Why Autumn is the Best Time to Lay Turf

A well-maintained lawn isn’t just a patch of grass – it’s often the main focal point of a garden. Nothing can beat the appearance of a beautiful, lush green lawn, especially after it’s just been cut and raked – the smell and the feel of it underfoot…

Madingley Mulch takes perfect lawns very seriously and provides a range of high-quality, locally-grown turf from our site in Cambridge. We offer turf delivery to customers in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and the rest of East Anglia.

When to Lay Turf

Autumn is the best time of year to lay turf, because the plants in your garden are getting ready for the cold weather in the coming months.

Grass doesn’t need lots of long lush leaves in the winter as they’ll be vulnerable to frost. This means you won’t have much mowing to do while it’s establishing itself. In autumn, the new grass will send its roots deep into the soil while it’s still warm and moist, to escape the danger of the top few centimetres freezing when the weather gets colder. It stays warmer deeper under the soil where the grass establishes its roots which is why earthworms, moles and various other animals spend the winter underground.

If you lay your turf in autumn, it will quickly establish a strong root system. By spring, it will be suitable for walking, playing and jumping on!

Soil Preparation

Before laying your new turf, it’s important to remove perennial weeds from the soil. Do not use a weed killer, as it can remain in the soil and prevent the new grass from establishing.

Turn or rotovate the soil to a depth of 20-25cm and dig in some well-rotted compost or soil conditioner, such as our best-selling Denise’s Delight or Tony’s Tonic. If possible, leave the soil to settle for several days – the longer the better.

Get the soil level by walking across it in all directions. Follow this by raking the top layer in all directions.

Turf Preparation

Laying the turf should be done within 24 hours of delivery, otherwise you risk it discolouring and weakening as it sits rolled up.

Begin in one corner of the area to be turfed and avoid stepping on the newly-laid soil, by using planks or boards. Lay the rolls flat and close with staggered joints in the pattern of a brick wall and keep a bucket of soil to hand to add or remove soil as necessary to ensure the ground is level.

When the turf is fully laid, spread a thin mixture of sand and soil or compost – this helps fill any minor gaps and helps the rolls knit together and establish quickly.

Water the newly-laid turf well and leave undisturbed. These first few days are critical for the roots to establish.

 

Madingley Mulch offers lush, fresh turf from our Cambridge shop and provides quick and efficient turf delivery to our customers in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. We deliver to areas including Ely, Newmarket, Royston and Saffron Walden. To discuss your turfing requirements, speak to one of our friendly team today on 01954 212144 or by emailing shop@mulch.co.uk.

Common Myths About Landscaping Mulch

Mulching is an essential aspect of proper garden maintenance and can be one of our best friends in the garden. It suppresses weed growth, helps soil retain moisture in the summer, keeps soil warmer in the winter and, over time, breaks down to improve soil texture. Madingley Mulch supplies various types of mulch, including landscape bark, decorative bark and bulk bark chippings to customers in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Hertfordshire. Here, we cover some of the common myths and misconceptions people have about mulch.

Myth – All Mulch is The Same

Although ‘mulch’ is now a general term, there are many types of mulches on the market. Each one has a distinctive appearance and is used for a different application. Some of the common types of mulch are:

• Shredded or chipped bark – This is an extremely popular choice and is great around woody plant materials, such as trees or shrubs.
• Compost – This is very useful as it’s affordable and breaks down quickly to improve soil texture.
• Straw – An excellent mulch, especially in a vegetable garden as it helps keep developing fruit and vegetables, like cucumbers or courgettes off the soil.
• Decorative stone chippings – These are ideal for mulching borders, as well as looking attractive. For instance, Madingley Mulch supplies 10mm blue stone and 20mm gold and white gravels which are all perfect for this purpose.
• Grass clippings – Grass is great because it’s free and decomposes quickly, adding essential nitrogen to the soil.

Myth – Mulch Is A Fertiliser

Mulch benefits plants in different ways to fertiliser. Compost is an organic soil fertiliser and mulch is an organic soil covering. A reasonable application of a mulch, such as bark chippings will discourage weed growth and is beneficial to flower beds. However, it is not a substitute for a fertiliser that will provide the type of nutrients your garden requires.

