I guess most modelers are frightened with modeling vegetation (I know I was).. So here is a little trick I use lately.
Natural plants tend to preserve their shape and color when dried in Borax (sodium borate) for a couple of weeks. All you have to do is to pick some interesting plants from your back yard and cover them with the powder... After two or three weeks the plants are completely dry and still green...

It works great for 120mm vignettes or dioramas, but some plants are also very usefull for smaller scales... The best thing is that plants are natural and, of course, cheap. :-)

Mario M.

Maki,

You're absolutely right to use nature's input for your diorama's. They look more real and are a LOT cheaper than the commercial stuff.
However, though it looks good at first, plant material deteriorates throughout the coming months and years. Dry plant material is ok, but all green leaves (even if only a few millimeters large ) come off in the end. I remember trying hair spray and other tricks in the past, but I didn't find the perfect combination (yet).
I had quite good result by using some plant ROOTS and use those to make shrubs and trees. To add leaves, I use man-made materials.
But I'll surely give your borax trick a try.

Thanks for the helpful hint.

I have some plants that were dried with Borax more than 6 months ago and I must say I don't see any signs of deteriorating or falling leaves... Borax is hygroscopic stuff (I don't know if I spelled that right) and takes the water out of the plant. The leaves become stiffer and easier to break and that is the only drawback I've seen so far... but then again I can't tell that I'm certain it will not start deteriorating over prolonged period of time..

Mario M.

I put a scratchbuilt Vulcan in a stretch of Vietnam jungle eight or nine years ago. I used several pieces of real plant life (very dry) to make the jungle look more "real". It's still one of my favourite dioramas, but it looks a bit like Agent Orange was used to defoliate during that period. I'll sure try the borax for my next diorama, though. Why use photo-edged and plastic plants if you can pick 'em from the garden ?

Now you are scaring me... I've also thought about a Vietnam vignette with all sorts of dried plants. I wanted to make the best little jungle ever to put my 1/16 US Pathfinder in. I guess you never know with mother nature...

Mario M.