Garden Monsters: The Gothic Garden presented by Corteva Agriscience
Garden Monsters presented by Corteva Agriscience are back and bolder than ever. Inspired by the book, The Goth Garden: The Mystery, Beauty, and Lore of Dark Gardening by Felicia Feaster, local artists have summoned a hauntingly whimsical collection of Garden Monsters to emerge throughout The Garden this spooky season.
Wander winding paths lined with pumpkins, twisting vines, and brilliant autumn color as mysterious creatures appear among the foliage and hidden corners of The Garden. Equal parts eerie and enchanting, each monster celebrates nature’s darker side. Discover where beauty grows wild, the unexpected takes root, and every turn reveals a little seasonal magic.
Garden Monsters will be on view during the day, and you can also see the creatures in a whole new light during Harvest Nights presented by Everwise Credit Union.
Discover more about these eerie-yet-endearing creations and the talented local artists behind them below.
Included with General Admission and/or Harvest Nights
Meet the Artists
Amanda Ybarra
This Garden Monster was inspired by the Black Bat Flower (Tacca Chantrieri) and a vampire, the most dangerous and chilling of all Gothic monsters. Count Tacca Chantrieri is an homage to the breathtaking plants housed in the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse, one of the most magical places to visit on the grounds. It is a playful nod to the darker spirits of Halloween time. I imagine the Count lurking just inside a tree line, waiting to step out to block my path as I stroll carelessly through a Gothic garden lit only by moonlight, inviting me to spend eternity with him.
Instagram: @shes.the.man.dy
Callie Wilder
Allow me to introduce Wailomena Petrina, Lady of the Lost. Born from the tears shed for a once-great city, she rose from its cracks to become a protector, guide, and living bridge between what has been and what is yet to come. She weeps for what once was, yet urges life onward.
Heavily inspired by Dark Romanticism and the Gothic aesthetic, Wailomena Petrina blends dramatic forms with whimsical, organic elements to celebrate nature's duality. Both haunting and graceful, she stands as a guardian of fallen Gothic grandeur, long since embraced by the garden, forever the weeping woman of ruin.
Instagram: @calliewildercreative
Christina Chobot
Little Bo Creep and her Baaad Little Sheep reimagines the familiar nursery rhyme, Little Bo Peep, through a dark gothic lens. Drawing from victorian gothic architecture, the sculpture transforms Bo Peep from a whimsical shepherdess into the ominous caretaker of her demonic sheep minions.
Built from materials including bamboo, hemp twine, burlap, clay, and flowers, the structure resembles both gothic chaple and animal enclosure - blurring the lines between santuary and captivity.
Instagram: @Theartofchobot
Doug Rollison
Timeless and silent he watches the world pass in a cacophony of futility and busy strife. Is he lifeless stone created by some solitary craftsman or are the rumors true? Does he comes to life and hunt the wicked in his eternal cause to protect his holy sanctuary? Watch Archigoyle the Watcher if you can!
Instagram: @dougrollison
Christian Brooks, Robert Gann, Grace Hutson, and Samantha Soper with Engledow Group
A hooded figure, cemented in place, as though waiting through ages untold. A tarnished speculum lies amongst the roots, its final reflection in question. Beneath the hood, serpentine forms slip between stone and shadow, while eyes bloom from leaf and vine. Has the Gorgon become stone, or does it wait? Beware where your eyes meet. The only safe eyes may be your own.
Instagram: @engledowgroup
Ginger Pearson
The Hollow Hart stands as the silent guardian of a forgotten garden where nature and architecture have become one. Its antlers rise like weathered cathedral windows, woven from branches, vines, and time itself, while its body emerges from the forest as though grown rather than built. Bathed in moonlight, it invites visitors to wander closer, discovering beauty within decay and stillness within shadow. Rooted in the mystery of autumn, the stag watches over the Gothic Garden, a quiet sentinel reminding us that even ruins continue to bloom.
Instagram: @relly.inc
Walter Egan
Amongst the ferns and flytraps, there dwells a spirit deep within the swamps of the South. Hidden beneath the moss and murk, the Scarlet Belle waits for those who dare to trespass near her grave. Surrounded by the undigested effects of intruders past, her pitchers rise above the soil to await unsuspecting prey. When the ghastly carnivorous plant is in bloom, she rises up to haunt the bogs, bringing fear to all those who see her within the mist.
Instagram: @mr._the_fish
