Florida is always ready for a garden party — particularly in the spring! Each year, a variety of festivals celebrate flower power and the great outdoors in every corner of our state. Here are some highlights for this upcoming season:

• The 14th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival in Orlando is arguably the biggest flower and garden fest in the nation, blooming for a record 60 days this year, from April 5 through June 3. The festival features whimsical character topiaries, a profusion of beds of flowers, rose displays, water gardens filled with floating baskets of impatiens, and verdant exhibits spread throughout the park’s two sections: Future World and World Showcase.

In addition to admiring the topiaries — some of which are animated — and the profusion of blooms, visitors can participate in daily seminars focused on gardening, crafts and other topics.

For youthful “green thumbs” there is a special children’s garden, Growing Future Gardeners, which features family gardening projects. Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden is another family-oriented attraction which features hundreds of butterflies in a screened, walk-through enclosure that includes a live exhibit showing how caterpillars form a chrysalis and emerge as butterflies.

The festival is included in admission to the park. For information, call 407-934-7639 or visit www.disneyworld.com/flower.

• Bok In Bloom! is a festival celebrating the season now through mid-April at Historic Bok Sanctuary in Lake Wales. The event showcases a Demonstration Garden filled with dazzling seasonal blooms. It is included in regular park admission. For details, visit www.boksanctuary.org or call 863-676-1408.

• Blooms & Blossoms at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven is the park’s second annual lawn and garden show presented from mid-February to April 1 this year. Activities include taking a garden tour to learn about the flowers and plants throughout the history of Cypress Gardens and watching demonstrations on creating unusual topiaries as well as other how-to clinics and exhibitions.

Vendors are set up to show off the latest gardening tools and discuss tips and trends. Youngsters can participate in Garden Crafts for Kids, a series of hands-on activities such as making bird-feeders, creating pet rocks, seed-planting and more. The festival is included in park admission.

Cypress Gardens also has a line-up of concerts this spring including performances by Neil Sedaka on March 18 and Craig Morgan on April 7. For information, visit www.cypressgardens.com or call 863-324-2111.

• Leu Gardens in Orlando presents a Rose Show on April 21. Sponsored by the Central Florida Rose Society, the event will include hundreds of rose plants on display and there will be advice for would-be rosarians who want tips on growing roses. The public may also enter their own blooms for judging, and cut roses will be available for sale.

Leu Gardens also features an African Violet Show & Sale on May 5, sponsored by the Heart of Florida African Violet Society and showcasing a large display of plants and a sale. Both of these events are included in park admission. For details, visit www.leugardens.org or call 407-246-2620.

• Bromeliads is a special event at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota on April 24 which features a session with Harry Luther, a Bromeliad Identification Center expert. Also at Selby, the 26th Annual Orchid Ball is a black-tie gala to raise funds to benefit the garden. For information on both events, visit www.selby.org or call 941-366-5731.

• What could be more beautiful than a field of wildflowers? The West Volusia Wildflowers Festival in DeLand on March 31 celebrates wildflowers and nature with workshops, field trips, arts and crafts and live entertainment.

Also on the agenda are a children’s winning art display and conservation seminars. Admission is free but there are fees for some of the activities. For information, call 800-749-4350.

• The 46th Annual Apopka Art and Foliage Festival in Apopka features flowers and plants, an arts and crafts fair and local food available for purchase on April 28. Admission to the festival is free. The event draws approximately 25,000 attendees each year. For information, call 407-884-6488.

• The Key West Tours of Homes & Gardens offers the opportunity to peek into historical Key West homes and visit their gardens from March 1-31. Sponsored by the Old Island Restoration Foundation, the tours cost $25 per person and tickets may be purchased at the Key West Oldest House & Gardens, 322 Duval Street and at other locations on the Last Key.

Proceeds benefit the organization’s preservation efforts. For details, visit www.oirf.org or call 305-294-9501.

Also in Key West, GardenFest features vendors selling exotic and rare plants at the Key West Botanical Garden, 5210 College Road, on March 31-April 1. For information, call 305-296-1504.

• The First Coast Birding & Nature Festival celebrates the great outdoors in St. Augustine on April 12. Among the highlights are photography workshops conducted by experts during the spring migration of birds in the Old City area and surroundings. Activities include field trips and boat trips.

The event is based at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre; admission to the amphitheater is free and open to the public all day and some activities have various fees. For details, call 800-653-2489.

source : www.southflorida.com