Axel Erlandson (December 15, 1884 – April 28, 1964) was a Swedish American farmer who shaped trees as a hobby, and opened a horticultural attraction in 1947 advertised as "See the World's Strangest Trees Here," and named "The Tree Circus."
The trees appeared in the column of Robert Ripley's Believe It or Not! twelve times. Erlandson sold his attraction shortly before his death. The trees were moved to Gilroy Gardens in 1985.

A woman walks inside a building in downtown Havana, Cuba April 21, 2016. (Photo by Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

Revellers enjoy air temperatures near freezing as they participate in the annual New Year's polar bear dip in the icy waters of Charlottetown harbour on Wednesday, January 1, 2020, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. (Photo by Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press via AP Photo)

Norway's Karsten Warholm celebrates winning the men's 400m hurdles at the Diamond League in London, July 21, 2018. (Photo by Andrew Boyers/Action Images via Reuters)

The Queen Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is reflected in a puddle as a cyclist rides by in London, on 27 June 2016. Britain began preparations to leave the European Union on Monday but said it would not be rushed into a quick exit, as markets plunged in the wake of a seismic referendum despite attempts to calm jitters. (Photo by Leon Neal/AFP Photo)

Del Mar firefighters roll up hose after a day fighting wildfires Wednesday, May 14, 2014, in Carlsbad, Calif. More wildfires broke out Wednesday in San Diego County, threatening homes in Carlsbad and forcing the evacuations of military housing and an elementary school at Camp Pendleton. (Photo by AP Photo)

The remarkable scene was captured by amateur wildlife photographer Ian Salisbury, 62, at the South Luangwa National park in Zambia. The crocodile grabs hold of the elephant's trunk, but it soon becomes clear that he has bitten off a lot more than he can chew by grabbing the huge beast. Mr Salisbury said the elephant “fled rapidly into the bush” after the attack. (Photo by Ian Salisbury/Caters News)

A picture taken with a drone shows a painting made of flowers, titled “Summer Flower Bed”, by the artist Elita Patmalniece at Kronvalda park in Riga, Latvia, 19 July 2023. (Photo by Toms Kalnins/EPA)