Myth – Mulch Keeps Your Plants Warm

A lot of people think that a layer of mulch will keep your plants warm in the winter, but this isn’t the case. A blanket of mulch will, however, create a more uniform soil temperature throughout the seasons. This includes keeping the soil cool under direct sunlight in the summer and warmer than the outside air temperature during winter.

Myth – The More Mulch, The Better

All types of mulch should never be laid more than 3-4 inches deep. Anything deeper than that means wet soil will stay too damp and allow mould to build up. This also means dry soil will stay dry because rain water won’t be able to penetrate it.

Laying too deep a layer of mulch will also obstruct air exchange with the soil, undermining natural soil biology. If you’re unsure how much mulch you’ll need, you can use our easy-to-use mulch calculator here.

 

We stock and deliver a range of different mulches, including various functional and decorative garden and landscaping bark and bulk bark chippings to customers in Suffolk, Cambridge, Norfolk and the rest of East Anglia. We offer free delivery within a 15-mile radius, to places including Huntingdon, Somersham, Colne, Fen Drayton and St Ives. Get in touch today for more info or for advice on which mulch would be best for your garden on 01954 212144 or shop@mulch.co.uk

Factors to Consider When Choosing Decorative Stones for Your Garden

 

Decorative stones are a versatile material to use in traditional or contemporary gardens or on landscaping projects of any size. They can be used to create a gravel pathway, a slate chip bed or used to break up an expanse of a single material, such as decking or paving with a shingle or gravel edging or border.
Madingley Mulch supplies a huge range of decorative garden stones, including gravel, shingle, granite chippings, pebbles, cobbles, stones and slate chippings for all types of applications. We can quickly deliver decorative garden stones to Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and the rest of east Anglia.

Laying Decorative Stones

To successfully lay decorative stones, you need to create a solid foundation, as well as checking the levels for water run-off, especially if you’re creating a pathway or seating area.
To create a stone or gravel surface over soil in a flowerbed, level the soil and lay a geotextile membrane to suppress perennial weed growth. If you’re using gravel or some type of aggregate, it’s worth hosing the stones down first to remove any small sediment.

For Style

All decorative stones look beautiful in the right setting, but if you’re looking for a stone that is just a natural garden accessory, you should consider either:

• Pebbles and Cobbles

These have a smooth, rounded shape resulting from exposure to thousands of years of friction in the sea, rivers and streams. They’re commonly used for their decorative appeal and are ideal for use around plants.

Pebbles and cobbles are easy to work with due to their uniform size and are extremely low-maintenance. They usually come in shades of grey and brown and are great for creating rock gardens, covering landscape membranes to prevent weeds and keeping moisture in the soil.

• Large Rocks or Boulders

These are simply larger stones that can be used as a feature or focal point to draw the eye along to a specific section of the garden. They are ideal for building rockeries, walls and pond walls.

For Drainage

Decorative stone is a fantastic solution for drainage and helps to lessen any risk of damage to the foundations of your property and garden commonly associated with excess water. If you need drainage in your garden, you should consider:

• Gravel or Shingle

These are both small (pea-sized) rounded rocks but are available in various other sizes too. They usually come in shades of brown and white and are ideal for drainage in flower beds, as well as flower pots.

Both gravel and shingle are perfect for use as a border to a paved area and can be used to accentuate stepping stones, larger rocks or boulders. However, gravel’s round shape means it moves around easily and may not be suitable for using under garden furniture, or for use as a patio, a driveway or a path.

For Weed Control

Decorative stone can be used as a longer-lasting and attractive alternative to mulch in the fight against weeds. Most effectively used on top of a geotextile membrane to supress further weed growth, the best type of stone for weed control is:

• Slate Chippings

These are small pieces of slate, graded into different sizes. They are available in a huge range of colours, making them very popular and allowing for a variety of creative and contemporary effects to be created. Slate chippings are an excellent, durable alternative to bark mulch as it lasts forever.

Chippings like this keep unwanted weeds down, moisture in the soil and are popular in minimalist gardens with less planting. They are extremely low-maintenance and, due to weight and shape, slate chippings are less likely to be dug up by cats and other animals.

