Been such a wet summer that I feel as though there has been no summer at all. Tomatoes didn’t ripen so I have Green Chutney coming out of my ears. Hardly any apples as to wet for the bees to pollinate in the spring, and then our poor Sedum very wet, not good for sedum. We laid out even more mats than usual this year but the growth has been really stunted by the weather. It has picked up enormously recently and we should be able to meet all the orders without a problem. We have had some massive orders in so should clear the decks for the next batch to be laid in the Autumn. I can’t believe the difference between this year and last year. I hope 2013 will be better and just a little less rain!
Our new modular system is doing extremely well, and I feel this is the way to go. The three horticulturists on the fields are very happy with the idea. We have had a great deal of interest in the modules as it saves so much time and expense so looking good for next year. They are easier to manage than the mats so waterlogging is not a problem. There is still an enormous demand for mats so we will not stop growing them, larger areas are far better laid with the sedum mats. What has happened this year is that the mats we have grown are far better quality. The rain stunted the growth of some of the more prevalent species and thus we have a rather beautiful mixture of different species which does look rather stunning. As far as quality is concerned I don’t think you can beat our mats.
We are still tying to make our video but everytime we go to do the roof it rains! Hopefully before winter sets in we will get it out and it will show people how to lay their own Sedum Green Roof. Other things we have been doing is concentrating on our biodiverse and wild flower roofs. We have a stunning mat of wild flowers at the moment, a superb success. I really like the idea of the biodiverse roof as well. Problem is it may cost more as good installation and positioning of the various elements is vital for a biodiverse area to work well. I am personally very interested in this method and hope to write a page for the website. We have already installed a few and they have been an enormous success so must go back and take pictures as they mature.
We have also noticed recently how the council have taken note of the Green or living roof idea. On listed buildings it seems the only way to go. Several clients have only achieved their planning applications on condition that a green roof of some description is installed.
On the farm all is well. Peacocks all had colds and I had to get antibiotics down them twice a day…thats fine but try catching them! They are damn strong as well. They are all much better now and Charlie, the baby is outside all the time. House is still not finished but looking a bit more like a home!
Time to sign out as I have major problems with the Price page on the website…can I get the boxes to line up!! Every time I do another goes out of line. I am going to have to start again with the HTML and have another go but I am not trained in this area so its all a bit of a nightmare…wish me luck!
Elaine Director Sedum Green Roof
