Gabler
Masterpiece
The native forests in my area consist largely of beech (Fagus grandifolia), red oak (mostly Quercus rubra), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). The understory has plenty of spicebush (Lindera benzoin), holly (Ilex opaca), ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana) and mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), with eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) toward the edges. My goal is to replicate the biome in miniature. I have several large slabs of local conglomerate sedimentary rock to choose from as a base for the forest, and ample seedlings to collect this spring.