Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Celebrating Outdoor Wednesday with Topiaries!

Today is Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. Be sure to visit Susan for lots more Outdoor Wednesday fun!



A few weeks ago, I spent the weekend in Greenwood, South Carolina attending the Festival of Flowers...a yearly event in Greenwood. You may remember the post I did last Wednesday about Park Seed, which is located in Greenwood. Park Seed also owns Wayside Gardens...and recently, Jackson & Perkins. If you are a gardener, you well know these companies. If you missed that post you may read all about it, HERE. :-)

In the previous post...I teased you with a few topiary pics. It's time to reveal all the fabulous topiaries on display this year throughout the downtown area of Greenwood, for the Festival of Flowers.

This year, Greenwood took us on a safari. Now, we surely need to take along our cameras if we are going on a safari. Here's our camera! Fuji sponsored this topiary...keep in mind, everything is made of REAL flowers.
Here's the backside...


Every safari needs a ferocious lion...

Pretty neat, huh?

Here's the sweet cub...

All throughout downtown Greenwood, the lanterns were decorated with gorgeous hanging baskets!

Ok, back to our safari...does he look like an ostrich to you? Update: Sheila thinks he may be a flamingo...I think she's right...he is pink! :-)




Seahorse...ok, not exactly in keeping with the safari theme...but very cute!

King Kong

All that's missing is Fay Wray!

I showed you this sweet baby elephant last week...

Wait until you see it's MOM! :-)

Here's Mama!

She even has a crown!



Come closer for a better look...

I love her blanket...

It's made of begonias...

Now, you have to admit...this really looks like the back side of an elephant! (LOL)

An elegant swan...

So sweet!

A lovely butterfly...

Back view...

Arrrgggghhhh! Tyrannosaurus Rex...

He looks downright scary!

And for the finale...remember this steering wheel? I hinted last week that it belonged in a Jeep.

What do you think? :-) All flowers...WOW!

I think this ride has been totally pimped! :-)

Side view...

Driver's side...Come on...hop right in....

Back seat...

Side mirror...



Check out these rims!





Hope you enjoyed coming along for the Greenwood Festival of Flowers! Don't forget to stop by A Southern Daydreamer for some more Outdoor Wednesday fun!

71 comments:

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Susan, this is so much FUN! I can't get over it. And I think that is a flamingo and not an ostrich... LOL! Being from Florida, you know I would say that, but flamingos are in Africa. AND I love the other critters, and the seahorse... awwww! And the mama elephant is pretty incredible. Loved the baby last week. The jeep, though, takes the cake!

Happy Outdoor Wed. to you!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Kathysue said...

Susan that was amazing!!! I love flowers and to see them displayed in such a creatve way was a real treat, thank you for sharing,Kathysue

xinex said...

Wow! Amazing creations! Kinda reminds me of the Rose Parade in California except this ones a mix of all different flowers and leaves....Christine

Marie said...

Oh what a wonderful display of topiaries, Susan! My fav is the Mommy elephant, and the butterfly! Thanks for sharing.
-marie

Pamie G. said...

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

Lori E said...

And I think I am doing well if I get my green beans to climb up the bamboo stakes. Jeesh. These are so cool.

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Wow! A lot of work went into them. Thanks for sharing.
Glenda

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Susan I love the lion, seahorse and flamingo most of all, however that car was pretty spectacular. What a wonderful post. Thank you so much for sharing. Please stop by and say hi. I would love to have you. Country Hugs, Sherry

Bama Belle said...

Oh Susan, this was a wonderful post. I loved it! Thank you for sharing. I would love to have one on my front lawn!

fiberdoodles said...

Oh my gosh these are incredible! People can just do the most amazing things sometimes. Thank you so much for sharing this!!

Sharon

Tootsie said...

how fun is that!!! I love it

Maya said...

I'm kind of speechless..., the creativity here is just awesome. The elephant and the car the most striking amongst the striking!

Betty said...

Oh my gosh! Is this creativity at its best or what? Think of all the work that went into this project..I guess they had gardeners out there prunning every day. Amazing! What else interested is there to see in that town? Is this Festivel of Flowers an annual event? I'll have to look on a SC map and see where it is located in that state.

Blushing hostess said...

The elephant and the seahorse were very popular with my two year old who carefully reviewed these with me, what a treat, thank you!

Crystal Rose Cottage said...

Oh my goodness...those are so cool! I love the lion and the mama elephant and I would say that was a flamingo. Someone has alot of talent!
~Patti

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Unbelievable! The work that must have gone into those topiaries.

