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Read the latest blogs from Weston Sawmill featuring all of our latest news and tips for your garden

Planning Ahead For Your Christmas Tree

When it comes to Christmas trees, there is a lot to be said as to when you should start planning. In one of our most recent blogs, we looked at some of the most common times of the year when people decide to start planning for their Christmas tree.

No matter the time of year, planning for your Christmas tree, whether it be immediately after Christmas or just a couple of weeks before, there are undoubtedly benefits of planning ahead.

At Weston Sawmill, we stock Christmas trees in Staffordshire and Shropshire, so we know a thing or two about the perks of premeditated Christmas tree planning. So, let’s look at the great reasons to plan for your Christmas tree.

Peace of Mind

Potentially the biggest advantage of planning for your Christmas tree is the fantastic peace of mind it offers you.

Do you ever get that relaxing feeling when you have completed a task ahead of time or when you finally complete a task after you’ve been procrastinating? It’s a pretty great feeling. It feels like you have no cares in the world.

When you plan, you know that the Christmas tree situation is sorted and you, therefore, exhibit this soothing feeling.

You Can Focus On Other Things

Because Christmas is such a busy period of the year, time is very precious. It seems as though there is never enough time to fit and plan everything in. Luckily, when you get the Christmas tree planning out of the way, you have free time to focus on other things. Being able to focus your efforts on other tasks during the busy festive period is extremely valuable.

You Can Ensure You Make The Right Purchase For You

If you do not plan and leave buying gifts until the last minute, you often end up making a panic purchase. This can lead to the purchase not fitting the intended purpose. This rings true when it comes to Christmas tree planning.

When you plan ahead, you can ensure you make the right purchase for you. Accompanying this is the fact that when you buy your Christmas tree early, there is more likelihood of the tree you really want still being in stock. If you want to ensure you make the right Christmas tree purchase, you should plan ahead of time.

We Supply High-Quality Christmas Trees

At Weston Sawmill we supply a wide range of Christmas trees to Shropshire, Staffordshire as well as surrounding areas. So why not contact us today? We are sure we will be able to help you.

Christmas decorations inspirations for 2021

You may have noticed recently looking around some shops that Christmas decorations have started to infiltrate the shelves – but what style of festive display are you going for this year?

For this blog, Weston Sawmill will talk you through some of the must-have ideas for 2021.

The variety of choices for Christmas decorations

Multicoloured novelty baubles

If you are looking for a modern look that is packed with personality, combining a bold, vibrant palette with a host of quirky details we have some ideas for you.
After purchasing your traditional tree, add brightly coloured striped, glitter and star-shaped ornaments. Top off the tree with a neon star for a look that the whole family will love.

Silver and white decorations

There are plenty of ways to put together a sparkly tree, including vintage-look silver baubles in a number of shapes and finishes with sparkling stars, resin reindeer with a snow globe bauble taking pride of place with a light-up star finishing off your magical tree.

Classic red and gold

Give a timeless red festive theme a touch of luxe with a generous sprinkling of gold. Start this off with shatterproof baubles in jewel-like red tones and add nostalgic red Nutcracker figures, traditional Father Christmas ornaments, opulent red birds, golden bell wreaths and future heirloom gold and red floral ornaments. Tie this look together with a studded red velvet bow topper for an unexpected twist.

Luxe silver decorations

A snow-dusted tree is an ideal backdrop for white, silver and clear baubles and Narnia-esque snowflakes, hanging icicles and silver stags. Personalise your tree with applique letters for each family member and finish with a contemporary light-up star and a faux-fur tree skirt.

Glam gold tree decorations

If you can’t turn up the glam at Christmas, when can you? You can create a gorgeous golden theme by combining metallic antique-style baubles with fabulous cocktail-shaped ornaments and festive wording in gold script. Add personality using quirky nature-inspired decorations in a similar palette, such as sparkling hedgehogs, glimmering acorns, cloche-covered mushrooms and bee applique decorations.

Modern red and white theme

Deck your tree with novelty decorations in a classic red and white palette. From felt robins and candy canes to a mitten and bobble hat set, you can add some humour to your traditional theme. Mix in a selection of classic red decorations and top your tree with a jolly Santa to keep the overall theme festive.

Get in touch for more information

If you have any questions about Christmas decorations or our range of Christmas trees, please do not hesitate to contact Weston Sawmill now.

Don’t forget we also stock our own range of decorations that can help your tree look spectacular this festive season.

Reasons why you should invest in a real Christmas tree

The festive season is just a few months away, and maybe it’s time you invest in a real Christmas tree.

