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Common name: Trost’s Dwarf cutleaf birch, Dwarf European birch Latin name: Betula pendula ‘Trost’s Dwarf’, synonym: Betula platyphylla Plant type: Shrubs & small trees Plant size: 3-4′ high by 3′ wide before pruning USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9 (10, given moisture) Cultural needs: Sun; moist, drained, slightly acidic One day a horticulturist noticed a finely divided […]
2022 National Garden Railway Convention preview: The Denver Garden Railway Society welcomes you to Denver this June! This year’s event will be held at the Crowne Plaza hotel, and will include an ice cream social, a BBQ at the Colorado Railroad Museum, daily bus tours to the railways on display, and pre- and post-convention tours. […]
Common name: Trailing spikemoss, golden clubmoss Latin name: Selaginella kraussiana ‘Aurea’ Plant type: Groundcover Plant size: Moist, acidic soil; part or full shade USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9 Cultural needs: Mounding as high as 6″, spreading to 24″ Spikemoss, with its seaweed-like jointed stems, has an other-world appearance, as do the liverworts, when you get […]
Common name: Brass buttons, creeping gold buttons Latin name: Cotula fallax, C. hispida, or C. lineariloba Plant type: Perennial Plant size: 2″ high x 10″ wide USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-10 Cultural needs: Somewhat xeric, sun or part shade Renamed Cotula fallax, this semi-evergreen groundcover is not to be confused with other popular fern-like Cotulas, […]
Common name: Weeping Norway spruce Latin name: Picea abies ‘Pendula’ Plant type: dwarf conifer USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-8 Cultural needs: Moist, well drained, slightly acidic soil; sun to part shade Plant height: 18″ if prostrate; 10-12′ if staked Dark, evergreen needles on drooping soft branches make weeping Norway spruce an attractive specimen tree. Garden railroaders […]
Common name: Dwarf crape myrtle Latin name: Lagerstroemia indica ‘Violet Filli’ (Filigree series) Plant size: 6-24″, depending on the miniature variety Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-11 (or grown as an annual) Cultural needs: Well-drained, slightly acidic to acidic soil, full sun The miniature crape myrtle in the photo, one of […]
Latin name: Sedum sp. Common name: Miniature sedum Plant type: Groundcover Plant size: Foliage under 2″ tall x 10″ wide, or less USDA Hardiness Zones: Varies Cultural needs: Full sun and dry soil Full size sedums (also known as stonecrops) have long been used as groundcovers for hot, sunny, dry sites. They spread quickly, are […]
Common name: Corsican mint Plant type: Groundcover Latin name: Mentha requienii Plant size: ¼” to ½” high; spreading USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9; annual in other zones Cultural needs: Moist, well drained neutral or slightly acidic soil; sun to part shade Easily one of the flattest groundcovers, with the tiniest purple flowers, Corsican mint is great […]
Each of these 21 plants, selected by the Garden Railways horticultural editor, fits the scale requirements of any backyard garden railroad. Print and clip this booklet to create handy cards to file for future reference or take to your local garden center. The profiles contain color photos showing scale and possible usage, with information on USDA Hardiness […]
Common name: Trailing ice plant, Cooper’s ice plant Latin name: Delosperma cooperi USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9 Cultural needs: Well-drained soil, sun or part shade Plant size: 3-inches high by 3-feet wide Sometimes called hardy ice plant or purple ice plant, this low succulent is not to be confused with the larger purple […]
This is a beginner’s guide to dwarf Alberta spruce trees. Across the country, hundreds of us rely on one, small scale, slow growing, almost perfectly conical evergreen to fill our miniature forests, towns, and mountains: dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’). How do you prune them, what kind of conditions do they really need, and […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Goji berry, wolfberry, Chinese boxthorn Latin name: Lycium barbarum, L. chinense Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9 for L. barbarum, 4-9 for L. chinense Cultural needs: Well-drained, high pH (alkaline) soil, full sun Plant size: 5-8′, easily pruned to stay 2-3′ as in photo Nurseries stock Goji berry plants more […]
