Sedum trees - How to in images
A finished sedum tree - Australian gum tree.
Using dried Sedum stalks, it's time to reshape them from a garden plant into an N Scale Eucalypt.
Prep the Stalks: Once the flower heads have dried right out, cut off the seed heads, leaving the delicate underlying branches intact. Brush off any small debris or dead insects. You will also notice tiny, dried leaves running down each stem—these knock off easily with a gentle brush.
Adjust the Canopy Height: In their natural state, the outside stems are too long, resulting in a crown that is all canopy and no lower branches. Using flush cutters or toe nail clippers, chop out at least 25mm from the middle of the lower stems keeping the cut at the same angle at each end so they sit flush when reconnected.
Pin and Rejoin the Trunk: Because Sedum is a succulent, the dried stems are hollow. Slip a short piece of wire down the hollow stem with some glue, and slide the shortened upper canopy back onto the lower trunk. Work your way up from the lower branches until you’re happy with the overall shape of the tree.
(Note: You can paint streaky bark details onto the trunk at this stage).
(Note you can spray the natural stems with a gray undercoat to create a "ghost gum" effect)Prepare the Foliage: Take Woodland Scenics foliage conifer green (product #F54) and cut it into pieces 5-10mm square. You will need 20-30 of them to do justice to a large tree. Pinching each piece between thumb and forefinger, use tweezers to tease them out as much as possible, the thinner and more see-through the better. Try to stretch it into a loose, three dimensional shape.
Attach the Canopy: Give the tree a dose of spray adhesive, concentrating on the tips, then take each piece of teased foliage and lay it over the ends of the branches. The airy, sparse nature of the teased foliage perfectly replicates the translucent canopy of a real Eucalypt.
(To mimic natural colour variations and new growth, spray the canopy with standard hairspray - Lightly sprinkle Woodland Scenics fine green ground foam from the side. Applying it from directly above causes unnatural clumping on the inner stems)
With thanks to Ian Wood
Construction Timelapse
