Tuesday Trivia - Walt Disney World Horticulture

A big part of the "living backdrop" for the stories being told throughout each of the Disney Parks around the globe - horticulture, or landscaping - plays a tremendous role in the various stories that come to life in such places as Adventureland, Fantasyland and Frontierland.  When Walt Disney World was in the planning stages, one of the first things to be done was to establish a "tree farm."  Disney horticulturalists set aside a 145-acre farm beginning in 1967, where seeds and unrooted cuttings were brought in from destinations around the world, including such far-off locales as Australia and Africa.  Young trees were relocated from California, Texas and other states, as well as surrounding communities.  In doing so quickly, the horticultural team was able to assess which trees and plants not typically grown in Central Florida would or would not adapt to their new home, thereby aiding in the development of suitable "living backdrops" for such highly themed attractions as the "Jungle Cruise", "Tom Sawyer Island" and more.