Charles Coburn, 62; horticulturist and topiarian
Charles Coburn, a horticulturist and topiarian who practiced on a grand scale, first as the overseer of the San Diego Zoo's plant collection then as co-creator of massive shrub-based sculptures that playfully decorate Legoland, Disney theme parks and other destinations around the world, has died. He was 62.
Coburn died of cancer Jan. 25 at his home in Elfin Forest, Calif., said his wife, Jennifer, who was his partner in their San Diego County topiary sculpture business.
His favorite gigantic construction was a 17-foot-high, 34-foot-long metal dinosaur named Dorio, one of two duckbill dinosaurs the couple built in 2002 for a park in Nagoya, Japan, and which was designed by the Jerde Partnership, a noted architectural firm. He delighted in using a crane to piece the creature together on site and appreciated that the sculpture's patina rivaled the beauty of the Japanese yew planted with it.
A philosophy major in college, Coburn "was sensitive to the needs of plants and animals" and pointedly related to both as chief of horticulture at the zoo, his wife said.
When a Sumatran rhinoceros was depressed and dying, Coburn sought out a native food that he thought might perk up the animal, and the resulting fig leaf did the job, his wife said. Soon he was trying to meet the dietary wishes of other animals, growing various eucalyptus trees for koalas or bringing in bamboo to feed the pandas.
"He wanted to make sure that the animals had what they were used to. It was like a 'duh' moment, but he thought that was a wonderful contribution he had made," his wife said.
Coburn joined the zoo's Wild Animal Park as a gardener when it opened in 1972 and earned a master's degree in business from the University of Phoenix in San Diego. By 1987, he was the zoo horticulturist, managing a staff of about 25.
For the debut of the rain forest exhibit Tiger River, Coburn spent four years collecting hundreds of exotic trees and plants. His knowledge of plant and climate systems helped create the panda exhibit, an early rain forest environment in Gorilla Tropics, and the East African Kopje exhibit that showcases animals that thrive on an African plain, said Mike Bostwick, who succeeded Coburn as zoo horticulturist.
When Legoland commissioned a large topiary order that included a small herd of buffalo, several sheep and an 18-foot-tall Jack and the Beanstalk, Coburn retired early from the zoo in 1997 to join Coburn Topiary & Garden Art full time.
