[TICKING]
[CLOCK ALARM]
[FIREWORKS].
♪ ♪
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, ROLLERCOASTERS,
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'VE POSSIBLY MADE THESE TREES LOOK LIKE THIS?
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 GREW.
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,
THIS BEAUTY IS 90 YEARS OLD.
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
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.
[FIREWORKS].