I think you are pushing SU farther away than what it's made for. SU is unbeatable for buildings, but leave it alone for other projects. Those things are better built in some other app, such as Blender. I've also done something in Poser (but that's not free, even if it is quite cheap). Have a look at this video, I think you can't go any better than that ...
http://www.blenderguru.com/videos/create-a-realistic-earth/