00559 Interim PDF Edition - Champex-Linden

Wooly Thyme forms a dense
lawn in the Babka railroad
(top).
Duckfoot Ivy makes a nice
shrubby background (middle).
Sweet Alyssum on the left and
Swan River Daisy on the right
crowds the trackside waiting
for the Porter to pass (bottom).
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garden scissors are recommended
tools. The congested Dwarf Alberta
spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') can
be pruned severely to make it look
more like a natural spruce or pine.
Many shrubs can be pruned to help
them mimic full scale trees. Smaller
spireas, cotoneasters, potentilla
and boxwoods lend themselves to
severe pruning. The herb rosemary
can be pruned to look like a shrub
or tree and its needle-like foliage
mimics that of conifers. There are
several dwarf elms that might be
too large if allowed to grow freely
but can be pruned to be kept in
scale. Try to do the major part of
the pruning before putting the
plant in the ground. It is much
easier that way!
Plants used as ground cover
should not be invasive. Mazus
reptans and Lysimachia
nummularia are frequently recommended
as ground covers. But
these plants spread rapidly and can
soon become thugs in the garden,
swallowing up track, switches and
other plants. Avoid anything
labeled as a vigorous spreader. The
smaller, mat-forming thymes make
attractive lawns and pastures. They
grow relatively slowly but will
eventually spread into the track.
However, they are easy to control
and the clippings can be used in
cooking. Irish moss (Sagina
subulata) is an excellent mimic of
grass. It will intermingle with other
ground covers to provide an
interesting mixed lawn. Spinach
ajuga (Ajuga metallic crispa),
another ground cover, has a wonderful texture and color and is slower
growing than other ajugas, making it ideal for a shady spot in the railroad.
Various small dianthus or pinks are great mimics of taller grasses or small
shrubs. They have the added advantage of having delightful flowers. There
are many rock plants that are small in scale and are excellent additions
when given proper drainage. Choose plants that have finely-divided foliage
and whose height is appropriate for the type of planting they are to
mimic. Remember, an adult thumb is about 1.5 G-scale meters (5 G-scale
feet) high. So a plant that is about one thumb tall will be a suitable impersonator
for a 1.5-meter (5 foot) shrub.