Since starting a garden railway nearly 21/2 years ago the need to choose appropriate trees was constantly on my mind. Tracks laid and mountains, bridges and tunnels constructed it all looked pretty bare and cried out for vegetation. So its been a hit and miss affair. I planned a rough map and decided to map what I planted which was all rather haphazard. Seeing a likely looking plant that would make a tree and leaning to the conifer as I had WP&YRR locos and rolling stock I initially chose 3 junipers and 3 Dwarf Alberta spruce - Albertiana conica, a myrtle and a Dwarf Maleluca linarifolia. The Maleluca wasn't really the right shape but it looked nice and in fact became a great tree. However I made a big mistake. To help fill out the western mountain where the spruce were planted I had buried a pile of unwanted 'instant lawn'. This eventually rotted away and my spruce started to disappear into a hole. They were successfully moved 4 weeks ago and so far appear to be in good shape. The junipers were a bit prickly and have become tough to prune and leave dead needles that are really nasty. No more junipers unless this is characteristic only of Juniperus chinensis pyrimidalis? I should make clear that Adelaide summers are hot, very hot, with dry north winds so a dripper system was installed from the start to keep the moisture levels up. Also unfortunately my garden bed was built up with left over scrapings from the backyard and was heavily clay based which caused drainage problems. All over the landscape still looks pretty bare and rocky. Plants being expensive and with funds being spent on track, signals etc it is only slowly advancing in the garden department.
Not a plan but mapped where I planted. This turned out to be helpful when things died I knew what they were.
The spruce disappearing down a hole!
Digging them out for a transplanting attempt - tried to keep as much soil around the roots as possible - had waterd before.
The hole which had had an overgrown Rosemary bush (see position 6 on the map). Looked good for a while being sort of conifer shaped but went crazy and wild despite pruning which only encouraged it! This was on the eastern mountain next to the cabin. Thymus serpyllum 'Doone Valley' (Creeping Thyme) was performing very well as a ground cover. Scleranthus biflorus made a very successful grassy field for the sheep! However it has suffered a little around the edges in the heat. In colder climates it should do very well. I am surprised it has flourished in the hotter climate of Adelaide.
Successful transplant.
In the next episode I will talk about the tree that was too successful - Maleluca linarifolia.
Not a plan but mapped where I planted. This turned out to be helpful when things died I knew what they were.
The spruce disappearing down a hole!
Digging them out for a transplanting attempt - tried to keep as much soil around the roots as possible - had waterd before.
The hole which had had an overgrown Rosemary bush (see position 6 on the map). Looked good for a while being sort of conifer shaped but went crazy and wild despite pruning which only encouraged it! This was on the eastern mountain next to the cabin. Thymus serpyllum 'Doone Valley' (Creeping Thyme) was performing very well as a ground cover. Scleranthus biflorus made a very successful grassy field for the sheep! However it has suffered a little around the edges in the heat. In colder climates it should do very well. I am surprised it has flourished in the hotter climate of Adelaide.
Successful transplant.
In the next episode I will talk about the tree that was too successful - Maleluca linarifolia.
