Sedum trees

Here's a few on my layout. I usually spray-paint the sedum green on top and grey for the trunks, then sift on some green ground foam to give them a more realistic texture. The foreground trees are a mix of sedum, and store-bought armatures.

In the shot below, the foreground tree on the left was made by attaching sedum florets to a stick, but almost everything else is pure sedum. The problem is the stringy stalks; sometimes I solve that by laying some sedum on edge in front of the "forest" to mask the trunks.

Thanks for the pics guys! That is what I am looking for. Do you also spray a white clue mixture on it to help hold the pedals on?

I used to soak the bunches in diluted white glue, but I don't bother anymore. The paint preserves them a bit, plus I do use some spray glue before sifting the foam over them. And, if they start shedding, I'll just harvest some more! This shot shows that by placing some of the sedum stalks on their side, it fills in the undercover a bit better:

nice technique !!!

I am a big fan of sedum trees.  I have been giving them away to friends for their layouts and many have stated they are their favorite trees.

 

I harvest the stems after they have begun to dry on the plant and store them in my garage until I am sure they are completely dry.  I then use the cheapest hair spray I can find and spray the top of the flower with a good coat of hair spray and then immediately sprinkle Woodland Scenics Blended Turf over the top only.  Once I have what I think is enough, I spray the top again with the hair spray.  Upon inspection, if I see areas that need more turf, I spray that area again and add more foam and again seal it with a final coat of hair spray.  As others have mentioned, I do the sprinkling over a large bucket to salvage the turf.

 

By only adding the foam to the top, some of the natural flower show through on the bottom surfaces creating a nice contrast.

 

A large container of ground foam and a large can of hair spray will produce 30 to 50 trees.

 

Happy railroading,

Don

The in-store layout at Mercer Junction Train Shop is all Sedum.  A work group project done by the TCA Fort Pitt Hi-Railers, most was done in one evening.

When is the best time to harvest the Sedum plants?

As soon as the flower goes from Purple to brown.  You wi find that they break off easily and you will see the new buds forming at ground level for next season. Just take what you harvest and place in a bag where it can dry out for a few months