Outdoor enclosure

[Momof4]

Just took a few pics since the winter greens everything up so nice. It usually really brown and ugly from our summer heat.
There are two RF pens, a 1.5 yr old sulcata that was just moved to the bigger space and a space for a yearly desert tort but he's not in there yet.






Future desert tort pen.

 

[Souptugo]

Amazing!

 

[cmacusa3]

Awesomeness!

 

[wellington]

I like it.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Really nice, two full time hobbies - tortoise keeping and gardening. Lots of green n grass!

 

[Tom]

Tortoise compounds are awesome. You've got some neat ideas going there…

What are the yellow flowers in the second pic with the RF?

 

[Yvonne G]

Very nice, Kathy. I don't think I remember seeing your tortoise yards before. I'm much impressed. I like your use of the aluminum roofing panels for fences. Looks very nice.

 

[Momof4]

Tortoise compounds are awesome. You've got some neat ideas going there…

What are the yellow flowers in the second pic with the RF?

Good catch Tom. I thought it was Coreopsis but it's Cape Daisy.
Should I pull it out? I just planted it today and didn't get a chance to look it up.

 

[Momof4]

Really nice, two full time hobbies - tortoise keeping and gardening. Lots of green n grass!

My goal this year is to water more and use more shade cloth to block the summer sun, it just kills everything!!

 

[Tom]

Good catch Tom. I thought it was Coreopsis but it's Cape Daisy.
Should I pull it out? I just planted it today and didn't get a chance to look it up.

I don't know that one. That's why I was asking you. I'm always looking for new items to grow and feed out. That looks similar, but a different color, to the gazania that grows so well all over the place up here.

 

[Momof4]

I don't know that one. That's why I was asking you. I'm always looking for new items to grow and feed out. That looks similar, but a different color, to the gazania that grows so well all over the place up here.

I think I'll take them out to be safe. I have plenty of other place to use them.
I'll look into gazania.

 

[Tom]

I think I'll take them out to be safe. I have plenty of other place to use them.
I'll look into gazania.

Cape honeysuckle, grape vines, lavatera and alfalfa all grow really well here in SoCal too. Your area is probably mild enough for hibiscus and blue hibiscus too.

I planted several lavatera that I bought in one gallon pots last spring and one of them is HUGE now. It hasn't stopped flowering all winter. I just pulled another two dozen flowers off of it today.

 

[Momof4]

Cape honeysuckle, grape vines, lavatera and alfalfa all grow really well here in SoCal too. Your area is probably mild enough for hibiscus and blue hibiscus too.

I planted several lavatera that I bought in one gallon pots last spring and one of them is HUGE now. It hasn't stopped flowering all winter. I just pulled another two dozen flowers off of it today.

I bought a lavatera a few months back and it's really filling in nicely! No flowers though. Hmmm.
I got a few in the beginning.

In the center of my pens are a row of grapes that are about 20yrs old.
It's all dormant now.
Cape honeysuckle has the reddish orange flowers right? I have one of those in my yard.

I kill every hibiscus I plant!! I'm not sure why. They are quit expensive too!

 

[Tom]

Cape honeysuckle has the reddish orange flowers right? I have one of those in my yard.

I kill every hibiscus I plant!! I'm not sure why. They are quit expensive too!

Yes on the Cape Honeysuckle. My tortoises eat it, but don't seem crazy about it.

Interesting about the hibiscus. How far inland are you? What are your highest summer highs and lowest winter lows? My hibiscus here burns in the summer. If I plant it somewhere shady to protect it and it somehow survives the summer, it freezes and dies in the winter. Blue hibiscus is a bit hardier for me, but it also dies in winter.

I tried rose of sharon, but the ground squirrels seek and destroy it every time. I hate those damn squirrels…

There is a "hardy hibiscus" that @Carol S showed me, but I haven't been able to find it for sale. She live in the foothills and it thrives at her place.

You have to try the African Hibiscus. Rosella. I start seeds every spring and then it dies off late in fall when we get our first cold nights, but man the tortoises love that stuff. They like it better than Mazuri. They can eat the leaves, stems, flowers and calyxes.

And what about spineless opuntia? That stuff is a staple in summer for me. I have more than 40 stands and about 10 different types.

 

[Momof4]

Yes on the Cape Honeysuckle. My tortoises eat it, but don't seem crazy about it.

Interesting about the hibiscus. How far inland are you? What are your highest summer highs and lowest winter lows? My hibiscus here burns in the summer. If I plant it somewhere shady to protect it and it somehow survives the summer, it freezes and dies in the winter. Blue hibiscus is a bit hardier for me, but it also dies in winter.

I tried rose of sharon, but the ground squirrels seek and destroy it every time. I hate those damn squirrels…

There is a "hardy hibiscus" that @Carol S showed me, but I haven't been able to find it for sale. She live in the foothills and it thrives at her place.

You have to try the African Hibiscus. Rosella. I start seeds every spring and then it dies off late in fall when we get our first cold nights, but man the tortoises love that stuff. They like it better than Mazuri. They can eat the leaves, stems, flowers and calyxes.

And what about spineless opuntia? That stuff is a staple in summer for me. I have more than 40 stands and about 10 different types.

I'm about 20mi inland in Poway.
Our summers are 85-100.
Winter nights are 50-40 but get into the 30's on occasion .
I'll look into those hibiscus seeds.
I can never find rose of Sharon either.
I have a pretty nice nursery, maybe they can order some for me. Or just look up on the interwebs!

I have spineless opuntia growing and I collect pads on my hike a block over from me. I'm going to plant some near my chain link to deter the coyotes from jumping my fence.

Thank you for your time!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Very nice

 

[Momof4]

Very nice

Thank you Ed!