BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- Forget your traditional Hawaiian skirts. A Belgian agri-design team has headed to greener pastures with clothing made of living grass.

Agricultural technician Luc Mertes, a self-styled flower sculptor, came up with the idea of making -- or , rather, growing -- the skirts, dresses and tops.

Mertes did it for fun. He says he has a passion for decorating anything -- or anybody -- with living flowers and plants.

"Everybody wants to touch the grass clothes just to see if it is made of truly natural grass. The comments from most people aren't very kind. But it's a good laugh. People always want to see if it's real. Someone even took a bit of grass to taste it -- just to check that it was real."

The grass is grown on jute matting, which substitutes for soil. It takes about 25 days for the "material" to be ready for cutting, roots and all.

Then fashion designer Christiane Libert takes over, "Edward Scissorhands" style. She says there's nothing like these clothes.

"I wear them myself. It feels very comfortable, very light and fresh because normally, the grass has been watered."

But the eco-garb is high-maintenance! If it isn't watered once a day, it dies. And a dress may need mowing every two weeks. Of course, a local horse may be available to help out in that department.

Despite the mixed reviews for his grass clothing, Mertes is pressing on. He says he is going to go upmarket -- with a grass wedding dress that also contains live flowers.

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