For a Patio, Driveway or Path

Decorative stone is a cost-effective alternative to a Tarmac driveway, path or patio. While smaller pieces of gravel can get stuck in the tread of tyres and shoes, which in turn find their way into car footwells and homes, this doesn’t tend to happen with larger stones or chippings.

• Granite Chippings

Granite has a rougher texture than gravel and is made up of irregularly-sized pieces. It comes in a variety of sizes and colours and provides a natural, rustic look.

These stones are more durable and stable underfoot and under vehicles than gravel, making them ideal for driveways, paths and as a base beneath paving slabs. Due to its size, granite chippings rarely find their way into houses or car footwells.

 

Madingley Mulch provides a huge range of decorative garden stones in Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and the rest of East Anglia. We can deliver it in large bulk bags or loose to your exact specifications. Get in touch today on 01954 212144 or by clicking here to discuss your decorative stone requirements.

 

An Expert Guide to Different Types of Mulch and How Mulch Can Be Used

What Is Mulch?

Mulch is any organic material, such a tree bark, rotted food or horse manure used around plants, shrubs and trees to encourage growth. It can also be used on the soil itself to improve the texture and to reduce erosion, preserve water, insulate the soil from variations in temperature and suppress weed growth. Another advantage is that it will make a soil bed look more attractive.  

We stock a huge range of functional and decorative mulches, as well as specially-formulated soil conditioners and composts exclusive to Madingley Mulch. These include our best-selling Denise’s Delight and Tony’s Tonic. We provide mulch and compost delivery in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and the rest of East Anglia. All our mulches are sourced locally in East Anglia and/or FSC-certified.

Types of Mulch

• Garden Compost

Any well-rotted organic matter on your compost heap can be used as mulch in the garden. Scraps of food collected and rotted over time is the best all-purpose form of mulch but is often in short supply. It’s also not always the most attractive mulch, but quickly merges into the soil.

An 8cm-thick layer of this mulch will conserve water and should raise the temperature of the soil surface by several degrees. This type of material provides long-lasting nutrients and significantly improves the soil texture. We supply composts and soil conditioners including spent mushroom compost, which is especially good if you are looking to grow flowers or root crops.

• Horse Manure

Horse manure that has been well-rotted (for six months or more) makes a fantastic mulch that will naturally break down into the soil, adding nutrients and improving the texture of the soil. Our own best-selling Denise’s Delight soil conditioner is a unique blend of well-rotted manure, Black Fen soil, wood shavings and humus and plant extracts, which is ideal for use in raised beds.

• Chipped Bark & Wood Chip

Barks and wood chips are some of the most popular mulches, since they are the most attractive and affordable. Because bark mulch breaks down very slowly, it only needs to be topped up once every two to three years. Barks and wood chips do an excellent job of suppressing existing weed growth and stopping new weeds from rooting.

If you lay an 8cm-thick layer, this will help to conserve water and increase the soil surface’s temperature by a degree or two. Looking ahead, over several years, wood and bark chip will add a low level of nutrients to the soil and improve its texture.

We provide both decorative mulch and garden pathway chips. Our range of decorative mulch is an FSC-certified softwood chipped product. It comes with a play-grade certificate, making it ideal for busy playgrounds, as well as domestic gardens. Our pathway chips are large, light-coloured pieces of softwood, suitable for garden paths and recreation areas.

• Grass Clippings

Grass clippings are in plentiful supply during the summer months and, while they are not suitable for mulching entire gardens, they are ideal for localised mulching around trees or plants. Grass clippings suppress weeds, conserve water and provide nutrients. However, they will not raise the temperature of the soil or improve the texture.

When to Apply Mulch

It’s best to apply mulches from mid-to-late spring and in the autumn, when the soil is warm and moist. Avoid spreading mulch when the soil is hard and cold in the winter, or when it is dry during the summer.

It is also best not to apply manure-based composts where you are planning to grow potatoes or other root vegetables, such as carrots, swedes and turnips, the following year.

How Much to Apply

We recommend an 8cm / 3ins covering of mulch. If you’re unsure of how much bark or wood chip you require for your garden, you can use our handy free calculator to estimate exactly how much you’ll need.

