Vegetation, plants, green stuff for dioramas

from left to right: Jungle Plants Set 2 (Reality in Scale), leftover of a door wreath, aquaristique-product; yes, you are right - I'd left the ruler ... 

homemade ground litter - a fortnight drinking tea (peppermint, anise, fennel, caraway seeds).
Drying the tea bags, then crumble the content.
 

My wife loves door wreaths. Me too ... Diameter is about 27 cm/10,6 inches: to take a scissor or to buy a new one, that's the question. I think there are some little plants which look more interesting in my next jungle diorama 🙂
 

Plastic fake plants - I've found it in the household goods store. Recoloured, used as a background plant for a jungle scene. 

Size, colour, form, prize/quality were a criterion. Tree or shrub?
An idea how to use, of course. 

... found again in my stash. Now waiting to get airbrushed. I think this is aka "Meerschaum" ("Seemoos"), "Seafoam" (lat. Teloxys aristata). Used for hedgerows, bushes and building trees (e.g. modelrailroading, nativity scene construction, architectural models).
If you like to raise your own plants (for drying) -> cf. buntbahn.de/viewtopic.php?t=13474 

Bamboo - part 1. Inspired by Rick Lawler - cf. his videos/my Project: Vegetation, plants, green stuff for dioramas ... 

Bamboo - part 2.
Doing the leaves. I’m using a scalpel or a special scissor for paper cut.
 

The alternative: Bamboo trees (RT-Diorama 35446, 1:35)
 

the leaves (= green paper) have to be coloured. 

Every tropical scene needs a palm tree ... 

Palmtrees are very popular for building dioramas, especially in the tropics and subtropics. There are 2.600 recent species worldwide. A palm tree = a good choice! Pacific scenes, Northern Africa, Vietnam. 

How to ... (a small selection)
Rick Lawler: Youtube Video (10.3.3035)
WorkshopWorlds: Youtube Video (10.2.2025)
Francesco Ventrice:
Youtube Video (18.3.2025)
Youtube Video (18.3.2025)
Pedro Amor: Youtube Video (18.3.2025)
 

DIY - pros and cons (only for me):
Pros: cheap materials (paper, wood, jute twine), suitable to my requirements (size, form), craftfun;
Cons: time consuming, not so detailed as professional products (e.g. photoetched, 3D printed or lasered plant parts); 

Palmtree with photoetched palm fronds:
Night Shift (Martin Kovac): "Monkey Business" - Saipan 1944 Diorama
Youtube Video (21.3.2025)
(palmtree tutorial from: 8‘34‘‘)

Palm fronds for camouflage: taken from Border Models # BT023 -
Camouflage with plants - the topic for next weekend

 

Camouflaged with photoetched palmbranches. 

... and the cheap variant of paper (120g/m², colour "honey"). Time requirement about 10'. Coloured with Japanese blue-green (ao midori iro, AK). 

Materials: paper, scissors for paper cutting, colour pen (AK). Now I'm experimenting with washes. The branch can be bend over a rounding (e.g. pen). 

Photoetched or paper? Hope to see you next weekend ... weeds! Sorry: Grasses! 

If you want a camouflage for your vehicles you can use colours, camouflage netting (hessian net), but also branches and twigs. Some people are looking in their garden or in the woods to find suitable plants.
But there are also very nice convenience products, very detailled branches. And there may be no problem with preservation.
If you are interested, please look for: e.g. Mantis Miniatures or RT-Diorama. 

Two tutorials can be helpful (only my choice):
-> Tree Branch Camouflage for Armor Models and Dioramas (Night shift): Youtube Video (28.3.2025)
-> How to make some extra foliage camouflage for military vehicles ((Hamilkar Barkas):
Youtube Video (dto)
 

There were never so much professional products as today, what means: there are a lot of excellent products: new e.g. Weeds II by Kamizukuri (#A-25-T). But the grasses in the photo are homemade from paper (80 g/m²) ... 

... time consuming, but craft fun and – I think very significant – individual solutions are easily possible . The suggestion comes from Thai modeller Kreangkrai Paojinda, cf. AK Interactive S.L. (Ed.): Japanese Armor in World War 2. 2022, p. 134f.
cf. modellversium.de/tip..em-alltag/8141-.html
 

It’s an easy way to get a plant which may be located in the subtropics and tropics.
The plant may be a kind of grasses, but it may also be a sisal hemp or a bromeliad, growing on tropical trees as a parasitic plant. Also growing on dead wood.
 

My alternative: cut a round tounge and cut then zigzag. The paper (120 g/m²) is to thick. You have to cut the stem or to "dig" it in. 

How realistic should plants be?
What I will give a try: How to make easy tall grass bushes (TheTerrainTutor)
Youtube Video (2.4.2025)

 

Today was harvest time (Küchenlorbeer, bay laurel). We'll see in a few days what will happen. The plan: Cutting, drying, plastinating, colouring and modelling. Maybe it will be a failure ... learning by doing ... trial and error.
To the method cf. Vallejo, 2019, p. 70f -> Important indication: by using oleander (cf. p.70): all parts of the plant are toxic!!!
The same applies to Kirschlorbeer/ cherry laurel (prunus laurocerasus). The pictured (cf. p.70) ficus benjamini (Birkenfeige/weeping fig) may be problematic for allergy sufferers (latex, plant sap). Please, find out about the plant you will use. 

