August 11th, 2010
Here’s a great idea for bringing colour and life to the garden all year round – it could even be adapted to make a fabulous Christmas decoration.
Enviromat sedum matting makes a great hanging basket liner
Line a hanging basket with Enviromat sedum matting instead of using a more conventional plastic lining or sphagnum moss. You may need to do a bit of trimming to make it fit, but it’s far better for the environment, provides shelter for overwintering insects and should look good for 12 months of the year.
Enviromat offcuts will be available from our online shop very soon at just £7.05 + p&p for 1/4 square metre, (normal price for 0.25 m2 is £17.63) in the meantime, please call us on 01842 828266 or e-mail us if you would like to place an order or if you need more information.
May 14th, 2010
This little fella was spotted on the Enviromat production field yesterday
It’s great to see how much wildlife is attracted to Enviromat. This ladybird has probably overwintered in the dense foliage.
At this time of year it’s not unusual to see bees, butterflies, spiders, small mammals, even the occasional grass snake enjoying relatively undisturbed production fields.
We are also visited by rabbits but they tend to prefer the neighbouring turf fields. The sedum plants in Enviromat don’t taste nice and so they don’t get eaten by any of the wild herbivores on the farm. Rabbits, hares, roe deer, muntjacks and red deer all prefer to munch on Q Lawns turf.
May 7th, 2010
sedum reflexum will be in flower next week
Walking the sedum fields with my dogs yesterday I spotted several flower buds. Mainly sedum reflexum which is normally the first to flower but there were also a couple of teeny tiny buds on the Sedum Kamtschaticum.
April 30th, 2010
Great news! As from Tuesday 3rd May 2010, Enviromat will be able to help you install your sedum roof, and, we will be offering a maintenance service.
Installing a sedum roof on to a garage, an extension or a garden building is well within the capabilities of a relatively fit and competent DIY’er. However, the materials are heavy and bulky and if you’re not overly confident, then we have the people and the equipment to help out.
We can help if you are putting in a green roof for yourself and need an extra pair of hands, we can do the whole installation or we can work alongside builders, roofers or landscapers as a training exercise so that you can go on to offer green roof installation as a service to your customers
Contact Mark Southwell or Robert Allen on 01842 828266 for more information
Enviromat sedum matting being installed by our trained fitter
April 15th, 2010
Enviromat on the Village Green
Enviromat sedum matting is not just for green roofing, it’s also makes fantastically colourful low maintenance ground cover. Leogoland Windsor have been using Enviromat as groundcover for several years now. Here’s what Paula Young, Legoland’s garden designer has to say about the product…
At Legoland Windsor, Enviromat is used in Miniland, our model village which features landmarks and scenes from around the world, all created from millions of LEGO bricks.
We started using Enviromat around 7 years ago as an alternative to the high-maintenance grass, which has to be kept to a very fine cut in order to create the desired effect.
The sedum is low growing and can be clipped if necessary, to keep it to the desired height, although we find this shouldn’t be done too frequently. The sedum matting has proved to be a great alternative to the grass, as it thrives on the steep embankments and creates a great contrast to the surrounding grass.
The texture and colour of the sedum seems to show up more vividly when placed adjacent to the grass. The change in colour and variety of flowers adds interesting elements to the lower growing areas within Miniland.
It is very low maintenance, only requiring watering in dry periods and the occasional weeding. We have found that in areas where weeds seem to thrive, the best way is to cut out and remove the whole section of weeds and simply place a new piece of sedum matting into the gap formed. It does not require any winter maintenance either which is a great advantage.
Although we use Sedum matting within the park it is used within an area that is only occasionally walked on – not by our guests but by members of the Landscape and the Models & Animations teams who work within Miniland
March 30th, 2010
Great Ideas for Enviromat No.1
Build a Bird Table with a Green Roof
Many of us have bird tables but with Enviromat you can have a bird table with a difference. You can improve your bird table by adding an Enviromat green roof that will attract wildlife such as butterflies to your garden. Enviromat uses sedum plants which are very easy to look after, and you will not need to buy too much for your bird table.
If you don’t have a bird table then you can order everything from us in one easy kit. Check out our Eco-Feeder and buy online.
For all those DIY enthusiasts who fancy making their own table then this Gardeners World’ article shows you how make the whole thing – How to make a green roof for your bird table.
If you have any great ideas on where to use Enviromat then please email them to us at greatideas@enviromat.co.uk.
March 24th, 2010
A living green roof will encourage wildlife, filter pollutants from the air, insulate a building against heat and cold and blend a structure into the surrounding landscape. It does all of these things are far better when the plants are well fed, healthy and full of vitality.
Because the plants on a green roof don’t have access to soil nutrients, it’s vital that they are fed at least once a year with a slow-release fertiliser suitable for the plant species concerned.
If your roof was constructed using Enviromat sedum matting, now is the ideal time to apply Nutrifusion spring/summer formulation at the rate of 20 grams per square metre.
While you’re on the roof, take the opportunity to unblock drains and gutters, remove any fallen leaves or rubbish and weed out any tree seedlings.
Nutrifusion spring/summer formulation can be ordered online at http://www.enviromat.co.uk/buy_online.php/
January 25th, 2010
Research by the Michigan State University in East Lansing USA has measured the amount of carbon absorbed by sedum roofs and found that over time, a green roof can lower your carbon footprint.
Kristin Getter and his colleagues carried out the research and found that a sedum roof will absorb up to 375 grams of carbon per square metre over the two years of their study.
Carbon is stored in the plants’ leaves and roots and in the growing medium.Getter has calculated that if a medium sized city with around a million inhabitants – roughly the size of Birmingham, were to switch to green roofs, it would remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as taking 10,000 SUV’s and trucks off the road for a year.
