Hi Rich!
Thanks for the great comments!
The palm tree is made out of natural material altogether (except for the paint on the leaves). The trunk I made out of some strange twigs that I found in a hobby shop. I think that they are supposed to be used in decorations made out of dried flowers and leaves (that old ladies hangs on walls or put in vases!). The twigs really looked like palm tree trunks in 1/72, and even had the right color from the beginning, so I bought a bunch.
The leaves were made out of some small plants that I found on the lawn in my garden. I don’t really know their botanical name, but I can try to find out.
Before I mount them on the trunk, I applied some diluted ordinary white glue (that you use for carpentry) on them, to stop them from first getting soft, then getting dry. When the glue dried they were sort of “conserved”. After that I sprayed them a couple of times with fast drying matt varnish, which made them even stiffer. Then I glued them to the twig with super glue (Zap-a-gap). This was the only tricky part. And then I painted them green and carefully dry brushed the outer parts of the leaves.
I don’t know if the description of the technique has been to any help. But if you are going to build a diorama (in 1/72, it works only in that scale) with a palm tree in it, let me know. Then I can send you a couple of twigs and some leaves that I have in my diorama drawer (for free). Good luck with the modelling!
/Tony aka bultenibo