Exploring the trails at Cosby’s Garden Centre feels like stepping into a Grimm’s Fairy Tale. Ivan Higgins, owner and artist, pours his passion into whimsical concrete creations, ranging from human figures to fantastical creatures. These sculptures radiate a charged energy, each with its own distinctive personality, often evoking a sense of folklore and mystery. They populate the woods, where the varied textures and foliage along winding paths enhance the otherworldly atmosphere.
You can find these trails tucked behind the greenhouses, which are accessible and easy to walk with gentle inclines. You will be immediately captivated by figures that seem caught mid-movement, as if walking into a scene paused between one frame and the next. Think Cirque du Soleil performers, frozen in poses where their strength, visible in their muscles, is striking and gravity-defying. The garden feels alive, like a living sculpture gallery where the works don’t just stand still but engage the viewer, whether a figure points skyward or a tortoise ambles along the path.
What makes the experience truly remarkable is Ivan’s dedication to his craft. He has taken a material known for its sturdy building applications and made it appear both weightless and animated – all while preserving the sculpture’s natural material, without employing any added decoration or methods of disguising the concrete.
Ivan’s work radiates a kind of vitality that only comes from deep passion and unwavering commitment. Yet, he shares it generously. A walk through the garden centre and back trails costs nothing, although donations are appreciated. Beyond the garden, Ivan’s artistry is visible across Nova Scotia. His work appears in public spaces throughout the South Shore, including a recently installed fisherman’s memorial at the LaHave Islands Marine Museum.
Even when public trails were recently closed, this little sanctuary of whimsy remained open. It’s a place of enchantment, not a playground — so visitors are asked to stay on the trails and respect the sculptures. One visit can never fully capture everything this ever-changing space has to offer. Each year, this creative haven continues to flourish, with fresh paths to explore, revealing new wonders each season for everyone who enters its storybook world.
What a very well written and descriptive article. I have never visited Cosby’s but reading this makes me want to go there even more now. Very well done and thank you sharing Lynette.