For those of you hesitant to invest in a real Christmas tree, you need not worry. Real Christmas trees are a lot easier to maintain than first thought. Before you start worrying about hoovering up pine needles every day, remember we have Nordmann Fir that keeps their needles.

If you are still not convinced, read our latest blog below.

5 Reasons to choose a real Christmas tree

Good for the environment

Real Christmas trees are planted especially in our nursery to be sold for the festive season; meaning every tree planted simply sustains the real Christmas tree market.

The higher the demand the more trees are planted. Because of this; the Carbon Trust estimating that real trees are up to 10 times better for the environment than their artificial counterparts. In terms of environmental impact; it would take ten years of re-using a fake tree to break. In this time you could have just one real Christmas tree.

Because trees produce more oxygen, tree plantations and farms will help to improve the atmosphere.

Do it for the kids!

Every family has a designated tree decorator, either mum or dad, depending on the household. As for the kids, they could be itching at the chance to help, even if it is changed back afterwards.

Let’s face it, the tree will be ignored again until the presents start gathering underneath it.

This changes when you invest in a real tree. As you can make it part of your annual tradition to decide what tree type will match your fairy lights.
Children will often pay more attention to a tree they have helped choose; rather than one getting pulled out of your attic and/or storage space.

Being eco-friendly

Most faux trees are made of plastic. This means that when they get too tired and old to be propped up in someone’s living room they will be discarded and make their way to landfill. Remember fake trees can’t be recycled.

A real tree means that if it is discarded and thrown away, it is biodegradable and does zero net damage to the environment. You also have the option to compost your tree once you are finished with it.

Even if your tree ends up in green waste bins, it will more than likely end up as compost anyway.

The other option is to purchase one of our potted trees that keeps on growing year after year. You may need to cut it down to size eventually, but other than this it is low maintenance and saves more trees being chopped down every year.

Get the true smell of Christmas

Unlike faux trees, real Christmas trees give off a wonderful, subtle fresh pine needle smell, which can never truly be replicated.

Your nose will remind you of this fresh scent every day. If you have never really invested in a real tree before, you are truly missing out on one of the joys of the festive season.

Free up storage space

Some of us are lucky to have plenty of storage space at our disposal, however; others are not so lucky and will struggle to find space to store last year’s tree.

Even trees that can be dismantled into smaller parts can still take up a lot of storage room. If you live in a city or a property with limited storage space, purchasing a real tree is the best idea.

Even potted trees don’t take up too much space and can be kept on balconies or in your back garden until next year.

Get in touch with any questions

If you have any questions about Weston Sawmill’s range of Christmas trees; please do not hesitate to contact us now.

We offer Spruce, Nordmann Fir and potted Nordmann and Norway Spruce trees at our nursery based in Weston-under-Lizard, Shropshire.

When is it acceptable to put up your Christmas tree?

Last year was extremely tough on everyone, with lockdowns and the pandemic to deal with – and many people decided to stretch the Christmas period out over a longer period of time. There were some cases, such as radio DJ Greg James who kept his Christmas tree up until March of this year!

Hopefully, this year will be completely different and we can all have a great festive season.

For this blog, Weston Sawmill will give you suggestions to mull over before spying the mulled wine in the supermarket.

Straight after Halloween?

For some people, Christmas decorations go up as soon as the 1st of November.
Data from some of the UK’s biggest retailers has revealed this in 2020, with a record number of customers seemingly decorating earlier than ever.

The stats also revealed that 40% of customers plan to decorate areas around the house they haven’t previously, such as hallways, stairs and outdoors.

The Tesco Christmas Report 2020 also revealed 2.4 million people stating they will decorate their home before December starts.

It depends if you buy a real Christmas tree

If you are buying a real Christmas tree this year (such as ones supplied by Weston Sawmill), you should consider putting it up around the start of December. A real Christmas tree will survive around four weeks, but if properly cared for it could last longer.

1st December

The start of December is always a popular choice for the start of the Christmas period, with many decking the halls as soon as 1st December. According to data from Tesco, 25% of people will have their trees up by this time.

Advent

Advent is the period before Christmas that celebrates the birth of Jesus and is very important in the Christian calendar. Tradition often dictates that Christmas trees are put up at the start of Advent which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.

12 Days Before
For some they choose to put their decorations up 12 days before Christmas, meaning you will be turning your home into a winter wonderland from 13th December.

Get in touch for more information

If you have any questions about Weston Sawmill’s range of Christmas trees, please do not hesitate to contact us now.

The most innovative ways to modernise your garden

If you are in need of some inspiration to modernise your garden, Weston Sawmill is here to help.

Whether it is painting an old fence, getting clever with your plants or repurposing older items, you can change your outdoor space, even if you are on a budget.