As suppliers of mulches, composts and soil conditioners in Cambridge and the surrounding areas, Madingley Mulch are more than happy to answer any questions you have about mulch and advise on which type of mulch is best for you and your garden. We provide mulch and compost delivery in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and the rest of East Anglia, in large bulk bags or loose to suit your requirements. Delivery of most products, except loose loads, is free within a 15-mile radius, including Huntingdon, St Ives, Ely, Newmarket and Cambourne. Speak to one of our friendly team today on 01954 212144.

How to Make Your Driveway Greener

 

Having a green driveway is not only good for your garden, but for the environment as well; studies have suggested that hard paving over drives has caused as much as £3billion worth of flood damage in the UK per year, as the rainwater cannot soak away naturally.

Madingley Mulch, who offer gravel delivery to customers in East Anglia, including Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk as well as our home county of Cambridgeshire, have come up with these key ways of making your driveway a vibrant and integral part of the rest of your garden.

Add Some Raised Beds

To create a greener driveway, you can add raised beds along either side of the drive or on the driveway itself (down the middle section that isn’t driven over). Alpines and herbaceous perennials should do well in these, provided they get enough rainfall.

To make the driveway area truly sustainable, try growing vegetables in the raised beds. Root vegetables, leafy greens, tomatoes and onions will all benefit from soil which can be tailored to the needs of your individual vegetables. While you probably won’t be able to survive solely off these vegetables, if you put the work in, it will definitely help to supplement your weekly food shop.

Growing in Gravel

Another alternative to raised beds is to fill in the drive – apart from the paved tracks – with gravel as a huge number of attractive plants will grow happily in this. Forget-me-nots and Californian poppies will both self-sow prolifically, which is important in driveways with a high footfall. If you are worried about unwanted plants growing through, then you can lay down one of our weed-suppressing membranes.

Creeping thyme can cope with being stepped on occasionally and also has a very pleasant scent and colourful pink flowers. Sedum is also a great choice for driveways because it will flourish in poorer-quality earth.

Make Full Use of Fences and Potted Plants

Fences and trellises alongside driveways can often be used for climbing plants – although make sure you have enough room to open the car doors when you want to get out, to avoid damage to both vehicle and plant.

Wisteria and clematis are best to grow up fences and walls rather than ivy or holly, which is highly invasive and will grow just about everywhere, including on other large host plants, trees and other places you don’t want it to.

You can also make good use of potted plants, again making sure you put them well clear of where your car or vehicle will go. If your driveway is in the front garden, then you could use it to bring vibrant colours for every season; one possible colour scheme could be violas for winter, tulips in spring, alliums in summer and agapanthus for the autumn.

Stones and Gravels

We supply a wide range of decorative stones and gravels. Our 20mm white gravel is our most popular and is frequently used on driveways, but the 20mm gold gravel is also in high demand.

As well as gravel and stone chippings, we stock a huge range of pebbles and cobbles in various sizes, colours and textures, including our popular Lydd Beach and Scottish pebbles, which are ideal for edging paths and borders.

For a clean, inviting appearance on your driveway, we recommend slate chippings. These are graded in such a way that they will never get stuck in the grip of your tyres, find its way into your house or need regular sweeping and maintenance. The range of slate chippings come in various colours including blue, green and plum, which means it can be well-matched to any colour scheme you opt for.

Slate chippings are also well suited to decorating gardens with other hard landscaping features, such as decking and paving. The chippings act as a form of mulch, suppressing the weeds and their size means they aren’t likely to be dug up by cats.

Madingley Mulch supplies a range of outdoor gardening products, including gravel, decorative stones, cobbles and weed-suppressing membranes. Follow the link above to view our current range, or pop in to see us at our base on the edge of Cambridge and our friendly, experienced staff will be happy to offer their advice.

We can offer free gravel delivery to parts of Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Essex; there is no charge on orders for any of our products to all addresses within 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge. For all addresses within 24.5 miles, there is a standard £20 charge, and we can also deliver further afield as well.

Maximising the Space in a Small Garden

Gardens are getting smaller – and that’s official. Figures show that pressure on space, particularly in towns and cities, means that the average British garden has shrunk by as much as 5m² in the past 30 years.

However, there are plenty of tricks of the trade which you can use to disguise the lack of room in your garden – and leading gardening supplies company Madingley Mulch, who deliver to customers in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, are ideally placed to pass them on.  Here are our top five tips for maximising your space if you have a small garden.

