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
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.