Desert Trees Ideas

Not local, nor hilly

Real life has been busy recently, so I have had little time for hobby activity. Over the weekend the sun came out for a short while, so after a nice walk up a local hill, it was time for a less nice session of gardening. Pruning and tidying the garden, I discovered that a huge ivy had blown off the neighbour's roof and was hanging down the side of my house, blocking access. I had to remove it as best I could. Now if there's one thing I like less than gardening, it's heights, so perching on top of a ladder wrestling with some very tough ivy vines was not my idea of a pleasant afternoon. Still, once it was done and in the garden recycle bin, I could celebrate with a beer and the rugby down the pub.

A few days later I was admiring the latest update on possibly my favourite blog, the Gardens of Hecate, and it got me thinking about my desert terrain collection. Trees are probably the last thing on my desert list, but I was inspired by the effect a few lone trees could have. Googling desert trees returned images of what are basically bare twigs - some with a little vegetation. And that's where the ivy comes in - what could be better as a gnarled and twisted tree trunk? So back to the garden recycle bin I went and rescued some of the old vines. Suddenly the gardening session seems so much more worthwhile.

This final image shows just how simple a desert tree can be. These should be really easy to "build" and base, to add some easy vegetation to my desert gaming board. It's also an interesting picture for the hill feature in the background. Desert hills or dunes have been on my mind for some time, but they require a little more planning and effort than the twigs. I have started to gather materials, from which ideas will materialise - but that's another post for another time. I am hoping to get some hobby time over the Easter break. A handful of desert trees and maybe a few thickets of scrub and thorny bushes should be easy enough to knock together. We shall see.