My layout is staged on the southern Oregon coast, so that dictates that among the various greeneries I have to choose from for scenery, one is not an option. It is a must! Blackberries. They grow wherever they can take root. They can take over hillsides, engulf abandoned automobiles, barns, fences, open areas, banks, even wooded areas too if they can get enough light.
I have one area that needs a transition from the hillside to the wall. This will be part of a little farm scene:
I made an experimental strip of blackberry bushes and stuck 'em along what would be a fenceline, but overtaken by them. I've seen this a great many times, and battled it a few.
They'll be all over that truck if it doesn't get moved. Adding more leaves is easy, and I see I need to in some of the less flocked areas. And I'll pick out those stick looking bits too. The bushes will look more natural when I get grass on that soil. This scene will be viewed from about 2 1/2 feet away at the closest.
Comments?
Hi Southgate 2,
I think they look great!
My only question is what are you going to do on the backdrop? I would suggest that, if you are going to do any additional painting or install backdrop scenes, it might be easier to do those things without the bushes in place. You have probably already thought about that but I just thought I would mention it.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave, Your suggestions are well taken. That whole section is removable, partly to access staging tracks below, and also to make working on the scene easier at workbench level. When in the room this scene is actually higher than eye level to most viewers, they're looking up at it, so the bushes on the horizon don't look that bad.
I added in a few more leaves on the still removable srtip of bushes...
Then laid some Silflor on the area, not attached, for how it looks with grass.
This grass is greener than I'd like for a late summer look. Someone gave it to me. But this is about the bushes for now. Dan
Hi Southgate 2. Excellent work. You have captured the 'fifty shades of green' with the bushes. Well done.
To change the color of the grass. Have a look at what you want to achieve. See what you see and not what you think you see. Get that right gives your layout a little extra; from ordinary to extraordinary.
I would use a mixture of different colors of green scatter and a little yellow and red scatter. To have patches of earth I use dried tea leaves. The tiniest of stones you can find, place in the 'earth' giving the impression of large stones that are just 'peeping above the surface'.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Sounds like blackberries are the equivalent of Russian Olive bushs in most of the country or kudzu in the south
Southgate 2 It is a must! Blackberries.
It is a must! Blackberries.
Oh yeah, that's correct. We lived in the south Seattle area for a few years, and yes blackberries are definately regarded by many there as a noxious weed. But a neighbor of ours found the solution!
So, If you want to add some variety to your scenery, fence off a barren patch of ground and populate it with goats.
Jim
Great job of modeling them. I can sense the thorns. This past weekend I was cutting some blackberry patches in our fields and along our fence lines. I've got tons ofscrathes through denim overalls - they are nasty buggers.
Ray
What a realistic job with the bushes. Is anything going on in front of them? You could always just leave it alone. Either way, wow!
Lastspikemike Blackberries grow on brambles rather than bushes. They can grow in a clump but they actually grow out with thorn covered runners, each "branch" grows out of the ground. They would be difficult to model accurately at 1/87.
Blackberries grow on brambles rather than bushes. They can grow in a clump but they actually grow out with thorn covered runners, each "branch" grows out of the ground. They would be difficult to model accurately at 1/87.
Very true, every word. I simply reverted to childhood memory of calling them bushes. The clumps can be loose and airy, just a few runners, to really tight and dense. Like so many things we do, I'm shooting for the overall effect. There will be more on the layout.
The grass mat I temporarily put in there is too perfect for a little hillside cowfield. I have the static grass in more summery shades and varying lengts. Gotta make an applicator.
I still have the long handle blackberry whacking tool I used to use when I lived on the coast. I could level down a good size patch in short order wearing short sleeves and shorts, no scratches!
Thank you for all the replies. Dan
I really like the look. What material are you using for the "bushes"?
The bushes look a lot like hedgerows that can readily be found in Normandy France.
Rich
Alton Junction
They look really good to me - very convincing!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Heres a rundown on how I'm making the blackberry patches. Having been in the floor maintenance biz for years, I needed a pair of green scrubber pads for my floor scrubber. (color dictates coarseness) The ones they had were too big so I cut an inch off the outer edge, saving it away cuz it looked like it could be useful for something like this.
I pulled away at it to expand and open up the fibers much looser. You can see the start of that here. This stuff is really tough, so it itself won't be easily damaged later by handling.
I imagine if you went to your local janitorial supply, tell them you need the smallest size "green pad" (3M) or simular grade fiber they have on hand, you'll have enough for a life time. It would make great hedges too
You can tease it out a lot further, as in this shot. Sorry its blurry but you get the idea. This is also after I spray painted it brown. Leaving it green looked horrible even after flocking which I'll get to. Note also the can of spray adhesive.
The leaves are dried cilantro I got at in the bulk food at Winco. One of the cheapest scenic materials that wasn't free! Here, it's sitting in a metal car speaker grill. They're way to huge as pictured. I smush them around and around with my fingers to grind them to the right size for HO and separate them at the same time over a bowl thusly: Here's an area beggin' for more signs of life: I didn't get pix of the flocking process. Thought I did, but it's simple enough. Have the leaves very ready nearby. Lay the brambles on a large disposable foil or paper surface. Spray a fairly generous coat of the adhesive on the already painted and dry chunk of brambles. Try to get those scraggly little fibers hanging off the edges, those make a big difference in the final look. Remove and quickly place brambles over a flat pan or something to save the loose leaves and dump, or shake the leaves on liberally. It sticks instantly. Shake off the loose ones and save 'em. Should make for a nice looking "bush", as it may appear. I test fitted the patch to the area so as to reduce fiddling around with it on application. This is the bottom side of the patch, im gobbing on carpenter's glue. I found minutes later that Loctite GO2 GEL all purpose glue works well when you want something that will set up faster. Place on area. Try to get the bottom in close enough to the surface so it looks like the low ground hugging plant blackberries are. I added in some patches of Silfor around the edged to get that effect. In this picture, there is the one patch climbing the bank on the left, and another smaller one below the crevice in the rocks. After gluing them in place, I actually went in and shielded off the surrounding areas and added some more adhesive and leaves. The fiber is tough, but the leaves don't like a lot of handling. It looks better in person. I hope this helps. A few more pics follow. Dan
The leaves are dried cilantro I got at in the bulk food at Winco. One of the cheapest scenic materials that wasn't free! Here, it's sitting in a metal car speaker grill. They're way to huge as pictured.