For this blog, we will give you plenty of ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

6 ways to revamp your outdoor space

Grow from seed – One of the cheapest ways to get a thriving garden is to sow seeds. This could flower seeds or vegetable seeds, just remember to check the seed packet size, as some contain far more seed than you will be able to sow in a single year in an average garden.
Shape Up – An easy and cost-effective way to transform your garden is by cutting your lawn into a clearly defined shape; such as a circle, a square or an oblong. Mark it out using a string and spade to cut away the excess grass. This task should only take an afternoon to complete.
A fresh coat of paint – You will be surprised by how much a lick of paint can transform a tired, old fence. Providing a striking backdrop for greenery and jewel-coloured plants will give visitors a whole new interpretation of your outdoor space.
Create a cosy outdoors – With people looking to make the most of their land and potentially extend their homes, and consider their gardens as a ‘room’. If you have already invested in high-quality decking from Weston Sawmill, you could also consider an outdoor rug and accessorise with some garden lanterns and outdoor cushions.
Gravel leads the way – A gravel garden path is a great idea that can be completed on a budget. A path paved with gravel and concrete slabs will add some magic to your garden and be the perfect go-between your home and a shed or outdoor play area.
Repurpose your shed – During the pandemic many people have been repurposing their current garden apparatus, with some people creating bespoke garden bars from their sheds!
Your shed can house garden furniture in the winter and then be the perfect destination for a cocktail hour during the summer.

Got any questions? Contact Weston Sawmill now

If you have any questions about transforming your garden, please do not hesitate to get in touch now. Our team of experts can offer you all the advice you need to make your outdoor space look truly special.

Decking Ideas For the Summertime

Are you thinking of adding some decking to your garden? Summer is finally here; and the sun is shining. As such, there is no better time to transform your garden into an outdoor paradise.

If you need some inspiration; Weston Sawmill have got you covered with this post giving you all the information you need.

Taking your decking to the next level

You can lay decks at different heights and levels, depending on the shape and surface of your garden.

A raised deck is the best option for sloped or uneven gardens to create a flat surface for a dining table or a seating area. If you build a tall enough frame, you can even use the space underneath your decks for additional garden storage.

A ground-level deck keeps your surface flat in the garden and is more straightforward to install than raised decks.

Choosing the best shape for your garden

You need to be open-minded when it comes to the shape of your decking and design it to best fit the space you have available. Rectangular or square-shaped decks are traditional and create clean; angular lines in your garden whereas straight-edged decks are easier to construct than one with a curved edge.

Decks with a curved edge help to create a softer finish to your garden plus it looks great with bark, gravel or grass against the curved edge.

Bring colour to your garden

Our timber deck boards can be painted or stained with decking paint, which is available from most DIY retailers. For a contemporary and stylish finish go for a black and grey or merge navy and white for a nautical design.

For a two-tone look, you could paint the deck boards different colours to the railings or balustrades around it. Complementary colours such as greys and whites are a great choice or you could mix it up with a bold colour contrasting with natural wood.

Get in touch with any questions

If you have any questions about Weston Sawmill’s range of decking boards, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

What Can I Use Postcrete For?

Weston Sawmill offers 20kg bags of Postcrete, which is a ready-to-use blend of selected sand, cement and additives formulated for fixing wooden, concrete and metal posts.

The beauty of Postcrete is that is ready to use straight out of the bag, with no mixing required.

Using Postcrete for Sitework

Here is a simple guide to using Postcrete –

Dig your hole to the correct depth and width relevant to post size
Fill the hole with water to a third of the depth
Pour the mix evenly around the post until no standing water is visible, meaning it completely covers the water surface. Also, sprinkle water on top of the powder.
Position and level the post as required, with the setting taking place within 5-10 minutes.
When set, cover the top of the hole with soil or grass

Make sure you do not mix Postcrete with water by hand or machine.

It is packed in new weatherproof packaging and needs to be handled and stored with care as it is a cement-based material. It can be stored, unopened in either indoor or outdoor conditions, with information on the maximum storage located on the bag itself.
Remember, all equipment should be cleaned with water and not flushed down the drain.

Health and Safety Advice

Contact between cement powder and body fluids, such as sweat and eye fluids may cause irritation, dermatitis or burns. Cement is classified as an irritant under the Chemical (Hazard Information and Packaging) Regulations.

Contact Weston Sawmill with any queries

If you have any questions about Postcrete or gravel packs, please do not hesitate to get in touch now. Weston Sawmill has been providing a host of garden solutions for clients across Shropshire and Staffordshire since 1993, including decking, fencing and all aggregates to ensure you have the complete solution for your outdoor space.