Suzann @ Lavender and Roses said...

They are all so amazing, but I gotta say that the Lion just blows me away!!

Anita said...

Everything looks beautiful...a lot of work and patience here. Thanks for sharing.

JoanK said...

what a delightful tour you've given us -- thanks. What a fun way to decorate a town for summer. I also have a virtual garden tour of french gardens if you'd like to see some more flowers. You can tour with me at openhouse.homegoods.com
joan

Cami @ Creating Myself said...

What incredible topiaries Susan! At first I thought the pink flamingo was my favorite & then I changed my mind to the mama elephant but that car is the clear winner...remarkable!

duchess said...

Absolutely beautiful. We're in Greenville, SC & I had no idea that was going on in Greenwood. I'll add it to my calendar next year for sure.
Thanks for taking us along.

duchess said...
This post has been removed by the author.
Carrie said...

Very very amazing. Someone is very talented and creative.

Thanks for sharing those great pictures.

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

Oh my goodness. These are absolutely "gorgeous". The talent of the designers is incredible. Thank goodness for the blogs these will leave on now forever..
hugs ~lynne~

Kim said...

Absolutely stunning! What a treat!

Linda/"Mom" said...

* WOW, Susan~~~~~ This was better than CHRISTMS PRESENTS!!!!!!!!!!! A*M*A*Z*I*N*G, beauuuuutious, SOOOO CrEaTiVe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks sooooo much~~~ WHAT A TREAT!!!!

Love,
Linda

lilsista said...

What a great idea for flowers! I'd love to try and build something like that sometime....I'd have to get rid of my brown thumb first lol!!

Barb~Bella Vista said...

Susan, these are just amazing....awesome! The butterfly steals my heart. Thanks for sharing these with us.

Happy Outdoor Wednesday.

Barb

PS....my husband is asking me who is this woman who is inspiring me to buy all these dishes for Tablescape Thursday????? hehehe, I' never tell. XOXO

pammiejo said...

Outstanding!! That would be so much fun to see! PAM

common ground said...

These are amazing! love the elephant's "behind" shot!
Debra

Sonia said...

Wow Susan!

Great pictures-I just love topiaries, and these are some of the best I've ever seen...made me smile at the King Kong display with the sweet potatoe vines! I love the old cars covered in flowers too! Thanks for sharing your pictures-I would like to visit there sometime! Miss Bloomers/Sonia

Kathy said...

Gosh these displays are amazing, such a visual delight, Kathy.

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Girl that was awesome my friend...WOW!! that Jeep and I loved King Kong...thanks for sharing this fun day with us...May you have a great day Susan...hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

Mary said...

What a wonderful event. Thank you for taking us on tour with you. Your photos are wonderful.

blushing rose said...

TY for sharing Susan. They are awesome. TTFN ~Marydon

Jane said...

Now I know what to do with my jeep when it finally dies! lol This photo display is amazing! These topiaries are so beautiful...so creative. Thank you for sharing your day with us.
Jane
Artfully Graced

teachermomof2 said...

Those are great topiaries! All so cool! I love the lion and the jeep the best...oh and the butterfly..I just like them all.

Thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Lisa

Michelle said...

Wow, what amazing pics - thanks for sharing!

Have a lovely day!
~Michelle
(Treasure the Moment)

Really Rainey said...

Hi Susan! What a fantastic post... Great photos, I really would have loved to see that in person! Stop by my blog is you get a chance... There is a link at the bottom, my Granddaughter Mady just posted for OW AND did another tablescape to post tomorrow on her own blog! (I posted one of hers on my blog a couple weeks ago for the 4th) Its just so cute and you got me hooked on tablescaping and I got her hooked on it! Now she is always on the look out for things... She used to want toys... Now... Like yesterday at Marshals, she wanted a tea tray!
Hope your week is going well...
~Really Rainey~

Janie's World said...

Oh, how I would love to live a place like this. To walk down main street and see these beautiful works of art! They have topiaries along these lines at Disneyland in front of It's a small world. But these are truly the most imaginative I've ever seen.

Regina said...

This is awesome. Wow. Thanks for sharing.

Have a great day!
Regina

Kim said...

I love topiaries & you have shown some fabulous ones. We lucked out when we bought our house that there was a dolphin topiary frame. Hubby planted new plants & brought it back to life. It's his pride & joy.

Beverly said...

Susan, these are FABULOUS!!! I love every single one. And, I can't wait to show my husband the car. He is going to think it is so cool.

