< Continued from page 2

Walt Disney World Resort guests have ample opportunity to stop and smell the roses at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Hundreds of different rose varieties showcasing an array of vibrant colors and sweet aromas are on display during the festival. Throughout the rose beds, signs detail the history of roses throughout the centuries. The Rose Walk between Future World and World Showcase is designed each year as "Flower & Garden Festival central." The walkway, which connects World Showcase and Future World along World Showcase Promenade, overflows with gorgeous roses of all varieties.


Maintaining the resorts' rose plants keeps Walt Disney World gardeners very busy throughout the year. It's a prickly job, but with more than 13,000 rose plants at their fingertips, Disney horticulturists are planting, pruning, fertilizing and rooting to guarantee the best blooms and biggest splashes of color for guests. Making sure the plants are "show ready" means following gardener guidelines. Here are a few rose care "secrets" from Disney experts:

• Planting: Roses need a very sunny location to produce fuller bushes, blooms and growth. Pick a spot for planting that has sun all day long. To plant, dig a hole just a bit larger than the root ball. Add a bit of peat moss to the hole to encourage root growth. Plant the rose at ground level, not too deep. Use a stake -- roses tend to be wobbly when they are newly grafted, and the stake provides critical support. Fertilize around the root ball and water to dissolve the particles before mulching the planting bed.
• Pruning: Walt Disney World roses are cut back in spring (for an Easter show) and in early fall (for the holidays). Roses should be cut back at least once a year. Cut dead blooms off three-leaf clusters above the last cut on the stem and well below the bloom. This provides plenty of room for new blooms and gives the bush vertical space to grow. When pruning the bush for shape, clip cross-over branching from the center to promote a stronger bush. Prune bush about 15 inches from ground level into an open "cup" shape to promote air flow and reduce disease vulnerability.

• Fertilizer: Regular fertilization is a must, and several commercial fertilizers are formulated just for roses. On most roses, Disney gardeners use 10-5-8; promoting both foliage and flower. Pests: The biggest problem Disney gardeners encounter with roses are the Red Spider Mite during the dry season and Black Spot during the rainy season. Using a miticide on an "as needed" basis and rotating fungicides weekly will control both problems. Biocontrol methods such as predatory mites are being used with excellent results in controlling the Red Spider Mite in Disney rose beds. When spraying miticide, remember to spray under the leaves where bugs tend to cluster.
• Rootstock: In Florida, there are two rootstocks that are recommended for rose growers - Fortuniana and Dr. Huey. Plantings grown in these rootstocks should improve your chances for success and minimize your odds of small worms like nematodes becoming a pest.

Walt Disney World Spring 'How-To' Tips For Home Gardeners, find out how the Disney gardeners do it?