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall (or Fence)

You can use strategically-placed mirrors to create the illusion of extra space and make your garden seem bigger than it really is. The mirror doesn’t have to be on a wall; it can be on a fence or freestanding. A mirror can make a footpath appear twice as long, or a flower bed twice as lush. Just make sure you position it correctly – you don’t want two different views of the same rubbish tip or dustbin!

Keep Everything Tidy

Make sure you keep on top of the weeds because unwanted plants and overgrown flowerbeds will simply make the garden look crowded, unkempt and messy. It’s also important to make sure you prune your plants regularly to maximise their growth and ensure they stay healthy.

If you want to suppress weeds, then mulches are an excellent idea; they effectively suffocate any unwanted plants at source, and help the soil retain moisture in summer and protect plant roots in winter. As leading garden mulch suppliers, we offer a range of premium mulches and soil conditioners, including our exclusive mixtures, Tony’s Tonic and Denise’s Delight – rich blends of Black Fen soil, well-rotted horse manure, wood shavings, humus and plant nutrients.

Create a Courtyard

A courtyard-type space or patio that’s not crammed full of plants will make sure you get maximum use out of your garden. Hard landscaping like this with no lawns or large flowerbeds does away with lawn mowing and lowers the amount of maintenance work you need to do.

By highlighting and accentuating your garden’s best features with the right type of lighting, you’ll enjoy your garden as much at night time as you do during the day. When combined with comfortable garden furniture, warm, inviting lighting can provide the perfect ambience for evening al fresco dining, as well as providing security and safety.

We offer a range of different paving materials, including slabs and cement. Our Indian Sandstone and Premier Riven paving slabs come in a range of colours and textures to allow you to give your artistic side full rein as you can mix and match them to provide some interesting effects. We are also more than happy to advise on all paving enquiries.

Think Upwards

It may seem extravagant, but split-level decking or layered stepping stones can give you more space in your garden if you don’t have much room at ground level. These levels will offer somewhere to sit and relax or add potted plants to.

You could also consider trailing plants, such as wisteria or clematis, which could be attached to a trellis, or grown up a fence or wall, or the side of the garden shed. You can also buy specially-shaped pots or pouches which can be nailed to fences and walls too.

Small is Beautiful

There are many different types of plants you can grow to make your garden look attractive, however much you are constrained for space. Evergreens such as box plants will give you colour all year round and can also be cut or trained into interesting shapes. If you’re willing to put in a little extra work, you can plant seasonally and enjoy different, vibrant colour schemes from season to season.

Don’t get something which will grow too big and dominate all the other plants in the garden or deprive them of sunlight and moisture. If you want to go large, try potted plants which will not compete with anything else. It’s also worth experimenting with plants which will grow to different heights.

Striking varieties of lavender will perform well throughout the year and won’t take up too much space; while winter-flowering bulbs like crocus and tulip will provide an additional point of interest in the colder months, and the brighter the better.   

Madingley Mulch delivers top-quality garden supplies, including bulk bags of compost, soil conditioners, garden mulch and paving slabs, to customers in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. Click here to view our full range of products.

We can deliver in a range of ways, including bulk bags, small bags, pallet delivery, loose loads or weighbridge collections. We also offer a weekly delivery service to many towns and villages in the region, including Saffron Walden, Newmarket, Ely, Huntingdon and Royston. Please see our delivery page for more details.

The Benefits of Allotment Gardening

Cultivating an allotment can be one of the most rewarding and healthy pastimes one can pursue. Francis Bacon once said of growing a vegetable garden: “Indeed it is the purest of human pleasures. It is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man.”

There are so many benefits to having a space to grow your own fresh produce – a peaceful little haven that revitalises your senses. Madingley Mulch offers fast compost delivery to addresses in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, so you can grow your favourite fruit, vegetables and herbs yourself. Here we look at six benefits of tending an allotment.

Peace and a Sense of Accomplishment

Allotment gardening is a great way to relax and get away from the stresses and strains of everyday life. Not only can you enjoy the visual beauty of your allotment, but you can reap the many delicious and healthy rewards that grow above and below the soil.

Producing fresh fruit and vegetables on an allotment is a fantastic way to become more self-sufficient, save money and reduce your carbon footprint. It is also a great way to teach children first-hand where their fresh food comes from and how to grow it for themselves in the future.

