micro-climate garden landscaping

Discover your Garden’s Micro-Climate with Weston Sawmill

Different regions of the country have different overall climates, with some gardens having an alternative climate to their locality.
These minor variations are known as micro-climates, and here Weston Sawmill is going to look at how yours will affect your garden.

The Right Time to Check Your Micro-Climate

Although it’s recommended to check the micro-climate of your garden when taking over a garden, new or old, there’s never a bad time to start assessing your outdoor space.

Here are some of the areas you will need to consider during this check –

Topography – The higher your garden is above sea level, then the cooler it will be and more exposed.
Frost Pockets – On colder nights cold air forms on cooling objects such as trees, sinks to the ground, and flows downhill to collect at low points known as frost pockets.
Gardens in a frost pocket are at risk of late and early frosts with flowering plants and fruit trees not benefiting from being situated in frost pockets.
Aspect – South facing gardens will get more natural light and warmth than north-facing areas. If you have fencing this will trap and reflect the warmth in south facing areas whereas northern facing gardens can favour plants such as fuchsias and hellebores.

Your Garden’s Micro-Climate Assessment

The first thing you will need to do to check your garden’s micro-climate is look at the surrounding buildings, topography and trees and see how your garden is affected by winds (if at all).
Look to see if your trees lack top branches or they bent away from the direction of western or southern winds and if the garden is low-lying check for watercourses and ponds.
Now you will need to survey existing buildings, hedges, trees and walls to find sheltered warm spots, exposed windy corners plus corridors and dank, sunless areas.
Finally consider shaded areas, which may be easier to identify using a mobile phone camera than simply looking yourself, as the camera’s lens can identify low light levels easier.

Weston Sawmill – Transforming Gardens for 25 Years

From our based in Weston-under-Lizard, Weston Sawmill have provided the finest fencing and decking solutions for gardens in Shropshire and Staffordshire for now over 25 years.

We’re also experts in garden furniture and landscaping options such as hanging gates and planting. If you’d like to know more about working with Weston Sawmill please get in touch today.

garden landscaping - weston sawmill

Garden Landscaping for Beginners with Weston Sawmill

Garden landscaping can be a tricky task if you’ve never tried it before but here at Weston Sawmill, we can give you all the advice you need.
As seasoned providers of the finest fencing and decking in Shropshire and Staffordshire we have worked with tonnes of customers in our 26 years in business to transform their gardens into something unique and eye catching.

Bringing your garden design to life requires a similar mindset to put together a room in your home and to help you out here’s some essential tips to get you started.

Five Essential Garden Landscaping Tips

• Decide Your Landscaping Needs and Wants – The first thing to consider before starting to landscape your garden is a list of needs and wants. Ask questions such as – Do your kids play in the garden? Would your family prefer decking or a pergola?
From here make a rough sketch of what you’d like your garden to look like and once we’ve arranged a visit to your home our team of designers can explore this in more detail.
• Location, Location, Location – Study the sun and wind patterns as this will help determine the best position for features such as decking. For example if you decide to place this on the west side of the house, it will get plenty of afternoon sun but eating outside will be uncomfortably hot during the summer.
• Sit Down and Enjoy – The best way to decide where the ideal place for sitting areas are in your garden is by spending time there and seeing if inspiration strikes in unexpected areas.
• Find Your Focal Points – Every great garden has a focal point and if it’s your first time looking at garden landscaping this is a great place to start. Whether it’s a sitting area, stunning plants, trees or a series of shrubs, let your imagination run wild.
• Stay Open Minded – There is no hard and fast rule for garden landscaping, so we’d recommend staying open minded unless you have your heart set on certain features. Patience is the key for homeowners new to landscaping outdoor spaces plus never be afraid to ask for help from experts such as Weston Sawmill.

Your Choice of Garden Landscaping

Here at Weston Sawmill we can provide landscaping services for big and small gardens including the finest fencing, decking, hanging gates and plants for your new look garden.
If you’d like to know more about working with us, please get in touch today.

Hanging gates - Weston Sawmill

How Weston Sawmill Install Hanging Gates

Installing hanging gates is one part of the landscaping service we offer at Weston Sawmill.

If you’re looking to add additional security to your garden, then hanging gates are a great way to achieve this.

As experienced providers of modern and traditional garden designs, we can replicate the style of your fencing and gates to create a consistent look for your outdoor space.

Reliable Installers of Hanging Gates

Firstly our team will come to your property and measure up for your garden gate and acquire accurate size specifications.

We recommend your gate frame is approximately 20mm wider than your gate, which allows your hanging gate space to expand and retract during different weather conditions.