I smush them around and around with my fingers to grind them to the right size for HO and separate them at the same time over a bowl thusly:
Here's an area beggin' for more signs of life: I didn't get pix of the flocking process. Thought I did, but it's simple enough. Have the leaves very ready nearby. Lay the brambles on a large disposable foil or paper surface. Spray a fairly generous coat of the adhesive on the already painted and dry chunk of brambles. Try to get those scraggly little fibers hanging off the edges, those make a big difference in the final look. Remove and quickly place brambles over a flat pan or something to save the loose leaves and dump, or shake the leaves on liberally. It sticks instantly. Shake off the loose ones and save 'em. Should make for a nice looking "bush", as it may appear. I test fitted the patch to the area so as to reduce fiddling around with it on application. This is the bottom side of the patch, im gobbing on carpenter's glue. I found minutes later that Loctite GO2 GEL all purpose glue works well when you want something that will set up faster. Place on area. Try to get the bottom in close enough to the surface so it looks like the low ground hugging plant blackberries are. I added in some patches of Silfor around the edged to get that effect. In this picture, there is the one patch climbing the bank on the left, and another smaller one below the crevice in the rocks. After gluing them in place, I actually went in and shielded off the surrounding areas and added some more adhesive and leaves. The fiber is tough, but the leaves don't like a lot of handling. It looks better in person. I hope this helps. A few more pics follow. Dan
Here's an area beggin' for more signs of life:
I didn't get pix of the flocking process. Thought I did, but it's simple enough. Have the leaves very ready nearby. Lay the brambles on a large disposable foil or paper surface. Spray a fairly generous coat of the adhesive on the already painted and dry chunk of brambles. Try to get those scraggly little fibers hanging off the edges, those make a big difference in the final look.
Remove and quickly place brambles over a flat pan or something to save the loose leaves and dump, or shake the leaves on liberally. It sticks instantly. Shake off the loose ones and save 'em. Should make for a nice looking "bush", as it may appear. I test fitted the patch to the area so as to reduce fiddling around with it on application.
This is the bottom side of the patch, im gobbing on carpenter's glue. I found minutes later that Loctite GO2 GEL all purpose glue works well when you want something that will set up faster.
Place on area. Try to get the bottom in close enough to the surface so it looks like the low ground hugging plant blackberries are. I added in some patches of Silfor around the edged to get that effect. In this picture, there is the one patch climbing the bank on the left, and another smaller one below the crevice in the rocks. After gluing them in place, I actually went in and shielded off the surrounding areas and added some more adhesive and leaves. The fiber is tough, but the leaves don't like a lot of handling. It looks better in person. I hope this helps. A few more pics follow. Dan
Place on area. Try to get the bottom in close enough to the surface so it looks like the low ground hugging plant blackberries are. I added in some patches of Silfor around the edged to get that effect.
In this picture, there is the one patch climbing the bank on the left, and another smaller one below the crevice in the rocks. After gluing them in place, I actually went in and shielded off the surrounding areas and added some more adhesive and leaves. The fiber is tough, but the leaves don't like a lot of handling. It looks better in person.
I hope this helps. A few more pics follow. Dan
That is an absolutely fabulous pictorial. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent modeling. I have seen a few other examples where floor scrubbing pads were used.
Mike.
My You Tube
I'm reviving my old thread with new developements.
My scrubber-pad-and-cilantro-blackberry brambles faded to brown, and some leaves crumbled away.
So, as mentioned in this weeks WPF, I found some artificial "moss" on TEMU, it's supposed to be for putting in potted plants, and other floral or little garden projects.
Artificial Moss Greenery Outdoor Patio Decor Plastic Faux - Temu
I got the 2 shades of green. The lighter is too yellowish, but the dark, which isn't that dark looks good to me.
Here's the bag with an HO 40 footer for size reference:
A closer look at it:
It can be teased out into ground runner vines, or bunched up into thicker bushes, brambles, or what ya may call it. I'm not sure it looks like blackberries even, but it sure brings color and foliage to the layout.
Here's a mix of the old brambles and this new stuff for comparison.
I haven't used a drop of glue when applying it on the layout. It gets caught up and sticks to the roughness of the ground. It won't do that on smooth surfaces obviously. And this all went on quick. I'm not sure I'll be leaving it as it is, but just thought I'd share it as a new idea to explore. Dan
I haven't used a drop of glue when applying it on the layout. It gets caught up and sticks to the roughness of the ground. It won't do that on smooth surfaces obviously. And this all went on quick. I'm not sure I'll be leaving it as it is, but just thought I'd share it as a new idea to explore.
Dan
I've blown up your close up photo and the blackberries look good to me. They are also a pest here, grow like crazy, and are hard to eradicate. Not bad in a smoothie or as jam, though.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."