Disneyland Paris a Gigantic Themed Gardens,

A life size stage
At the beginning of the 1950s, Walt Disney imagined Disneyland as a place where "children and adults could share the same dream". When construction of the new Park began, Walt passed on his vision to landscape artist Bill Evans, who had been entrusted with creating a natural backdrop fit for a magical site. Combining dreams with reality, the flora accentuates the Park's timeless feel.

A gigantic themed garden
As with the Park in general, the environmental architecture at Disneyland Paris is themed. The Park is one enormous stage covering 1 945 hectares, where great attention is paid to landscaping, to settings and to atmosphere.

Unique creations
Since the opening of the Park in 1992, the Nature and Environment Department has contributed to the all year round "performance" of Disneyland Paris. As well as daily plant upkeep, the specialists from the department have also demonstrated their know-how and creativity during special events.

The magical green kingdom at Disneyland Paris page 10
70 gardeners ensure the daily care of the plants at Disneyland Paris. The Nature and Environment team has learned to adapt their work methods to the Park's opening hours: work on the green areas, such as the rotation of flowers in the Park, takes place at night.

The gardens at Disneyland Paris in figures

A LIFE SIZE STAGE

At the beginning of the 1950s, Walt Disney imagined Disneyland as a place where "children and adults could share the same dream". When construction of the new Park began, Walt passed on his vision to landscape artist Bill Evans, who had been entrusted with creating a natural backdrop fit for a magical site. Combining dreams with reality, the flora accentuates the Park's timeless feel.

Since the opening of Disneyland Paris at Marne-la-Vallée in 1992, the vegetation - ever present in the Theme Park and the Resort Hotels - has also had a part to play in creating a unique environment,

The Disneyland Park is home to 5 000 trees, 59 000 bushes, 2 500 m² of flower beds and 40 000 water plants. An additional 7 000 trees, 47 000 bushes and 2 300 m² of flower beds surround the Resort Hotels. All these elements illustrate the diverse and rich vegetation that reinforce the different themed areas of Disneyland Paris.

In the Park, each themed Land has its own natural environment where the grass is "manicured" twice a day and the plants are chosen, arranged and cultivated so as to form an integral part of the décor.

While the area surrounding Phantom Manor in Frontierland is "dark and sombre", the environment takes on an exotic and unique hue at the entrance of Pirates of the Caribbean (Adventureland), whatever the season.

Topiaries of yew, box or ivy, evident throughout the Park, faithfully reproduce the silhouettes of the Disney characters. A hill lines the periphery of the Park, offering protection from strong winds as well as a "micro-climate"; temperatures inside the Park are higher by one or two degrees compared to the exterior.

The Disneyland Paris environment has been conceived to reinforce the guest's immersion in a life sized dream…

Disneyland Paris has an irrigation system that is unique in Europe. The system is managed by a computer linked directly to two meteorological stations. All data is centralised, therefore allowing optimum watering and efficient control of all installations.

More than a hundred people work in the Nature and Environment Department. The team is responsible for the upkeep of an exceptional plant kingdom directly inspired by the imagination of Walt Disney.

A GIGANTIC THEMED GARDEN

As with the Park in general, the environmental architecture at Disneyland Paris is themed. The Park is one enormous stage covering 1 945 hectares, where great attention is paid to landscaping, to settings and to atmosphere.

Since 1992, the Nature and Environment Department team has demonstrated their unlimited imagination through numerous, unique creations. Ranging from flower sculptures to Disneyland Paris' "Festival of Flowers", the gardeners have honed their art to the point of giving it a full "show dimension".

One Park, five plant universes

At Disneyland Paris, the landscape was inspired by the model already on show at the other Disney Parks. Walt Disney had been meticulous as regards the importance to detail, illustrating his ideas with carefully made models and overseeing the choice and selection of plants so as to create specific landscaped scenes while bearing in mind weather and soil constraints.

