Trees Trees Trees

Try Scenic Express Super Trees

A couple of different approaches.
(1.) Scenic Express. Super Tree Starter Kit.   Has just about everything needed to make trees.
(2.) Seedum trees.  A garden plant that makes a very nice tree.  The Seedum can be planted this spring and harvested this fall.  You would still have to buy a lot of what is available in the Super Tree Kit.



Seedem Trees at Mercer Junction Train Shop.









Autumn Joy Seedum picture from the internet.

Carl Seedum from the internet.

I need to get a bunch of Seedum going.

I also need a forest for my Colorado Mountain.

And ya, Doing it in Woodland Scenic trees would be awesome, but not in the realm of possibility pricewise.

I have a few of those, they will go in towns and areas of detailed interest.

If you don't like the shape of seedum trees (its not what I need) there is not much more natural you can grow that looks really good.  For the most part, home-made trees, even using the kits, look, well, home made - I found about only one out of every four I made looked goo enough.

I think JTT trees are best - just awesome in realistic appearance - also expensive.  You can go broke making a forest of realistic pines firs, and hardwoods, etc. - seems silly but even a small one costs about what a Vision Challenger did.  That's just the way it is . . . 

if you have access to sage, the branches make incredibly realistic tree armatures. I used to live in the mountains out west and you could find dozens of dried branch work of virtually any size. add some stretched out very thin poly fiber (micro-mark makes a good amount for not much money in black which works very well) to get the basic shape, then sprinkle with foliage color(s) of your choice. btw, if you can't find sage, you could buy some cheap plastic woodland scenics armatures and spray them more gray than the plastic brown color they come in. combine these with some scenic express versions. in the background, behind your more detailed trees, you can glue some poly fiber and foliage to a thin painted (or not) dowel or coffee stirrer sticks and make "lollipop" trees (no branches). this will duplicate the dense northeast and Appalachian mountains, where from any distance, mountains of trees look like round clumps and it is very hard to distinguish individual branches. try it and I think you'll be quite satisfied. 

jerrman

Goldenrod also harvested in the fall can be used, too.   A little spray paint & ground foam makes many trees.  A very cheap way along with the seedum.

My HO layout abandoned in the hot attic has trees made from South West tumbleweed. Best twisted bark and branches I’ve ever seen!

For mountains like Christopher’s 2r layout, all you need is a front area showing trunks with branches.  

The entire mountain doesn’t need bark and branches, just tops that look like broccoli setting on raised foam painted black.

Right! And, depending on the distance, a sprinkle of ground foam is enough:

A Scenic Express super trees offer great value

Another Natural plant is a perennial named "Astilbe" which makes a great tree when dried and flocked

Yes, and it has a better "tree" shape than the sedum, IMO.   Lee, you might be interested:

(never mind the color, picture them dried, sprayed with adhesive, and covered with fine green turf foam)

Wow! Thanks for all of the answers! Looks like I have quite a few options to choose from!

I just purchased 1 red Astilbe plant,3 other colors of Astilbe plants and 3 plants of Sedum. I am a distance away from needing trees so I figured I would try growing my own.So who knows maybe I might be able to grow my own little forest of trees.I'll let you guys know in the fall.