In Shropshire, and for many parts of the UK for that matter, temperatures have been skyrocketing and even reaching record highs. Some parts of the country have actually seen temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius this one of the hottest period in the history of the UK. 

While many thoughts will be given to your home and how it might cope in this heat, however, you might not be thinking of what will happen to decking in this unprecedented heatwave.  

Decking in Shropshire can face a significant amount of problems during periods of soring heat. Furthermore, if not maintained properly, you can face significant problems too. 

Back at the beginning of the year we looked at ways to look after your decking, this time we take a look at ways to look after your decking in the summer. 

Try to Avoid Shrinkage

Over prolonged periods of time, when your decking is exposed to sunlight, the wood will dry and subsequently shrink. In addition to the shrinking, when the temperature is humid, which can fairly often in the UK and therefore in Shropshire, the wood can shrink and also expanding. 

Fluctuating between the two extremes create many problems. The warping effect can in term ruin and permanently damage your decking. 

There are multiple ways you can combat this however. One such way to stop the warping effect from damaging your decking begins before you even lay your decking. You should ensure there is efficient spacing between the different planks of wood. This means should warping happen to your decking, it will not permanently damage your wood. 

Other techniques can include appealing a wood treatment to protect the wood from drying out if that is the incase. Similarly, if your wood keeps drying out, you might want to try appealing water. 

Look Out For Your Decking Becoming Dark

When your decking is exposed to heat or a high UV index, the decking might start to become dark. If this is the case, you should watch out for this. Afterall, you do not want your decking to become dark, maybe even not pleasing to the eye. 

To combat this, you might want to apply a coat of paint immediately once the decking starts to go darker. Or, you could apply the previously mentioned coating. Depending on the coating, it will protect your decking from wood damage. 

Protect Your Feet

This one is more of a self protection rather that protecting your decking. When the temperatures are warm, your decking will warm up considerably. This can lead to a nasty surprise when you step out on the decking for the first time. 

Therefore, we might suggest wearing sufficient foot protection ensuring your feet remain safe and cool. 

At Weston Sawmill, we stock incredible timber decking from Staffordshire. Therefore, if you are looking for high quality decking, why not contact us ASAP. We are sure we will be able to help you out. 

While most people know that we supply a wide range of high quality materials in a range of locations such as elegant fencing in Staffordshire; not nearly as many people know that we also supply wooden gates. 

While we also supply metal gates, however, timber products are our metaphorical bread and butter.  As such, we would like to focus on exactly why you should consider investing in wooden gates if you haven’t done so already. 

More Sustainable Gate Choice 

In 2022, there is a general push to be more environmentally friendly and overall sustainable. Wood is significantly more sustainable than metal. The fact that metal gates are not as environmentally friendly as wood is largely down to the fact that it takes a lot more natural resources to produce metal. 

Better Privacy 

One of the many reasons you might have installed a gate is to improve your privacy. Luckily, the faithful wooden gate is a much better option than the previously mentioned metal gate. Metal gates can often have metal slats which leave areas of the gate with nothing covering it. Because of this, passers by can peak in through the gate. 

Many wooden gates can be patched up all the way to the top. This ensures there are no gaps and subsequently no where to see in.

Better Aesthetic 

While this one might be more open to interpretation, many would suggest that wooden gates are just more pleasing to the eye than traditional metal gates. Wooden gates usually appear more homely and welcoming. To accompany this they arguably look a lot less intimidating and aggressive. 

Lower Maintenance and Cheaper Replacements

Once you put up your wooden gate, you won’t want to keep having to carry out jobs to improve it. 

Firstly, wooden gates are surprisingly durable and versatile. Many wooden gates last significantly longer than you might at first think. In fact, a lot of hardwood gates can last as long as 30 years if not longer. 

Additionally, if any element of the wooden gate does need replacing, doing so is relatively inexpensive compared to other industry used material. 

Same Level of Security 

If you are of the mindset that metal gates are drastically more secure than wooden gates; you would be very wrong. Wooden gates do not compromise on security and in fact; certain wooden gates can actually be safer than metal ones. 