Main Street, U.S.A.

A small American town, such as Walt Disney had seen at the turn of the century, marks the entrance to the Park. The Victorian-style architecture is enhanced by discreet and refined vegetation. The central street presents an alignment of Quercus Ilex, of which the structure has been lightened in order to give the aspect of fine lace against the building façades. The boutiques are decorated with window boxes full of seasonal flowers, and the café terraces are bordered by bushes and flowers. Hanging baskets and green oak trees ensure the continuity of the theme before plunging the guest into another universe…

At the top of Main Street, U.S.A., a large plaza offers access to the themed Lands of the Disneyland Park. The plaza, designed in an old English style, offers guests a wide panoramic view, with the entrance to each themed Land featuring a transitional area where plants help set the scene. For example, the entrance to Frontierland features Austrian black pine (Pinus nigra "Austriaca"), Sequoia giganteum, Aulnus glutinosa, Quercus suber while Eucalyptus and Trachycurpus help create the Moroccan desert effect when reaching Adventureland.

The famous Sleeping Beauty Castle marks the entrance of Fantasyland. Cubic trees directly inspired by 16th century paintings emerge on a grass slope, with each tree asymmetrically cut and oriented in a different direction. This increases the contrast created by the trees, their shadows and the moving sunlight. This illusion is enhanced by trees with bluish leaves (Cupressus arizonica), and dark green leaves (Taxus baccata).
Frontierland

In this remote part of the American West, the land of pioneers and gold diggers, a desert-like atmosphere reigns, accentuated by the 180 different species of cacti, some over 3 metres tall, that can be found in the Land. The cacti, offered to Disneyland Paris by a family from the neighbouring town of Lagny, form an integral part of this arid landscape of canyons and sandstone monoliths typical of the Rocky Mountains.

Fort Comstock marks the entrance to Frontierland. This wooden construction features sparse vegetation and plants that have undergone the effects of very dry weather, such as Scots pines, Austrian pines, green cedar, Gleditsia, Hippophae, Senecio, Genista and Yucca bushes.

The gold mine is a landscape of red hued rocks from which the mineral was extracted, and a few plants have managed to find a home in the cracks between the rocks: Pinus, Picea pungens and Betalus nigra.

A little further on lies Phantom Manor. This old haunted house is set against a wooded area with dark foliage and tortured shapes. Principal trees include Chamaecyparis, nootkatensis "Pendula", Fagus sylvalica "Pendula", Cedrus atlantica "Glauca pendula" (cedar) and an ancient pear tree from the site itself.

Adventureland

In this tropical jungle, luxuriant vegetation can be seen all year-round. The Nature and Environment Department manage this spectacular feat by mixing unusual plants and by using special horticultural techniques, such as lateral incisions and the close pruning of certain species to enhance the size of their leaves (Catalpa, Pterocarya, Ailanthe).

Ferns from the South Sea Islands have been introduced to this dense and surprising jungle blend. Bushes on show include palm laurel, laurel from Portugal, Ligustrum Lucidum, Choisya ternata, Aralia elata, Fatsia japonica, Hydrangea sargentania, Aralia japonica and Eriobotrya Japonica…

Certain tropical plants are too fragile to stay outdoors during the winter. These are relocated to green houses and replaced by evergreens in order to preserve the density of the vegetation.
The white sandy beach on which the boat from the Pirates of the Caribbean has ran aground is bordered by palm trees, and the access path to the attraction is covered by rhododendrons as luxuriant as the neighbouring jungle.

Fantasyland

The kingdom of fairies generates a calm and happy atmosphere, which can be felt through the flowered trees (cherry, apple, pear, Prunus subhirtella "Autumnalis", Prunus accolade, Prunus serrulata "Kanzan", Pyrus callenyana " Chanticleer ", Prunus pissardi). The tree structure consists of conifers - cedrus deodora, picea pungens koster - and pastel colours, which come from a selection of seasonal plants.

