Outdoor Railway Garden
THE RAILWAY GARDEN OPENS FOR THE SEASON ON MAY 1!
The railway garden, designed by Paul Busse, founder of Applied Imagination, opens for enjoyment May through October! Guests of all ages love to follow numerous G-scale model trains on various track levels as they cross bridges, enter tunnels, skirt ponds and waterfalls, and pass by cherished local landmarks made of all-natural materials. The garden beautifully merges plant design, art, and history—all essential elements of Fernwood.
The artistry and architecture of Fernwood’s popular railway garden showcase replicas of local historic buildings. The detailed models of landmarks are crafted from leaves, twigs, and other dried plant materials. Busse chose the historic Niles Railroad Depot as his first regional piece for the exhibit. Another local landmark designed for Fernwood is the Buchanan Pears Mill, which has birch bark representing the mill's white siding. The collection also features the St. Joseph Lighthouse, the Golden Dome of Notre Dame, and the Niles Chapin Mansion.
Added to the collection in 2024 are four Amtrak passenger cars that feature interior lights and exterior sounds. If you close your eyes, you’ll feel like you’re at your local train station - all aboard!
Would you like to join our team of volunteers who keep the trains on track to inspire audiences of all ages? Learn more at fernwoodbotanical.org/volunteer.
Outdoor Railway Garden Features
• Approximate size 50' x 50'.
• Four trains, each running at different elevations: approximately ground level, one foot, six foot, and seven foot levels.
• The trains travel through three island gardens, under pedestrian walk-over bridges, and atop seven-foot-high trestle bridges.
• 510 feet of track.
• A seven-foot waterfall.
• Two mountain tunnels.
• A children's tunnel will lead little ones to the Nature Adventure Garden beyond.
• A six-foot-tall mountain range with stream descending to a ten-foot-wide lake.
• Detailed miniature garden featuring dwarf evergreens, specially pruned trees, alpine plants, and natural materials such as stones, branches, and moss.
• Themed buildings from Paul Busse's collection that change each season.
• Scale models of local landmarks including the Niles Depot, Pears Mill, St. Joseph North Pier Lighthouse, Notre Dame's Golden Dome, and Niles' Chapin Mansion, each created with natural materials such as pine cone scales, bark, seeds, twigs, moss, and more.
About Paul Busse and Applied Imagination
Paul Busse is a graduate of The Ohio State University. He installed his first model railroad at the Ohio State Fair in 1982. His imaginative garden railroads grew from his training as a botanical architect and his love of trains. Busse and his team design and build the elements of each garden railway at his studio/workshop in Alexandria, Kentucky. The elaborate, three-dimensional structures are made of natural materials, including mosses, twigs, leaves, bark, vines, and seeds. These creations are amazingly accurate in detail and look remarkably like they were constructed of materials used on the original buildings they represent. Only upon further inspection can the natural materials be identified.
To learn more about Paul Busse and his work, visit www.appliedimagination.biz. Watch video from KET Television about Applied Imagination, featuring Fernwood.
Fern Conservatory Railway Exhibit
Check out our railway exhibit inside the Fern Conservatory, too. The Fern Conservatory exhibit consists of two tracks—one suspended high from the ceiling, easily viewed from the balcony and the other track running lower, viewed by walking through the conservatory. The awesome trains are part of a generous donation from Mrs. Marilyn Beemer Wagner. Watch for a beautiful and festive holiday exhibit in the conservatory through the holidays.
Nature Adventure Garden
Be sure to explore the Children's Nature Adventure Garden, located just beyond the Railway Garden, and designed with little ones in mind! Explore the twists and turns of the arborvitae labyrinth, run over grassy moguls, balance on tree cookies, dig in the sand pit, and hide in the hobbit houses. Kids also will enjoy a huge human-size nest and exploring a willow tunnel. Remember to look for Lorenzo!
Made largely from artistically crafted natural materials, this garden blends well with the adjoining Railway Garden. The new garden is a freeform, organic, exploratory area that inspires unstructured play and a close connection with nature. Phase I is complete, and Fernwood greatly appreciates the support from the Huizenga Family Foundation, AEP, Purdue University landscape architecture students, W. Gary Smith Designs, and the talented Fernwood staff for making the vision for this special space a reality.