Back in June, when we were delivering growbags for our veg growing project, we couldn’t help but notice some amazing topiary en route.
Tim Bushe is the designer of such wonders, and I popped back recently to find out how he creates and maintains his masterpieces. As I asked what local residents thought of such marvels, he had to admit that after many years of silence, it was through his topiary that he has finally got to know his neighbours, as once when he was trimming away, he became aware of a neighbour standing behind him clapping!
Most of the hedges in the Highbury/ Arsenal area are grown using Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium), although Tim has plans for experimenting with many different types of hedging further afield.
Tim has expertly transformed existing hedges over the last few years using just a basic electric hedge trimmer, 42cm being the ideal length of blade for the job, and dislikes the idea of spending more than half an hour trimming his creations (although the cats can sometimes take a little longer).
Adept as he is with his hedge trimmer, Tim has also recently invested in some smaller clippers which will facilitate his more intricate designs (as per scary monster above).
As his notoriety spreads, Tim is now offering his services in the form of a consultation, topiary design and first cut for a bargain price of £250.00 (if you live in the Islington/Highbury/Finsbry Park area of North London) and £75.00.00 for subsequent cuts (September 2012). You can contact him at [email protected] All proceeds will go to his sister’s charity HFT Trust and donations to the charity can be made via Just Giving.
On our travels in June, we also came across an unloved piece of ground desperately in need of a bit of planting to enliven the space. Happily, Tim has agreed to create a topiary Gunners (Arsenal for all those non-football fans) Cannon, complete with cannon balls in this small but perfectly formed area. The bare-rooted privet has been ordered for an autumn delivery and we’ll be building a red and white (Arsenal colours) picket fence to protect Tim’s creation whilst it’s growing. Will keep you updated on how our shooter progresses.