One of the most impressive areas in Disneyland Paris is Alice's Curious Labyrinth from Alice in Wonderland, where the guest can lose himself in a maze of green corridors of arbor-vitae. The Cheshire Cat's back is made of Magniolia gradiflora and the Labyrinth's arches are adorned with large ivy leaves. In total, the maze contains 2,5 km of hedges!

Near l'Auberge de Cendrillon, a courtyard recreates an intimate and tranquil space, that can be viewed through the pear tree covered pillars. The pear trees are the descendants of a mother-tree from the Delbard nursery, and are at least 60 years old.

Discoveryland

Though more discreet in this land, plants play a great part in this futuristic universe inspired by visionaries such as Jules Verne and Leonardo da Vinci. Between Videopolis and Star Tours, the volcanic landscape rests on the effects of angular rocks in the shape of meteorites.

Plants such as palm laurel, laurel from Portugal and Photinia red robin also feature. The trees in this Land are rather unusual: Araucaria araucana, Nothofagus antartica, Metasequoia, Chamaecyparis, Sequoia giganteum.

The Hotels in bloom

At the doors of the Park, seven themed Hotels allow the guest to continue the dream. These areas of leisure complete a visit to the Park by offering settings of very different styles. The vegetation naturally falls into this framework and contributes to give the guest the feeling of being part of the magic.
In total, the Hotels consist of 47 077 bushes, 83 840 m² of grass, 2 298 m² of flower beds and 7 049 trees.

Disney's Hotel Sante Fe: In this New Mexican village, the architecture features pueblos inspired by Taos and Santa Fe. The Hotel grounds also include Yucca filmentosa, lavendar and arid vegetation in the heart of a rich mineral garden.

Disney's Hotel Cheyenne:
Many plants serve as decoration in the small frontier town in the American west. Plants include Pennisetum compressum, Molina caeruela, Lagarus ovatus and Festuca ovina.

Disney's Sequoia Lodge:
Set in a sequoia forest, wood and stone chalets suggest a retreat in one of the American national parks. 500 sequoia trees from north America can be found here, and one can also find rhodedendrons, azelea and sub-alpine plants.

Disney's Newport Bay Club:
On the shores of Lake Disney, this charming New England style Hotel features Camelia and Magnolia and lime and American oak trees.

Disney's Hotel New York:
The colourful skyscrapers plunge guests into the heart of the "Big Apple", which is represented with a yew topiary and plane and amelanchier trees.

Disneyland Hotel:
This palace from the Victorian era takes guests to the heart of the Disney universe, and features chestnut trees, heather, rhodedendrons, wisteria and blue cedars (Cedrus atlantica "Glauca").

Disney's Davy Crockett Ranch:
This trappers village is set in the heart of a forest of oak and bower trees and wild plants, such as daffodils, anemones, bluebells and narcissus.

The Disneyland Paris Golf

Located just a few kilometres from the Park and the Hotels, the Disneyland Paris Golf is open all year long without interruption. It offers three 9-hole courses that can be combined, and is embellished with greens on islands, ponds and flower beds. It features 725 000 m² of grass, 2 648 trees, 6 400 bushes and 355 m² of flower beds.

The discovery of green areas

Since 1995 the Nature and Environment Department offers guided tours of the green areas in the Park and the Hotels. These "Hortitours", designed as detailed presentations, tackle design, plant upkeep technique, tree pruning and many other subjects. They are aimed at groups of 15 persons or more.

The contents of the visit can vary according to the request of the visiting group. The Nature and Environment Department can welcome school children, groups of senior citizens and even horticulture schools.

The "Hortitour" is given by gardeners from the Park with one guide per 10 persons. The visit lasts approximately two hours and takes place in the morning. There is a small price per person.

For all information or reservations,
please call 33 (0) 1 60 30 30 00 (for groups only).

