The spirit of Christmas starts with putting up the tree. Many of us enjoy the appearance of a real tree and the fresh-cut evergreen scent filling our living rooms. It is an iconic Christmas smell.

However, if you’re choosing a real Christmas tree this year, you’ll want it to stay fresh for as long as possible. With proper maintenance, it will look full and healthy instead of droopy and wilt. To keep it in its best condition, here are our expert tips for looking after your Christmas tree as well as tips on how to get the most out of your tree this festive season. 

Trim the Trunk 

Once you have purchased a Christmas tree, make sure it gets a straight cut across the base of the trunk. This helps with water absorption and removes any dried resin that could stop the tree from absorbing fresh water. 

We recommend purchasing your tree as early as possible. Taking it out of its netting on the same day to allow it to simply drop before decorating. If you are not putting your tree up straight away, place it in a bucket of water. When it’s time to bring it indoors, trim another one inch off the trunk. Next, secure the tree in a sturdy tree stand that can hold at least one gallon of water.

Regularly Water Your Tree 

After all, a Christmas tree is still a plant and it needs water just like any other plant does. Regularly watering keeps your tree nice and plump. Make sure to check the water level everyday. Not enough water causes your tree to become dehydrated and resin to form. This means your tree will not absorb fresh water and can lead to drying too fast. To find out how much water your tree needs, fill the stand with one quart of water for every inch of the trunk’s diameter.

Keep Away from Heat

A Christmas tree next to a fireplace creates a beautiful and cosy setting. However, this can make your tree dry out quicker than normal. This also applies to direct sunlight, radiators, and stoves. In fact, if you lower the room temperature, this will slow down the drying process and result in your tree needing less water overall.

Disposing of Your Tree

As much as we would love to keep our real tree up forever, that’s simply not an option. If you hold off on this task, you will have more dead pine needles to clean up after. When the time comes to take your tree down, you have the choice of recycling it by turning it into firewood or you can take it to a recycling centre that gets rid of old Christmas trees.

Christmas Trees in Shropshire At Weston Sawmill

With hundreds of freshly cut Christmas trees in all sizes to choose from here in Shropshire, you’ll be sure to find the one at Weston Sawmill. We’re open 7 days a week up until Christmas. We stock trees from 3 to 15 ft. Prices start from just £20, which is better value than last year! For more information on our Christmas trees, read our Christmas Tree Guide or get in touch with us.

Christmas is just around the corner and it’s nearly time for the annual tradition of picking out your Christmas tree. Here at Weston Sawmill, we are delighted to say our Christmas tree nursery and our Christmas shop are now open for the early celebrators who can’t wait any longer. This article will help you pick the perfect tree for your home. Continue reading to discover more!

History Of The Christmas Tree

So, where did the Christmas tree come from? According to sources, the modern Christmas tree originated from Germany in the 16th century. Back then, they were known as a paradise tree which was a fir tree decorated with apples in their branches. Some people also built Christmas pyramids made of wood and decorated them with evergreen and candles. By the 17th century the paradise tree and the Christmas pyramid had combined, becoming the Christmas tree. The tradition wasn’t introduced in the UK until the 19th century when it was populated by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Elizabeth. 

Real Tree or Artificial Tree?

Every household prefers a real tree, or an artificial tree, every year. For a true Christmas tree experience, a real one from Weston Sawmill is the way to go. Let’s take a look at the benefits of a real Christmas tree:

• More sustainable and have a smaller carbon footprint than artificial trees.
• A renewable resource with at least one tree planted when one is freshly cut.
• Estimated to use 10 times fewer materials and 5 times less energy than artificial trees.
• Completely biodegradable, meaning they can be recycled and composted.
• Christmas tree nurseries and farms benefit the environment by absorbing heaps of CO2.
• Let’s not forget the iconic pine smell that fills your home and plenty of luscious greenery to decorate it.

What’s The Best Christmas Tree To Pick?

If you want to put up your Christmas tree in your home earlier but still want it to look brand new on Christmas Day, opt for our Nordmann Fir tree. This is one of our most popular trees, known for its full shape, glossy green colour, and excellent needle retention. We also have other types available, our Potted Nordmann is ideal for anyone working to a strict budget and our Potted Norway Spruce can be planted in your garden even after Christmas to retain its needles. With good maintenance and time, you’ll have your very own Christmas tree straight in your back garden!

