Which plants suit your needs?

[Tizaker]

Hi all,
any suggestions as to suitable plants/shrubs/trees for a small first time attempt at a Garden railway. Any advise much appreciated (pictures of your favorites please) and where possible English names.
Ta
Rob

 

[Doug]

Usefull plants are mainly alpines which like well drained soil - add lots of grit and peat.

The ones i find useful are:

Acaena Buchananii

Thyme, Bressingham Pink

Thymus minimus

Varius Sedums

Saxifrages are also very uselfull if the birds don't peck them to pieces!

For trees go for very dwarf varities, look for the height on the label, this gives the height at 10 years old, so look for anything that grows to less than 60cm

Juniper compressa

Picea Albertina Conica

 

[Tizaker]

Many thanks Doug, great images, lovely plants.

regards
Rob

 

[Tony]

As Doug has said but I'm no good with plant names but if you have a Deadstock / livestock market auction near you they often have a plant section
we have one every Saturday in Colchester and i pay £1-£2 for each of mine at that money you can afford to let them grow and keep them trimmed or dig them up if they get to out of scale you can bury them in their pots to keep them tame ...you can never have to much greenery

 

[jameshilton]

I can vouch for Thyme - great ground covering plant, I got mine from my Grandma's patio - just an off cut or two. I've also used 'baby's tears' on my embankment to keep the shape but tie the soil together, as evidenced by my signature image. It spreads very quick, but can be pulled out quickly if it starts to encroach...
When I constructed my line I used brand new top soil to ensure I had a decent base for planting. However as I built over the remains of a former patio the soil is well draining and quite shallow so some plants have taken better than others. Preparation can be key - find out about your soil type and if necessary do some work on that prior to any planting. Additives, sand, replacement are all options. When I built my line I spent about £50 on top soil and £50 on planting in the end.

You can see in the before and after shots below, how the Sedum has spread (by birds pecking and it dropping elsewhere) mixed in with mosses that have taken hold in places. Both Thyme and baby's tears spread quite quickly so I started with quite a bear railway two years ago but things look great now...
Two years ago:

Now:

The dwarf conifers come in two types too - some grow tall, some grow short and bush like - you can't always tell what you're getting when you get them cheap, I suspect a few of mine will need digging out if they get too big but they were only £2 each from Morrisons a few years ago. This small one by the station was specifically bought from a garden centre and cost a bit more but has stayed small and bush like...

Loose ballast also helps with a convincing landscape, if you can manage it. Any garden line requires maintenance - mine needs frequent weeding (thanks Mum) and weedkiller in the ballast from time to time - plus a ballast top up two times a year.

Hope that helps and look forward to seeing what you create!

 

[minimans]

Have a look here........................... http://www.gscalecentral.net/Shubbery-m52464 < Link To http://www.forum.gscalece...t/Shubbery-m52464
If you go back through the plantings threads there's quite a few really good threads on different plants and tree's to use!!

 

[Tony]

Any
excuse as if one were needed

 

[railwayman198]

Thyme with a hebe behind the loco and a dwarf conifer. I have had more success with hebes than conifers - most of my conifers go brown and die after a few years.

 

[minimans]

Thyme with a hebe behind the loco and a dwarf conifer. I have had more success with hebes than conifers - most of my conifers go brown and die after a few years.

Feed those tree's a little and give plenty of water and you won't have 'em die on you!!

 

[railwayman198]

Just a couple more showing juniper, conifer and hebe (and some sedums at the front of the station area). The problem is that I have no idea of the names of these varieties, I just choose anything with a nice small leaf.

 

[Tizaker]

Many thanks for the info/pics, a great help for the future development of the Glenn-Lithgow line. I noticed a comment relating to the use of previous threads, I've been a member now since April 2012 and I'm still not authorized to make searches and access certain areas on G Scale Central. Anyone have any suggestions as to why?

Ta
Rob

 

[maxi-model]

Have a chat with your local (independent) garden centre or plant nursery. Mine has been very helpful once I explained the priorities of a garden railway, in choosing suitable plants.

