CHARLIE: WHAT’S UP GUYS? I’M CHARLIE, THAT’S PATRICK, KIRBY’S BEHIND THE CAMERA AND TODAY WE’RE IN GILROY, CALIFORNIA AT GILROY GARDENS TO CHECK OUT THEIR AWESOME CIRCUS TREES.
PATRICK: OH MY… CHARLIE: ALRIGHT, SO THIS SUMMER ON OUR TRIP, WE WENT TO A SUPER TINY THEME PARK IN CALIFORNIA CALLED GILROY GARDENS. THIS PLACE HAD EVERYTHING, SWINGS, ROLLER COASTERS, A LITTLE TRAIN, SINGING CABBAGES, BASICALLY EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT IN A TINY LITTLE THEME PARK AND RANDOMLY WE FOUND SOME OF THE CRAZIEST LOOKING TREES THAT WE’VE EVER SEEN IN OUR ENTIRE LIVES. CHECK IT OUT, THESE ARE TREES. AND THEY’RE REAL, AND THEY’RE ALIVE. SO WHAT COULD’ WELL THAT’S WHAT WE WERE WONDERING SO WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND WE FIGURED IT OUT! WELL IT ALL STARTED WITH THIS SWEDISH AMERICAN FARMER GUY NAMED AXEL ERLANDSON, OR AS NO ONE CALLED HIM UNTIL NOW, EARL. HE HAD A BROTHER NAMED LUDWIG, WHO’S NOT REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE STORY AT ALL EXCEPT, I MEAN, HIS NAME IS LUDWIG AND THAT’S PRETTY COOL, SO IT’S WORTH MENTIONING. SO BACK IN 1928 EARL THOUGH IT WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD IDEA TO GET INTO TREE SCULPTURE, AND HE BEGAN GROWING TREES IN DIFFERENT, UNUSUAL SHAPES. HE DID THIS FOR 40 YEARS AND MADE SOME OF THE CRAZIEST TREE SPECIMENS THAT EXIST IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. WHEN CHILDREN WOULD ASK EARL HOW HE GOT HIS TREES TO GROW LIKE THIS, HE WOULD LEAN IN, REAL CLOSE AND WHISPER “I TALK TO THEM.” OH EARL, YOU SILLY OLD FART, WE KNOW YOUR SECRETS, YOU’RE DOING THIS WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE NATURAL PROCESSES KNOWN AS INOSCULATION AND GRAFTING. COOL, SO BASICALLY INOSCULATION IS WHEN TWO TREES OR BRANCHES GROW SO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER THAT THEY START TO TOUCH. AND AFTER SOME TIME PASSES, THEY EVENTUALLY FUSE TOGETHER. WE’RE CLIMBING THIS LOCUST TREE IN FRONT OF MY PARENTS’ HOUSE TO CHECK OUT THESE TWO BRANCHES. I GUESS A WHILE AGO THEY STARTED GROWING CLOSE TO EACH OTHER, AND THEN THEY STARTED TOUCHING, AND NOW, CHECK IT OUT, THEY’RE FUSED. INOSCULATION, PRETTY CRAZY, RIGHT? GRAFTING IS BASICALLY THE SAME THING AS INOSCULATION, EXCEPT INSTEAD OF THINGS JUST HAPPENING NATURALLY, A GARDENER COMES OUT AND CUTS TWO BRANCHES, AND THEN BANDAGES THEM TOGETHER TO ENCOURAGE THE FUSING TO HAPPEN. SO IT’S KIND OF LIKE ARTIFICIAL INOSCULATION. SO EARL LEARNED ABOUT THESE TECHNIQUES AND HE USED THEM TO MAKE HIS OWN DESIGNS. HE’D DO THINGS LIKE GROW TREES CLOSE TOGETHER, FIX THEM TO STAKES, INTENSELY PRUNE THEM, AND ENCOURAGE BRANCHES TO FUSE EVENTUALLY THEY FORMED THESE INSANE TREE SCULPTURES THAT EARL CALLED CIRCUS TREES. HERE’S AN EXAMPLE THIS IS THE BASKET TREE. EARL PLANTED SIX SYCAMORES IN A CIRCLE AND WOVE THEM TOGETHER AS THEY GREEW. EVENTUALLY THEY FUSED TO FORM THIS INSANE DIAMOND PATTERN. CRAZY TALK MAN. SO EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE ONE TREE, IT’S ACTUALLY SIX. COOL, NOW THAT WE KNOW THE PROCESS, LET’S CHECK OUT SOME MORE OF EARL’S CIRCUS TREES. YOU READY, ARE YOU READY?!
PATRICK: YES!
CHARLIE: ARE YOU READY?
Kirby: YES!
CHARLIE: I’M READY TOO!
PATRICK: I’M NOT READY NO!!
CHARLIE: COMIN’ UP FIRST, WE GOT, THE ARCH TREE.
KIRBY: THIS INTERACTIVE PIECE WAS CRAFTED OUT OF TWO AMERICAN SYCAMORES, FUSED TOGETHER TO FORM A 9.5 FOOT TALL ARCHING DOORWAY AS STRONG AND STURDY AS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THEMSELVES.
BOTH: AHHH!
CHARLIE: OH SHOOT, WHAT’S THIS? IT’S THE OIL WELL.
KIRBY: PERCHED ON AN ISLAND AMONGST THE BEAUTIFULLY LANDSCAPE SOUTH COUNTY BACK ROADS RACE TRACK, THIS BAD BOY DOESN’T SUCK THAT LIQUID GOLD OUT OF THE GROUND, BUT INSTEAD GREETS EXCITED SPEEDSTERS AS THEY ROUND THE FINAL TURN AND RACE TOWARD THE IMAGINARY CHECKERED FLAG AT THE RIDE’S END.
