The Woodland Circus - A Business Idea for the Easygoing

Business, like any human activity, should bring emotional satisfaction and align with the temperament of the person engaged in it. While money matters, having a calling is equally important. Sometimes we hear stories where a passion turns into a business, and the best business is often a hobby that brings in profit. More often than not, people who turn their passion into a business are happy individuals.

Arborsculpture - What Is It and How It All Began?

One of the branches of landscape design – arborsculpture can become a lifelong pursuit for nature lovers, those who enjoy leisurely activities, and in some way, a reclusive lifestyle. At least for the creator of this art form, Axel Erlandson, practicing arborsculpture brought in decent money.

Arborsculpture refers to the unique art of shaping living plants into various forms through weaving and grafting them together, as well as the art of shaping the future form of the plants. Using simple tools, a gardener can guide a tree's growth in a way that eventually results in, for example, a living arbor, a human figure, or a heart shape. Axel Erlandson, the pioneer of arborsculpture, was the originator of this innovative art form.

The business idea of growing peculiar plants cannot be called new since the first tree using this technique was grown by Erlandson back in 1919. As it often happens, initially, it was just a family hobby. But in 1945, his wife and daughter went on a journey where they realized something interesting: many people enjoy observing and studying all things unusual and strange to such an extent that they are willing to pay money just to see these "oddities". Upon their return from the journey, the women concluded that the trees grown by their husband and father could be a profitable venture.

The Success of the Living Tree Circus

Without much thought, inspired by the new idea, Axel purchased a small piece of land in California and began transplanting his trees to a new location. In 1947, the unusual garden under the equally unusual name "Living Tree Circus" was unveiled.

Dedicating practically his entire life to his craft, Erlandson created numerous living sculptures, and when asked by the curious how he achieved it, he often replied that the whole secret lay in the ability to communicate with the green giants.

Pooktre - Another Branch of the Arborsculpture Art

During the founder's lifetime, the "circus" was thriving. This was, of course, due to the love for arborsculpture. However, after the master's passing, the garden changed hands, nearly facing closure until it was purchased by Peter Cook and Becky Northey – admirers of Erlandson's work. The circus was renamed after the city where it now resides – Gilroy. The new owners not only revived Axel's art but also improved and developed a new direction - cultivating exclusive furniture. They named their technique Pooktre (from the author's name and the word "tree").

Among the first figures created by Peter and Becky were a coffee table and a mirror frame. Some of the most eye-catching attractions in the Pooktre park are human figures. Many trees are grown to order and once shaped, they will be transplanted. Growing hats, tables, chairs, coat hangers, and even beds takes years, but the sculptors are confident that with patience, anything can be grown.

Some Technical Insights

The process of shaping the plant's appearance roughly goes like this: in spring, young tree shoots are planted, they are pruned and intertwined by autumn. This cycle may be repeated until the desired shape is achieved, resulting in true works of art.

In addition to shaping branches, arborsculpturists work with roots since the roots of many plants are surface-based rather than underground. Moreover, roots hold shape better and are more malleable.

Conclusions

Currently, there is a renewed interest in natural environments in many countries, manifested in the relevance of landscape design and specifically arborsculpture. However, it's worth noting that our latitudes are characterized by a fairly harsh climate, which may somewhat limit opportunities in this business sphere.