Hi and enclosure plant advice

[Summerangel]

Hello my name is Julia. I've been keeping tortoises for quite and few years now. I remember when the tortoise table website was first introduced and looking how far you ladies have come, it's amazing! Well done
I've used your references no end of times.

I keep Ibera's and for a few years now my largest females has laid eggs and ive had a few hatchlings over the years. I have 11 eggs in the incubator at the moment and the first clutch should be hatching in around 10'days time.


I'm revamping my enclosures and I've bought some plants for the enclosure.
I have

Thyme 'silver queen'
Thyme lemon
Thyme common
Fuchsia 'lady Boothby'
Geranium ''Dreamland'
Geranium 'macrorrhizum Bevans'
Lavendula 'Vera'
Lavender 'Augustiflolia'
Cistus 'dansereaui Decumben'
Festuca 'Glauca Azurit'
Carex 'ice Dance'

I hoping these are ok. Any other advice or ideas are very welcome.

[Nina]

Hi Julia, and thanks so much for the kind words! We do feel like we've come a long way, and it's so nice to know that there are people like you who have been with us since the beginning.

It sounds to me like you have very happy Iberas, and you've reminded me that it's about time that I revamped my outdoor enclosure.
Re the plants:
All of the Thyme varieties that you have bought will be covered by our entry for Thyme:
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plan ... YYHT-mQyM8
The Fuchsia should be OK, but you might want to pick up excess flowers and leaves that fall to the ground. Here is our entry for Fuchsia
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plan ... YYHmOmQyM8
'Lady Boothby' is a lovely, upright, hardy Fuchsia and a very vigorous grower, so you might want to prune it back now and then to keep it from taking over.
I didn't know of Geranium 'Dreamland' so have just looked it up, and it's a lovely hardy Geranium. That and the Macrorrhizum 'Bevans' will be absolutely fine in your enclosure and they are both covered by this entry:
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plan ... YYIr-mQyM8
The Lavenders should also be fine and are covered by this entry:
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plan ... YYJVemQyM8
The Cistus should also be fine, and here is our entry for that:
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plan ... YYJd-mQyM8
The Festuca
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plan ... YYJuOmQyM8
and the Carex
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plan ... YYJ4OmQyM8
will also go well in an enclosure, so you have chosen brilliantly.

I can think of only two things to consider:
1. If the plants are smallish now, they might well need some protection until they become well established, or your tortoises might eat them to the ground -- this would be especially true of the two Geraniums, as they are probably the tastiest and most tempting of the lot. You could put an upturned wire hanging basked over them if they are small, allowing the leaves to grow through the holes, but preventing the tortoises from demolishing them. Or you could get some log roll and make a little circle around the plant to protect it for a while. LOL, for all I know your tortoises are far more well-mannered than mine, so you might have no problems at all!

2. I don't know how large your enclosures are, but if they are not huge then many of these plants could grow large and provide too much shade, and allowing no sunlight in. So just keep an eye on things. I'm a firm believer that my garden is both for me and for my tortoises, and what I really like is that you have chosen plants that will be fine in a tortoise enclosure, but they are really lovely in themselves and will add beauty to your garden and give you pleasure.

Nina

[Summerangel]

Hi Nina, thanks for your detailed reply, much appreciated.

Enclosure isn't massive, so I'll have to cut them back or dig them up and swap and change over time.
I'll take some pictures when I'm finished. Haven't started yet though! Lol

I remember years ago when you guys made a tortoise topiary. Think I'm going to make one this year for next year in my garden. Off to google how to make one!

[Nina]

Hi Julia,

Re the Tortoise Topiary -- we used to have it on our old website (I was the one who made it), and I think I might have instructions -- or a set of photos showing it step by step -- which I could send you, but it will have to be later in the week as I am off to Brussels to collect my grandchildren this morning (back tomorrow night but then it is full days and nights of activity and exhaustion!).
Here is a photo of it though:

[attachment=0]Photo A (Copy).JPG[/attachment]

Nina

[Summerangel]

That's it. It's lovely. Have you still got the topiary?

[lin]

Nina will get back to you when she can but she is spending some time with her grandchildren this week.

I suspect she has still got it but maybe a little overgrown causing a bumpy shell with sprouts on - lol.

Lin

[Nina]

Hi Julia,

Well, I sort of still have it, but it's really just the frame left and that is falling apart. I had filled the frame with moss that I raked up out of my lawn, plus some sphagnum moss that bought, and in the third year the birds decided that this would make great material for nest building and just pecked all of it out, and then I just got busy with other stuff and sort of let it go to pot. The houseleeks did flower at one point though, and made a particularly strange looking tortoise (some photos attached).
Nina[attachment=0]IMG_7270 [Desktop Resolution].JPG[/attachment][attachment=1]IMG_7296 [Desktop Resolution].JPG[/attachment][attachment=2]IMG_7298 [Desktop Resolution].JPG[/attachment]

[Summerangel]

Thanks Lin and Nina.
Hope you had lots of fun with your grandchildren...
Wow, it look amazing... I think I'll buy some houseleeks and see about how to make the frame. I googled the frames and they are so expensive to buy!

Haha cheeky birds..
I bet you could make a box topiary tortoise.. you've got me thinking now...

I've nearly finished the boys enclosure, just got the girls to do now.
Hopefully the weather will be ok tomorrow and I can finish the girls. Although when I say finished, they are always work in progress! Lol

[lin]

You are so right. A tortoise keeper's work is never done.
Good luck with the enclosures and we would love the photos of the end results with tortoises in situ. Fingers crossed for sunshine.

The topiary frame, as you say is fairly easy and much much cheaper than you would but from anywhere. have a go because not only is it practical it is fun.

