The herd of four topiary elephants on the corner of Romilly Road have captured the attention of passersby and tourists for more than a decade since their creation around thirteen years ago.
Now, The Standard reports that two of the elephants have come under attack by an invasive fungi known as Honey Fungus.
The fungus is a largely hidden killer, spreading underground and destroying the roots of plants before decaying the rotting dead wood.
Infected plants are diagnosed by the presence of white fungal material between the bark and wood, often present at around ground level.
According to the Royal Horticultural Society, Honey Fungus is “the most destructive fungal disease in UK gardens”.
The artist behind the herd Tim Bushe, a resident of Islington, has been documenting on Instagram his attempt to salvage the remaining two elephants from the same fate.
He wrote on April 21: “Disaster … Honey Fungus has taken out elephant number three.
“We are going to take the dead section out and replant with another species hoping we can save it.”
Tim’s urban topiary project aims to support organisations that help to raise awareness of climate change.
His work is not limited to the elephants, with several artistically trimmed hedges on full view in private gardens across north London.
A number of his works are understood to have been listed on Google Maps as tourist attraction sites.
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Tim told The Standard: “It’s a bit sad really because they are popular and they have even become a tourist attraction on Google.
“The fungus goes underground and this current infection has happened over four months or so.
“We are going to experiment now by taking out the dead plant and replacing it with something else which is resistant to honey fungus.”
