The original Porta Hedge, this mobile artificial hedge doubles as a green privacy wall and as a backyard retreat for the aspiring birder. The dark wooden interior, reminiscent of a 19th century study, is scaled to accommodate young aspiring birders. Inside, one finds peep holes, a bird cage, a study desk, a library of field guides, a rooftop observation hatch, and stained glass windows. One can also play prerecorded birdsong on the exterior of the Porta Hedge to attract other birds, or to give the illusion of wildlife within the hedge’s recycled Christmas tree branches.

The Porta Hedge is currently on exhibition at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. from May 15 – October 12. The hedge can be identified in the outdoor gardens by the distinctive pressure-treated wall that the Botanic Garden had built around the hedge to separate it from living plants and visitors in the garden.