Tree Shapers

[sbk]

OK, I like bonsai like the next guy but looking out my window at a forest of these would probably give me nightmares.

[xen]

Hi SBK,

Great photo, where is it ? Do you know the species, i can't identify them from the photo except the look like fruit trees.

I remember in the early eighties, i was involved with Permaculture and a few other envirionmental organisations and there was a campaign to save a "park:" somewhere near Disneyland in California. Aparently the land was bought in the 30's and the owner gradually turned the whole area into "sculptures" by grafting alike species together. The campaign failed and the area was bulldozed for a housing development.

Sad.

[isanbirder]

Are you sure they're not aliens, SBK?

[sbk]

Sorry didn't even look, was just too disturbed by the image! its a business that sells the shapers I guess. Ents in the backyard!

[isanbirder]

Sorry didn't even look, was just too disturbed by the image! its a business that sells the shapers I guess. Ents in the backyard!

Ents I could live with. In fact, Fangorn rumbling away in the garden would be rather an attraction!

[drtreelove]

Hi SBK,

Great photo, where is it ? Do you know the species, i can't identify them from the photo except the look like fruit trees.

I remember in the early eighties, i was involved with Permaculture and a few other envirionmental organisations and there was a campaign to save a "park:" somewhere near Disneyland in California. Aparently the land was bought in the 30's and the owner gradually turned the whole area into "sculptures" by grafting alike species together. The campaign failed and the area was bulldozed for a housing development.

Sad.

Xen, I don't know about near Disneyland, but there was the "Tree Circus" in Scotts Valley, California, near Santa Cruz on the Monterey bay/central coast just south of San Francisco.

Many of the trees were moved to Bonapart Gardens, now re-named Gilroy Gardens, south of San Jose.

http://www.gilroygardens.org/learn/circus-trees.cfm

Personally this "art" form repulses me, as I love the natural form and beauty of trees. Pleaching, pollarding, espalier and topiary are distortions of nature for human purposes and curiosity; a lot of people think it's cute, and pay money to see it. Such is life and human interests. don

[xen]

Hi SBK,

Great photo, where is it ? Do you know the species, i can't identify them from the photo except the look like fruit trees.

I remember in the early eighties, i was involved with Permaculture and a few other envirionmental organisations and there was a campaign to save a "park:" somewhere near Disneyland in California. Aparently the land was bought in the 30's and the owner gradually turned the whole area into "sculptures" by grafting alike species together. The campaign failed and the area was bulldozed for a housing development.

Sad.

Xen, I don't know about near Disneyland, but there was the "Tree Circus" in Scotts Valley, California, near Santa Cruz on the Monterey bay/central coast just south of San Francisco.

Many of the trees were moved to Bonapart Gardens, now re-named Gilroy Gardens, south of San Jose.

http://www.gilroygar...ircus-trees.cfm

Personally this "art" form repulses me, as I love the natural form and beauty of trees. Pleaching, pollarding, espalier and topiary are distortions of nature for human purposes and curiosity; a lot of people think it's cute, and pay money to see it. Such is life and human interests. don

Hi Don.

I think it must have been the Tree Circus as you said - it is amazing how fuzzy the memory gets about events 40 years ago but it the Tree Circus website does revoke my memory and sounds correct. I remember the campaign tho but it was one of many causes to fight for back then and I thought these trees were lost to a housing development. Thanks for that website.

I find this type of plant manipulation a curiosity and it is not so much the techniques used (wether it is grafting, hedging, espaliering, bonsai etc) but but how they are used in the landscape that dictates wether i like them. I rarely find topiary interesting or in a good taste sense and unlike the tree shaper tree figures which express some sense of frivolity or humour with them, ( just a different view) .What I do find offensive is how, especially in Thailand is how they treat street trees in particular ,and other trees by using axes,machettes, hand saws etc to mutilate them.

[sbk]

Its a commercial site looks like its based in Queensland Australia, here is the wiki article on the whole notion of shaping your trees- from bonsai ot the pooktre method (this one)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_shaping

[xen]

The wiki article was a good summary of the whole "art" if you would like to call it that. There was a period some years ago. associated with permaculture , with the tag of "Bio Architecture" where trees would be planted in a circle and gradually bent to form a igloo like structure and eventually graft together . It was supposed to be a cheap alternative housing for areas such as the arid areas of Africa, Aus and India where heavy rain would not be an issue and shade would be a prime need. Seemed the idea died a natural death,