Please contact us for other great wood related products. We also supply to multiple locations. So whether you are looking for timber decking in Shropshire or fencing in Staffordshire, please contact us and we are sure we will be able to help you out. 

From 28th May to the 5th June 2022, the UK will celebrate national children’s gardening week. The national gardening week celebrates and encourages young people’s involvement in the fabulous world of gardening. 

Somewhat ironically, national children’s garden week is celebrated the last week of May as usually; this is a warm and dry week. This enables youngsters to plant flowers without the risk or worry of bad weather destroying them. Whilst this time of year has been unusually wet and cold, it is still a fantastic time to get outside and do some gardening. 

To celebrate this unique and special week, we thought why not detail the positives of getting your children into your garden. Whether they are helping you put up fencing in Staffordshire or washing down the decking in Wolverhampton, now is the time for your children to get involved in gardening. 

Helping To Keep Them Fit

You might have attempted and failed to get your little ones into performing fun activities to help keep them fit. However, you may not have tried to get them into gardening. 

Gardening is a fantastically easy way to help get your children fit and active. Activities such as planting, which can involve heavy shovelling, or painting can be very physical and as a direct result of this; this can help to keep your children be proactive and fit. 

Becoming More Environmentally Aware 

As previously alluded to, when children garden they will perform certain activities which can include planting and potting flowers. One big positive of this is; it highlights the importance of being more environmentally aware. 

Because they care for and understand plants and greenery more, they might in turn make more of an conscious effort to protect sed greenery. This is in addition to the fact by planting more flowers, they are giving back to the environment.

They Learn Valuable Life Lessons 

Aside from learning about the various types of plants and how to make or mend garden items; the act of gardening also helps to develop your children’s other valuable life skills. These can include, but are not limited to; interpersonal, problem solving and organisation skills. 

Gardening is often a team effort therefore the act of gardening encourages teamwork and communication. Accompanying this is the fact that any problem can arise at any time. From sudden downpours which could ruin your fresh paint to pests eating your plants. This ensures that your children remain organisation, vigilant and ready to adapt to any situation that might occur. 

Teaches Patience and Responsibilities

As a parent, it is not uncommon for you to feel like your children sometimes lack patience and responsibilities. While this is nothing wrong with this, in fact most of the time this can be attributed to youthful expression and freedom; gardening is extremely effective in regards to helping your children develop patience and subsequently starting to establish some responsibilities. 

Gardening Is Fun

Potentially the most important element of gardening, especially as far as your children are concerned, is the fact that gardening can be very fun. 

While gardening can help to teach your little ones all manner of important life lessons and skills, the fact they can have an incredible amount of fun while doing so is just as, if not more, important. 

Do You Require Gardening Equipment For Children’s Garden Week? 

At Weston Sawmill, we have a large variety of high quality gardening equipment. From timber fences to garden decking, we supply a wide range of products across the West Midlands.  

Statistically speaking, us Britons spend more time in our garden than other nationalities; however, it can be argued that more of us should spend more time in our home greenery. 

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, there was a resurgence in homeowners vacating to their gardens as watering and caring for your flowers and plants became a popular pastime. However, since various restrictions have been lifted, the refound enthusiasm for gardening has seemed to have weavered a little. 

In this blog, we seek to establish why you should spend more time in your garden. 

Improvement In General Wellbeing

Many studies have come to the conclusion that spending more time in your garden can help improve your overall wellbeing. 

Researchers have cited many factors for this being the case. Some of which include a better psychological state of mind and better physical health and wellbeing. When you are in the garden; you might be required to perform potentially exertive tasks such as shovelling and this will drastically help improve your physical wellbeing as it provides some much needed exercise.

Giving Back To The Environment

With a general push to be more environmentally aware, spending more time in the garden is a great way to give something back to the environment. It is pretty much assumed that most of the time in your garden will be spent planting and caring for plants and flowers and just generally taking care of the greenery. 

A Sense Of Accomplishment 

It is undeniable that some of the more rewarding experiences you can have are when maintaining and improving your garden. When we are more productive, we have a greater sense of accomplishment. 

When it is applying your attention to detail skills by repainting your timber fence or hosing down your timber decking, there is also something to do in your garden to keep your busy, happy and allowing you to achieve that sense of accomplishment. 