Community Experience

Using an allotment can be a rewarding community experience. You are likely to make friends with like-minded people with similar interests and share knowledge and expertise with one another. Allotments are wonderful spaces of discovery for people of all ages, as more and more families participate in the ‘grow your own’ trend.

Health Improvements

Tending an allotment can be an excellent form of exercise for people of all ages and abilities. Spending just 30 minutes gardening on your allotment can burn around 150 calories –  the same as doing a low-intensity workout at the gym.

If you’re fair-skinned, spending as little as 15 minutes in the sunshine can increase your body’s level of vitamin D. For those with darker skin, up to 90 minutes of sun exposure will help raise your vitamin D levels. Being outside and working your allotment can help your body to ward off some illnesses. However, it is also important to consider the long-term health risks of spending time exposed to the sun, so please make sure you stay protected.

Financial Gains

When managed properly over the year, an allotment can produce enough fruit and vegetables to supplement a family’s weekly shop. This does require hard work and dedication, but even the smallest amount of produce grown is money saved from the supermarket.

Most people don’t use chemical pesticides on an allotment, so you’ll be able enjoy fresh organic fruit and vegetables without the ‘organic’ supermarket price tag. Also. if you have invested the time and energy to grow your produce, you’re less likely to let it go to waste.

Environmental Impact

By using an allotment to grow fresh produce, you will reduce your carbon footprint, which is often linked with driving to the supermarket. Similarly, when you buy less packaged food from supermarkets, you are creating less plastic and household waste.

You’ll be amazed by what you see while working at your allotment: just one square metre of land can support hundreds of species of insects, frogs, spiders, hedgehogs, and many other kinds of wildlife. Allotments provide local wildlife with sustainable habitats, and these include birds, foxes, badgers, bees, butterflies, slow-worms and many others.

Using Mulch on Your Allotment

When your allotment is established, you should take the time to add mulch around the base of your plants, avoiding the stems. Mulch is perfect for suppressing weeds and protecting the soil from the elements. In the summer, mulch helps to retain moisture in the soil and in the winter, it retains warmth for the roots of your plants. Madingley Mulch have a range of high-quality mulches and top soils, including our exclusive product Denise’s Delight, a mixture of Black Fen soil, horse manure, wood shavings and other plant nutrients.

Consider the soil and climate conditions of your allotment and experiment with trial and error. Some of the easiest and most rewarding crops to grow on allotments are peas, lettuce and other salad leaves, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, rhubarb and strawberries.

How Madingley Mulch Can Help

As experienced compost suppliers in Suffolk and Essex,

Madingley Mulch provides a regular mulch and compost delivery service to Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Orders within 15 miles of our HQ on the edge of Cambridge are delivered free, while deliveries up to 24.5 miles away have a £20 charge. We can also help organise deliveries further afield.

Give us a call today on 01954 212144 to speak to one of our friendly team or use our contact form.

Great Patio Garden Ideas

Patios can be traced back to Roman times, when only the wealthiest families could afford them. Today, however, they are an essential feature in any usable and functional garden space and can be put to a variety of different uses.

As specialist suppliers of paving slabs to customers in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex, Madingley Mulch takes a keen interest in all aspects of garden design and provides the highest-quality materials. Here we look at the main styles and uses of patios today.

Dining Alfresco

One of the most popular uses for a patio is for outdoor dining during the summer months or when entertaining guests. A patio doesn’t have to be reserved for barbecues, but should also be used for more sophisticated meals, at any time of the day. If it’s warm enough, you should get out there and use it!

Make sure you have durable garden furniture on your patio that can cope with the range of elements the British weather provides. Lighter plastic tables and chairs have been known to end up several gardens away after a strong gale.

If you are going to be using your patio simply for relaxing, then you should consider some comfier outdoor furniture instead of, or as well as, outdoor tables and chairs. These could include large weather-resistant beanbags, plastic sofas and armchairs or a wicker lounge set.

An awning is also a good idea, whether it is fixed to your property and extends over the patio or is freestanding. Awnings provide essential shade from the sun, as well as shelter if it begins to rain mid-barbecue.

