Jon C's wild flower garden and food for tort

Have a look at these before and after pictures from Jon C

Jon's Garden "Before"

Jon's Garden "After"

Oxeye Daisy in Jon C's MeadowMat



Quite a difference wouldn't you say?  This MeadowMat was installed in July.  When it was delivered, the plants would have been mown quite short - to prevent them being damaged while rolled up - and there would have been no flowers on it at all.  It's obviously been very well installed and very well cared for.  This is what Jon has to say..



Yarrow Flower in Jon C's MeadowMat



Amazing product.  While myself and my girlfriend were cutting it last night we came across 3 different butterflies, one very large hairy caterpillar and a beautiful moth.  The birdies love it as well.  The MeadowMat has transformed what was an awful looking area.

Don't think the MeadowMat transformed the area by itself Jon - but you've certainly used it to good effect.

On the subject of butterflies, caterpillars, moths and birdies, I may have discovered another type of critter that will enjoy MeadowMat - tortoises.

My daughter, her boyfriend (the tall, handsome one on the MeadowMat video) and grandson Justin have become the proud custodians of two hatchling tortoises.  Now, when I was younger, my friend Jo had a tortoise that used to wander around her garden eating as much lettuce and tomato as we could put in front of it.  But according to http://www.tortoiseclub.org/, that was rather naughty of us.  A healthy diet for a tortoise living in the UK is a good selection of - wait for it - wild plants. 

The Norfolk Tortoise club - and several other websites - have produced lists of edible and toxic plants for torts and I'm pleased to say, that MeadowMat will provide quite a nice diet for a hungry testudo.

Hermione and Rhonda are too tiny to hibernate this winter so it looks as though my daily foraging trips are going to be extended to include all sorts of leaves and herbs. Good job the days of burning witches are over because there are going to be a lot of Feltwell villagers wondering what Mrs Lambert is doing with all those leaves she picks.