When retired fan maker John Brooker realized that his hedge was way too boring, he decided to do something about it. Since then, he has been sculpting it into a wonderful, mystical creature – a gigantic 150-foot long, 20-foot tall dragon. The dragon also has a massive pair of wings and six sets of legs.
The dragon topiary is really something beautiful – with its bulging eyes, flaring nostrils and crested back. Mr. Brooker said: “I was standing at my kitchen sink one day and thought the hedge was boring so decided to do something with it. I think the dragon came from my days in the Army. I did two tours in Malaysia so the dragon must have been in my subconscious.”
Mr. Brooker completed the dragon hedge with the help of his wife, Pippa, who used to be a graphic designer. “My wife is the gardener, I just cut the lawn and do the hedge,” he said. “She was pleased as though she had something interesting to look at.”
“I’ve added wings and the top was quite plain but every year I add another couple of lines for definition.” Now that the dragon is complete, he spends about three days every fortnight in maintaining the design, trimming it back into shape. He goes through four electric hedge trimmers and uses a 6-foot ladder during the process, which he compares to painting the Forth Bridge.
“The farmer here is horrified when he sees me perched on top of the ladders,” Mr. Brooker joked. His spectacular dragon hedge is located by the sidewalk, alongside his rented farm cottage in East Rudham in Norfolk, where it always attracts people’s attention.
Source: www.bbc.com
