I made a small tree, but instead of planting this one in the ground, I wanted a container tree that I could reposition. I’m using the same wire and putty technique I’ve used in the past for the trunk, and candytuft for the foliage – notes at the bottom.
I measured the wire structure against the wall to make sure I had good height.
I used a clamp covered with plastic wrap to hold the tree while protecting the clamp.
Applying the putty.
Painting the tree.
Painting the separated candytuft branches — I ended up making quite a few more than shown here.
Ghost is modeling to show the smaller stature of the tree.
I built a container from basswood and small scale siding from my box of scraps.
I wanted something compact but believable in proportion to the tree.
I stained the planter box with Minwax stain; the color is Fruitwood.
I coated the interior with a heavy layer of tacky glue. This will seal it for when I get to planting the tree.
Update: finishing the container tree here.
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Notes: Link to the first tree I made using this technique – follow the links in the first sentence back through the process. For the trunk, a good starting source if you can find it is the DVD Master Miniaturists: Landscaping Primer with Diane Myrick. I found mine through interlibrary loan. This whole series is just awesome! For the foliage, I used a tutorial by Connie Sauve on using candytuft, but the tutorial link is no longer active. I bought the candytuft from Scenery Solutions, but they no longer sell it.
