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The skeleton of a desert in progress at Scott Kennedy’s East Bay Union Railroad at one end of his dogbone trackplan. A flagstone plateau supports the track and retains soil while a dry creek provides drainage and a footpath. Nancy Norris In the fleshed-out desert, a dwarf, blue-green olive tree (Olea ‘Little Ollie’) flanks the […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Japanese spurge, Pachysandra Latin name: Pachysandra terminalis Plant type: Groundcover USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8 Cultural needs: Moist, well-drained soil; full shade to full sun Plant size: 6-8″ high, spreading aggressively Close up of leaves Nancy Norris Sometimes we need a groundcover to simply cover the ground in hardy greenness to prevent […]
Marc Horovitz 1:32 scale, gauge-1 British passenger cars Accucraft 33260 Central Ave. Union City CA 94587 Price: $275 ea. Website: www.accucraft.com Gauge 1, 1:32-scale British MK I coaches; mostly plastic bodies; full interior detail; rubber diaphragms; metal trucks (equalized) and wheelsets; working knuckle couplers; sprung buffers. Dimensions: length over end beams (per coach), 23 3/4″; […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Dwarf balsam fir, dwarf silver fir Latin name: Abies balsamea ‘Nana’ Plant type: Dwarf conifer USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8 Cultural needs: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil; sun or part shade Plant size: 10″ in 10 years Dwarf silver fir’s dark green, fragrant needles (silver underneath) form a compact mound. Trim lower […]
Photo 1 The author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad in the early stage of transplanting shrubs into amended and prepared soil. The upper-level track is mostly in place and being used, while the lower-level track has yet to be laid. Don Parker Photo 2 The middle of the tiny, white-edged lady’s mantle (Alchemilla faeroensis ‘Pumila’, Zones […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Lip fern, Silver cloak fern Latin name: Cheilanthes argentea Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9 Cultural needs: Sun to part shade; well drained, slightly acidic, poor soil Plant size: 6″ high and wide The perfect dwarf fern for railway gardens elevated on rocks is the lip fern. Able to withstand […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Blue Star juniper Latin name: Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ Plant type: Dwarf conifer USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9 Cultural needs: Moist, well drained, neutral or slightly acidic soil; sun or part shade Plant size: 2′ x 3′, spreading Blue Star juniper is a selection from Asian parentage, the Himalayan juniper. A plant […]
Photo 1 The clay jugs and pots were made by the author’s wife Joyce. The standing figure working at a potter’s kick-wheel was obtained from Just Plain Folks. Don Parker Photo 2 This painted, rustic bench looks in place with the squared-log cabin. Note the watering-can planter with simulated flowers behind the figure of the […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Scab plant Latin name: Raoulia australis Plant type: Groundcover USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-10 Cultural needs: Dry, well-drained soil, sun or part shade Plant size: under 1″ high by 12″ wide Raoulia (Ra-OO-lee-uh) admittedly has way too many vowels but it does sound better than “scab plant,” its common name. The silvery […]
Make-A-Wish Northeastern California and Northern Nevada is one of 62 chapters nationwide. Since the foundation began in 1980, more than 250,000 wishes have been granted to children ages 2½ to 18 with life threatening medical conditions. This particular chapter began in 1983 and has granted more than 4,700 wishes. Make-A-Wish organized volunteers from 4 organizations […]
Photo 1 The Tempinski family shares the fun of working on the Perryman Valley Railroad. Michele has evolved a tree technique that works. In front, she’s lined up open clumps with multiple trunks. Several others hug the buildings. She used to grow English boxwood (Buxus sempervirens var.) but now prefers Japanese small-leaf box (Buxus microphylla […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Littleleaf box or boxwood, small-leaf boxwood Latin name: Buxus microphylla USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9 (4-10 with proper cultivation) Cultural needs: Well drained, neutral or slightly acidic soil; sun or part shade Plant size: 6″ to 4′ high and wide, depending on cultivar Railroaders welcome bright-green miniatures and dwarfs from the group […]
