JK Rowling’s Giant Bush Is Causing Traffic Mayhem in Edinburgh

Some hedges. Isn’t England beautiful? Photo via

Read: The Harry Potter Fan Fiction Author Who Wants to Make Everyone a Little More Rational

In extremely Carry-On-esque news, Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s massive bush—the one that surrounds her 17th–century mansion home—s causing traffic mayhem in Edinburgh. The contractors hired to trim it are blocking the road, creating a one-lane situation.

Temporary traffic lights have been erected to ease traffic flow during the trimming, but are contributing to heavy lines, as they “don’t change often enough,” according to one onlooker. The council have said the work is to continue until tomorrow, reducing the road to just a single lane for another day.

According to the Guardian, the hedges are leylandii, a fast-growing evergreen tree often used to protect properties from prying eyes. These bushes aren’t the first source of garden controversy for Rowling; in 2012, she angered local residents after getting planning permission for two giant Hogwarts-themed tree houses to be built in her back yard.

Rowling makes her screenwriting debut with the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, starring Eddie Redmayne. Presumably the funds accrued from this film will be used to erect a giant wand the size of Cleopatra’s Needle in her garden.