Hanging Gates – Three Steps to Success

Step 1. Prepare the Frame – Before we begin hanging your gate, we will need to secure a mounting frame. If you’re mounting your gate onto a brick wall, we would suggest using timber wall plates to allow a strong frame with wall plates allowing shutting strips to be fitted easily.

Step 2. Fix Hinges to the Gate and Mounting Post – We expertly fit galvanised hinges and fittings to enable accurate installation
We have worked on properties replacing gates in the past where they have been installed incorrectly by other suppliers with wear and tear visible on the components.

Step 3. Secure Shutting Strips and Latch – Now your gate is securely hung on a mounting frame, we recommend adding a timber baton onto the gate frame at the opposite side of the hinges which prevents the gate from swinging too far against the hinges once its been fixed to the frame.

There are two types of latch you can choose from for Hanging Gates –
Closing Latch – Ideal for smaller gates
Ring Latch – Works better for larger installations

If you have an unfitted gate the latch can be placed in a position of personal preference, whereas a security gate latch should be in the centre rather than the top, making it harder for any intruders to reach.

Order Your Hanging Gates from Weston Sawmill

With over 25 years of experience providing the finest fencing, decking and landscaping products such as hanging gates for a wide range of customers in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Wolverhampton.

Discover more about our products, please contact us today.

Outdoor play equipment - Weston Sawmill

Create a Child-Friendly Garden with Weston Sawmill

Summer is just around the corner and the sun is shining, making it the best time to invest in creating the best garden for your children with Weston Sawmill.
There are growing links to active children being more academically successful, so getting them to spend more time outdoors in your garden has multiple benefits.

Here we are going to look at ways you can achieve a child-friendly garden –
Give the Kids Their Own Plot –
Encouraging your kids to grow their own plants is a great way for them to learn more about nature and build their self-esteem. From planting seeds, to regularly tending to seedlings and then seeing them finally blossom will give your children a sense of achievement and satisfaction.
Another option is to let them grow their own fruit and vegetables which in turn could encourage them to eat what they’ve grown themselves.
Create an Adults Area –
Having a garden that the whole family can use means you will be able to relax while your kids play. Decking from Weston Sawmill is the best way to achieve this, giving you an elevated garden area where you can keep an eye on them and have drinks and meals outdoors in the summer.
Kids Play Area –
If you have plants or shrubs you’d like to protect, then creating a bespoke play area is a smart move. This is the perfect space to install swings or slides they can enjoy for hours in the sunshine. Weston Sawmill can provide all the basic wood components plus swing seats, hangers and corners so you can build your own play area to your specifications.
Our final bit of advice would be to check your garden for any toxic plants that could be harmful to your children plus your dog (if you have one). This is where you will need to educate your children about the dangers of poisonous plants and maybe block access to them as a precaution.

Talk to Garden Specialists at Weston Sawmill

For over 25 years Weston Sawmill has been the leading providers of decking, fencing and all your garden requirements for Staffordshire, Shropshire and Wolverhampton.
If you’d like to know more about working with Weston Sawmill on re-designing your garden get in touch today.

raised beds

Best Fruit and Veg to Grow in Raised Beds from Weston Sawmill

Raised beds are a great way to grow a wide range of juicy fruits and vegetables in your garden ready for the Spring sunshine.

With improved drainage plus improved control over the temperature of your soil, raised beds, give you the opportunity to use different soil types for growing. Plants can also be grown in blocks and more uniformly as the competition between them is minimal. Unlike an allotment or a larger vegetable patch, they can be covered more easily, if required.

Here are five essential vegetables to add to your garden this Spring

Root Vegetables – Carrots, radishes and parsnips are perfect vegetables to grow in raised beds because they are free of rocks, clay and debris – which allows more room for their roots to thrive.

Leafy Greens – Greens like lettuce, spinach and kale will look marvellous in your garden and with the fast draining soil, your lettuces won’t get soggy roots.

Onions – Onions also love quick draining soil and require plenty of compost mixed into your soil. Usually taking around 100 days to reach maturity, the warmer soil will give them the best opportunity to thrive.

Tomatoes – Tomatoes are big feeders that require nutrient-rich soil to flourish and much the same as onions you will need to customise your soil with compost.

Potatoes – Potatoes are easier to harvest when grown in raised beds using hilling soil around the shoots as they grow. Potatoes need loose, loamy soil to grow well, which also keeps them from rotting. Potato crops grown in raised beds will also have a higher yield with bigger tubers.

