Common name: Air plant Latin name: Tillandsia sp. Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 9-11 Cultural needs: No soil; indirect light indoors or shade outdoors; regular watering; air! Plant size: 2-6″ Obviously they need air but these little air plants also require regular watering and specific amounts of light. In their native South American rain […]
A water level is a low-tech but precise way of measuring relative elevation in your yard. By using a water level, you can either find out how much elevation there is from one point to another or, if you are trying to make your railway level, it will tell you when you are there if […]
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Search our extensive library of gardening how-tos for model railroads. […]
Solar lights are convenient and are available in a wide variety of styles. You just put them where you want them and you’re good to go. The sun charges the battery during the daylight hours, and the lights come on after dark. On a good charge, they may stay on all night, but they’re supposed […]
Don’t miss Nancy Norris’ feature article in our Spring 2020 issue, “Dine in your line.” Download a PDF of “100 plants for railway gardeners” here […]
Common name: Trailing ice plant, Cooper’s ice plant Latin name: Delosperma cooperi USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9 Cultural needs: Well-drained soil, sun or part shade Plant size: 3-inches high by 3-feet wide Sometimes called hardy ice plant or purple ice plant, this low succulent is not to be confused with the larger purple […]
This is a beginner’s guide to dwarf Alberta spruce trees. Across the country, hundreds of us rely on one, small scale, slow growing, almost perfectly conical evergreen to fill our miniature forests, towns, and mountains: dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’). How do you prune them, what kind of conditions do they really need, and […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Goji berry, wolfberry, Chinese boxthorn Latin name: Lycium barbarum, L. chinense Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9 for L. barbarum, 4-9 for L. chinense Cultural needs: Well-drained, high pH (alkaline) soil, full sun Plant size: 5-8′, easily pruned to stay 2-3′ as in photo Nurseries stock Goji berry plants more […]
Nancy Norris Common name: Dwarf prickly pear cactus, devil’s tongue Latin name: Opuntia sp. USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-10, depending on species Cultural needs: Gravelly or sandy well-drained, neutral soil, sun or part shade Plant size: 4-6″ pads, clumping Nancy Norris To feature “devil’s tongue” cactus in a family hobby may be controversial—just check out all […]
Waterscape your garden railway: Swirling water stirs the imagination. Splashing shuts out city sounds, and viewers remember seeing famous falls at national parks or smaller watercourses near home. Bridges over brooks urge us to see connections to the land and how plantings create the habitat for a popular scenic attraction. There are countless reasons why […]
The Mynderups keep their plants potted, which they grow on shelf-like terraces within their Redwood Creek and Tallulah Ridge garden railroad. Richard Mynderup Lighting under the Japanese maple illuminates the waterfall and is a beautiful and relaxing scene in the evenings. Richard Mynderup What tricks can you share about integrating water into your railway? Richard […]