If you need further inspiration, please read more of our blog posts.

Telltale signs you need new fencing

Wooden fences, when cared for properly can last up to 20 years but there is a time when you will need to replace them. This is where Weston Sawmill comes in handy.

We have been providing customers right across Shropshire with high-quality fencing, including premier overlap panel and sturdy close board panel fences.

5 reasons you to replace your fencing

Most fences will likely last around 10 years, but how do you know when it is time for something new? Here are five tell-tale signs you need to replace your fence instead of repairing it again –

Rotting – While one rotten board is one thing, generalised rotting in your fence means it is time to replace it. In wooden fences, the rot will happen in areas where the fence is closest to the ground. This is where the boards experience the most sustained moisture which accelerates rot. Rot can be prevented with regular maintenance and by applying a preservative. Nature will eventually take its course and rotting will begin in fence posts and boards.

Leaning – Wind, rain and shifting ground can cause your fence to lean off to one side because the general structure is losing strength. Slight leaning in only one section can be repaired by replacing or adjusting a few fence posts. Please note, that generalised leaning across the fence is a sign of irreparable damage.

Splits and Missing Boards – One split or missing board can be easily replaced. Lots of split and missing boards mean it is time to start over. Not only will this ruin your aesthetic appeal but it will also result in structural problems.

Loose and Missing Fasteners – Screws and nails could become loose or even fall out of your fencing over time. These can be replaced, although over time the wood may not be able to withstand a new screw or nail. If your fence has started to be wobbly due to loose and missing fasteners, it is useless to try and replace them all.

Repairs become too costly – When repairs start to become costly it is time to invest in a new fence.

Get in touch for more information

If you have any questions about fencing, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

Everything You Need to Know About Garden Swing Seats

Garden swing seats from Weston Sawmill are ideal for relaxing outdoors with their hanging structures designed to swing gently back and forth.

We will tell you everything you need to know about choosing the best garden swing seat for this blog.

First Considerations for Garden Swing Seats

It is important to choose a garden swing seat that matches the style of your garden or decking area. Seats are traditionally rectangular, while it is possible to find some swing seats with rounded edges for a softer and slightly different look. Wooden models tie in perfectly with a rustic theme but make sure the material is looked after.

The amount of outdoor space will dictate the size of your swing. Two or three-seater swing seats are quite common but it is also possible to find single swing chairs.

If you want to stretch out, some swings come with four seats just be sure to check the maximum load supported by the swing.

Generally speaking, the comfort of your swing seat depends on how cushioned it is, so pay attention to the seat padding at the quality of the fabric.

Wooden Swings Explained

Wooden swings provide a warm and natural look that will complement your garden. If you choose wood, it’s important to know the different resistances to moisture, insects and fungi.

You will also need to keep on top of treating your wood and use the correct product for the timber, whether this is wax, oil, varnish or wood brightener.

Contact us for more information

If you have any questions about wooden swing seats from Weston Sawmill, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us now.

Weston Sawmill is the leading supplier of fencing, decking and any other garden furniture for customers across Shropshire. Visit our Facebook page to browse our latest projects.

Revamping Small Spaces Outdoors with Weston Sawmill

Here at Weston Sawmill, we know all about transforming gardens and other outdoor spaces, so if you are struggling for inspiration we have got you covered.

For this blog, we will share some tips from our team of experts to help you create the garden of your dreams.

Creating Boundaries with Quality Fencing

High-quality fencing provides the ‘walls’ to our gardens, but they can also have multiple functions. While the ultimate goal is to define the space, they also help screen out noise, frame views and provide a surface over which plants can clamber.

Create a Plan

Gardens can fulfil a number of functions and working out the main purpose of your garden will ensure a successful design. For example, do you want to grow your own veg or do you want a lazy space that is surrounded by scented flowers? Honing your wish list is the key to adapting the space to match your lifestyle.

Look to the past for inspiration

Space can be at a premium in smaller gardens so it is best to treat your garden as another room in your house. No matter the size, a small pocket of land can be transformed into an outdoor paradise. Greening up your garden area offers a balm to the senses, a private place to sit, play, garden and enjoy the sunshine plus you can help mitigate pollution and reduce climate change.

Be flexible with your ideas

If you spot a garden idea at a show and wanted to replicate it in your outdoor space, always be flexible with your design concept. A lot will depend on your willingness to take the plunge and if you are able to source the correct materials. When looking at different types of fencing and decking, Weston Sawmill will be able to help.

For a full-scale revamp, it could be worth planning in stages over a number of seasons.

Get in touch with Weston Sawmill

If you have questions about revamping your garden ready for summer, please do not hesitate to contact Weston Sawmill today.

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