Improving the Aesthetic Of Your Home

Most, if not all, homeowners want their homes to be pleasing to the eye. Making your home more aesthetically pleasing can sometimes be a challenging and arduous task. But one simple way to do so is by making improvements to your garden. 

You can colour coordinate your plants and flowers, deep cleaning your decking to provide it with a nice shine or providing your shed with a fresh coat of paint.

Getting Physical 

As previously mentioned, performing more physical activity has numerous health benefits. One being the fact that when you get more exercise, you will be in better physical shape. Another is the impact getting more physical can have on your mental health. Many studies have shown that when we are more active, it improves our physical and mental well being. 

We Supply A Lot of High Quality Gardening Products

At Weston Sawmill, we supply a lot of high quality gardening products across a wide range of areas. So whether you are looking for fencing in Staffordshire or decking in Shropshire; please contact us today and we are sure we can help you out.

At Weston Sawmill, we pride ourselves on being a quality surveyor of decking in Staffordshire and Shropshire amongst many other things. However, one product we do not highlight nearly as much as perhaps should is our fantastic range of pergola. 

We are beyond excited to announce that we will be having some exciting new additions in this range. While we already stock more traditional designs, we have many exciting new additions. Because of this exciting announcement, we thought it an opportune time to highlight why you should invest in one of these wooden marvels to populate your decking or patio. 

Pergola Offer Shade On Sunny Days

With temperatures set to rise in the coming weeks and months, the risk of the dreaded sunburn also increases. Luckily, Pergolas offer just enough shade to ensure you can enjoy drinks in your garden during the sunnier days of the year without fear of getting too hot or, even worse, burnt. 

Getting Your Privacy Back

While on the topic of enjoying drinks in your garden; it pretty much goes without saying you will want to have privacy while doing so. Pergola’s offer a fantastic option when it comes to privacy. A Pergola expertly and effectively shelters you from being exposed to unwanted onlookers. Privacy in your garden is of paramount importance and the faithful pergola can very much help in this regard.

Adding Value To Your Home  

According to most industry experts, you can add up to 20% of your overall home value through just attractive landscaping on its own. Adding a Pergola to your home is one such quick and easy way to do this. 

It Will Help To Define Your Garden

By installing a pergola, it will define the space in your garden more. Having a pergola will help you clearly identify an entertainment and/or dining area from each other as well as offering exceptional opportunities to have more flowers in your garden. 

They Are Easy To Put Up

Unlike other garden structures, installing a pergola is actually very easy and quick. As long as you have the correct tools; you will be able to install this family friendly structure in no time. 

Get In Touch About Our Pergola’s Today!

Why don’t you get in contact with us regarding our quality Pergolas today? And as usual, remember to keep up to date with our blog for more exciting news from your trusted high quality decking supplier from Shropshire and Staffordshire. 

In preparation for spring we looked at why you should have raised garden beds in Shropshire. Now that spring has officially arrived, we thought it an opportune time to look at some of the best plants you can put in the aforementioned raised flower bed. 

So if you happen to have a raised flower bed in Shropshire, or anywhere else for that matter, let’s look at some of the best plants you can put in them during the glorious spring time. 

Snowdrops (Galanthus Nivalis)

Although these plants can regularly be seen poking out of the snow during the months of January or February; many people herald the appearance of snowdrops as being the sign of the arrival of spring time. 

The small white bulbs hanging down from the plant are undoubtedly pretty and instantly recognisable. They are diverse and expansive. When a batch of these spring plants grow together, they create an iconic ‘white blanket’ which, as anyone who is luckily enough to have witnessed one, is really a sight to behold. 

Tulips

From one iconic spring flower to another, tulips are arguably the most colourful of all the spring flowers; making them an ideal addition as the temperatures start to rise. There are a multitude of options available for tulips as they literally come in all shapes and sizes. 

Another way that tulips have a clear leg up on a lot of their metaphorical competitors is the fact that they are very easy to grow. Virtually all that is required is for you to plant the bulbs in the fall and they will simply blossom in the spring.  

