When you visit the Walt Disney World Resort this Spring to see the 19th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, you may also get to learn some design and landscaping tips from the expert designers at HGTV.

Each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival celebrity experts will appear twice daily at the Festival Center presented by HGTV.  They will be presenting valuable tips on topics that include: "Designing for Curb Appeal" and "Working Makeover Magic for Desperate Landscapes."


The HGTV Celebrity Lineup includes:

• John Gidding, Curb Appeal March 9-11,  Designing for Curb Appeal
• Sabrina Soto, The High Low Project March 16-18,  Decorating Design Tips, Tricks and Savvy Shopping Secrets
• Jason Cameron, DIY Network’s March 23-25  Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves ,  Working Makeover Magic for Desperate Landscapes
• Camille Styles, Design Happens March 30-April 1,  Planning Garden Parties that Are Simple, but Not Your Garden Variety
• Dan Faires, DanMade — HGTV.com April 6-8,  Planting with Terrarium, Vertical Gardens and Small Space Greenery
• Brandon Johnson, My Yard Goes Disney April 13-15,  Bringing Disney Inspiration and HGTV Design To Your Backyard
• Meg Caswell, Meg’s Great Rooms & HGTV April 20-22,  Design Star Winner Season 6,  Tips for Turning a Good Room into a Great Room
• Monica Pedersen, designer/host Dream Home And Designed to Sell April 27-29,  Make It Beautiful: Designs and Ideas for Entertaining at Home
• Antonio Ballatore, The Antonio Treatment May 4-6,  Design Outside of the Box: How to Personalize, Customize and Inspire
• Carter Oosterhouse, Million Dollar Rooms May 11-13,  10 Renovation Tips You Need to Know
• Genevieve Gorder, HGTV Design Star and Dear Genevieve May 18-20,  Turning your Landscape Inside Out

In addition to its own celebrity stage appearances, HGTV will present the popular twice-daily Disney Gardening at Home series, where guests can join a workshop and take home projects ranging from hanging baskets to water garden features.

Over 100 different topiaries can be found throughout Epcot during the International Flower & Garden Festival that runs from March 7 - May 20, 2012.  This Disney World tradition showcases the remarkable talents of the Disney Horticultural Staff as they come up with new and improved topiaries for each year's Festival.

After a successful partnership with Disney World during the 2011 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, HGTV is now bringing some of it's design stars to the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to talk about home entertaining.  Some of the HGTV Designers scheduled to appear are: Vern Vip "HGTV Design Star", Monica Pederson "Designed To Sell", Erin Loechner "Design Happens", Taniya Nayak "Designed To Sell", Kim Stoegbauer "On-line Party Inspiration", Lisa LaPorta "Designed To Sell", and Emily Henderson "Secrets From A Stylist."

Here is the announcement from Pam Brandon, Disney parks Food Writer that was presented on the Official Disney Parks Blog:

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival guests are beginning to line up – and this year, the HGTV family joins the fun with top personalities appearing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with home entertaining seminars.


“Design stars from the network will talk about home entertaining,” said Michael Jenner, festival manager. “Think about the way interior decorators design a room … and imagine that same creative process brought to the dinner table. It’ll be a great way to get ready for all the holidays coming up.”

Here’s the lineup (subject to change):

•Sept. 30-Oct. 2 – Vern Yip, “HGTV Design Star” and “HGTV Urban Oasis”
•Oct. 7-9 – Monica Pedersen, “Designed to Sell”
•Oct. 14-16 – Erin Loechner, “Design Happens”
•Oct. 21-23 – Taniya Nayak, “Designed to Sell”
•Oct. 28-30 – Kim Stoegbauer, “On-line Party Inspiration”
•Nov. 4-6 – Lisa LaPorta, “Designed to Sell”
•Nov. 11-13 – Emily Henderson, “Secrets From a Stylist” and “HGTV Design Star” winner Season 5 “Design Star” (pictured above)

The appearances are included with Epcot admission and will be at the festival center.

HGTV Designer Genevieve Gorder kicked off the opening weekend of the 18th Annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival with a series of engaging presentations.  Genevieve certainly added star power to one of Disney World's most popular annual special events.


Genevieve Gorder
Genevieve Gorder is one of the most popular designers appearing on HGTV and currently stars in HGTV's weekly series, Dear Genevieve, where she answers viewer submitted e-mails that seek her expert designing advice.  Each week's show has her demonstrating the answers to the questions in person with the viewer with the goal of helping home owners discover a new passion for their homes.

Genevieve also appears as a judge on HGTV Design Star as designer compete for the opportunity to win their own show on HGTV.


Genevieve in person is all about motion.  She is high energy and constantly moving.  During her one hour presentation see was always in motion, which made it hard to photograph her.

She was very engaging and has a great stage presence.  She has a very "real" quality, which made her presentation a joy to see and hear.  The topic of her presentation was "The Art Of Sculpting Space," where she discussed creating "mini-Vinettes" (or little scenes) throughout the room creating shapes that keep the eye moving and interested.  She is without a doubt very passionate about what she does and she loves sharing that passion with the audience.