How to Choose Your Christmas Tree?

So, you’re ready to choose your Christmas tree. Before you leave the house, we recommend you measure the height of your living room, or the room where you want your tree to go. Here our guidelines to keep in mind when choosing your tree:

• Everyone has a personal preference on the shape of the tree. In general, bushy trees with a wide base and a straight central stem tend to be the best.
• Check the needles for any dryness, browning or withering. Good needles should be bright and shiny. The colour of needles should be even across the whole tree. Grey parts are a sign of dehydration.
• Outer branches should be flexible enough to bend upwards. If they snap easily, the tree is too dry. This is not good for hanging your fragile ornaments and decorations on.
• Give your chosen Christmas tree a little shake and brush a few branches with your hand to see how many needles fall. The shedding of needles is a normal process but too much shedding on the outside needles can lead to a bare looking tree. 
• Check the diameter of the trunk to make sure it fits into your tree stand.

Choose Weston Sawmill For Your Christmas Tree

At Weston Sawmill, we have a selection of freshly cut trees in our nursery based in Weston-under-Lizard, Shropshire. We also have a beautiful range of lights, decorations and more in our Christmas shop. We pride ourselves on providing our customers with the best quality Christmas trees because we understand the importance of having a visually pleasing and practical tree in your home. Get in touch or visit us today!

Winter, as they say, is coming. Based on the weather this week, it’s fair to say that it’s already here. Normally, this would be a time of joy, a time when people of all ages and from all walks of life look towards the holiday period. However, this year – perhaps more than any other year – people are looking at their finances and wondering whether they can afford to keep their heating on. 

There are many different ways of minimising your heating bill, of course – including wrapping up warmly, investing in a hot water bottle, etc. However, one great way of heating your home is by burning logs and coal. 

It sounds like something from a previous century; however, burning coal and wood logs is not only a very effective way of heating your home, but it’s also a surprisingly environmentally friendly way of doing it, too. 

Smokeless Coal and Aesthetic Logs

Normal coal is awful. It’s just awful. It’s awfully expensive, it smells awful, and it’s awful for the environment. Truth be told, we often wonder why anyone would want it in their home at all. 

Smokeless coal, however, is a different story. Made from hard coal (or anthracite), our hard coal is composed of up to 98% carbon. This creates an incredibly efficient burn without the smoke which is normally generated by coal. Because there is much less smoke generated by burning coal, fewer chemicals enter the atmosphere as a result. Likewise, our logs have been manufactured to provide as clean a burn as possible.

At the same time, burning wood and coal have their unique benefits over other forms of heating. Burning wood and coal has a noticeable aesthetic effect on your home; it adds a sense of cosiness to your home that is near-impossible to replicate. 

Where Can I Buy Logs of Wood?

At Weston Sawmill, we provide high-quality wood and coal to our clients throughout Staffordshire. We also sell high-quality Christmas Decorations, Gates, Decking, and Christmas Trees in Staffordshire.

Wooden Logs and Coal at Weston Sawmill

At Weston Sawmill, we’re very well known for our range of high-quality selections of outdoor furniture and wooden products – including logs for wood burners. Furthermore, we can also help you with working out how to store wood logs for a log fire, as well as other considerations. 

Browse our range of products today.

When it comes to items found in your garden, there will always be some essentials which need to be in there. Most traditional gardens will include grass, a garden shed, flowers, fencing, decking and, of course, a place to sit. 

When it comes to places to sit in your garden, there are many options. You could opt  for a run of the mill fold out garden chair or even a mundane stool. However, for a large number of garden enthusiasts, this seating arrangement might not cut it. Because of this, you may prefer something much more aesthetically pleasing and traditional. By this, we of course mean the famous wooden garden bench. 

The wooden garden bench has found its home in many gardens up and down the country. At Weston Sawmill, we are known to supply high quality decking and fencing in Staffordshire and surrounding areas. However, it is not as widely known that we also supply premium quality garden chairs and benches. 

If you are contemplating whether to garden bench or not, let’s look at reasons you definitely should acquire a garden bench. 

Exceptional Comfort

One clear advantage of the humble garden bench over the previously mentioned seating options, is exceptional comfort. Fold out chairs and stools can be particularly rickety and otherwise uncomfortable. If you would prefer to sit on a natural seating arrangement such as the floor or garden steps, these are similarly uneven and can even be considered quite rough. 

