Erlandson lived from 1884 to 1964; training more than 70 trees during his lifetime. He considered his methods trade secrets and when asked how he made his trees do this, he would only reply, "I talk to them."[1] His work appeared in the column of Ripley's Believe It or Not! twelve times.[47] 24 trees from his original garden have survived transplanting to their permanent home at Gilroy Gardens in Gilroy, California. His Telephone Booth Tree is on permanent display at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland[43] and his Birch Loop tree is on permanent display at the Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz, California.