Lin

[Nina]

Here are some photos of the stages of making my topiary tortoise -- but I just made it out of some chicken wire and a fiew bits and pieces that I found in the garden shed. The orange thing in the body is a plastic plant pot saucer, I put sticks inside the lets to strengthen them and a milk bottle top in each foot for the stick to rest on so that it didn't poke out. I'm sure that you could make a much better one than I did, but I was determined to make mine all out of stuff I just had around and the only thing I bought was some sphagnum moss to supplement the moss that I raked out of my lawn. I just looked and think the photos have loaded back to front so you will have to start at the bottom of the photos and read up to see the progress.
Nina

[attachment=0]Photo A (Copy).JPG[/attachment] [attachment=1]Photo 12.JPG[/attachment][attachment=2]Photo 11.JPG[/attachment][attachment=3]Photo 10.JPG[/attachment][attachment=4]Photo 9.JPG[/attachment][attachment=5]Photo 8.JPG[/attachment][attachment=6]Photo 7.JPG[/attachment][attachment=7]Photo 5.JPG[/attachment][attachment=8]Photo 4.JPG[/attachment][attachment=9]Photo 3.JPG[/attachment][attachment=10]Photo 2.JPG[/attachment][attachment=11]Photo 1 small,.JPG[/attachment]

[Summerangel]

Hi everyone,
Well here's the enclosures. I have a boys and girls enclosure. The boys is slightly smaller. I put in new log roll and laid some stones where the plants are.

Boys enclosure
stones with plants and the grass and border
Wish I had put a hump in the soil to give them something to climb over. (Like little hills) never mind I thought if that when I had finished!!!

[attachment=1]IMG_5868.PNG[/attachment]
Grass end


[attachment=0]IMG_5869.PNG[/attachment]

[Summerangel]

The girls side
Girls stone end
[attachment=2]IMG_5870.PNG[/attachment]

Grass end
[attachment=1]IMG_5871.PNG[/attachment]

Panoramic picture... rubbish one at that. Gives you an idea though
[attachment=0]IMG_5872.PNG[/attachment]


Thoughts on the stone end of enclosure. Do you think it's going to be too hot on them when we do have a very sunny day! That's rare I know.. but you thoughts are very welcome.
Or any other ideas you may have.

You can also see my hatchlings enclosure in there too.
They hatched a few days ago, but I haven't put them in there yet.

[Summerangel]

[attachment=0]IMG_5874.PNG[/attachment]

This a view with the girls nearest to me and the boys near the veg patch.

[Summerangel]

This is inside my hatchlings enclosures.
I know I have sow thistle, ice plant and some grasses growing.
BUT what's all those little oval leaved plants growing! I'm scratching my head to know what's in there! Hence I don't want to put the hatchlings on their until I know. So thought I'd ask to see if you had any idea.

[attachment=0]IMG_5875.JPG[/attachment]

[lin]

Wow. Those look just the ticket and the tortoises muct be in their element out there. Brilliany work and the hill can be a work in progress for another time.
As for the plants. They are to far away to see clearly so would you be able to take a closer pic of them and send it so we can have a look.

Lin

[Summerangel]

The pictures don't look clear, but if you click on them they look better.
I have a red valerian plant that was near by so I'm wondering if it's young ones of that. Do they seed? Or do you divide the plant?
I could take better pictures tomorrow for you.

[Summerangel]

Thank you Nina for the step by step pictures, they are just what I need to get me started. Yours looks quite big. I may start with a small one I'm not as confident as you...

[lin]

Yes, they do seed and i only pulled some seed off and dropped then in the garden. I have them all out the front now.
Oh, I did click on the pic but it was still to distent for the small oval leaves to identify them. Are they fuzzy.
Go for the big planter, I was always under the impression that size didn't matter
Lin


Summerangel wrote:
> The pictures don't look clear, but if you click on them they look better.
> I have a red valerian plant that was near by so I'm wondering if it's young
> ones of that. Do they seed? Or do you divide the plant?
> I could take better pictures tomorrow for you.

[Summerangel]

Hi Lin I've taken some clearer pictures this morning.

[attachment=2]IMG_5882.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=1]IMG_5883.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=0]IMG_5884.JPG[/attachment]

If these are red valerian, are they ok left in the hatchlings enclosure ?
The second and third pictures are of them growing in their enclosure. The top picture they have put themselves in a bucket of soil! Lol

[Summerangel]

[attachment=0]IMG_5885.JPG[/attachment]
I've noticed they look they have a bit of a red stem.

I've got loads of the blooming things! Lol

[lin]

Thanks for posting a closer image but it could be many things. A guess would be Red Valerian but I would rather wait until it grows a bit more.
Lin

[Nina]

Hi Julia

Sorry I've not been around a lot the last few days, but I've got two very active grandchildren staying with me and have my hands full.
Your enclosures are absolutely gorgeous -- so well thought out with lots of different textures to walk over and different areas, plus such a good size too (it puts my meagre enclosure for Doris and Dolly to shame).

Re your plants in the hatchlings enclosure -- I agree with Lin that many of those plants are too young to ID definitely, but in addition to what might be Red Valerian, I think I can see quite a few Smooth Sowthistle leaves.

I can't wait to see how you get on with your topiary project!

Nina

[Summerangel]

Thanks Ladies, to be sure I'll pull them out the hatchlings enclosure and throw away. I've got plenty growing in the buckets near the enclosure!

My eldest son is engaged to a lovely girl and she has a 3 year old girl from a previous relationship, her daughter calls me Nanna..
But then they announced that I'm going to be a Nanna in February... I'm super excited


Thanks for the kind words about my other enclosures.