Meet Ralph — the 15-foot dog outside Hamilton city hall
Design was inspired by ‘Mosaïculture,’ a horticultural display in Ottawa last year
It looks like Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger’s puppy, Dash, will have a new friend to visit when he heads to work with the mayor this summer.
Pictured here is Ralph, the creation of the city of Hamilton’s horticultural staff.
The approximately 15-foot sculpture outside Hamilton City Hall, was developed using Carex buchananii (leatherleaf sedge), a sage grass native to New Zealand and grown in the city’s greenhouses this spring.
The grasses were rooted into a frame created by local metal artist Trevor McInytre with the internal infrastructure designed and implemented by the horti- cultural staff.
This includes soil and a watering system inside the sculpture to keep Ralph’s “fur” healthy and growing throughout the hot summer.
The whimsical garden’s designs were initiated by Marcia Monaghan, superintendent of horticulture for the city.
She said her inspiration came from seeing Mosaïculture, a huge horticultural display in Ottawa last year.
Monaghan said that despite all the significant dog references — including the mayor’s dog, the OHL-winning Bulldogs and the fact that it is the Year of the Dog in Chinese culture — none of these were actually the inspiration for the sculpture.
“We just thought it would be fun,” Monaghan said.
The gardens, which also include a huge butterfly, will be completed midday Friday.