Diane @ Four Paws and Co said...

All those topiaries are fabulous Susan! Bet you could hear me ohing & ahing with each picture too! ☺ diane

Thoughtfully blended hearts said...

Susan, this is wonderful!!!! I think this is the most fun post I've seen, thanks for sharing!!!

Tamara Jansen said...

I LOVE those topiaries......check out the topiary I have in my blog post today from the Ohio Short Course. Junior has asked for her hand in marriage :)

http://thegreenhousediaries.blogspot.com/2009/07/creating-emotional-connections.html

Carrie said...

Those topiary designs are truly outstanding...I wonder if there is any information on how they planned for this event...like who did the topiaries, etc.

Donna Marie said...

Susan! Wow! You must have had a blast! I think I would have used up all 8GB of space on my memory card! (smile) You took some incredible shots! That Topiary Garden looks unbelievable! That looks like years of work! Thanks for sharing!

xoxoxoxoxo
Donna Marie

Barnyard Country Gifts said...

What a lovely post with great pictures,
Thanks and have a nice day, Annemieke

Sue said...

Amazing is the only word that comes to mind when describing this spectacle of greenery and flowers!!! Extreme thanks so much for sharing your tour- I'm sending a link to a gardener friend and she will LOVE it! :-) Sue

Distressing Delilah a.k.a. jenn said...

I can't even begin to pick a favorite! They are all so awesome and amazing! Thank you for sharing with us!

cedwards55 said...

I loved the tour Susan. Especially that Jeep. That's all I'm gonna say......

Sharing with Sherri said...

Oh Susan, these topiaries are sooo delightful!!

My fav is the mama elephant!

Thanks so much for the wonderful tour. You did an excellent job!!

Sherri:D

Betty said...

That Jeep Wrangler is something else..amazing how they planted flowers everywhere. That is really being creative. Wonder how they did it? Do they show a film to tell you how it was all achieved or do they want to keep it a secret?

Susan S. said...

SUPER cool topiaries....thanks for sharing! I LOVE the animals but the jeep was awesome.

Frugal Fine Living said...

What a fun post! Thanks for taking us with you to the festival of flowers. The topiaries are amazing, especially the jeep!

Jane

Anonymous said...

Susan,
Thanks for a wonderful little day trip to this darling town. Your photography capturing each of these creations is great. Thank you for sharing your special trip with us and making our day special.
You have such gift for making an ordinary day into something very special.

Love, Katherine

Florida Sue said...

These folks are just so talented. There is so much work that goes into these on a daily basis. The deadheading, watering, trimming and fertilizing. It's mind boggling. I love them all.

Cindy said...

I am in so much awe! Great Post and oh so fabulous ! Cindy

Christi @ A Southern Life said...

Love topiaries. At some point in my life I would love to try a couple. Not there yet. Thanks for the inspiration!

Christi

Melissa Miller said...

~WOW! That is amazing! :)

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

This is amazing! I've been sending all my friends over to have a look! Yes I vote flamingo also -- I would love to see all this in person - too pretty!

MyJourneyBack said...

Amazing and beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Have a great Thursday I hope to join you soon with a tablescape.
Blessings.
Sherry

Terri and Bob said...

Totally loved the trip! Thanks for taking me along! Your pictures are just like being there!

laurie @ bargain hunting said...

Susan, those are so amazing, and I had such a fun time seeing them. Thanks for sharing them.laurie

Lady Katherine said...

Now those are some topiaries! I loved the butterfly, now the car is my favorite! They have used some plants I would never have thought to use in a topiary! And I have made many in my time! Great trip and fun! Off to a quick trip with hubby to Louisiana Friday!

Kathleen said...

That was great! It must be killer to keep them looking so good in the heat there!
Beautiful field trip..thanks..

Rhonda @ Shellbelle's Tiki Hut said...

WOW, that was fun! Of course, the flamingo and the seahorse are my favs.

I just love when towns get involved in this type of event.

SmilingSally said...

This is truly FABULOUS! It reminds me of the Rose Bowl Parade. Happy Outdoor Wednesday.

RobinfromCA said...

What a fun adventure! Mommy Elephant certainly has that "don't mess with my baby" look on her face! Those little pandas and that seahorse are just too cute and the swan is so pretty. Thanks for the tour!

Happy Outdoor Wednesday!
Robin@Miscellaneous Thoughts

Neabear said...

These are amazing! The amount of work that went into these just floors me. The creativity! Wow! Thanks for sharing.