TOPIARY

[FUJI]

It is our annual Carnival Day tomorrow, I always attempt to get our tiny front garden looking as it should in time for it, because the house is perused  by hundreds of residents and visitors.

Those beautiful Box hedges running down the garden are as old as the house, built in 1875......I fashioned the pair of peacocks soon after we moved in in 1966 from when the hedges had grown out of control during the war years and as my in-law's aged.

The privet bordering the road isn't quite the same to shape with shears, but perseverance pays in the end.....sometimes I use a small power trimmer, occasionally a very sharp pair of Sheep-Shears.....but during the past two days, I used a brand new pair of exceptionally sharp shears.

I can only manage about an hour per session, so you can see there is still part of a side Box and all of the middle Box yet to complete.

I remember thinking all those years ago....that hedge trimming can be a chore, so I added a little creativity, to help a little.

Sooooo!       FUJI towers is almost ready for inspection.......sadly, gardening isn't my favourite way to spend time.

These pics demonstrate just how close we are to a still very busy main road.....the Bypass built years ago, takes most of the heavy stuff away.....unless if course our Denis drops by.

FUJI

[Clicker]

That  looks brilliant Fooj ....and a lot of hard work goes into that... I Know .... and I HATE  the clearing up afterwards ... that is backbreaking !... I clipped two Lonicera Baggins Gold into welcoming smiley faces at the bottom of the drive to cheer up the delivery drivers who could never find us as we are not on a public road  that the SAT NAV  can find . They are usually really fed up by the time they find us so seeing these two faces usually  makes them laugh ....

[FUJI]

Love them Polly...........you Whacky........me Traditional.

I don't know about you, but I don't worry at all whilst I'm re-shaping my birds.....lots of folks would be terrified of removing an important area through Over enthusiastic cutting.

I do recall, my son's taking them over whilst I was incapacitated.....both birds lost their sharply defined edges, it took me some time to re-discover the original shapes.

FUJI

[Clicker]

I think you have much more complicated shapes to be fair Fooj .I love the interwoven box  topiary in the ancient knot gardens that many stately homes are reproducing again Studeley . Castle has some stunning examples ...