The two boxwood cloud topiaries on the northeast and northwest corners of the Christ Church circle were donated in memory of Lucy Day by her husband Nat and installed in June 2022. Matt Larkin of Black Barn Farm created the planting with Buxus Sempervirions “Green Velvet” for its habit of bronzing less in our climate and “Aurens”, the more golden plants. Jacques Wirtz, a Belgian landscape architect, is credited with creating the cloud hedge in contemporary landscape design, using undulating “clouds” of foliage that stay green throughout the year, but Larkin notes that there are many examples in the UK and Europe where gardeners simply went with the flow of old overgrown hedges to create cloud hedges.

     Lucy’s Greenwich garden featured 21 animal and other whimsical and realistic topiaries, including an elegant pair of reclining lions, a moose standing on hind legs and a miniature elephant named Jumbo on which Lucy gracefully perched when describing her garden to guests. Matt Larkin created all of Lucy’s topiaries, which may be seen at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he serves as a Trustee.

Emily Ragsdale