UNIQUE CREATIONS

Since the opening of the Park in 1992, the Nature and Environment Department has contributed to the all year round "performance" of Disneyland Paris. As well as daily plant upkeep, the specialists from the department have also demonstrated their know-how and creativity during special events.

The Lion King in flowers

Disney's The Lion King was released in cinemas in 1994, and the launch of this Disney classic gave the Nature and Environment Department the opportunity to exhibit its first major creation: a floral sculpture 8 metres tall and 15 metres wide representing Simba as a cub, accompanied by his father.

The metallic structure was created in the Disneyland Paris workshops in collaboration with the Entertainment Department. In total, the creation took 4 nights and 6 000 plants of multi-flowered chrysanthemums, chosen for their nuances and colours, to put together.

The Citrus Celebration

Following the success of their original creation, an exotic sculpture of oranges and lemons representing The Lion King was set up in the Park in the Spring of 1995. The sculpture was created in the town of Menton, where it took pride of place at the 62nd Lemon Festival, which was dedicated to Disneyland Paris.

The statue of Simba, which was 7.5 m tall and made of 3.5 tons of oranges and lemons, was carefully transported to Disneyland Paris and then set up by its creators, together with the gardeners from Disneyland Paris.

Euroflora 1996

Every five years, the city of Genoa in Italy hosts one of the greatest horticulture exhibitions in Europe: Euroflora. In 1996, Disneyland Paris was allocated a 300 m² space, where it decided to present an original creation. The Nature and Environment Department decided to pursue their vein of creativity…

Six months of preparation and one month in Genoa offered the team the chance to create a concept featuring Mickey the Magician, made of flowers and animated with lights, a wall of foliage featuring the face of Grandmother Willow covered with Icelandic moss, ferns and a cascade of flowers.

Last, but not least, the stand presented a labyrinth of columns made of flowers and heather, topped with musical water sprays.

Thanks to this creation, Disneyland Paris was awarded the "Grand Prix d'Honneur" for the best artistic presentation.

The 1997 Festival of Flowers

To celebrate its fifth anniversary, Disneyland Paris offered its guests an extraordinary "bouquet of flowers". The gardeners gave free rein to their imagination in order to create flowery characters and paintings.

The Main Street, U.S.A. Station was decorated in fresh flowers, crowned with a giant chrysanthemum rainbow. In Town Square, the Disney characters dressed in leaves and greenery and danced around the flowered bandstand.

Guests were not only welcomed in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle by flower sculptures of Esmeralda, Djali and Clopin, a tribute to The Hunchback of Notre Dame; they could also take a walk in an extraordinary medieval garden. "Animated" flower beds, featuring hippopotami, elephants and other plant creatures, also came to life in Fantasyland!

The Festival of Flowers 1998

The following year, Disneyland Paris dedicated its second Festival of Flowers to the great Disney classics. Five flowery stages, set up in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, told the story of famous animated movies in which animals play an important part: The Jungle Book, Bambi, the 101 Dalmatians, Dumbo and The Lion King.

These stages were made up of over thirty particularly impressive topiaries. With flowers and leaves, the team recreated the image of famous Disney animal heroes such as Bambi and Flower the skunk, Baloo the bear and King Louie the monkey, Simba the lion cub and his friend, Rafiki.

Flower beds were set up on the slopes of the Castle around these five compositions and crowned the whole ensemble. 30 000 rose bushes, in pink pastel, white and orange colours, covered the slopes and flower beds of the central plaza.

THE MAGICAL GREEN KINGDOM AT DISNEYLAND PARIS

70 gardeners ensure the daily care of the plants at Disneyland Paris. The Nature and Environment team has learned to adapt their work methods to the Park's opening hours: work on the green areas, such as the rotation of flowers in the Park, takes place at night.

Furthermore, the nature of the Disney stage and its specific characteristics has led the department to develop some of the most perfected horticulture techniques. Pruning from a crane or standing on stilts are among the most spectacular methods regularly used at Disneyland Paris.

