Imaginary
May 11 - October 31st
Follow Alice down the rabbit hole as a new kingdom of plant giants bloom over Atlanta's urban oasis.
The exhibition of giant topiary-like sculptures at both the Midtwon and Gainesville gardens, is back by popular demand after last summer's blockbuster show. Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time. Many of last year's crowd-favorite sculptures will make a comeback-but donning coats of different plant palettes.
Making encoure appearences from 2018 are the Drgaon, Mammoth, Mermaid, Phoenix, Camels, and more!
33 sculptures
11 scenes
110,000 plants.
Towering over 30 feet, the white rabbit sculpture is the tallest sculpture in our garden and took over 350 hours to construct and complete.
Sculpting
Artisan welders, working from sketches and photos, weld thin rods into sheet steel to create a framework for the plants. The large armatures are then divided into smaller pieces for fitting into a greenhouse where horticulturists can begin their work.
Planting
Once positioned in the greenhouse to recieve the most sunglight, the frames are stuffed with a planting medium,an internal irrigation system is attached and thousands of plants are plugged. It takes several weeks for the growth to yield colorful, living textures. Most of the color comes from the naturla flora and fauna.
Installing
Large semi-trucks, cranes and smaller equipment are used to move the sculptures from the greenhouse to their positions in the Garden. Several weeks are required to install the exhibition including all the sculptures and plants around them.
Maintaining
The living sculptures are maintained daily by the horticulture learn to keep them thriving and healthy. Visitors may observe staff at work meticilously shearing the peices, as constant grooming is needed to maintain the sculptures' artistic lines.