If you are worried about a drop in temperature affecting your outdoor dining experience, particularly in the evening, you can use outdoor patio heaters, chimineas, fire pits and solar lighting.

Planting Out the Pots

Patios are an extension of your house and look great if you invest in a few plants to place around your patio. Reclaimed porcelain butler sinks, antique pots or old chimneys all look great with an attractive, colourful plant in.

You don’t need to be an avid gardener to keep a pot plant alive. There are hundreds of low-maintenance plants to choose from that require very little attention to stay looking great. With a little research, you can have flowers and plants blooming on your patio all year round.

Soaking up the Sun – or the Shade

What plants you get for your patio will depend on whether your patio is north- or south-facing. South-facing gardens will receive more sun, whereas north-facing gardens receive more shade.

If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your garden or on your patio, for health reasons, it may be a good idea to limit the amount of direct sunlight you get. Trellises, pergolas, panels and awnings can all help to provide you with the correct amount of shade you require. Training climbing plants like honeysuckle, jasmine or bluebell creepers across a trellis will catch the sun they need to grow while providing shade to you at the same time. They can also increase your privacy from any other properties that may be overlooking your garden.

Courtyard Gardens

These are primarily patios that are used as full garden spaces but are enclosed on three sides, with the fourth leading back into the house. If there aren’t enclosed walls, then you can effectively add them with fencing panels, trellises and climbing shrubs and plants to create a sense of enclosure.

Don’t overfill a courtyard patio with plants, as it will appear too crowded and may look as if the plants are just being stored there. Be strategic in where you place your plants and make sure they always receive enough direct sunlight. If shade cannot be avoided, try growing evergreen plants, such as hostas, daphnes or aucuba.

Madingley Mulch – Helping You Create a Perfect Patio

Whether you already have one or not, Madingley Mulch provides everything you need to create a beautiful patio. We stock a huge range of different paving materials for different uses and applications.

Our textured paving or our Riven slabs are excellent all-round surfaces which work well if your patio is going to be an outdoor dining area as well as an area to relax in; Indian Sandstone slabs are relatively slip-resistant, so young children playing outside are unlikely to hurt themselves; our Old Grey courtyard paving and Rutland Oakham works best if you are creating a courtyard garden.

We can advise on the best materials for the best application, from creating patios, paths and paved steps in a variety of different styles and colours. We can also provide an entire range of gardening products to get your patio looking beautiful.

If you would like to know more about the types of paving slab Madingley Mulch offer, click here. Our friendly, experienced staff will be happy to advise you on which type of paving slab will be best for your garden.

If it is difficult for you to transport our paving slabs to your home, we offer a regular delivery service to towns and villages in the region, including St Ives, St Neots, Huntingdon, Cambourne and Saffron Walden. Orders are delivered free to all addresses under 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge, while a standard £20 charge applies to all deliveries within 24.5 miles. We can also deliver to addresses further afield.

Spring Lawn Care Tips

Your lawn is one of the areas of the garden that should be a top priority over the spring months, as giving it a little care and attention now will pay dividends for the rest of the year.

Here are five top priorities for your garden’s grass this spring, courtesy of turf supplies specialists Madingley Mulch. We are based on the outskirts of Cambridge but supply a wide range of horticultural products to gardeners in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

 Time to Mow

Spring is the time when you should be thinking about giving your grass its first mowing of the year. It is best to make sure you wait until a dry day, as a wet cut could do more harm than good. Cut the grass on the mower’s highest setting to avoid any risk of damaging the surface.

Trimming the edges will also ensure you have a lawn to be proud of in the summer months. Alternatively, garden lawn edging will cut down on maintenance and give it a clearly defined border. We can supply decorative kerb edging stones which are ideal for pathways and drives as well as garden borders.

Weeding and Scarifying

Clover, dandelions and buttercups and daisies all compete with grass for space to grow, and they usually survive close, regular mowing. Spring is a good time to get rid of these invasive plants. Smaller ones can be removed by hand, but you may need to use an appropriate weedkiller for the larger, more established varieties.

Moss is another of the gardener’s worst enemies, spoiling the look of the grass and inhibiting its growth. It thrives whenever the lawn is too wet or too dry, or because the underlying soil is too acidic. Applying a quality moss-killer, followed by some vigorous raking or scarifying, can both be done in the spring, provided there is a mix of sunshine and rain which will allow the lawn to recover.

