COLUMBUS, Ohio — This summer, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is bringing plants to life with their animal-shaped topiaries in the Garden Safari exhibition.
From June 3 to Sept. 10, guests will be able to see thirty different animals in the conservatory’s topiary collection. The animals will be outside in the courtyards, Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden and Grand Mallway.
From flamingos to fish to tigers, the conservatory will feature animals from land, sky and sea. Each one takes on the animal’s distinct look through colorful moss and other live plants.
According to the conservatory, the topiaries are based around steel frames instead of pruning an existing plant to create the shape.
This is a reoccurring exhibition that uses some previously seen topiaries, but many of them will be on display for the first time in years.
Garden Safari is included with general admission which costs $23 for adults, $15.50 for children between the ages of 3 and 12 and $19 for seniors ages 60 and older.
In addition to the topiaries, the conservatory also announced the return of its railway exhibition.
“Paul Busse Garden Railway” will be shown from June 3, 2023 to Jan. 7, 2024. Visitors stopping by the exhibition will experience four different botanical themes: Fairytale Land, Wild West Town, European Travels and the animals of Who Lives Here.
Nine g-scale model trains will travel across 1,122 feet of track and weave through the botanical landscapes, according to a release from the conservatory.
Paul Busse and his team used all-natural plant material to build more than 50 botanical models to accompany the tracks - making the exhibition feel immersive.
More information on both exhibitions can be found here.