Today, I passed you on the street…

And my heart fell at your feet. I can’t help it if I’m still in love with Q (for Quirky).

Hank Williams may be rolling in his grave as I steal his words, but my High-QQ (Quirk Quotient) kicks in whenever I pass this little house with its Dr.-Seussian topiaries.

Garden snobs may sniff, but is there any reason why such a lovingly crafted, perfectly scaled topiary in a small urban garden should be any less acceptable than similar clipwork in the grounds of an Elizabethan manor?

While seeking simplicity for myself, I can’t help but admire something complex crafted by others. Yet, this is simplicity in a way. It’s a single, and single-minded obsession, each wayward leaf stopped in its tracks. This is clearly a work of passion, and its exuberance is catching.

That requires the kind of dedication that usually goes into creating the perfect lawn. Yet, here, rather than dandelion-zapping herbicides or the constant glugging of water, we have a row of privet and cedar shrubs, and the intensive care comes mostly from human hands.

I like it. But enough about me. How about you… what’s your QQ?

3 comments

  1. I always admire the work that goes into topiary, especially when it is kept neat and well-trimmed.

    My own topiary runs to two-pom meatballs, but we did clip some box into chickens a time or two, just for fun.

  2. I love it all, quirky R us. I would love to be able to sculpt something like that, but can barely keep a short boxwood hedge clipped level. Well it is not ever level but luckily grows out, like a child's bangs cut too short to *even them up*. 🙂
    Frances

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