Splice together Edward Scissorhands and Dr. Seuss, and you wind up with Ick Chu, a shrub-happy homeowner in Melbourne, Australia. Chu has sculpted more than 20 life-size topiary animals in his garden, a whimsical zoo that features dinosaurs, giraffes, eagles, elephants and a jolly red rhino with a sign that reads "You Can Ride Me."
"People ride on it nearly every day," Chu told reporters in Melbourne. Chu bought the home 11 years ago and immediately gutted the old garden to make way for his bushy band of animals. "Kids love it. They don't even have to come in and ask."
To create his menagerie, Chu usually spent around five hours a day snipping and pruning, and worked for four years on his giant elephant alone. He started out with an eagle, moved on to bears and didn't stop until his garden was a full-blown tourist attraction.
"People come by from other suburbs or interstate," he said proudly. "Sometimes someone might bring a cousin from overseas."
Chu was able to keep his grassy animals green and healthy by using coffee grounds as mulch. "Maybe it wakes them up?" he said, as if he would love nothing more than to see his creations come to life. Chu, who called the entire endeavor "a hobby," had a very simple explanation for why he's devoted so much time to crafting fantastical animals. He does it, he said, "Just because I love it."
There have been obstacles–and, no, we're not talking about his wife, Sinh, who wishes he spent a little less time gardening but is happy Chu found something he loves so much. A recent water shortage put the clamps on Chu's snippers, so he turned to making concrete animals for a while.
In the meantime, there will be no new additions to his little garden gang. Not because he's tired of doing it, or because he can't think of what to do next. He simply can't fit another animal anywhere. "No room, that's all," he said sadly. "Just no more room."
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