Genevieve was a hit with the audience and was a great representative of HGTV to kick off the opening weekend of the festival.


HGTV Designer Stage
This year marks the first year that HGTV is sponsoring the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.  Each weekend, one of HGTV's Designers will be making an appearance and presenting to audiences at the Festival.

The HGTV Designer's Stage is located within the Festival Center at Epcot (formerly known as the Wonders Of Life Pavilion.)


Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
From March 2 through May 15, 2011 Epcot is transformed in to a world filled with millions of  blooms and over 100 topiaries featuring many of your favorite Disney Characters.

The festival is free to enjoy with your paid admission to Epcot at Disney World.

Disney World has announced that HGTV will become a sponsor of the 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and it is bringing a whole lineup of its top designers and landscaping experts to Epcot.  Different celebrity experts will be appearing each weekend of the festival to deliver valuable tips to Disney World guests.

Here is the Disney Press Release:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2011) -- HGTV kicks up the "curb appeal" of the 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 2 through May 15 with a first-time sponsorship featuring weekend appearances by its acclaimed designers and landscaping experts. The star-studded lineup includes Genevieve Gorder, Lisa LaPorta, Kim Myles, Brian Patrick Flynn, Taniya Nayak, Ahmed Hassan, Patti Moreno, Michele Beschen, John Gidding, Frank Fontana, and Vern Yip.


The country's leading home and lifestyle television brand brings an addictive blend of design, decorating and landscaping inspiration to the enduring, 75-day gardening extravaganza at Walt Disney World Resort.

At the Festival Center presented by HGTV, popular celebrity experts will appear each Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival on the HGTV Stage. The HGTV hosts will deliver valuable tips to Disney guests on topics including "Mobile Gardens," "Secrets to Bringing Indoor Style Outside" and "Gardening with Kids."

"We are thrilled to welcome HGTV and so many of the network's great Talent to Epcot this spring," said Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot. "HGTV's design and gardening personalities add an exciting, and entertaining new element to a festival that reinvents itself year after year."

As part of the sponsorship, HGTV also will present a new, twice-its-previous-size Bambi's Butterfly House along the Future World Imagination Walkway. Inside this popular festival stop are hundreds of native butterflies and character topiaries from the timeless Disney classic film, "Bambi." This year's display celebrates the upcoming release of "Bambi" Diamond Edition, for the first time on Blu-ray Hi-Def.

"People visit Disney for a memorable experience where they are inspired, enlightened and entertained," said Jim Samples, president, HGTV. "Our star designers will provide just such an experience for the Disney guest during The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival presented by HGTV. Disney is the ideal venue and destination for us to connect face-to-face with our passionate viewers."

The HGTV celebrity lineup includes:

• Genevieve Gorder, HGTV Design Star and Dear Genevieve (March 4-6)
  The Art of Sculpting Space
• Lisa LaPorta, Designed to Sell (March 11 - 13)
  Design It Yourself: Easy-to-follow Tips for Designing Your Favorite Rooms
• Kim Myles, Myles of Style (March 18 - 20)
  The 5 DIY Secrets That Can Transform Any Space
• Brian Patrick Flynn, Design Happens, HGTV.com (March 25-27)
  Mobile Gardens
• Taniya Nayak, Designed to Sell and Destination Design (April 1-3)
  Adding Value to Your Home Without Breaking the Bank
• Ahmed Hassan, Yard Crashers (April 8-10)
  Life, Love and Landscaping
• Patti Moreno, Garden Girl, HGTV.com (April 15-17)
  Gardening with Kids: Fun Seed Starting Projects
• Michele Beschen, B. Original (April 22-24)
  When Nature Calls: Creative, Back-to-Basics Style for All Things Natural and Decorative
• John Gidding, Curb Appeal: The Block (April 29-30, May 1)
  The Design Process: Curb Appeal Projects from Concept to Construction
• Frank Fontana, Design on a Dime (May 6-8)
  Beautiful on a Budget: High Style, Low-Cost Secrets to Bringing Indoor Styling Outside
• Vern Yip, HGTV Design Star (May 13-15)
  Top Design Trends Made Affordable and Accessible

In addition to its own celebrity stage appearances, HGTV will present the popular twice-daily Disney Gardening at Home series, where guests can join a workshop and take home projects ranging from hanging baskets to water garden features. The Festival Center's HGTV Theater will present a special-engagement film featuring tips and hints from HGTV shows.

Dozens of Disney character topiaries are back by popular demand at this year's festival. Woody, Buzz Lightyear and chief villain Lotso of the Oscar-nominated Disney blockbuster, "Toy Story 3," make their first topiary appearance in front of Spaceship Earth at the park's front-entrance garden. Topiary craftsmen also will debut floral versions of Lightning McQueen and Mater, stars of "Cars 2," to be released in theaters this June.

Flower Power concerts will rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre stage three times each Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening with popular acts like Davy Jones and Chubby Checker & The Wildcats. New-to-the-festival performers will include Melissa Manchester, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.

More information about the 18th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is available by calling 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639) or by visiting disneyworld.com/flower. The festival, including all gardening programs, presentations and exhibits, is included in regular Epcot admission.