When traders in St Christopher’s Place in the West End wanted to commemorate the visit of Lady Gaga, they turned to specialist horticultural supplier Agrumi to create a giant topiary shoe; and only gave them two weeks to make it.
Founder of Agrumi, Stanley Jackson said: of the feat:
“It was a tall order, but I knew we could do it,
“In the past we’ve designed and built topiary dinosaurs, Ryder Cup golfers, a giant chess set and even a model of HMS Victory, so a shoe was no problem. However, the timescale was extremely tight.”
Agrumi used Trachelospermum jasminoides, or Star Jasmine, instead of the usual box or privet which would not have greened up in time. It also gave a pretty flowering effect. The two-metre shoe, with a 70cm platform sole and 1.3m slim stiletto heel, was built in record time.
Transporting it to the capital and gently manoeuvring it into place, whilst keeping it fresh and green, posed the next problem. But despite a 10-mile tailback on the M25, a thoroughly confused sat nav and the logistics of getting the huge structure through the narrow entrance to the square, the operation went without a hitch, albeit with just minutes to spare before the unveiling ceremony.
It provided the centrepiece for the St Christopher’s Place festival of fashion and flowers.
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