railway plants
- Subject: railway plants
- From: E*@aol.com
- Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 23:49:26 EST
In a message dated 2/23/03 7:55:47 PM Eastern Standard Time,
justme@prairieinet.net writes:
> Claire, how woodie? I would like to make this resemble a tree. So some
> woodiness would make a great tree trunk.
Rosemary is often pruned to a standard. I can't think of any plant you prune
into a standard that would remain outdoors through winter snow. That is a
small plant that would be in proper proportion to your railway. If you are
willing to take it indoors in the winter, punica, would do it (dwarf
pomegranate). Punica goes dormant in the fall needing little winter care.
Takes a lot of clipping. You could prune any woody plant into a standard
using a support until the trunk gained sufficient strength. Anything that I
can think of would need indoor protection in a northern winter.
Very small hardy plants can be found in catalogs specializing in dwarf
conifers and rock garden shrubs. To keep them tidy for your miniature
landscape, some clipping is probably necessary. Myrtus or the florist's
myrtle is a tiny tree (standard form) that is evergreen needing indoor
protection in winter. It is very attractive as a standard.
The Alan Haskell nursery in Mass. has a standard or topiary shop when all
kinds of things are made into trees. As far as I know, none are hardy. They
use a stake and a form both of which are later removed. If they would be
hardy, protection would be needed to keep the form from being damaged.
So I guess with care, anything that grows slowly and has very small leaves
would suit your landscape. Now the stationmaster needs to build a winter
resting place for the plant life.
Look also at the other herbs. There are some very, very tiny leaved thymes
you could use for ground cover. Some boxwoods have tiny leaves and could be
hedging for a two or three years if you did not fertilize them. Amongst the
alpines, where there are small leafed plants, there are also siting problems
but not all of them. I have seen the railway at Weston Nursery in Mass. and
it is landscaped. Been there a long time. You could write to them. They
have a stationmaster, a little house with information, a plant list (I
think) and the setup:
<<<<Weston Nurseries of Hopkinton, Inc. RR 135 Hopkinton MA 508-435-3414>>
>>>
This being a cold place, hardy suggestions might be given. They are mostly a
woody plant nursery.
Claire Peplowski
NYS z4
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