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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Photo 1 Shredded hardwood bark mulch, bleached by the sun, provides soil cover in an area that will be full of groundcover plants in time. Note that the mulch has been pulled away from the tree trunk behind the figure. Don Parker Photo 2 Freshly applied, finely shredded hardwood bark mulch (triple-ground) before it has […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Dwarf hardy jasmine, Parker’s jasmine Latin name: Jasminum parkeri Plant type: Shrubs & small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-11 (overwinter indoors in lower zones) Cultural needs: Regular moisture, well-drained, slightly acidic soil, sun or part shade Plant size: 8-18″ high x 18″ wide Many plants are called jasmine but stem from […]
1 Marcus and Vanessa Kollmann model European railroads on their Landschaft Gartenbahn. Living scenery wraps around the structures and cozies up to the track for a lush landscape. At left, a cut-leaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’, Zones 5-9) stretches over the street for bright, dappled lighting. After winter, the Kollmanns shape this tree while […]
Unpruned Nancy Norris Common name: Blue Pyramid cypress Latin name: Cupressus arizonica ‘Blue Pyramid’ Plant type: Dwarf conifer USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9 Cultural needs: Average-to-poor well-drained soil; sun or light shade Plant size: Fast growing to 20′ in 10 years but easily pruned annually to stay under 3′ Pruned Nancy Norris Blue Pyramids are just […]
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 […]
1. A five-to-six-year-old Washington hawthorn tree on the author’s former railroad. Don Parker 2. A potted three-to-four-year-old hawthorn growing in the Hoot ’n’ Holler railroad garden. (Note the use of double potting to aid in getting the tree out of the ground for root pruning. Also note the thorns.) Don Parker 3. A dawn redwood […]
