Fantastical Living Plant Sculptures Spring to Life at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

A magical world of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/living-sculptures/" target="_blank">living sculptures</a> has just cropped up in the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/atlanta-botanical-garden/" target="_blank">Atlanta Botanical Gardens</a>--and you don't need to be a gardener to fall under its spell. Titled Imaginary Worlds: A New Kingdom of Plant Giants, this new exhibit comprises 28 massive living plant sculptures created from nearly 200,000 plants in an exacting and multifaceted art form called mosaiculture. From a beautiful 25-foot-tall Earth Goddess to four frolicking frogs, these jaw-dropping works of art make up the largest exhibition of living plant sculptures ever displayed in the U.S.

The mosaiculture exhibits features a pair of dancing orangutans.

Mosaiculture is a contemporary horticultural art form that creates sculptural shapes by mounting plants over top a molded steel substructure.

The magical Imaginary World exhibit even includes a grazing unicorn sculpture.

A friendly ogre sculpture doubles as a play space for kids.

Unlike the traditional art of topiary, which develops form from pruning a single plant over a long period of time, mosaiculture can be created quickly and is primarily made from colorful annuals.

The nonprofit International Mosaiculture of Montreal created the artworks in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens’ Imaginary Worlds exhibit.

A large cobra made from different colored annuals looms over visitors.

Underneath its meticulously layered carpet of annuals, soils, and steel, the mosaiculture masterpieces are also hooked up to a complex irrigation system to keep the sculptures hydrated and lush in the oppressive Atlanta heat.

Large resting butterflies peek out from the bushes.

The enchanting life-like sculptures are on display from May until the end of October.

The exhibit is even open for a special nighttime viewing once a week.

An adorable shaggy dog looks over its shoulder.

These jaw-dropping works of art make up the largest exhibition of living plant sculptures ever displayed in the U.S.