All About Dollywood's Mosaicultures

• Jessica Shafer

Flowers come to life in Dollywood’s gorgeous Mosaicultures! As part of the Flower & Food Festival, you can find floral sculptures on Showstreet, in Rivertown Junction and in the lower portion of Craftsman’s Valley. With raccoons, a beekeeper, bears, Dolly’s mother creating her famous Coat of Many Colors and more, these Mosaicultures help make Dollywood gorgeous throughout the spring, and you can learn all the Mosaiculture details on a Behind the Blooms VIP Tour through June 11 at the award-winning Flower & Food Festival.

Living Displays

While it may be tempting to refer to these sculptures as topiaries, they are not actually in the topiary family. Topiaries are bushes or trees trimmed into ornamental shapes; Mosaicultures, on the other hand, are made of multiple plants and flowers grown on a steel structure to create a shape or image. The steel structure allows the plants’ watering system to be built into the sculpture, and by using various plants on each Mosaiculture, the sculptures are given beautiful texture and color.

So how do these Mosaicultures make their way to Dollywood? The sculptures are created and stored in Montreal, Canada, and the blooms are started there each year. Just before the Flower & Food Festival begins, the sculptures are driven to Tennessee in trucks, with most of them being disassembled into several pieces. Because they are made of steel and other metal, Mosaicultures can weigh several tons. Once the sculptures arrive at Dollywood, they are assembled while the park is empty, and they are in perfect condition by the time guests arrive.

Dollywood Icons

Many of the Mosaicultures at Dollywood are long-time favorites, but last year saw the addition of a few new flowering friends. The duck near the Grist Mill plays homage to the popular ducks that call Dollywood home, and the beekeeper near Miss Lillian’s Smokehouse is incredibly impressive in height and beauty.

Because the Mosaicultures are made of growing plants and flowers, they look fuller later into spring. And although everyone loves having the floral sculptures scattered throughout Dollywood, they are taken back to Canada after the Flower & Food Festival ends, because they would not do well in the hot East Tennessee summer!

If you love the Mosaicultures, taking a Behind the Blooms VIP Tour is the best way to learn all the inside information behind the beautiful creations. On a tour, you will even get a chance to stop and take a photo with each Mosaiculture, so book your Behind the Blooms VIP Tour today!