New Boston and Donnels Creek, South End, December, 1998The photo above (December, 1998) shows a close-up of a Lionel D&RGW 0-6-0 coming around a Mugo pine (Click on it for a bigger view). The original text was written in April, 1999. The loco in that photograph subsequently took a long and expensive voyage to Australia, where master model-builder David Fletcher gave it to his wife for a birthday present. But its twin is in the "train shed" with my daughter's D&RG equipment. For 0-6-0 Lionels, they are decent runners, even on less than ideal track. The stones are local limestone; a few were quarried in my lifetime, some were donated by friends with bad backs, and some were foundation stones we found on the property every time we tried to plant a garden. The former owners must have had buildings everwhere. I selected this Mugo because it had a funky Bonzai-style shape and because it was cheap at the end of last season. As of June, 1999, it's about three inches higher than it was in Dec., 1998, when I took this picture. By next spring it will be big enough to shield some of my not-so-clever stonework with a natural screen, by the following summer, I'll probably have to move it. There is now a stone wall to the left of the track (the loco's right), giving a little more justification to the tight-looking curve. The stone wall in turn leads into a short tunnel. I've planted stubby fingers and other sedums all over the rocks in a hope that they'll fill in and give an "established" look to things. Maybe by the time I need to transplant the Mugo, the other things will have filled in enough that I can plant something for ornamental and not just screen value. Also, there are hostas and other perennials all over the garden now, you just can't see them in this December picture. [Note from 2006: To see what a difference 18 months can make, you may click on the little photo to your right, which was taken in June, 2000. As a point of reference, the Mugo pine is in the same location.] Return to the 1998-2000 Picture Page To return to Landscaping and Pond Construction, 1998-1999, click here, To return to the New Boston and Donnels Creek Index Page, click here To return to the Family Garden Trains Home Page, click here |
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