I know there are as many ways to make trees as ingenious modelers can think up. I took a posters advice and looked through the artificial flowers section of Michaels. I came across one type with the flowers looking like small evergreen trees but they were a yellowish-light green color. I took them apart when I got home and came up with 30-40 “trees” (some cut in half) which I dipped in diluted matte medium and then sprinkled heavily with different shades of dark green ground foam. The underlying original color is no longer seen and they look quite good to me for around 10 cents apiece after my 40% off coupon. In scale size they range from about 10 feet to 25 foot trees. A side benefit is that under the flowers on the wire stems their are also some thin plastic leaf stems that appear much like Woodland Scenic tree armatures and slide right off the main wire stems. I put 2 or 3 of them together back on a piece of the original wire stem and glued them in position for the base of a deciduous tree. I then dip them in the matte medium and various combinations of lump ground foam, coarse ground foam and turf. With some experimenting they come out pretty nice and realistic also. I will add pictures when I can but all together I figure I can get 40-50 trees from one bunch of flowers for less than $5.00. Great deal for folks that want/need a lot of trees and have the time to make them. It does take a discerning eye to see which flowers would make the best trees.
Do you know what the name of the product you purchased was? Sounds like useful stuff and I am working on trees now, as indicated in the other recent tree post.
Have fun,
Richard
Here are my first attempts: Far left is an armature off one plant. Next is the deciduous tree made with three armatures on a wire stem. Next is one type of artifical flower followed by one coated with turf. Finally, are two coated fir trees followed by the artificial flower they were made from. Do some experimenting with various turfs and they come out looking better than these cell phone pictures would indicate.
Try using the film icon in the middle above the text box you were typing in and upload your picture to a hosting site like photobucket. Then copy the direct link to your picture. When you click on the film icon above past the link into the space provided and thats it.
Started a search into making trees for my layout. Interested in your method. Just went to Michaels but did not find the artificial flowers of the type you described. Do you have a picture of what you bought?
Thanks in advance for you help.
very interested in checking this method out…
I’m having problems with pictures on Photobucket but will post as soon as I can.
These deciduous trees were made from Scenic Express Super Trees ($25 box provides more than 60 HO scale trees. Tip the opened box, up-side down, and pull out the radiating trunks (with very little breakage). I use Speedball Spray Adhesive from Michael’s. Spray over the box of unfinished trees, (to prevent waste of spray) Sprinkle on Dark Green WS Medium Green Turf Foam. I then sprinkle on a finishing coat of Light Green Turf. Or, use double ended stained olive skewers, for the trunk, and push on green painted circles of furnace filters. Sprinkle on the combination of Green Turf. To Post photos,on needs to establish a free “My Album” account with a Host (ie Photobucket. You cclick on “Image Hosting, free photo sharing -----”. Below each photo placed on Photobucket, there will be several Options. Click on the IMG option, and then click on “COPY” (under Edit, in upper left corner. Go to the Trains.com Thread where you are Replying (or making your own Thread). Type in any text and than click on Paste (or CtrlV) and a lengthy photo code will appear. Scroll down to “Post” and click on it. To make additions or changes, Click on “More” and the on Edit (in center of box) Don’t for get to Repost. Bob Hahn