This makes the chair by far the best place to sit in your garden, especially in terms of comfort. Aside from the incredible comfort it offers, chairs can also be garnished with even comfier pillows and cushions. 

Unquestionable Style  

When it comes to implementing a bit of style into your garden, one of the easiest and most effective ways of doing so is by implementing a garden bench. Wooden garden chairs are sleek and promote a generally warm atmosphere as well as being quite pleasing to look at. In short, garden benches look right at home in virtually any garden, no matter shape, size or style. 

A Storage Solution

One of the most surprising benefits of a garden bench is a new opportunity for storage. If you are struggling to store loose items or if you are just generally struggling to find places for your everyday garden items, you might want to consider storing them on or under your bench. 

Do You Require A Garden Bench? 

If you have decided to invest in a garden bench, contact us for fantastic offers. We supply many great quality wooden products which include our benches and brilliant decking in Staffordshire.

All the way the back in April, we touched on 5 of the best garden flowers for the Spring. While it might seem like a rather scary thought, as it seems only mere moments ago that we were preparing for Spring, we now find ourselves with just a few official weeks left of Summer. 

We hope that since then you have catered for and taken care of your raised garden beds. All of this being said, you might be thinking that your raised flower beds are in dire need of a revamp. 

Because of this, we thought we should detail another 5 sorts of garden flowers, but this time we thought we should look at the 5 best summer flowers instead. So, without further ado, let’s look at 5 of the best summer flowers that you can incorporate into your raised garden beds in Staffordshire and surrounding areas. 

Lilies

Lilies are one of the most popular house plants in many British homes and subsequently, they are one of the quintessential flowers of the summer. One of the commonly cited benefits of lilies are the incredible range of colours and styles they can incorporate. 

From White and Cream to Pink and Purple styles, there is little doubt that these unique flowers look great in an elegant vase on your dining room table or even as part of an ensemble in a bright and wonderful bouquet. Lilies simply look fantastic and undeniably great. 

In addition to the fact that lilies look aesthetically pleasing and that they come in many different types and styles, the flowers also smell amazing. The flower’s smell becomes all the more important in summer due to hot and musky nights. So why don’t you allow lilies to fill your room and/or garden with their wonderful scent this summer. 

Sun Flowers

When the flower has the word sun in it’s name, you know they were meant for summer. The aptly named sunflowers are not just one of the most popular British flowers in the summer, they are one of the most popular all year round as well. 

Popular for their vibrant and appealing colour as well as their ability to grow relatively tall, the sunflower is one of the most instantly recognisable images of a Great British summer. The flowers are also quite well known for the fact that the flower heads follow the sun as the day progresses and it changes position. 

The humble sunflower goes far beyond simple trivial benefits, they also have some health advantages. Studies have shown that people who live with sunflowers in their gardens and homes have a boosted immune system. 

Rose

A flower so recognisable and iconic that a Doctor Who character was named after it, a rose is not just a symbol of love and affection, it is a telltale sign of summer. 

Roses promote feelings of warmth and comfort which are arguably the biggest features of summer. There are few things as picturesque as having a raised garden bed full of scarlet roses during a hot summer night. 

Hydrangeas

If you are thinking of having hydrangeas in your garden, you might want to make sure you have left enough space. This is because hydrangeas flowers take up quite a substantial amount of room, especially in regards to other common summer flowers. This is because these unique flowers come in a scrub form and can grow to be quite large. 

Hydrangeas, or Hydrangea and Hortensia as they are sometimes known, are a genus of over 75 different flower species which are native to Asia and America. However, this does not make them any less appealing to British gardens in the summertime. 

Dahlia 

The Dahlia plant is a bushy and herbaceous plant native to Mexico and Central America. This vibrant and colourful plant will look right at home in your raised garden bed. Its metaphorical cousin’s are famous plant types such as the famous sunflower and the vibrant daisies. 

Contact Us For Raised Flower Beds in Staffordshire 

If you require raised garden beds in Staffordshire, or another form of garden material such as our unique decking in Staffordshire, service, then please contact us. We offer a range of high quality decking, raised garden beds and many more great products. 

