Can’t Wait to Visit Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined at the Atlanta Botanical Garden!

Welcome to the 607th Metamorphosis Monday, a blog party sharing fabulous Before and Afters!

If I lived in Atlanta–inside the perimeter, I would definitely be a member of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I love visiting the garden so much! Unfortunately, driving into Atlanta through the always horrendous traffic, especially never knowing how long it will take, makes the idea of visiting the garden a lot less appealing. The last time I visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden was when a friend came for a visit several years ago. She was here for the week and we made the whole week a big, fun Staycation. If you would like to visit Atlanta in the future and would love some ideas for places to visit and sites to see while here, check out that previous post here: The Week I Took a Staycation.

During our Staycation week, we visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden. During that visit, I fell in love with the beautiful Earth Goddess.

earth-goddess-at-atlanta-botanical-garden

 

The Earth Goddess is a permanent living sculpture in the garden and is just magnificent! She’s 25 feet tall and made from live plants. She even has a beautiful waterfall cascading from her hand.

 

You can see the waterfall a bit better in this photo below.

 

I just learned recently that the Atlanta Botanical Garden has a wonderful exhibition going on–an amazing display of live plant, topiary sculptures featuring characters from Alice in Wonderland. From what I’ve been able to gather, this exhibition was on display last year and was called Alice’s Wonderland. This year it’s titled Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined because several new sculptures have been added. The garden describes the display this year as “bigger and better than ever.”

I was so happy to discover that the exhibition will be available to see through November 1st. I am definitely going to visit sometime soon before it’s gone for another year. I hope they continue bringing it back each year! Maybe it will grow with new characters each year–would love that!

I watched a video promoting this exhibition last night and captured a few screenshots of some of the displays to share. I’m not sure if the White Rabbit is new this year or not, but I was amazed to read that he’s even taller than the Earth Goddess! He’s actually 5 feet taller which means he’s 30 feet tall! From the ABG site, they describe the exhibit this way:

Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined, presented through November 1, features many of the enormous topiary-like sculptures from last year’s Imaginary Worlds: Alice’s Wonderland but also joined by several new sculptures. In addition to the towering White Rabbit, sprawling chess board and heart “trees,” and Cheshire Cat perched nearby, look for a 16-foot Red Queen and an all-new 14-foot Alice rotating in the Howell Fountain pool as she plummets down the “rabbit hole.”

Sounds so amazing, doesn’t it?! I can’t wait to see it in person!

Alice's Wonderland, Atlanta Botanical Garden 09

 

It took 4 tractor-trailers to get all the sculpture forms from Montreal, Canada to the Atlanta Garden and over 350 man-hours to build just the White Rabbit from its empty metal frame to the beautiful sculpture you see above and below. Unfortunately, you can’t see the top of the sculpture in the photo above, but there’s a hat on the top of his cane with a playing card stuck in the band of the hat.

Here’s a closeup of the pocket watch the White Rabbit is carrying. I can’t wait to get real photos of these beautiful topiary displays to share with you!

Alice's Wonderland, White Rabbit, Atlanta Botanical Garden

 

I love the door!

Alice's Wonderland, Whimsical Door, Atlanta Botanical Garden

 

Here are a few of the chessboard pieces from the video.

Alice's Wonderland, Whimsical Chess Topiary Atlanta Botanical Garden

 

Love this so much!

Alice's Wonderland, Atlanta Botanical Garden Topiaries

 

This must be the Jabberwocky, a huge dragon that is under the control of the Red Queen in the original book and movie.

Alice's Wonderland, Dragon, Atlanta Botanical Garden

 

An article I read in the Atlanta Journal said that the figures returning from last summer include the Dragon, Pegasus, the Goddess, the Mermaid, the Woolly Mammoth and the Camels. This must be Pegasus below. I’m amazed by how perfect these sculptures look!

Alice's Wonderland, Atlanta Botanical Garden 08

 

Here’s the Woolly Mammoth!

d Atlanta Botanical Garden

 

My favorite character in Alice in Wonderland is the Cheshire Cat. I can’t wait to see this sculpture in person! To give you an idea of how the sculptures look before they are filled with living plants, here’s a screen capture of the Cheshire Cat in his “before” state. In this photo below, we are viewing him from the “tail” end. His cute little ears are visible at the other end.

 

Here’s how he looked after being filled in with living plants! Magical!

Alice's Wonderland, Cheshire Cat, Atlanta Botanical Garden

 

Is there a Phoenix in Alice in Wonderland? Atlanta is often portrayed as the “Phoenix rising from the ashes” so this may be a permanent sculpture in the garden. Update: Just watched a quick video from the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and I think the Phoenix is a permanent exhibit for the garden. I’m in awe of the artists who create the forms and the talented gardeners who bring the sculptures to life! So much work and dedication goes into each beautiful mosaic topiary!

Alice's Wonderland, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Phoenix

 

I hope to see the garden before the end of September–can’t wait to share more of it with you in a future post!

Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!

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Metamorphosis Monday

Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. Please link up your Before and After projects like DIY projects, room makeovers, craft projects even recipes. Any Before and After is great! Please do not link up Table Settings, save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursday.

If you are participating in Met Monday, please link up using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz when prompted.

In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.