Rotations of 460 000 flowers per year

Flowers are rotated twice a year. In total 460 000 flowers are planted annually in the Park - 180 000 at Spring time, 280 000 in Autumn. The rotation of semi-annual plants in October is most important, as it includes bulbs. Rotation is organised at night, given the Park's opening hours, although it does take place during the day in the Hotels.

The choice of plants is essentially made according to their aspect and their colour. One will therefore find a dominant pale, soft and soothing pink near Fantasyland - the land of Fairy Tales - whereas Discoveryland is decorated with Kalankoe sculpted in futuristic shapes.

The gardeners' experience in the field helps them determine the exact quantities of plants needed. The Nature and Environment Department choose the plants in the catalogues of the best nurseries in France and in Europe, which allows them to ensure both the quality of product and the diversity of species.

The topiaries at Disneyland Paris

The art of topiaries greatly evolved throughout the XXth century. From the pruning of trees to metallic structures, this age-old tradition has an essential part to play in a Disney Theme Park's atmosphere.

The topiaries at Disneyland Paris are large (1.5 to 3 meters), living plant sculptures, often in the shape of Disney characters. Shrubbery topiaries, the design of which is long and delicate, are permanently on show in the Park and its surroundings.

Furthermore, Disneyland Paris has developed temporary topiaries, which can be "dressed for the occasion" when special events are held.

During the creative phase, sculptors and painters are requested to submit an artistic design, on which a clay model on a 1/5 scale will be based. Then the metallic structures are manufactured on a real scale, creating the architecture of the topiary.

The topiary is filled on the surface and up to 10 cm in depth with a soil element, which will be the support for the plants and their first roots. This can be done in two ways; either by cutting the plant at the level of the crown and then applying it in bands, or by dividing the plants into clumps and directly planting them in the topiary.

The planting is adapted according to the plant's root system (taproots or creeping roots), and it takes 15 days for the roots to grow and take a hold.

Some of the topiaries that form part of the "animated" flower beds in Fantasyland are complemented with water effects, either from sprays or drops of fog which thus add to the show. Once the topiaries are in place in the Park, they are watered by external spray.

An irrigation system made to measure

Disneyland Paris benefits from the experience acquired in the other Disney Parks as regards irrigation. The Theme Park alone covers an area of some fifty hectares, and therefore requires an irrigation system both powerful and flexible enough to function everywhere at any given time.

The system relies on a meteorology station that evaluates certain parameters (wind strength and orientation, minimum and maximum temperature per hour, rain, relative humidity, solar radiation), and a central computer that adjusts the data and co-ordinates the functioning of the equipment.

The information gathered is sent to the relay computers set up in each land in the Theme Park. Each flowerbed receives the exact water dosage it needs.

This computer system naturally complements the know-how and experience of the gardeners, who constantly seek to optimise the use of the resources.

Preserving a tree tradition

A team of 10 tree experts maintain the trees at Disneyland Paris on a permanent basis. They may find themselves climbing at Disney's Davy Crockett Ranch, in a crane in the Park or even "green" pruning, a process that allows trees to maintain their beauty while cutting back on their growth. Trees, like flowers, are an essential element in the décor and ensure a visual continuity in the Park.

Disneyland Paris also has specific trees, among which some are pruned in an architectural manner (ex: the cubic trees at the Sleeping Beauty Castle). In Adventureland, for example, one can discover a Nothaufagus dombeii, rarely seen in Europe, as well as a rare Quercus ilex on Main Street, U.S.A.

The Nature and Environment Department has also perfected a tree management system. The history of each tree is recorded on computer as data, so as to establish an inventory of its life. Each tree has its own identification sheet, and regular interventions are scheduled over a ten year period.

Disneyland Paris - Gardens

THE GARDENS AT DISNEYLAND PARIS