Common name: Red Tip mountain plum pine Latin name: Podocarpus lawrencei ‘Red Tip’ Plant type: dwarf conifer USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-9 Cultural needs: moist, well drained, neutral or slightly acidic soil, sun to full shade Plant size: 20” high x 28” wide in ten years Would you like the conifer-tree look, but you’re stuck with […]
Common name: Shimpaku juniper Latin name: Juniperus chinensis ‘Shimpaku’ Plant size: 6″-12″ USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9 Cultural needs: Sun or part shade, any well-drained, slightly acid soil The Shimpaku juniper was first discovered in mountainous Japan a little over a century ago. Due to over collecting for bonsai subjects they have all but disappeared in […]
Common name: Watercress Latin name: Nasturtium officinale, N. microphyllum Plant type: Water plant Plant size: 4″ high and spreading rapidly USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-10 Cultural needs: Moist soil or floating on water, sun or shade Watercress is a plant for many purposes in a garden railway. To quickly green up your pond, watercress, with its bright, […]
Common name: Eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, pencil cedar, or aromatic cedar Latin name: Juniperus virginiana Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-9 Cultural needs: Moist, well drained, neutral, or slightly acidic soil; full sun Plant size: 40′ unpruned but easily kept under 2′, with a width half […]
Doone Valley lemon thyme Common name: Doone Valley lemon thyme Latin name: Thymus citriodora ‘Doone Valley’ Plant type: Groundcover USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9 Cultural needs: Well-drained soil, full sun Plant size: 3″ high x 18″ wide Doone Valley thyme’s evergreen leaves shine like the sun, with yellow edges that often cover the whole leaf with […]
Latin name: Bacopa ‘Snowstorm’ Common name: Snowstorm bacopa Plant type: Annual Flower color: White Plant size: 3″ tall by 18″ wide USDA Hardiness Zones: 9-10 Cultural needs: Moderately moist, part sun This easy to grow, annual flowering plant offers relatively small-scale features to garden railroaders around the country. Often used for hanging baskets and container […]
Common name: Creeping milkwort, chapparal pea, box-leaved milkwort Latin name: Polygala chamaebuxus var. grandiflora Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-8 Plant size: 4″ (possibly mounding to 10″), spreading very slowly to 2′ wide Cultural needs: Well-drained, moist, acid soil; sun or bright shade; slow-release evergreen/acidic fertilizer If we didn’t wait so long to get […]
Common name: Maidenhair spleenwort Latin name: Asplenium trichomanes Plant type: Perennial Plant size: 3-12″ high x 3-12″ wide USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11 Cultural needs: Moist, rich, well-drained soil or rock crevices; partial to full shade In the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, maidenhair spleenwort grows under overhanging rock ledges, in moist crevices at high elevations. […]
Common name: Grape hyacinth Latin name: Muscari sp. Plant type: Perennial Plant size: 5-8″ high and spreading USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9 Cultural needs: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil, full sun to part shade Late summer/early autumn is the time to pick up some bulbs to plant for spring blooming. Originating from the Mediterranean region, grape […]
Latin name: Juniperus communis ‘Compressa’ Common name: Dwarf Irish juniper Category: dwarf conifer Needle color: blue green Growth rate: 1″-3″/yr. USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-9 Cultural needs: sun and well-drained soil This upright and very narrow form of common juniper is a perfect complement to garden-railroad designs because of its distinctive form and small-scale features. Narrow, […]
Latin name: Solenostemon scutellarioides Common name: Miniature coleus Growth rate: Varies Plant type: Annual Cultural needs: Full sun to partial shade, moderate water Coleus plants aren’t just for windowsills and border edging anymore. Hundreds of exciting varieties are now available from specialty growers, offering an amazing array of colors and textures for gardens everywhere. Miniature […]
Common name: Sweet alyssum Latin name: Lobularia maritima Plant size: Under 6″ Plant type: Annual USDA Hardiness Zones: 9-11; grown as an annual in colder Zones Cultural needs: Almost any well-drained soil; full sun to part shade Originally from southern Europe, sweet alyssum has naturalized throughout the US as a hardy annual, reseeding year after […]
