First attempt at a landscape planting...

Hey all,
So on Saturday I was bored and had a few eastern red cedar seedlings that I had dug up last fall so I decided to try my hand at a landscape planting. I know that the trees really aren't even worth looking at but my intention was to work on the layout of the stones and foundation to create some realism. Next spring I will use a bit of wire to adjust the trunk direction on the small trees.I hope in time the trees will mature into the design over the next couple seasons. I intend to only use clip and grow on these. I'd love critique and criticisms to improve the design. there are 11 trees total although a couple are very small.

Basic outline created












Enjoy,

Todd

Not a bad start at all. Keep working on it.

Very nice. But your river is too near the center. Can you finagle it so that one island is distinctly larger than the other? And put the far end of the river so it is hidden & looks as if it goes far away.

Hi

The more I look at landscapes and think about doing it myself, the more difficult it seems, and the more I appreciate the efforts of others.

Very nice beginning  

It's not that difficult. And you can use nebbish trees not suitable for single bonsai. Go out & study Namibian landscapes until you are imprinted, then put one in a tray.
Iris

Great attempt on your first landscape! I'm curious why Iris suggested Namibian landscapes. I googled this and saw mostly deserts; not sure about the connection ... perspective perhaps?

Todd Ellis wrote:I'm curious why Iris suggested Namibian landscapes.

I believe she was speaking to someone from Namibia.

That's a very nice composition, and I love your moss work.  
The layout is very good, and you could leave it, 'as is' while keeping, growing and maintaining it.  But, I believe a nice touch you could temporarily apply for showing it at it's best....  would be to add a very light colored, course sand mix down in where that river channel runs through the middle.  The contrast with the moss, rocks and the brown of the pot would be very striking and would help to give the planting a bit more depth.
Your new landscape is off to a very good start.

My mistake. BTW, Namibia looks like a beautiful country... yes look at the Namibian landscapes for inspiration  

Thanks for the feedback. I am satisfied with the overall layout. The trees are what I'm not happy with yet, but that will change with time. I think some sand down the middle would be nice for showing. I'd have to find the right color though because sometimes this can look tacky. I'll keep working on it and update as it grows.

Todd

Todd the moss is such a luscious green, and the hill so nicely formed that your composition reminds me of Hobbiton, namely then beginning of "the fellowship of the ring" with Gandalf winding through the narrow cobbled roads on his horse-drawn carriage... I think for a first try this is very well done, and don't worry that the trees aren't perfect, the whole point is to create your vision with time, the Shire wasn't built in a day!

It's funny because I watched The Hobbit the night before I created the planting...

Yeah.  Well, the movie was (barely) OK.

Read the book (s)

Well then Todd its no accident!

Yeah I have always had a penchant for Tolkien imagery. I've read the all of the Tolkien books many times and agree that the Hobbit movie did not meet my expectations. The Lord of the Rings adaptation was far better. We'll see what the next installments bring.

Todd

I know this is quite old but I like that very much. Hows it doing 6 months on? These landscapes are what got me into miniature gardening in the first place, i've done a few simple terrariums but looking forward to doing a proper bonsai one at some point in the not too distant future. Well done