Talk to the Gardening Experts at Weston Sawmill

With over 25 years of experience in creating stunning gardens with the highest quality of fencing, decking and plenty of other garden improvements such as raised beds.

A host of our products are manufactured here on-site, so why not come and pay us a visit at our base in Weston-under-Lizard on the A5 near the Shropshire/Staffordshire border.

If you’d like to know more about any of our products, please contact us to speak to our team of specialists.

decking in shropshire

Raise a Glass to Decking in Shropshire

Delightful decking in Shropshire from Weston Sawmill is the best setting to celebrate National Wine Day on 25th May.
Whether you are white, red or rose person, there’s nothing better after a long day than relaxing in your garden with a couple of glasses.
Dating back thousands of years, wine was always the drink of choice for banquets by the Romans and now today we can indulge in our own gardens with friends and family.

Bespoke Decking in Shropshire

Here at Weston Sawmill we offer a complete bespoke package for all your decking requirements, giving you the garden of your dreams.
Take your living space outdoors with these innovative ideas:

  • Protection – We recommend adding anti-slip decking stain that will help protect your wood when it’s raining
  • Let’s go to the Beach! – Create a seaside vibe with a boardwalk flanked by pebbles leading to your decking
  • Grab a Drink – Carrying on the beach vibe you can add a mini-bar area to your raised decking area; making it the perfect social space ready for BBQ season
  • Colour is key – Decking is usually in quite pale or warm natural shades of wood but you could consider a darker colour to help show off the vibrancy of your garden flowers
  • Mix it up – Get an ultra-modern look with wooden decking mixed with stone paving; giving it a contrast of light and dark colours
  • Raise the roof – Rooftop conversions look fantastic with decking coupled with raised flower beds highlighting beautiful greenery
  • Connect features – If you’ve decided to complement your decking with a water feature, adding float on stairs between the two elements will look stunning

Providers of High Quality Decking in Shropshire

Weston Sawmill have been the leading provider of high quality decking since 1993 for areas such as Staffordshire and Shropshire.
If you’d like to know more about our services, please contact us today to speak to our customer services team.

National Gardening Month

Celebrate National Garden Month with Weston Sawmill

National Garden Month takes place throughout April and it’s the perfect time to transform the look of your garden.

Weston Sawmill has a wide range of gardening tools that suit beginners right through to seasoned gardeners. Winter can be a tough time for gardeners but with more sunshine and the temperatures slowly rising, it’s the best time to get back out into the garden.

Top Tips for New Gardeners

If you’ve never considered gardening before now is the perfect time to start, here are some tips to get you started –

Keep it Simple – Gardening can become an investment so start small with planting tomatoes and peppers that will provide a bit of colour in your garden plus they can be used in meals.

Know Your Soil – Do some research beforehand to find out the best kind of soil to use for planting, as not every plant or tree requires the same kind of soil. Areas with clay soils don’t drain well and your plants will have wet roots in rainy weather. Sandy soils drain easily, but in droughts, the plants require more water unless they are resistant to droughts.

Raised beds – Weston Sawmill has various sizes of raised beds in stock which will save on weeding your grounds and are perfect for gardeners with mobility issues.

Create Your Own Outdoor Paradise – National Garden Month isn’t just about planting; you could consider adding decorative features to your garden such as lanterns to brighten up your paths and decking. We have a wide range of wooden and metal lanterns in all sizes that will suit any style of garden.

Weston Sawmill – Transforming Gardens Since 1993

Here at Weston Sawmill, we pride ourselves on providing the highest quality of service to our customers and offering the best advice to ensure you get the garden you desire.

We’re renowned across Shropshire for providing the finest decking and fencing as well as all of the gardening equipment you will ever need.

Get in touch today to speak to one of our experts and kickstart your National Garden Month activities!

Garden landscaping - Weston Sawmill

Garden Landscaping with Weston Sawmill

Garden landscaping is an exciting prospect, whether you are looking to make more room for your family, wanting to add some colour or a complete re-design.
Weston Sawmill’s team of landscapers can offer you plenty of ideas and heaps of experience to make sure you get the design you want.

Landscaping ideas come from doing research and taking inspiration from garden centres, public gardens, annual garden shows and even your neighbours gardens!
It’s important to consider the size of your garden and think practically about what you’re going to use the space for.
Here are some essentials to add to your garden landscaping plan:

  • Walls and boundaries
  • Hedges and fencing
  • Paths and patios – there are plenty of colours and designs for paths and patios
  • Lawns – have you considered a striking lawn design?
  • Water features (such as ponds)
  • Zoning areas (dining, shading, playing)
  • Planting – trees, shrubs and pots
  • Lighting – for features such as pergola’s

Decide Between Formal & Informal Garden Landscaping

Formal gardens are tidy and geometric with plenty of straight lines and clipped hedges, whereas informal gardens are designed around organic curves with much more relaxed planting, displaying an element of freedom.

