6. Watering the plants

Given the enormous number of plants at Walt Disney World, effective irrigation is essential. Some 65,000 sprinkler heads and 2,000 miles of water pipes help to keep the plantlife watered, with much of the required water coming from an on-site water treatment facility. Elsewhere, a huge composting facility mixes waterwater biosolids, wooden pallets and trash wood products, along with food waste from the resort's many restaurants. The resulting compost is used to fertilize the resort's grounds.

5. Protecting local plantlife

Given the huge number of foreign species that Disney has introduced to its Florida resort, there's a danger that these alien species could "escape" and start competing with native plantlife. Disney's teams constantly monitor things to ensure that non-native species remain within the designed landscape, and the company also participates in efforts to remove invasive exotic plants from Walt Disney World and surrounding natural areas.

4. Managing unwanted guests

Insects such as aphids, mealybugs and whitefly can wreak havoc on plantlife. Disney has two main ways of combating this. The first of these is careful use of insecticidal soap and other chemicals and pesticides to help keep populations down. The second is through the controlled release of millions of "good" insects that devour the bad ones. We took a look at these "hidden Cast Members" in this recent article. Similar approaches are used to control other pests - including ones, such as mosquitoes, that prey on guests themselves.

3. Creating edible landscapes

With the creation of Disney's Animal Kingdom, the role of the horticulture team became even more important. Now, many of the plants didn't have to simply look good. They had to taste good, too, for the benefit of the animals wandering the park's enormous "African" savanna and other enclosures. In some cases, the themed landscapes were planted at least a year or as many as two to three years before animals were introduced. Naturally, many African species are present, but there are also "look-alike" species that are designed to ape African plants in cases where it wasn't practical to bring them to Florida. The animals that roam around the savannas are browsers and grazers, and the landscape provides plenty of options for tem to chew on. Cast Members have to constantly add plants to the savannas to replace those that have been gobbled and to keep the animals interested. Disney also "cheats" by introducing thousands of pounds of pre-cut leaves every week, to discourage the animals from devouring allof its pretty plants.

2. Feeding the guests

It's not just the animal residents of Disney's Animal Kingdom that are fed by the work of Cast Members. The plants in Epcot's The Land Pavilion are not just for show. More than 30 tons of fruits and vegetables grown in the pavilion are served at Walt Disney World restaurants every year, including lettuce, cucumbers and peppers.

1. Setting up a festival

One of the highlights of the annual calendar for members of the horticulture team is the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival - one of the largest outdoor flower festivals in the world. Cast Members produce dozens of floral and topiary displays in advance of the event, and also participate in workshops and presentations. The team are also involved in another major Epcot event, the Food & Wine Festival, for which they grow specialty herbs for use in demonstrations by chefs.