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Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In the debut of this special summertime series, the Rehab My Railroad crew escapes the basement to help MRVP’s Kent Johnson restore his 22 x 30-foot garden railway (1:29 scale). Watch as host Drew Halverson, along with expert model railroaders David Popp and […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Coastal white cedar, Andy’s cedar Latin name: Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Andelyensis Conica’ Plant type: Dwarf conifer USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-10 Cultural needs: Moist, well drained, neutral or slightly acidic soil; full sun Plant size: 3′ x 1’6″ in ten years, without pruning Jack Verducci The heritage of Andy’s cedar goes back to […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Sanders Blue dwarf Alberta spruce Latin name: Picea glauca ‘Sanders Blue’ aka P.g. ‘Sanderi’ Plant type: Dwarf conifer USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9 (winter protection in Zones 3-5) Cultural needs: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil, sun or part shade Plant size: 4-6′ high by 2-3′ wide in 10 years, if not pruned […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Thyme-leaf rockspray, small-leaf rockspray Latin name: Cotoneaster microphyllus var. thymifolius Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-11 (marginally in Zone 4, with snow cover) Cultural needs: Average, well-drained soil; sun for fruit Plant size: Less than 12″ and spreading, unless trained Nancy Norris Although the common name of […]
1. Hardy African iceplant makes a great groundcover, here blooming in late May. On the right is Angelina stonecrop, with yellow-green leaves, rising to 4-5″ tall. (All photos were taken on the author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad unless noted.) Photos by the author Don Parker 2. This small, yellow-flowering stonecrop (probably Sedum acer ‘Aureum’) is […]
1. The hillside around the Skunk Holler Mine on the author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad is covered with Turkish veronica, which bursts into bloom every spring. Don Parker 2. The lighter-blue flowers in the foreground are produced by miniature speedwell (Veronica oltensis), growing shorter than Turkish veronica. Don Parker 3. Three different groundcovers flank this […]
Nancy Norris Common names: False bleeding heart, Yellow corydalis, Yellow fumitory Latin name: Corydalis lutea Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8 Cultural needs: Moist, well drained, mildly acid or mildly alkaline soil; shade to part shade Plant size: 6-12″ Native to the southern Alps of Europe, yellow corydalis (kor-ID-ah-liss) sports tubular, spurred flowers on […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Black-leaved clover Latin name: Trifolium repens ‘Atropurpureum’ Plant type: Groundcover USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-10 Cultural needs: Well drained, moist soil; sun to shade Plant size: 3-6″ high by 12″ wide White clover is native to every US State and almost all Canadian provinces. This portrait shows a selection of the common […]
Our little scale trees really make or break the scale quality of our railway gardens. Did you know you could choose from several methods of keeping trees in scale? Here are three practices, but we’ll focus on the third. One approach, planting genetically miniature* plants, ensures almost no pruning for quite a long time but […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Elfin thyme Latin name: Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin’ Plant type: Groundcover Plant size: 2″ x 6″ and spreading USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9 Cultural needs: Poor, well-drained soil, moderate to low moisture, sun to partial shade Elfin thyme deserves its status as practically everyone’s favorite scale lawn or meadow. It’s about “thyme” this […]
Common name: Sweet woodruff Latin name: Galium odoratum, syn. Asperula odorata Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9 (sheltered or near the house in Zone 3) Cultural needs: Shade or partial shade, moist (even wet) soil Plant size: 6-12″ high, spreading quickly to 9-12″ wide Do you have a rather large shady spot in need […]
A gallery of miniature conifers: Nothing gives a sense of scale and believability to a garden railway quite as well as miniature trees. When it comes to really small trees that translate well to our railroad landscapes, conifers (cone bearing, needled evergreens) seem to have the most representatives in the miniature woody-plant kingdom. I will […]