The trick to whatever design you choose, is to stick to a single, homogenous look.
Renowned Garden Designer Robert Myers says,
“People often over-complicate design by putting too many ideas and patterns into a small space making it look too busy and fussy.”

Garden Landscaping That Fits Your Budget

Once you’ve decided on the look you want for your garden, it’s time to talk to experts from Weston Sawmill who will be able to give you the most beautiful garden according to your budget.

We have been providing the finest garden landscaping services in Shrewsbury since 1993 from our base in Weston-under-Lizard on the A5 near the Shropshire/Staffordshire border.
If you’ve got any questions or you would like to receive a quote for landscaping, please get in touch and we’re sure we’ll be able to help.

National Gardening Week

Prepare for National Gardening Week with Weston Sawmill

Next month marks National Gardening Week where gardeners are encouraged to celebrate their own little slice of the outdoors and local produce.
Organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, the campaign has been running for eight years now with a number of events organised right across the country, with people also sharing their ‘passion for plants’ on social media.
In the lead up to the big week, we’ve prepared some suggestions to help make your garden look its very best.

All the Tools You Need for National Gardening Week

One of the most popular community activities of National Gardening Week is to tidy up or re-design a garden space in your local neighbourhood.
Here at Weston Sawmill we have just the set of tools you need to suit transform any size of garden, even if it’s not your own! Can you expand on this point?
Alternatively, if you’re looking to go green this year, our raised beds are a great way of growing a wide range of plants, especially fruit and vegetables. Here’s some more ways raised beds can benefit your garden –

  • Unlike ground level plants, raised beds provide gardeners with increased drainage meaning you’re left with happier plants!
  • As the beds are open to the ground, plant roots can also grow further into the ground to source key nutrients, enhancing the roots overall health.
  • The height of the beds also makes gardening easier for those with mobility issues.
  • Depending on the size of your raised beds you also have the option of planting trees or shrubs
  • As the soil is generally warmer, gardeners are also able to start planting earlier in the season.
  • Perhaps most importantly for some, the raised beds can also help to keep pesky path weeds and pests such as snails and slugs away from your plants

A Winning Combination for National Gardening Week

Weston Sawmill are the leading suppliers of all the gardening equipment as well as fencing, decking and garden furniture in Shropshire in Staffordshire

For the past 25 years we have worked with customers to provide the best advice for all your garden requirements. If you’d like to know more about any of our products or you have any questions; please get in touch today.
A number of our products are made on-site meaning we can create bespoke products as well as the quality fencing and decking we are renowned for.

Gazebo with seating

Gardens Look Great with a Gazebo from Weston Sawmill

The sun is finally beginning to shine again and with it comes ideas of how you can maximise your garden space. If you are close with your neighbours or have friends over regularly during the summer, a glorious gazebo gives you an intimate space to socialise.

Having a place where you can relax and reflect will help your general well-being and give you a space to recharge your batteries in your gorgeous garden.
We can also design your gazebo to match the style of any fencing, gates or decking installed previously– fully co-ordinating the look of your garden.

Go Alfresco with Weston Sawmill

Outdoor living is very fashionable, from dining al fresco, dinner drinks to social gatherings a gazebo gives you a sophisticated garden space for all occasions. Freshening up your dining experience ready for the summer that will create memories to last a lifetime.
Research has shown that 42% of families with children prefer homes with outdoor spaces, so alfresco dining is perfect for them, plus it gives the kids a place to play under shelter when you’ve finished your meal.

Another elegant and affordable way to update your garden is with a Pergola, which can be manufactured to any size specifications, from intimate to more outlandish outdoor living areas. We have recently updated our garden structure catalogue for 2019, now offering pergola arches too!

Weston Sawmill Will Enhance Your Outdoors

Weston Sawmill has over 25 years’ experience supplying the highest quality of fencing and decking, as well as bespoke living space extensions for your garden such as gazebos and pergola’s.
We encourage customers to get in touch as soon as you are considering updating your garden as we can share our years of knowledge and advise on the best products to bring your vision to life.
Characteristic quality and attention to detail are the reasons why Weston Sawmill leads the way in both Shropshire and Staffordshire.
Contact us today to speak to one of our friendly team.