Tiny ‘Curly Tops’ Sawara False Cypress Trained As Small Evergreen Tree

Mix of Dwarf Conifers and Japanese Maples

Garden railroad layouts are becoming more popular. A number of dwarf and compact growing plants play a major role in landscaping around the layout. Many miniature forms of taller varieties are available. Here are several great plant choices to add the your garden railroad:

Trees and Shrubs – offer scale or tall canopy to the landscape: 

Dwarf Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) choose from tree and shrub forms

Dwarf Korean boxwoods (Buxus microphylla)

Dwarf hornbeams (Carpinus spp.)

Drawf hinoki cypresses (Chamaecyparis obtusa)

Sawara False cypresses (Chamaecyparis pisifera)

Dwarf or compact growing cotoneasters (Cotoneaster spp.)

Dwarf hollies (Ilex spp.)

Miniature forms of Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’)

Dwarf (Lepidote) rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.)

Dwarf sweetbox (Sarcococca spp.)

Dwarf hemlocks (Tsuga spp.)

Dwarf little leaf elms (Ulmus parvifolia) such as cvs. ‘Jacqueline Hillier’ and ‘Lois Hole’

Ground covers (serve to prevent erosion and added greenery in lieu of lawn grasses):

Maidenhair fern (Adiantum spp.)

Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)

Low growing sedges (Carex spp.)

Ivies (Hedera spp.)

Dwarf hostas (Hosta spp.)

Certain euphorbia shrubs and ground covers (Euphorbia spp.)

Selaginellas (related to ferns)

Irish moss (Sagina)

Sedums (Sedum spp.)

Maintenance to your garden railroad landscape: timely pruning is an important chore. Bi-annual pruning in summer and winter is essential, particularly after the bed has been established. Plants that make good bonsai candidates may be added to a garden railroad landscape. Examples include ginkgo, junipers, plum yews (Cephalotaxus) and yews (Taxus).

Also, you may select several colorful annuals to the planting mix. Choose low growing forms such as such as petunias, snapdragons, star zinnias, French type marigolds, dwarf dahlia varieties, impatiens, moss rose (Portulaca), and annual spiderworts (Tradescantia). Taller flowering types such as select salvia species, angelonias, cupheas, lantanas, and gomphrenas may require pruning back every 3-4 weeks to maintain landscape scale and to keep plants flowering.

Feed plants with weak solutions of water soluble fertilizers such as Miracle-Gro™, Jacks™, or Schultz™ Plant Food. Regulate frequency of watering as not to flood plants or overstimulate them.