Imaginary Worlds in Atlanta

I recently saw a very big snake in my garden. He was shiny black with a yellow stripe down his body. I watched as he slithered into his hole under a shrub. It wasn't the biggest snake I have seen this season. This past weekend I confronted a towering cobra, who was coiled and posturing with extended hood and readiness to strike. But I was not afraid.

The cobra is an example of mosaiculture, an art form that looks similar to topiary, though not topiary at all. Steel frames are stuffed with a growing medium and equipped with an internal irrigation system, and then thousands of plants are plugged into place to create colorful textures. Regular grooming maintains the artistic lines. The Imaginary Worlds exhibit is running through October 2013 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

There are 19 living sculptures in the exhibit, including a grazing unicorn, a shaggy dog, and a 25-foot-tall Goddess rising up from the earth. Here are a few of these magical creations:

There were also some more traditional sculptures that I really liked, including this happy little girl:

And look closely at this boy playing the pipes. Do you see the dragonfly?

And, finally, here are just a few of the plants that caught my attention:

It was a great day at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and I didn't want to return to the real world!

Magic Light in the Garden

I must be kin to a lizard. I suffer terribly on gray, cold days, coiled under cover and biding my time with a sluggish spirit. But let the warm sun shine, and I am out! Basking in the regenerative rays, all energy renewed, taking it in, joy, joy!This Talavera lizard doesn't like freezing weather, either, but he enjoys warmer months outside on the patio.

Winter, mild though it is compared to most of the country, has persisted far too long for my comfort. So when temperatures recently climbed into the 70s and the gentle light of spring washed over the earth, I was ready to officially declare winter gone for the year. Out came the cushions for the patio furniture. Into the garden went the tropical plants that had spent the last few months in Lou's office. ( And Lou was happy that his work space no longer smelled or looked like a greenhouse.) 

Cruel joke! The last two days have been cold again with rain, and more predicted today. But I'm OK. I know it is only winter dragging its last nasty tentacles behind. On the good days I was able to get out to take photos, and I have enjoyed reviewing them as I prepared this post.

The garden is pretty enough, but there are moments when light transforms it into something magical, and those moments are maybe what I do all the work for.

Here are a few shots of the magic light in the garden. Enjoy!

In the woodland garden:

The new birdhouse at the entrance to the woodland garden will soon get a flowering vine, probably a clematis. Meanwhile, plants around its base are beginning to grow:

Here's another birdhouse in the woodland garden. It's an old birdhouse in a new location and an equally old, rusty bird has laid claim to it:

The columbine I planted earlier this year continues to bloom well:

A few more shots inside the woodland garden:Clockwise from upper left: This Pieris japonica (Japanese Andromeda) was a rescue plant. I think it has finally made the turn toward health. Acer japonica 'Vitifolium' has put out its first leaves. I planted this little tree last September. A recent late freeze frosted a Saucer magnolia, but I am happy that some undamaged flowers are now opening. Fern fronds are coming up all over the woodland garden. Surely a sign that winter is past!

I love the woodlands this time of year, but other parts of the garden will not be overlooked.

Dogwoods and azaleas are just beginning to bloom, and soon they will be putting on a show!