1st test: Küchenlorbeer, bay laurel (laurus nobilis) after 12 hrs; left: untreated; middle and right: two coats of matt varnish (acrylic);
Problem: leaf veins are not parallel to the cutting lines
Advantage: the coating should impede the scent of the essential oils
If not: Possible remedy – repeat the procedure
Next tests may be using ammo Plasticator (thin/ thick)
 

Above: Küchenlorbeer (bay laurel, laurier, laurel de bahía, alloro, laur laurowy)
Left to right: #1 matt varnish (2x) + acrylic colour (Revell) - #2 Acrylic Plasticator, thick (Ammo) -> glossy #3 Acrylic Plasticator, thin (Ammo) -> glossy
Tip: Cut the leaves (not drying them in the sun, please) - then drying them in an interior (about 12 hrs), before cutting the branches etc.
More to come …
 

Coloured with Revell #39 as a basic - next will be setting the accents: light green, yellow, brown tips of the branches ... washes, oils, filters ... as you like ...
May be the branches will be used for a "palma bottiglia".
 

The first result: the prototype of a barrel palm. Also known as bottle palm; described for the first time in 1942 

time requirement: about 2 1/2 - 3 hours 🙁
cost estimated: less than 1€ 🙂
craft fun: priceless 🙂

 

Prepairing a test area for scattering material to build groundwork on brown soil (raw siena). Tea bag mixture and herbs.
more to come ... 

Dried herbs lose their essential oils and become unusable for cooking purpose. Just right for using on a diorama to represent small parts of vegetation. For example „Bella Italia“, an Italian mixture (including rosemary, basil, sage) which became a shelf warmer in my kitchen (right). As always a question of shape, size and scale. Shred with mortar and pestle or an old electric coffee grinder (tip from an US logging model railroader), perhaps you get a cheap one at a flea market. 

Test fields: #1 1/1 herbal tea mixture (brownish); #2 mixture of herbal tea (2/3) and dried herbs (1/3); #3 the same ingredients though half and half; #4 1/3 herbal tea and 2/3 dried herbs (greenish)
Result: Differences are less noticeable than expected.
Conclusion: I’ll use the mixture for my next dioramas. But it should be varigated in colour and other „ingredients“ – like little stones or plant parts – are to be added to.
 

The use of herbs is a good practice for a longer time and now
listed in: Vallejo,F., 2019, p.28.
- cf. also the diorama “Semper Fi…” (1:72) of Stefan Szymanski (2010)
modellversium.de/gal..d=4456&origin=mb (14.4.2025)
 

Important NOTE using organic materials:
To prevent natural processes (e.g. mold formation) and other influences: the herbs must be absolutely dry and sterile. They shall be protected from humidity by varnish, glue and colours.
 

Temporarily this is the last herbal subject:
Herbs in the garden lignify over the years. They can be used as interresting trunks for bushes and trees. For example rosemary. Also you can use sage and thyme.
To be continued ... when I will graft branches.
Next topic: banana plants ... 

next topic: sweet banana ... prototype of my homemade banana plant.
Suitable for jungle scenes for example in the Pacific theatre (ww2), Vietnam or other jungle regions.  

I've tested a new wire which is normally used to tie up vines. It is covered with waxed paper. I think it is ideal for modelling. By the way ... viticulture ... the roots of the vines will make interresting trees in 1:35 ...
what is still to be shown. 

experimenting with banana stems (before colouring) 

My favorite: The stem of the banana plant (height: 90mm) is made of green paper (120g/m²) and coloured:
left -> dark green + acrylic plasticator, thick (Ammo); an acrylic varnish (water soluble) should work too.
right -> + yellow and leafy green.
A light green wash ist still missing. Also you can do drybrushing with brown (lignified and dead plant parts), yellow and different greens; the paper is now sufficiently hardened. 

To build my favorite - I used these four steps. Step #5: I bend over the incised strips.
Then plasticating, colouring (different layers), washing, drybrushing ...
You can vary all sizes and the cuts. Please use your imagination and documentation -> real plants, photos, visit in a botanical garden. Maybe a Sunday outing with family 🙂
By the way: all is designed under use of NB. 

How to simulate tropical wood ground with dead wood.
There are no seasons so we can have blossoms, leaves (green and dead), fruits and dead wood at the same plant. Trees have no annual rings. So I took a piece of dead vine to build the dead wood which a bromelia is living on it.
 

Documentation (cf. Porto/ Rousounelis, 2023, p.18f)
only applies to me (old school): books, pictorial catalogues 🙂
real experiences -> botanic gardens, Japanese Gardens, orangeries ... Don't forget your digital camera 😉
the www (of course) ... use a search engine with keywords - please type in Baobab (a tree in Africa). Baobabs are very photogen.
 

next topic: scenic mats.
This one is called "Airfield Spring". My exemplar was traded by Ammo by Mig (#8480). I think "Made in CZECH REPUBLIC" points to the manufacturer, MODEL SCENE. Their homepage is always a look worth: model-scene.com/
Also my recommendation: migjimenez.com/en/ (among others: tutorials, leaflets)
 

A fast and convenient way to design a little scene. The ground materials are "glued" on a textile fabric, which can be cut with scissors or a knife to the own purpose. A very instructive "how to ..." was filmed by Andy (HobbyHeadquarters): Youtube Video (last seen 25.3.2025) 

The backside of the scenic mat. 

In use with 1:48 - only for size comparison: a P47N "Expected Goose" (Academy, 2002) - from earlier days ... 

In use with 1:32 - only for size comparison: Spitfire Mk. II (Revell, 2014) - a Youngtimer 

In use with 1:25 - only for comparison: Buick Riviera (AMT/ERTL, 2005?) in the style of a modified stocker ... the door handles have to be grinded off; a mistake 🙁 ...
but the tyres ... my whole pride ... guess the material they were made of?
The roll cage was made of plastic material. 

In use with 1:87 - only for comparison: Me 109 (Busch) ... it looks like an emergency landing in the reeds of Lake Constance ...