real plants

[glen]

I recently (helped) made a miniature Japanese garden and building with my niece for a school project.

For plants I picked some bushy miniature branches and soaked them with spray on lacquer. They looked fantastic.

Does anyone know whther this is done with dollhouses and what the expected like of such treated plants would be?

Cheers

Glen

[CatColorado]

I've used real cacti before (real dead, real tiny) and they seemed to hold up very well.

[fov]

I used a real plant once, in a mini pot. Never had to water it because I lived in a very damp place. Then I moved to a not so damp place and it died. :lol:

Here is a picture of it (dead). It's the one in the foreground.

[CatColorado]

You know, with a little bit of green gouache you could make it look "alive" again.

[glen]

Poor plant!

The reason I sprayed it with lacquer was I'm told it makes them keep their colour and shape.

I'll get onto my niece and ask how the plants holding up.

Then I guess I'll have to give it another try and post my results in a few weeks/months

Cheers

Glen

[LisaN]

There is a child's book, the title is Miss Happiness & Miss FLower, written by Rumor Godden in the sixties, describing two japanese dolls and how the little girl and her family created a real japanese house for them--it has plans in the back of the book. It also tells how to make a 'real ' Japanese garden, with 'real' living plants that can be watered. I orderd my book from Waldenbooks or Barnes & Noble in paperback, since I have always wanted to create this house.

I have read of people who used dried plants, etc. and I have used them myself. They will last if you spray a lacquer like you referred to your niece's project.

[Anya]

Do you know what would be great. :lol:

Mini real plants. I wonder if any botanists could come up with a formula.

Imagine 1/12 scale real daffodils in your mini garden. As long as it wouldn't harm the enviroment or the plants themselves, I think they'd be really interesting.