Sexy tree too much for some Westside neighbors

[SoCalDem]

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2002/May/08/local/stories/05local.htm


Gillian Greensite's sculptured eugenia shrubs are an eyesore for some of her neighbors.
Sentinel Photo by Dan Coyro
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Fact or fallacy: Sexy tree too much for some Westside neighbors
By DAN WHITE
Sentinel staff writer
A Westside resident called the cops Monday to report an allegedly phallic tree.

Officers responded to the Liberty Street home but found no wrongdoing. They said the 20-footer — actually an evergreen hedge of the Luma genus — is protected by its owner’s right to artistic freedom."We contacted the city attorney," said Sgt. Brad Goodwin. "It could be interpreted anywhere from being free speech to being artistic. It’s really nothing we have control over."

All trees can be seen as "phallic," but some would argue this eugenia is especially so. Viewed from the front, the hedge looks to have testicles, or perhaps bosoms.Eugenia is a common plant noted for white flowers and edible fruits, according to the Sunset Western Garden Book. Sunset says the plant "performs best" in well-drained soil.

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Greensite, director of UC Santa Cruz’s rape prevention and counseling program, also questioned what the offended neighbor was really seeing in this tree."If they want to see phallic, they see phallic, I guess. I see trees," said Greensite, an outspoken advocate of tree preservation in the city.

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A second neighbor, who asked that her name not be used, said she found the tree irksome but has grown "numb" to it over the years. But she said it’s annoying to "all of a sudden hear kids screeching and laughing about the tree.

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The neighbor also said the tree has become a beacon for annoying sightseers.

Contact Dan White at [email protected].

[samplegirl]

1. lReminds me of some perversions

The neighbor kids did with snow.......and the police came out and
made them knock it down. To funny

[samplegirl]

2. i love your kitty avatar

that is way to cute