Daffodil

Potentially one of the most welcoming signs of spring, daffodil’s have frequently been associated with clear blue skies and an overabundance of sunlight. 

In the UK, the daffodil is sometimes referred to as lent lilies. This is due to the fact that these much beloved spring flower blossoms between Ash Wednesday and Easter. 

Shasta Daisies

This type of daisy returns every year like clockwork. Usually returning in early spring and blossoming until fall; the Shasta Daisy is one of the most well known and popular spring flowers. Sometimes described as the classical daisy due its yellow centre and beautiful white petals; you can not do wrong with this spring flower. 

Primrose Flowers

The Primrose flowers are quite famous for being two things: one a well known sign of early spring; secondly a perfect flower to populate your well kept garden bed. 

In addition to their popular use in raised garden beds; they are also used in a lot of gardeners’ borders and these flowers are so picturesque and thoroughly welcoming. 

Contact Us For More Spring Tips

Are you struggling to think of ways to implement spring into your garden? Why not check out some of our most recent blogs, including our most recent piece on raised garden beds in Shropshire.  

And be sure to contact us for all other enquiries including quality decking in Shropshire and surrounding areas. 

Now that spring has finally arrived; many homeowners will be going through the meticulous process of preparing their gardens for the trail and tribulations of spring.  As a high quality decking supplier from Shropshire, we have garnered quite the plethora of knowledge regarding extensive gardening maintenance. 

Statistically, people in the UK spend more time in their garden during the spring. You could argue that this is largely due to the fact that most gardeners spend the majority of early spring preparing their garden for the summer. 

So let’s look at some of the best ways to implement spring into your garden this year.

Groom Your Grass

If you have grass in your garden; you will want to closely monitor the health and length of your grass. 

Imagine you have your family or friends over for an afternoon cup of tea, the last thing you want is them witnessing a grossly overgrown and unkempt blade of grass. There are multiple ways you can counteract this problem.

One of the simplest ways to preserve your grass is by establishing a successful cutting routine. It is advised to cut your grass twice a week during the summer. This drops to once a week maximum during periods of a drought. As you might have guessed, this is due to the fact that grass can not grow as effectively without water. 

Most people know the benefits of cutting your grass. However, the importance of performing frequent quality of soil checks is not discussed nearly as regularly. To ensure your grass is looking fresh and vibrant, you should check the quality of the soil. 

If you have trees in your garden, you will also want to use a scraper to remove any extra unwanted leaves. Afterall, if your grass is littered with leaves you will not be able to properly showcase your perfectly maintained grass. 

Redecorate and Mend Your Fencing

In one of our most recent blogs we detailed ways to winterproof your fencing in Shropshire. So hopefully if you have followed many of the previously mentioned tips, your fencing should be looking rather sturdy and ready. 

But if your fence has happened to have absorbed some damage, you will need to fix and decorate accordingly. A fresh coat of paint and a few strategically placed blanks of wood and nails can drastically reshape your perception of an otherwise worn fence. 

Additionally, when your fence might be leaning or have bent, you might need to replace existing posts. Adding new posts will improve the overall structure and integrity of your fence. 

Repaint and Safety Check Your Decking

As previously touched upon on prior blogs; there are many steps you should take to ensure your decking is spring party ready. 

Because you will be spending a lot of time standing on your decking, it is vital you have confidence in the safety of your decking. There are many ways you can make your decking non-slip. These can include installing anti-skid strips and quickly and effectively drying the decking. 

To improve the general aesthetic of your decking, you might want to garnish the wood with a fresh coat of paint. This is a simple but effective way of making your patio look fresh and new. 

Repot Plants

Foliage and greenery is one of the quentessional features of any successful garden. During the early weeks of spring, you should report or even pot new plants. 

As the sun starts to creep over the ever decreasing clouds, you do not want dying flowers and plants on show. This is one of the many reasons you should reenvigate your garden’s greenery. 

How Will You Prepare Your Garden For Spring? 

Is your garden ready for the spring? For more helpful gardening tips from a well established decking supplier in Shropshire and Staffordshire, be sure you keep up to date on our website. 

If you have any questions regarding further information and correct garden maintenance, please get in touch.