How do you "plant" a model building?

Installing a model building on a layout is often referred to as planting the model. On the surface this is quite a strange phrase as the words plonk, place or put would all be more descriptive, but, try to think of it another way, if you plonk place or put your new model building onto your layout then it will probably appear plonked, placed or casually put too and that's going to produce disappointing results.

As much thought should be given to a building's appearance, surroundings and back story as we do with our tracks, ballast and rolling stock. After all, buildings have stories too, some are old, some are new, some are in a state of disrepair and some have dodgy paint jobs. All have no gaps between their walls and the floor and most have some sort of dedicated land surrounding them. These are the things that we should be considering when planning to introduce a new building to a layout.

There are many questions that we can ask ourselves about a proposed building, how long has it been there, what is its purpose and who owns or operates it are all excellent questions that will give you inspiration for detailing the building and surrounding land. The building's era will also play a big part in not only the building's appearance and state but also any cameo scenes surrounding the building too.

In real life you can find perfectly presented buildings, for example, a brand new housing estate, new out of town retail park or industrial unit or even a brand new train care depot. Such buildings will likely have freshly laid grass, immaculate tarmac and young, planned vegetation growing in the vicinity, but, most buildings are not like that and from the very first day their life began has taken on a personality of their very own (unless you are modelling the village of Corfe Castle).

Look around you at the buildings in your neighbourhood and take note of how the buildings have aged, how the vegetation surrounding an established building differs from that of a new-build and specifically what is going on around the base of the building at the point where it makes contact with the ground, you will be surprised at what details you will start to notice that can be incorporated into your model.

So planting is definitely not the same as plonking, but with a little bit of thought and research, it can be easy!