Couple of questions on preparing natural materials for best results.
1. When do you harvest sedum? I got some from the nursury where I got my plants, they had been outside all winter and they appear to be ready to go. I harvested some off my first plant after sitting out all winter, pretty beat up. Should I cut them in as soon as they drydown?
2. I have seen posts with photos of goldenrod that appear to have been harvested with the "fuzz" still on the heads, others looked like it was off. First ones I did were after the "fuzz" was off, they are still hanging from last year, some straightened out others seemed to hold shape. Suggestions!
3. Can anyone help me identify steeple bush? I have seen it finished and on a layout, but darned if I can figure out what the bush looks like to get it from.
4. Do you do anything to preserve natural materials after they are once dry?
Thank you,
the old timers used to soak lichen in glycerine to preserve it and keep it from drying out. don't see why that wouln't work with other plant materials.
grizlump
I harvested Sedum in the fall, before the snow. They held up well, and I kept the foliage on them. I sprayed them a dark green, and then hand-painted the lower trunks gray. This is the top of one of them:
I used a piece of dark green floral wire to support the Preiser hawk.
This is an older shot of some of these trees in another location:
I like the way these have come out. I use them as "canopy" trees, with some lower Woodland Scenics trees below them.
On the downside, though, these now seem to be getting kind of fragile. The foliage, which is fine as long as it doesn't get handled, will fall off easily, and some of the stems have broken. One of these days, I'll try adding flocking or other different forms of "leaves" to see if I can end up with a more "robust" tree.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I let mine dry out to a light brown before I pluck them. I could probably do it sooner and just let them dry out in the garage.
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
The bare armature you see to the right of the tunnel portal is a piece of a sage brush branch. I can get oodles of it twice a year when I visit my in-laws in the semi-arid central interior of BC.
The image was for a photo contest on-line showing winter trees.
-Crandell
In his recent video on scenery, Vol. 5, Part 2, Joe Fugate describes how he soaks Super Trees from Scenic Express in a mixture of 1 part matte medium to 5 parts water for 2-3 minutes to toughen them up so they do not break as easily. My guess is that this would work for sedum as well, especially if you let them soak for a little longer to allow the mixture to penetrate the thicker stems of the sedum.
If you want to try glycerin to keep the sedum from becoming brittle, I would suggest that you find a chemical supplier that will sell you commercial grade glycerin in quart or gallon bottles. The glycerin you may be able buy at your local pharmacy is too pure and expensive and usually comes in only small bottles. One source that you might try is www.chemistrystore.com Search for glycerin on their website. They sell it in 1 quart bottles for $11.00 plus S&H or 1 gallon bottles for $27.05 plus S&H. If you really need a lot, they have it in 5 gallon pails for $127.50 or 55 gallon drums for $1,173.00.
Does any one know of a commercial source of sage brush branches. I don't think it grows in the eastern part of the US.
Crandell, Great winter scene of diesel coming out of tunnel. What did you use to create the very realistic snow in the scene?
Bob
I harvest mine in late October after they have dried on the bush. I leave the little florets in place as a base for the foliage.
I don't treat them with anything in particular, but over the course of applying foliage, they get a good dousing in diluted matte medium. I leave them their natural color, but paint the florets with a dark green watercolor paint.
Unmodified, they make a great canopy tree, where the lower branches have died off due to lack of sun. For a free-standing tree, I add a few branches (from another sedum flower) to fill out the tree.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Thanks, Bob. It is Woodland Scenics "Snow" in the large plastic bottle, the same ones as for their ground foam and ballast. It was easy to vacuum up afterwards.
I use goldenrod. It grows profusly up here. Looks like this in the fall when I cut it:
Looks like this after trimming:
I hit it with hunter green spray paint and ground foam/ dyed sawdust mix:
These are ready for planting:
Terry
Terry in NW Wisconsin
Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel
Any thought to using gray deck stain to preserve the plant material? Most trees I see are more gray than brown.
Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/
Doc in CT Any thought to using gray deck stain to preserve the plant material? Most trees I see are more gray than brown.
Sure, but why would you? Deck stain is REALLY expensive, and generally a real mess to apply. Anyway, sedum cures to a weathered gray which stands in for bark perfectly. If anything, I'd use a clear sealer rather than pigmented stain.
But I'll second your gray tree opinion. I can see a couple of hundred trees from where I sit, and not one of them looks brown. They're all hardwoods (oak, elm, maple, tulip, and some hemlocks), and they're all gray as an elephant's backside.
Here's my technique, as described on my website. Hope you find it useful.
i have another way to make trees cheep. i went to a craft store and bought a dried plant. there isnt a name on the bag so i dont know what the name of it is but its white and on the ends has little whit balls on it and when you look at the ends of the "stalk" looks like minicher branches. i got that for like 3 bucks then i bought light green die for another 3 bucks and some brown spray paint. for the next part youll need to gather up some saw dust you can eather cut you own wood or find some where that would have it ie. a lumber yard, furnicher craftsmans place.
so any way take the saw dust die it green. take the branches of the plant i dont have a name for and paint them brown once all of that is dry take the branches and bundle them together untill you have what looks like the fram of a tree and glue the bass to make the trunk. next dip the ends of branches in a 50/50 mix of white glue then roll it around in the dryed died saw dust. there you go one cheep tree the nice part is that you can make alot of trees for the price of 3 or 4 at the hobbie shop.
one more thing . the little balls on the ends of the plant i dont have the name for (i'll find the name and recoment on your question) you can eather pick them off or you can leave them . i leave them on so that i have more area to glue to. or you can pant them red to make appel trees
saronaterry Terry
WHERE did you find that giant rake!?!?!
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Walthers item # 152-647.They have everything!!
Had to double check "Sedum" on-line; I have been collecting some for a few years from the square yard of Sedum Autumn Joy that grows (and expands) every year in the plantings. Always thought they are good source for tall trees (edge of forest or cleared land).
Lee's (wm3798) technique above is worth a read; thanks Lee.
As to deck stain CTValley, I have a gallon left over that will not be used; thought it might help penetrate stems and add some preserving qualities, plus change color to more grey. Agree that Sedum as a nice color as is.
Another post having problems finding a sedum for trees article. Went to my archives and pulled this one up for him. Don't know if it is the one they are after or not. Mr B has some nice pictures, as does Terry.
Thanks to all that responded.
saronaterry Walthers item # 152-647.They have everything!! Terry
Aw, Terry, you were "funnin' " me.. that's a fire station...
I much prefer Nepeta (catmint) specific variety: Morton's Low
I use the dried head after the seed pods have dropped off. 2 or 3 stems bunched together, sprayed with hairspray, then covered with a fine woodland scenics grass mixture - makes a great conifer.
Try this place for glycerin too. It's $27 for a gallon including shipping:
www.bulkapothecary.com
I pick during the winter. Spay with cheap hair spay then coat with ground foam mix. Best to plant in odd number groups (looks more natural) & away from the edge as they tend to be brittle.