For something that detailed and "organic" I would build a base mesh in whatever 3d App, then take it into either Zbrush or Mudbox and sculpt it. But it sounds like you are already working along those lines?
For the right I'd probably build a pretty detailed base mesh and use large chunks of it for the one on the left. - For the top leaves I'd do most of that in 3dsmax. Trace/draw out the outline of each leafy pattern with a spline, convert it to edit poly, and detail it a bit, make sure it sub-d's well bla bla bla. - Then…