Concider the soil type of your garden, acid or alkaline, different plants do well or otherwise dependent on the soil they are planted in. Also, will the plant be in "Full sun", "Part Sun" or "Full Shade"? Example, Heathers can cope with shady places, not so if you are a Hebe veriety. Dwaf conifers can usually be identified by the term "compressa" in their botanical name. That bright lime green perennial favourite of the supermarkets' may look nice and compact on the shelf but can reach 18 ft in 10 years ! Ground hugging verieties of plants usually incorporate the term prostrate/prostrata in their botanical name. All plants from good sources should be clearly labled with all this information as well as expected growth over a period of time. I note you wanted English names, sometimes the Latin botanical name can be more descriptive of a plant's charecteristics.

Planters and troughs can be usfull to add features where you cannot dig. They are also usefull wher you wish to restrict the growth of conifers. But remember, you will have to feed and water regularly as they cannot derive nourishment from the natural soil around them and as the planter may be exposed to direct light may dry out quickly.

There are pictures of my line in the Gallery, named West Well Railway/Railroad. I'd go with all the reccomendations made by others but with the provisos I have noted. Be aware some plants, like Hebes, are not very tolerant of the type of heavy frosts we have experienced in recent years. Some Hebe verieties can grow quite large and in an unwieldy manner too cause infringements of your railway's loading gauge.

Max.

 

[tramcar trev]

Super pics.... I have my eyes on some dwarf spruce trees that are around 40cm high atm but are also AU$57 ea... but they look really great with exposed roots etc... I also bought a real bargain that was raised from seed from cones sent home from the "Lone Pine" of Galipolli fame, only cost $4.50 too, it's been planted out in a very sandy mix to hopefully get it to grow before incorporation in the tramway... Junipers are a good choice they seem indestructible as are Cotoneasters they are so successful they are a declared weed and if you can get any "escaped" specimens grab them...

 

[railwayman198]

Miniature plants for garden railways​

Ground cover
Arenaria balearica (sandwort)
Calluna vulgaris ?Foxii Nana? (a tiny heather)
Frankenia laevis (bit invasive)
Mentha requiennii
Minuartia imbricato (invasive)
Potentilla eriocarpa
Raoulia (australis, glabra, lutescens) hard to grow ? good drainage required
Sagina boydii
Scleranthus biflorus (ideal miniature grass)
Soleirolia solerolii (?mind your own business? ? invasive)
Viola yakusimana (a tiny violet)
Shrubs
Arcterica nana (flowers ? likes some shade)
Berberis ?Corallina Compacta? (like a tiny holly bush)
Cotoneaster congestus nanus
Genista sagittalis pilosa minor (mini gorse)
Jasminum parkeri (mini jasmine ? slightly tender)
Rhododendron radicans (grows to only 4 inches)
Rubus articus (mini bramble ? largish leaves ? can be invasive)
Thymus ?Doone Valley? (looks like mini golden privet)
Tsusiophyllum tanakae (tiny formal shrub ? needs shade and peat)
Evergreen tree
Lonicera nitida ?baggesens gold?




Deciduous trees
Betula nana (mini birch tree)
Salix boydii (easy to grow)
Salix herbacea (creeping willow)
Salix hylematica
Salix myrsinites (mini weeping willow)
Salix retusa
Sorbus reducta (mini mountain ash)
Syringa velutina (palibiniana)[mini lilac]
Ulmus parvifolia (tiny elm)
Conifers
Abies balsamea hudsonia
Chamaecyparis obtusa ?nana caespitosa? (very small and slow growing)
? ? ?nana?(like mini oak tree)
? ? ?kosterii?
? ? ?pygmaea?
Chameacyparis pisifera ?nana?
? ? ?nana aureovariagata?
? ? ?plumosa compressa?
Crytomeria japonica vilmoriniana (like a mini monkey puzzle tree)
? ? Bandai sugi
Juniperus communis compressa (like a mini Lombardy poplar)
Juniperus coxii (weeping poplar)
Picea abies ?pygmaea?
Picea mariana ?nana?
Thuja orientalis ?minima?

I compiled the above list a few years ago from John Constable's book and recommendations from various Garden Rail a RM articles. It may be useful as a reference though I was too lazy to ever actually use it myself