This year, the UK has seen one of the hottest and driest summers on record. While many of us have been more concerned with the potential for droughts and heatwaves, some of the more eager Christmas fanatics amongst us will already have started to plan for their inevitable Christmas tree purchase. 

At Weston Sawmill, we supply high quality Christmas trees in Shropshire, Staffordshire and surrounding areas. As such, we know and understand that even in the summer, Christmas, and therefore Christmas tree, preparations are always welcomed.  

All of this being said, you might be asking, when is too early to plan for a Christmas tree? While we may argue that it is never too early, other less festive people may disagree. Because of this, we have decided to detail some of the most common, and socially acceptable, times of the year to start to plan for your Christmas tree. 

Immediately After Christmas 

We start with potentially the furthest point away from Christmas. During the period between Christmas and New Years, the last thing on most people’s mind might be next year’s Christmas tree. However, this is perhaps the perfect time to plan ahead. 

While you may not be able to purchase your real Christmas tree around this time as it will most certainly die before Christmas comes around, you can certainly start to plan for one. You may want to establish what kind of tree you are interested in as well as where you might want to source it from. 

In The Summer

The summer is the perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors, spend quality time with friends and family and, to catch the all important sun rays. However, you might want to consider planning where and when you will be getting your festive tree. For many people, the summer is the perfect time to start saving and planning ahead for Christmas. So why not do this for your tree?

Just After Halloween 

In the UK, Halloween is one of the last big events before Christmas. Therefore, it seems only logical to look ahead to Christmas once Halloween is officially over. In many shops, after the 31st October, the emphasis swiftly shifts from pumpkins and skeletons to trees, stockings and festive decorations. As a result of this, you might be tempted to plan for your Christmas tree during this time of change.  

Just Before Advent

Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas and it is the most common time that people decide to put up their Christmas tree up. By this logic, looking for a Christmas tree a bit before this time is pretty ideal. 

We Provide Christmas Trees In Shropshire 

If you are worrying about where to find your next tree, you need not worry. At Weston Sawmill, we supply Christmas trees in Staffordshire, Shropshire and surrounding areas. All of our perfect Christmas trees are of exceptionally high quality and they are very aesthetically pleasing. So why not contact us today? 

At Weston Sawmill, we supply quality fencing to Staffordshire and other areas. While we have a wide range of timber fences, from traditional panel fencing to beautifully meshed panels; the chances are, we have something to fit your requirement. 

One very popular form of fencing we supply is the British staple of log roll fencing. If you are unaware of this term, you might be asking the question; what actually is log roll fencing? And more specifically, when might you require it? Being a purveyor of log roll fencing from Staffordshire, we thought it our duty to detail exactly what log roll fencing is, where you might find it and why you should consider investing in it today. 

What Log Roll Fencing Is

The chances are, if you have been to a British garden you will have seen log roll fencing in some form or another. To put it plainly, log roll fencing is fencing, usually rather small we might say, that has many semi circular blanks of wood lined up one after another. 

The little oval shaped blanks of wood are usually in a semi-sphere shape and the flat side faces inwards. The outward facing semi circular creates a rumble like feeling and offers a distinct unique feel not found in other fencing forms. 

Where Are They Used? 

As previously alluded to, the actual fencing is not usually very large. They are frequently used in gardens and more specifically; they are used for raised flower beds. 

Although log roll fences are primarily used for raised garden and as a parameter for other kinds of flower beds, the fence can be used just about anywhere in your garden. 

In addition to this, the unique fence form is commonly used in schools, more specifically primary schools. In a lot of UK playgrounds, there are little gardens which just so happen to have log roll fence around the perimeter. 

Why Choose Log Roll Fences

There are many reasons to choose log roll fences. One potential reason is for practicality. The small and convenient log roll fence protects soil and plants from outside elements.

The log roll fence is also incredibly unique. No other fences on the market look like it. Finally, many people opt to get a log roll fence because of purely aesthetical reasons. It is pretty obvious, just by looking at it that the log roll fence is pleasing to the eye. 

For high quality fencing in Shropshire and Staffordshire, be it log roll or otherwise, please contact us. We have many years of experience in the fencing industry and we stock a wide range of products. We are sure we will have something to fit your requirements.   

In one of our recent blogs, we looked at activities to do in your garden. However, we did not state certain necessary safety and general wellbeing guidelines. 

