The story behind 'Hedge Face,' a treasured topiary in North Vancouver
When Cindy Brodowski bought her home on Dollarton Highway in North Vancouver in June, it came with a unique feature: a large hedge out front that was carved into the shape of a face at one end.
“If someone says which house did you buy, I say the one with the big hedge face,” said Brodowski. “Most people go, ‘Oh, that house!’ So there is some infamy with it.”
She learned the carved topiary, commonly referred to as “Hedge Face,” had been there for many years, and was the likeness of an artist named Santo who used to live at the property.
“He lived here for 30 years or more, and he’s a fairly well-known sculptor,” Brodowski said.
The cheerful hedge face became a gathering place during the early days of the pandemic.
“When people were staying close to home, families were getting a lot of joy out of it and leaving notes for the face,” she said.
Brodowski knew she had to keep it – and her son-in-law Nate Pollard, who also lives in the house, just happens to be a horticulturalist.
“It was really overgrown, I don’t know the last time it got done,” said Pollard. “But I went slowly and I just found the old growth and followed it, and took a picture of my own face just to see the features, and then that’s how I made the cheekbones and made it look a little real.”
When the familiar face appeared again, the neighborhood rejoiced.
“People were driving by honking and waving and happy it’s coming back, that we weren’t taking it down,” said Brodowski.
“And some people asked me for my phone number so I could do their hedge,” added Pollard, who has big plans for Hedge Face. “When I get a ladder I will change his hairdo. I don’t know to what yet, but I will change it,” he said.
He also plans to give Hedge Face a spooky new look for Halloween, and dress him up like Santa at Christmas.
It’s a lot of work to maintain the topiary, and Brodowski knows some new homeowners would have cut it down – but she says that never crossed her mind.
“We are kind of quirky that way, we like fun things.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.