Top 10 Not-To-Be-Missed Merchandise at Flower and Garden Festival 2018

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival celebrates its 25th year at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and runs through May 28. A little while ago, Disney celebrities Bella and Mother Nature themselves picked me up for some shopping at Epcot—and boy, was the merchandise at the 2018 Flower and Garden Festival the bees knees.

A bright green band is the base for this year's collectible Flower and Garden Festival Magic Band. Photo by Jenna Berry.

The ever-popular Sprit Jersey is available in a Flower and Garden Festival design. Photo by Jenna Berry.

Minnie Mouse headbands are trendy in 2018, and this flowering version is quite popular among Epcot visitors. Photo by Jenna Berry.

The Enchanted Rose tumbler has been reimagined for the 2018 Flower and Garden Festival. Photo by Jenna Berry.

This year, a combination of returning favorites and super-cute new stuff has me so excited that now my house and I are all gussied up for spring. Between the vibrant colors and appearances from some of my favorite (and obscure) characters—Figment, Figaro, and the Orange Bird—I just had to have it all. Minnie Mouse gardening hat? Check. Both a bird house and a bee house? Check and check. A Figment Tervis? Check!

10 – Disney gardening fun

Browse all of the Disney gardening fun around the festival—they have statues, feeders, whirly bits, and more. All of it will make your garden—both veggie and flower—majorly magical and so much fun. Even if you just have a small space, look out for the fairy houses, which return this year to much fanfare.

A wide variety of garden decor and accents are offered for sale at the Flower and Garden Festival. Photo by Jenna Berry.

9 – Rinse lip balms and oils

Rinse, found near Germany, has been at almost all of the festivals, and I love their creamy and delicious (not to mention affordable) lip balms, a savior in the blazing Florida sun. Also, I love the "Handy-tizer," which is a hand sanitizer made with oils that will not dry out your hands.

Rinse Pucker Sticks are available in a wide range of flavors, including Cafe Mocha and Cinnamon, and samples allow you to test them before purchasing. Photo by Jenna Berry.

8 – At Home topiaries

Because who doesn’t need a Mickey or BB8 topiary in their garden? Found near the Honey Bee-stro Outdoor Kitchen.

Disney characters make great topiary designs for your home. Photo by Jenna Berry.

7 – Orange Epcot ball hats

These are so so cute, and the orange and blue are great together.

Spaceship Earth provides the inspiration for this Festival baseball cap. Photo by Jenna Berry.

6 – Minnie’s Farmhouse Flower Shop Line (featuring… Figaro)

Pastels and vivacious pinks abound on shirts, cups, and hats—also the gardening supplies are so smart and cute for a Disney gardener like me.

Minnie's Farmhouse Flower Shop inspired a collection of products featuring Figaro. Photo by Jenna Berry.

A second shirt from the Minnie's Farmhouse Flower Shop collection features Figaro and Minnie arranging flowers. Photo by Jenna Berry.

Every serious gardener needs a sun hat, and this Minnie Mouse design will surely keep you in the shade for years to come. Photo by Jenna Berry.

A pair of rustic jars with the Festival logo can serve a variety of purposes in your home or garden. Photo by Jenna Berry.

A pale blue vase from the Minnie Mouse collection is perfect for showcasing a bouquet of your garden's best blooms. Photo by Jenna Berry.

5 – Florida-style bird house

Does your garden need a touch of sunny Florida? Found near Japan and Morocco.

This Florida-style bird house combines a flamingo and a travel trailer. Photo by Jenna Berry.

4 – Flower and Garden 2018 Tervis

"Unearth the unexpected," says Figment. Tervis tumblers are the perfect vehicle to keep your hydration nice and cold, either while exploring the beautiful festival or when you’re back at home gardening.

The popular Tervis tumbler boasts the 2018 event logo. Photo by Jenna Berry.

3 – Figment 25th Anniversary Cup

Do you see? It’s in the shape of a light bulb—a little spark for your morning joe!

Figment's 25th anniversary coffee mug is adorably shaped like a light bulb. Photo by Jenna Berry.

2 – Orange Bird line

When the Orange Bird returned to the Disney stage, my mom told me how much she loved the little bird when she was young—she’s a native Floridian, and was there on opening day in 1971—and we’ve collected all of it ever since.

Invoking a vintage style with a modern twist, Orange Bird pops in to say hello on the burlap bag with sturdy leather straps (perfect for grocery shopping or maybe even the beach. Imagine it paired with a chic 1950s high-rise suit. And for the men, an adorable rust-colored shirt with a vintage orange crate blazoned on the front, which gives a home-style, old Florida feel that I love; and, is a great reminder of a bygone era in my beautiful state. I love the vintage direction the Disney designers and merchandisers have gone lately—but let's save that topic for a future story.

The Orange Bird is promiently featured on a collection of merchandise from the 2018 Flower and Garden Festival. Photo by Jenna Berry.

1 – Bee Hotel

Recommended by Eric Darden, Festival Horticulture Manager, you can find the bee hotel between Japan and Morocco.

This is the item I was the most excited about and sought until they finally came in a week after the festival opening. With a diminishing honey bee population, crops and flowers alike are failing; with this little pink house I can do my own part to help!

A bee house is a an artificial nesting place that solitary bees can use to lay their eggs. Gentle and easily attracted, solitary bees are highly valuable pollinators with an awe-inspiring rate of harvesting a nectar supply. Adding a bee house to your yard can provide a space for them that is protected from chemicals, weather, and predators.

Hang bee hotels where the bees can wake up to the morning sun (a necessity for anybody, I think), and plant bee-friendly perennials nearby that are native to your area. For example, Central Florida is good for purple coneflower and goldenrod—I can't wait to see the beautiful purples and yellows of these beauties. And if you plant milkweed, you'll attract monarch butterflies—or so says Carla Shuman, Landscape Architect for Walt Disney World.

These bee hotels are a perfectly practical souvenir of the Flower and Garden Festival. Photo by Jenna Berry.

Now that you know what my favorites are, let me know which ones you just have to have. Did you buy any of these? Share what you bought—tag @MousePlanet on Instagram and Twitter.

The author (center), with her Disney pals. Photo courtesy Jenna Berry.

What merch are you loving in the parks? Use the hashtag #MPLoveThis and follow the Hashtag #MPLoves to share your favorites and see new finds from the parks.