Columnist John Katsilometes: Basking in the splendor of the garden party at Joel Robuchon at the Mansion

Friday, Dec. 16, 2005 | 7:32 a.m.

Fabulous Las Vegas runs Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach John Katsilometes at kats@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-2327 or (702) 812-9812.

The first thought at observing the vertical garden at Joel Robuchon at the Mansion is, "Wow. This looks great -- for a fake." But upon further review, it is real.

And it looks great, for real.

"What is unique at Robuchon is everything is real. Nothing is fake," said Shane Pliska, the design consultant and business development manager for Planterra, his family's West Bloomfield, Mich., company. Pliska directed the installation of the unique 14-foot-high, 40-foot-wide garden inside the swank restaurant at MGM Grand.

The expansive garden is made up of 830 hendra helix plants, a variety that is a version of what is known as English ivy. The bedding areas are planted with azaleas and various exotic plants. Nearly all of the foliage displayed has matching sets in a nearby greenhouse, and the garden is rotated and replaced continually.

The garden's leafy fragrance would compete with any dish, and the resulting ambience can make a visitor a bit light-headed.

"When we got together with Mr. Robuchon and the architect ( Pierre-Yves Rochon) and we were in the secret planning stages, they wanted a garden in the site," Pliska said. "When they were close to construction, we realized it would be inside the hotel with no natural light -- and using live foliage, which is a lot more complicated."

Pliska, whose father, Larry, founded Planterra in 1973, says Las Vegas has some of the most impressive indoor atrium designs in the country.

"There are a number of companies in the area who do artificial foliage very well," he said. "But I'd compare it to when you go to someone's house for dinner. If there is a flower arrangement that is fake, it makes me think differently of that person."

For real.

NoteMart

Wayne forecast: On Sunday my close personal friend Wayne Newton is headlining a benefit concert at Harrah's Grand Casino Event Center in Tunica, Miss., for first responders of Hurricane Katrina. The show will feature appearances by Lee Ann Womack, Neal McCoy, Sinbad, Paul Rodriguez, Brittany Murphy and Chris Isaak (whom I refer to as The Coolest Guy Ever).

Tickets are $50 and $100, call (800) 946-4946 or go to www.ticketmaster.com. Proceeds go to the Mississippi Law Enforcement and Firefighter Katrina Relief Fund Inc., which benefits the Mississippi National Guard, law enforcement officials and firefighters who have been involved in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort ...

Esquire boys: The January 2006 issue of Esquire (which features a stern-mugged Howard Stern on the cover) is the magazines's second annual Meaning of Life issue, filled with "What I've Learned" celebrity commentary. Featured in this issue are resident Las Vegas legends Jerry Lewis, Tony Curtis and B.B. King. A sampling:

From Lewis: "Adrenaline is wonderful. It covers pain. It covers dementia. It covers everything."

From King: "Water from the white fountain didn't taste any better than from the black fountain."

From Curtis: "Wanna hear some poetry? Here's one I wrote: You cannot ask a fish not to swim/It's the only thing that makes him him."

Goin' Postal: I've spotted these businesses with the curious name Goin' Postal around town. They are mailbox outlet stores, similar to Mail Boxes Etc. But what of the name, which I have always thought meant that a former United States Postal Service employee has gone wingnut and shot up a post office?

As Goin' Postal Vice President M.J. Price explained via e-mail from the company's headquarters in Zephyrhills, Fla., "The term 'going postal' is a common term that over the years has come to mean, 'going crazy.' " Price said that several store owners are former Postal Service employees and assured us that the U.S. Postal service does not find the term offensive.