As the dreaded Year 2000 apocalypse approached, we did an article on projections for growth of the financial markets. I decided to illustrate the growth theme with plants. My wife Ruth ( a fine artist, illustrator and craftsperson herself) constructed all of the topiary, which I photographed and (in Photoshop) blended into background images I'd previously shot of the woods in our backyard. Combining studio and outdoor photography with a lot of careful silhouetting of the greenery, I was very pleased with the resulting images.