PATRICK: WOO!
CHARLIE: WE’RE RIDING A DUCK RIGHT NOW, THERE YA GO. COMIN IN HOT AT NUMBER THREE, WE’VE GOT THE FOUR LEGGED GIANT.
KIRBY: MADE OUT OF FOUR AMERICAN SYCAMORES, DON’T LET ITS OLD AGE FOOL YOU, BECAUSE LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE SAN JUAN GRILL IN MISSION PLAZA, THIS ARBOL IS ALWAYS READY FOR A FIESTA. ALL: AHHHH! CHARLIE: NEXT UP, WE’VE GOT THE EMBLEM TREE. KIRBY: ANOTHER AMERICAN SYCAMORE WITH A WEIRD SHAPE IN THE MIDDLE THAT’S HARD TO DESCRIBE. IT HAS TWO HOLES, ONE HOLES, AND THEN ANOTHER TWO HOLES. IT’S ALSO VERY RECTANGULARISH, AND LOCATED OUTSIDE THE PINNACLES ROCK MAZE WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE, DON’T DO GO IN THERE, YOU’LL BE LOST FOREVER. CHARLIE: IS PATRICK LOST TOO? NOW WE’VE GOT THIS BAD BOY THE CHAIN LINK. KIRBY: THIS AMERICAN SYCAMORE ORIGINALLY SPLIT TO THIS BEAUTY IS 90 YEARS OLD. FORM THREE HOLES, THEN TWO HOLES, THEN ONE HOLE, THEN DECIDED TO SCREW THE WHOLE THING AND GROW LIKE A NORMAL SYCAMORE. BEING A CIRCUS TREE IS JUST TOO STRESSFUL ANYWAYS.
CHARLIE: WE’RE ON A CAROUSEL. THE LOCAL FAVORITE, SPIRAL STAIRCASE NUMBER TWO.
KIRBY: SPIRAL STAIRCASE NUMBER TWO BLOWS SPIRAL STAIRCASE NUMBER ONE OUT OF THE WATER. MADE OUT OF TWO EUROPEAN ASHES, THIS TWISTING MIRACLE OF A TREE IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THOSE RARE CASES WHERE THE SEQUEL IS BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL.
CHARLIE: OH MAN, WHAT THE HECK IS THIS? THAT’S SQUAT CURVY SCALLOPS RIGHT THERE.
KIRBY: INCREDIBLE, CONFUSING, A TANGLE MESS. ALL WORDS PEOPLE MIGHT USE TO DESCRIBE OTHER TREES, BUT NOT THIS ONE. OUR BOY, EARL, TOOK THREE EUROPEAN ASHES AND MANGLED THEM ALL TOGETHER TO FORM WHAT WE HAVE HERE. A PERFECT ANATOMICAL REPRESENTATION OF A GROUP OF SCALLOPS. TRULY INCREDIBLE.
PATRICK: WOOOO!
CHARLIE: PAT’S DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB OF “VANNA WHITE-ING” THE SIDEWAYS ROPE RECTANGLE.
KIRBY: IT’S A BUNCH OF DIAMONDS IN THE MIDDLE OF A EUROPEAN ASH AND THAT’S PRETTY MUCH IT.
ALL: AHHH!
CHARLIE: AND FINALLY PAT WILL BRING US HOME WITH OUR FAVORITE, THE REVOLVING DOOR.
KIRBY: EARL EXPLODED A SINGLE MAPLE INTO FOUR PIECES AND THEN FUSED THE TIPS TOGETHER TO FORM THIS EXQUISITE REPRESENTATION OF EVERYONE’S FAVORITE MALL ENTERING DEVICE. LOCATED AT THE SOUTH SIDE ENTRANCE, IT’S A GREAT ONE TO VISIT AFTER A LONG DAY AT THE THEME PARK.
PATRICK: IT’S ONE OF THE BEST WE’VE SEEN, PRETTY COOL.
CHARLIE: SO AS CRAZY AS THESE TREES LOOK, INOSCULATION AND GRAFTING AREN’T REALLY THAT ALL UNCOMMON, AND YOU’VE PROBABLY SEEN EXAMPLES OF THESE TECHNIQUES IN YOUR LIFE ALREADY. GRAFTING IS OFTEN USED IN THE ART OF BONSAI, AKA MINI TREE CRAFTING. ARTISTS USE IT TO ATTACH NEW BRANCHES, TRUNKS AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER THINGS TO CREATE PERFECT LITTLE TINY TREES.
CHARLIE: IN REALLY FANCY GARDENS, YOU MIGHT FIND ESPALIERED FRUIT TREES. THEY’RE KIND OF LIKE SUPER BASIC FORMS OF CIRCUS TREES. THEY’RE TRAINED TO GROW IN SPECIFIC SHAPES UP AGAINST WALLS. SO THESE METHODS ARE PRETTY COMMON, BUT HANDS DOWN EARL WAS THE BABE RUTH OF NOSCULATION/GRAFTING HORTICULTURE. SO NEXT TIME YOU’RE HAVING DINNER WITH YOUR RELATIVES AND YOU GET THAT SAME TIRED OLD QUESTION, WHO’S THE DR. FRANKENSTEIN OF TREE MAINTENANCE, YOU FINALLY HAVE YOUR ANSWER. MY MAN, INOSCULATION FIEND, BROTHER OF LUDWIG, THE SWEDISH STEAMER, AXEL ERLANDSON.
