If ever there were ever a phrase that evokes 'yesteryear,' it is Currier and Ives. And, Yesteryear has been recreated in topiary on the occasion of the Sixtieth Anniversary of Florida's Oldest Theme Park.

The topi-art festival at Cypress Gardens delights guests with more than 75 life-sized ivy topiaries -- the largest artistic topiary exhibition in the world -- including a 42-foot steamship, a fantasy ivy carousel, and Victorian ladies and gents.

A Victorian Garden Party populated with ivy figures bedecked with begonias and other colorful blossoms is in progress. Couples arrive in carriages drawn by prancing horses, as ladies in bonnets and bustles dance with men in top hats and tails, and topi-children walk topi-dogs. Remembering that the Victorians were consumed with a passion for horticulture, the topi-art designers have added detail upon detail to each piece, achieving unbelievable effects by using a multitude of plants and flowers to create the pieces.