees," said Stinky.  Periwinkle said it was kind of scary when they swarmed in her yard before they left but things were okay now.

Paw in paw they continued to walk around and see the fabulous gardens.  They thought of having a snack but Periwinkle reminded Stinky that they would be heading to her house soon to look at their garden and could have a snack there. 

 "We should probably go to the gift shop to buy something for our Moms," said Stinky so they headed that way.  Of course, as soon as they got to the gift shop Stinky had to climb onto a display.  Periwinkle rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

The two decided to get some cute ears with the Orange bird on them...

and some seeds...

Their paws were getting tired so they hopped into the Teleportation Tunnel and traveled back to Periwinkle's house.  Stinky immediately went out to the garden to check on things.  The lettuce, arugula, and eggplants were doing well and so were the flowers that were planted to keep pests away.

The squash seedlings were doing well and would be transplanted into the raised bed along with spinach and cucumbers...

The tomato plants were doing well too. 

Periwinkle was also super happy to see the citronella plants doing so well since the bitey things LOVE her Mom.

All the talk about food made them hungry so they went into Periwinkle's house and had a quick snack of Temptations and Fancy Feast.  They were tired from walking so much so they snuggled together and had a nice nap.  When they woke up, they spent time whisker kissing and paw patting.  Both said they hated to have the day end but Stinky needed to get home.  He said goodbye to Periwinkle's fursibs and her Mom and entered the Tunnel.  He blew a last whisker kiss and, with a WOOSH, he was on his way home.

Periwinkle went back to the spot where they had their nap and went back to sleep, dreaming of their next Adventure.

Here's a peek at the Epcot Garden and Flower Festival.

and one more...