Update: Please do not link up table settings/tablescapes for Metamorphosis Monday. Please save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursdays. Recipes are fine because that’s definitely a “Before and After” but please save your beautiful table settings for Tablescape Thursday. Pretty vignettes (transformations) you’ve created on atop a chest or somewhere in your home are great for our Before and After party, but let’s save the actual table settings for Tablescape Thursday.
 

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Comments

  1. Thank you so much for a wonderful party! I hope you have a great week.

  2. franki parde says

    Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” The King of Hearts & I agree!! Marvelous gardens & the people that “pull it off!!” franki

  3. WOW – those sculptures are amazing!! What a wonderful place to have so relatively near you (even though the drive is horrendous!) Thanks so much for sharing these – they absolutely fantastic! Happy Monday!

    • They truly are! If not for traffic, I could be at the gardens in 30-35 minutes. The traffic can easily turn it into an hour or longer. It’s so unpredictable.

  4. Dawne Marie Anderson says

    The garden looks fabulous! A sight to behold. Hope you can see and “feel” it!

  5. The Alice in Wonderland Garden is amazing!! Wow!! Thanks Susan~

  6. Wanda Bradey says

    Amazing! Wouldn’t a tea party be so fun here! Thanks for sharing.

  7. That looks amazing! I love Alice in Wonderland and it always makes for a great theme for anything. Thanks for sharing this; I would love to visit when everything is safe again. Thanks for hosting.

    XO- MaryJo

  8. Well, now I have to move–to somewhere with a yard, so I can have my own woolly mammoth!

  9. Barbara Harris says

    One of the very reasons I enjoy your blog so much is your ability to present great pictures along with your commentary. Your thoughts and product suggestions are so appreciated during this stressful time in all our lives. I am really looking forward to your visit, pictures, and descriptions of the garden. Trying to think how I can arrange a little trip. Thank you for being so dedicated to this on-line journal. Also will be glad when you resume traveling.

    • Thanks so much, Barbara! Appreciate your sweet words so much! I know, this has been a truly scary and trying time. I’ll be glad when all our lives return to something that resembles “normal.” In the meantime, we’ll keep our chins up and keep doing our best each day. I’m looking forward to traveling again, too. I need to finish going through all my photos from Egypt and England to share some of those.
      XXX

  10. I love the Atlanta Botanical Gardens! Not sure I’ll get down there for this exhibit but it does look fabulous. Thanks for sharing it!

  11. I live on Long Island, definitely “outside the perimeter“ of New York City. But I belong to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Membership brings you many privileges, including early entry. It is well worth the drive to see the beautiful exhibits. I always make sure I am there about 15 minutes before they open for members. I often take guests with me. I have been invited to the orchid luncheon, members only preview of every exhibit, I get discounts at the gift shop, free/reserved parking, preference for reservations at their restaurant, invitations to nighttime events. The list goes on and on. (I actually met Dale Chihuly there a few years ago – his wonderful glass ornaments are in the garden with your Earth Goddess.) I visit each exhibit at least three times. I’m hoping someone from NYBG sees this beautiful Alice in Wonderland exhibit in Atlanta and duplicates it in the future. Right now our conservatory is closed due to a combination of repairs and the pandemic. But our beautiful gardens are open for everyone to explore. I would encourage you to join the Atlanta botanical gardens. Once you are a member all of the beauty will surely outweigh the travel/traffic situation. Good luck.

    • Wow, that’s pretty awesome! I should check and see if the AGB membership has some of those perks. I would love to be a member, just afraid I wouldn’t use it enough to make it worth it.

  12. What a treat to see that garden – wow!!!!

    The Earth Maiden looks like Te Fiti in Muana!!! Just like her! Such a great movie – for any age!

    As for the colorful blown glass in her “fountain/lake” – is that Chihuly glass?
    Sure looks like what he is famous for creating. Just gorgeous.

  13. Oh, I would love to see that too, Susan! I saw the Chihuly exhibit there, and it was wonderful. Fall would be a nice time to go. Thanks for the heads up, and also for this party. I hope you have a good week.

  14. These live sculptures are really amazing. How wonderful to see them in person. Thank you for sharing your pictures.

  15. Thanks so much for taking the time to host each week!!
    It is greatly appreciated!!
    Stay safe, healthy and happy!
    Hugs,
    Deb

  16. Brenda s. Lawrence says

    Wow, this exhibition looks like it will be amazing! I can’t wait to see your photo’s Susan, so I hope you get to go! This always amazes me on how they do this, as does the floats at the Rose Bowl parade. Hugs, Brenda

  17. Jeanette Zienert says

    This is off text, what was the floor mop you had featured on your page

  18. Such a cool place! I need to add it to my bucket list!

  19. Susan, beautiful pictures! Visiting Atlanta has been on my wish list for some time now – this beautiful garden gives me one more reason. As soon as travel restrictions lift… Thanks for sharing!

  20. Cyndi Raines says

    What an exhibit!! Would love to come down and walk through these awsome gardens! I think it is incredible that they can make these characters out of wire and cover them with plants and they turn out so great! Thanks Susan, can’t wait to see pictures when you visit. I am sure to see it in real life is breath-taking, especially how large and tall they are.

  21. Fantastic, Susan — thanks for sharing this! The Dallas Arboretum has done some theme gardens/sculptures in the past, the Wizard of Oz was a memorable one. But this is really something! Makes me want to visit Atlanta just to see it!

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