Harper’s Topiary Garden

On our list of the best activities in San Diego.

Edna and Alex Harper began shaping the shrubs on their Mission Hills property fifteen years ago, growing the collection to more than 50 topiary figures — pyramids, a dinosaur, a surfer, a Buddha, a herd of elephants and a likeness of their own gardener. The bushes were already mature when they started, so Edna prunes and trains each season's growth by hand rather than shaping wire frames, leaving each figure solid foliage rather than hollow. It remains a private residence on Union Street with no fee and no set hours, and visitors are asked to view from the sidewalk without touching the plants.