The Art of Gardening

Thought for the day:  Gardens have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes.  [Clare Ansberry]

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens has been drawing a lot of people from their homes lately, and this past weekend, Smarticus and I joined them.

Formal paths through gorgeous gardens? Yep. A raised canopy path through the trees? Affirmative. Also, pond and desert gardens, a children's garden, and multiple greenhouses filled with exotic plants. Lots and lots of stuff to see. But do ya wanta see what's been drawing so many people to the gardens?

See something a tad unusual at the end of that path at the left? That's the Earth Goddess. Ever hear of mosaiculture? This blend of art and horticulture first bloomed (Sorry, couldn't resist.) in Europe as early as the sixteenth century, and has since grown popular all over Europe and North America.

There. See her better now? Talk about statuesque. She's twenty-five feet tall.

Mosaiculture framework is constructed of welded pencil and sheet steel, stuffed with growing medium, and fitted with an internal irrigation system. The plants are plugged into pockets of a special fabric that's stretched over the frame, and it takes several months of growth to achieve the desired sculpture. The exhibit in Atlanta showcases nineteen sculptures, and contains more than one hundred thousand plants.

Atlanta's exhibit, dubbed Imaginary Worlds, was made possible by the International Mosaiculture of Montreal, a nonprofit organization that's staged numerous shows around the world to highlight this centuries-old form of  3-D gardening. Lucky us, this show in Atlanta is the first major exhibition of this kind in the United States. Wanta see more?

Two cobras. Aren't they neat?

Here's a closer look at one of the cobra heads.

And one from the rear. One snake's body stretched out along the ground, and the other's was coiled, but they both featured similar designs.

A pair of butterflies.

A unicorn!

Isn't this shaggy dog adorable?

What's an imaginary world without an ogre? This one has a hole clear through his head, so kids can climb into one ear and out the other.

How about a couple dancing fish?

There were several smiling berries. I was only gonna show you this one, but I've gotta show you one other because...

... he reminds me of the Little Rascals' Alfalfa. Check out that center part. All he's missing is a giant cowlick.

Here's three of the rabbits, but there were quite a few more of them. Several frogs, too.

But I think you've got the idea. There was SO much stuff to see there, but rather than show or tell you any more about that, I'd rather share something else with you.

The International Mosaiculture of Montreal designed and created all of these sculptures before shipping them to Atlanta in fifteen temperature-controlled tractor trailer trucks. Pretty cool, huh? (Literally.) Also, since this non-profit took root in 1998, it has hosted an international mosaiculture competition each year, which is going on right now. This year's entrants will be on display at the Montreal Botanical Gardens from now until the end of September. All I can say is WOW! Check 'em out!

A garden isn't meant to be useful. It's for joy.  [Rumer Godden]

Gardening requires lots of water— most of it in the form of perspiration.  [Lou Erickson]

Gardens aren't made by singing, "Oh, how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade.  [Rudyard Kipling]

                                                 So how does your garden grow?

                                 Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
                                            May all your weeds be wildflowers.

P.S. In case you missed it, the lovely Janie Junebug conducted an interview with me on her blog yesterday, and will be doing a review of Hot Flashes and Cold Lemonade tomorrow. Why dontcha stop by? If you're on the fence about whether or not you wanta read my novel... maybe she'll give you a little push. (Very gently, though, I'm sure.)