Eucalypts

I presume Australian Eucalypts are similar (I know they look totally different in California because of no natural predators and consumers) and the usual model is based on Sedum plants.  They actually look like miniature gum trees (as we call eucalypts here) ... I will see what I can find to help you further  (trevorjgibbs@gmail.com) if you care to write!

Trevor

Modelling eucalypts

First of all, although eucalypts can now be found all over the world, particularly in warmer climates, 99 percent of the many hundreds of species are native to Australia. They are evergreens, grow quickly, can help to dry out wet ground, can withstand drought, produce many types of timber, and oil, and regrow strongly after bushfires. Vast areas are now grown for woodchips.

Here endeth the lesson. Hope you didn't mind.

As for modelling, it is difficult to make convincing eucalypts. Many use the dried plant Sedum 'Autumn Joy' which mimics to some extent the umbrella-like canopies of foliage characteristic of many gum trees. They are good for all scales, as long as you want tall straightish trees. Bushier varieties are not so easy, probably the best are made from real twigs of any bush, especially Australian saltbush (is this similar to sagebrush in America?), with small pieces of teased-out polyfibre attached and then covered with fine ground foam.

Parsley is more or less the right shape so it may work. Can it be made more rigid by soaking in dilute PVA or spraying with it?

Tony in Gisborne, Australia

3D Print

There are lots of #D Print files on line for Gum Trees. If you have access to a printer they can be quite good. some require a license to print but they usually in the $10 to $20 range,

if you don't have a printer your self there are usually groups around were you can get them printed cheaply.

Sedums for Sandy

Hi Sandy,

Have a look at the first few posts -  https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/corrimal-colliery-and-its-incline-a-different-slant-on-rails-12206968 and here as well

There should be enough there to get you started with Sedums. The Autumn Joy variety has been used to make "Aussie gum trees"  for years down here. Other Sedum varieties might give you a slightly different canopy look that might be closer to your South African eucalypts?

The trick is to leave the flowerheads on after the plant dies back until it looks "fully dead". Cut the dead flowerheads at close to ground level to give you a decent length of trunk to work with for holding and painting. Lay them out in a single layer and dry in the sun for a few weeks in a sheltered area to fully dry out before you put them through the paint shop.  They will be fragile but can be handled with care. Take care when planting, the dried trunk will be hollow and can be damaged if you squeeze it too hard when planting. 

For your parsley sprigs, maybe a dunk in a bath of glycerine might help? It does work on Asparagus ferns that have a similar fine branch/leaf structure. Perhaps others can cover that process in more detail?