With temperatures in the UK this summer reaching unprecedented levels, in fact, some parts of the UK have been seeing temperatures rising over 40 degrees, we thought it our duty to detail some of the potential guidelines you should follow to ensure you remain safe in your garden this summer.

While we might not be seeing temperatures of 40 degrees on a regular basis, during hotter periods, gardening can become quite problematic. As a high quality purveyor of raised garden beds in Staffordshire, we know a thing or two about gardening. 

As such, let’s look at some of the most helpful tips to enact when gardening this summer. 

Monitor Your Water Intake

Potentially the most important tip we can advise is to ensure you are drinking enough water. Gardening can be considered a form of exercise, and when exercising, you sweat more than usual. As you might have guessed, when you sweat more, you will be required to drink more water. 

It is recommended that you drink between 6 to 8 cups of water a day. However, you might want to drink more than this when it is hotter. The type of liquid is not that important but just avoid alcohol. 

While it is not wise to drink alcohol when gardening full stop, alcohol can also make you dehydrated. Which in hot weather is not beneficial at all. 

Find Shade During The Hottest Points of the Day

If you are on a roll when gardening, it might be tempting to keep ploughing through your work to get it all complete. However, this will probably be to your detriment. When gardening, and especially during the hottest points of the day, you should seek shelter. 

Taking shelter during the hottest points of the day will not only help you in regard to not suffering from heat exertion, it will protect your skin from the potentially harmful UV rays. 

Take Regular Breaks

While on the topic of suffering from potential heat exhaustion, you will want to ensure you take relatively frequent breaks to ensure you do not overexert yourself. A break can be as short as a nice cold drink or even a 5 minute sit down every hour or so. 

It does not really matter how big or how small the break is, the most important thing is that you have regular breaks as and when you can. 

Use Appropriate Sun Protection

As previously mentioned, in hotter weather, when the sun is stronger, you will want to protect your skin from harm. As such, you should use relative sun protection where applicable. This can be ensuring your skin is covered and, perhaps more importantly, applying sun cream to exposed areas. The stronger the sun, the higher the factor sun cream you should wear. 

If you are looking for gardening items or fencing in a variety of different places, whether that be decking in Shropshire or fencing in Staffordshire, you can contact us for all of your wood and garden related needs. 

With summer now officially here and many of us vacating to our gardens, there may be some amongst us contemplating what to do and how to keep their gardens in check. Whether you are dealing with raised garden beds in Staffordshire or decking in Shropshire there are many ways you will want to reinvigorate your garden this summer. 

With many more weekends broadcast to be metaphorical scorchers, let’s look at some of the things you should be doing in your garden this coming summer. 

Manage Your Watering System

We start with one of, if not the most, important techniques to enact this summer. Managing the watering of the plants in your garden is of paramount importance. Overwatering can cause your plants to die and likewise, not watering your plants can have the same effect. 

In addition to this, much of the country will be seeing hose pipe ban due to the upcoming heatwave which makes managing your watering system all the more important. 

Add Mulch 

This summer, you should add mulch in your garden and more specifically to your flower beds and other soil filled areas. Adding mulch in your garden has many benefits. Mulch suppresses weeds and helps your soil to remain moist. This is particularly beneficial when temperatures start to reach the more soaring highs. 

Attract The Right Kind of Guests

Attracting certain bugs and insects can be very beneficial as far as your garden’s health is concerned. Certain insects and other bugs can eat other more harmful kinds of insects. As such, you will want to attract these kinds of bugs. You can do so by ensuring they have access to fresh clean water, food and by ensuring the soil is organic. 

Deter Unwanted Pests

On the other hand, when it comes to attracting certain insects, you might want to deter some unwanted guests such as rats and even unwanted bacteria, which can have a real knock on effect on your garden. These unwanted guests can ruin your grass and eat your plants amongst many other potentially problematic occurrences. To mitigate their effects, you might want to lay down pest controlling measures in advance.

Start Planting More

Are there many better ways to reinvigorate your garden than by planting more flowers and/or other plants? Having more plants in your garden is a sure-fire way to make your garden appear more lively and generally more attractive to onlookers. 

Contact Us For Your Garden Needs 

Whether you are looking for decking in Staffordshire or fencing in Shropshire, why not contact us for all of your garden needs. We have many years of experience and supply a wide range of high quality garden products. For more information, be sure to keep up to date with our blog.