Photo By Janecze Wright | Rip Van Winkle’s cane rests nearby as he snoozes under an oak tree May 21, 2023. The...... read more read more
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SAN ANTONIO — I have always loved flowers, plants and all things nature, so while in San Antonio, despite the steady drizzle of rain, my friend and I decided to visit the San Antonio Botanical Garden.
Located just two-and-a-half hours south of Fort Cavazos, the sprawling garden sits on 38 acres and boasts a vast array of flowers and plants for guests to explore. Armed with our umbrellas, we intended to do just that.
Walking into the entrance, we saw three of the largest and most intricately decorated books we had ever seen.
Standing more than eight-feet tall and nestled within the Mays Family Display Garden, the “Story Books” are one of the six Giants of the Planet Kingdom that are featured in the “Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time” exhibit.
The display, which celebrates mosaiculture, the horticulture art of creating giant topiary-like sculptures using thousands of plants and steel armature forms, also has the likenesses of Pegasus, a massive dragon, a peacock, a mermaid and Rip Van Winkle.
A quick glance at the map provided the locations for each of the whimsical sculptures and it became our mission to see them all.
As we entered the Lucile Halsell Conservatory, “Pegasus” greeted us at the entrance. The 10-foot-tall stallion is composed of more than 2,000 plants, weighs more than 5,000 pounds and took nearly 60 hours to complete.
The mythical creature was a sight to see, but the vibrantly colored flowers throughout the conservatory made quite an impression as well.
As we made our way out to the conservatory lawn, we encountered the most massive of the six larger-than-life works of art.
The 25-foot-tall “Dragon” loomed over the area as if guarding it. Made of nearly 15,000 plants and weighing almost 28,000 pounds, the colossal work took nearly 500 hours to plant.
After visiting the Palm House Atrium, which housed a diverse selection of trees and plants; the lush Fern Grotto, that featured a tranquil waterfall; and the Robert & Helen Kleberg Desert Pavilion, which housed an assortment of cacti of all shapes and sizes; we made our way to the Formal Garden and found the “Peacock.” Complete with a seven-foot-long train, the sculpture used nearly 1,400 plants, weighs almost 2,400 pounds and took more than 25 hours to plant.
We were most excited to see the 18-foot-tall “Mermaid” at East Texas Pineywoods and Lake. She was the furthest out and most difficult to find, but well worth the effort. Made of more than 3,000 plants, she weighs well over 6,000 pounds and took almost 70 hours to plant.
Just a short distance from the lake, at the Red Oak at Acequia, was “Rip Van Winkle” taking a nap under an oak tree. Over 1500 plants and nearly 40 hours were used to create the nearly 11-foot-long sculpture.
Feeling accomplished and drenched, we left in awe of the sheer beauty of the exhibit and the seemingly infinite display of flowers and plants. The San Antonio Botanical Garden is a must see, just make sure you check the forecast beforehand.
| Date Taken: | 07.13.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.01.2023 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 450627 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, San Antonio Botanical Garden: Garden exhibits bring imaginary worlds to life, by Janecze Wright, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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