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!