There haven’t been many times when my old world and new world have met, but I was thinking about the intersection of culture and horticulture this weekend when I explored a rather bizarre community near my home whose residents are obsessed with topiary.

I saw some weird and wonderful stuff, and the sociologist in me wanted to figure out why the people of Argay had chosen to create these Dr. Seussian landscapes.

Topiary is the ancient craft of shearing plants into certain shapes, like spheres, cubes, spirals, hedges, or hippopotamuses. Or giant slugs, as seen here. Bra pads? Computer mice? What do you see?