Environment - Green Roofing

Angela Lambert of QLawns, & Enviromat on the benefits 'green roofing' can bring to your garden and to the environment.

 

Green Roofing using sedum matting products such as Enviromat from Q Lawns is a relatively new concept for the landscaping industry in the UK. Other European countries have been using sedum matting and enjoying the benefits for some years now however, Britain is catching up! Green roofs appear most years at Hampton Court and Chelsea and celebrity gardeners frequently make reference to roof planting.

 

Sedum matting can be used for vast number of different gardening structures and projects. A green roof on top of a garden structure or a surrounding of sedum matting to disguise a pond liner is the perfect, low maintenance way to bring vibrancy and wildlife into your garden.  Enviromat sedum matting consists of low growing, drought tolerant sedum plants, grown on to geo-textile matting for versatility and strength.  It is delivered to site with approximately 95% plant coverage and simply needs to be unrolled (like turf) and fixed onto a prepared surface to create an instant garden.

Enviromat is low maintenance, it doesn’t need mowing or trimming and only needs feeding once or twice a year with fertiliser, perfect for clients who require easy to maintain gardens and ideal for larger sites such as central reservations on dual carriageways where access is difficult. Enviromat looks fantastic all year consisting as it does of a random mix of evergreen sedum species that flower from early Spring to late Autumn and then in the winter it can go a beautiful blush red colour bringing all year round interest to the area.

 

“Sedums are ideal plants for the busy person who would like to transform a piece of land into an attractive landscape feature with a minimum of effort and very low maintenance requirements."

Professor Ray Stephenson

 

Used on the roof, Sedum Matting brings with it a range of advantages including insulation against heat and cold, protection against UV light – thus doubling the life of the waterproofing, aesthetics, increased biodiversity and the knowledge that bringing green plants to an otherwise barren area is helping to improve air quality and combat the effects of global warming.

 

Q Lawns have published a simple guide to creating a green roof using Enviromat, which outlines the criteria that the building needs to meet before successfully installing the sedum matting.  Weight bearing capacity, drainage, the amount of sunlight, the slope of the roof are all factors that must be considered carefully if the living roof is indeed to survive.  The guide is free and can be downloaded from the web site at www.enviromat.co.uk or ordered direct from Q Lawns on 01842 828266.  

 

For more details about using Enviromat for landscaping, contact either Angela Lambert or Hannah Driscoll at Q Lawns on 01842 828266. Email hannahd@qlawns.co.uk or sales@qlawns.co.uk  or visit the newly re-vamped website at www.enviromat.co.uk

 

A Perfect Cut Flower - Gladiolus

Credit: De Jager Bulbs

by Bob Willard, General Manager of www.dejager.co.uk

 

Imagine as you enter a room the stunning sight of a tall vase filled with elegant brightly coloured Gladioli.  Gladioli look equally at home gracing an ornate flower arrangement in a stately house or cathedral or making a statement in a plain modern vase in a contemporary apartment.

 

You can buy them in a flower shop or market but I think it is far better to experience the satisfaction of stems of blooms you have grown in your flower borders, in an area dedicated for cut flowers or, like me, on your allotment for the sole purpose of cutting them for the house.

 

To obtain the best results Gladiolus do best in well-drained soil in a sunny position. Improve heavy or light soil by working in light compost. Before planting, thinly cover with well-rotted manure and rake in. Rake bone-meal into the surface at the rate 3-4ozs per sq metre.

 

Corms should be planted 10-15cm apart and 10cm deep from late March until early June making sure that each corm is settled firmly. In heavy soil place them on sharp sand to help drainage. Do take care not plant too shallowly or they may fall over when in bloom.

 

Do not hoe or apply fertiliser until young shoots appear, and then hoe lightly and often to check weeds.  Aerate the soil gently with a hoe and apply a light top-dressing of fish manure around the shoots.

 

After eight to ten weeks, when secondary roots will have formed, water generously, particularly during dry periods after the flower spike has appeared.  Take care to support them should the flower stems become heavy and as cutting time approaches, if it rains, do shake them gently so that the flowers don’t spoil by becoming too wet.

 

The usual time between planting and flowering for large flowering gladioli, size 14cms, is around 100 days depending on weather conditions. The smaller Butterfly varieties take 7 to 10 days longer.

 

After flowering allow foliage to turn yellow/brown, approx mid-October. Corms can then be lifted before the first frost, remove from soil, and cut off main stem half inch above each corm. Dry the corms for 7 to 10 days in a dry and airy place, then store in trays or shallow boxes in a cool, frost-free place during the winter.

 

ANNUAL CALENDAR

 

Spring Mid-March

Plant the first batch of corms if the weather is mild.

 

April-May

Continue planting in batches, using several different cultivars. When shoots start to show, keep ground well weeded.

 

SUMMER (July – August)

Primulinus and miniature hybrids are in bloom. Large-flowered hybrids start to blossom in late July. Keep plants well watered and feed moderately. Stake tall hybrids from behind the flowers.

 

AUTUMN (September)

 

Large flowered hybrids in bloom.

 

October

Lift corms when the first frosts blacken foliage. Dry in a warm place (18-24°C) for two weeks. Clean and dust with fungicide. Prepare ground for spring planting.

 

WINTER (December – February)

 

Store corms in a dry frost-free shed. Check regularly for signs of disease or softness. Throw away shrivelled corms.

 

 

P. de Jager & Sons Limited has been selling top quality and top size bulbs for over 140 years.  I cannot over-emphasise the importance of size.  Top size bulbs really do make a huge difference both in terms of flowering and naturalisation.  Smaller size bulbs will be less expensive but the results will be very noticeably inferior.  

 

Their new summer collection has just been launched so visit www.dejager.co.uk for more information.