Last year when Milton Old of Beauty Point, near Launceston in Tasmania, was watching Burke’s Backyard, he was inspired by the topiary animals and shapes in the gardens of John Mircello and Peter Nguyen. Milton decided to have a go at pruning one of his conifers (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Boulevard’) into a Santa Claus. Milton said it took about 9 months to establish the shape in the mature tree.
He added a pair of gumboots as a finishing touch to his living sculpture, and decorated it with lights for Christmas 2000. Don thought the Santa was one of the best examples of topiary he had ever seen. When the foliage and branches move it almost looks like the Santa Claus is alive!