Feeding Time

Spring is the best time of year to apply fertiliser to your lawn, as this will also stifle the growth of moss and weeds. It should be applied when the soil is moist, or when more rain is expected. You may need more than one application to improve any problem patches.

 Reseed…

If your grass has suffered badly over winter, then consider reseeding bare patches or even returfing your lawn. If you opt to reseed, then you should break up the surface with a fork and rake it to provide a fine surface. Sow the grass seed, then rake the earth again. Some gentle watering may be necessary if the weather is fine; and keep off the grass until it has established itself.

Top dressing can also improve the condition of the turf, especially if there are dry patches showing. At Madingley Mulch our friendly, knowledgeable staff will be able to advise you about which lawn dressing is best for your grass.

…or Returf?

If you decide to returf your lawn or any other area of the garden, then good preparation will be key in helping your new grass establish itself. The area should be weed-free, but it is a good idea to avoid using weedkillers as they could harm the future growth of the grass.

As with reseeding, the lawn will have a better chance of flourishing if people avoid walking on it and, depending on the weather, will probably need daily watering. Regular applications of fertiliser about a month after the turf has been laid should give you a lovely green surface.

At Madingley Mulch  we can supply good-quality, locally-grown turf and lawn top dressing supplies for collection and delivery in Cambridgeshire, Essex, and other East Anglian counties.

Our weekday delivery service is available on all orders to towns and villages throughout the region, including Haverhill, Saffron Walden, Cambourne and Newmarket. Delivery is free to all addresses within 15 miles of our base on the outskirts of Cambridge, while a standard £20 charge applies to all places within 24.5 miles. Orders can be delivered to addresses further away as well.

Spring Jobs in Your Garden

Spring is one of the most important times of the year for the gardener, as carrying out a few simple tasks now can not only save you a lot of time later on but also make sure your garden looks good, particularly during the summer months.

 Madingley Mulch, who are based on the outskirts of Cambridge, stock a comprehensive range of outdoor gardening supplies to help keep your plants in pristine condition. Here are our five key spring jobs which you should consider making a priority. 

 Controlling Weeds and Slugs 

Weeds get a head start on other, more desirable plants as they can flourish in lower temperatures. Annual varieties which need to be kept under control in the spring include nettles and thistles. These can be removed by hand or by hoeing. Laying down a soil improver such as an organic bark or wood chip mulch will also help smother the weeds.

 Madingley Mulch supplies a wide range of mulches, composts and soil improvers for gardens in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire so we will be able to find the right one for your garden.

Slugs are another unwanted spring visitor, and they can cause a lot of damage to your plants. Gardeners should encourage toads and frogs, by installing a pond or large water container, as they will eat the pests. You can also position jars of beer or soapy water close to vulnerable plants to trap and drown the slugs.

 A Good Time to Prune

Many shrubs like lavender, buddleias and fuchsias, require pruning at this time of year. Removing any diseased or dying stems will help promote fresh growth later in the summer.

 Rose bushes should also be pruned during spring. Make sure your secateurs are sharp, and make any cuts no more than 5mm above a bud and sloping away from it. This will ensure that any rainwater does not collect on the bud. This applies to all cuts, whether removing dead wood, deadheading or annual pruning

Plant Bulbs for Summer Colour

Tender summer-flowering bulbs should be planted in the spring months. Gladioli, begonias and dahlias are the most reliable varieties and will give you plenty of colour once summer comes. They can initially be planted in pots, and then transferred into beds later once they have become established.

Many summer bulbs, like alliums and agapanthus, prefer a sunny spot with free-draining soil. If the earth is too moist, then the roots can rot. Other varieties, such as lilies and begonias, prefer their soil rich and damp.

 Trees and Shrubs 

Spring is a good time to plant trees and conifers, as, when the soil begins to warm up, the roots will soon start to grow. Deciduous varieties can be planted up until the end of March, while evergreen species can be grown from April onwards. Keep them widely spaced so they do not compete with other plants.

Mulch Beds and Borders

Whether you are planting or weeding, putting down a layer of mulch is a vital component in improving the look of your garden. As well as suppressing weeds and other pests, spreading mulch in borders and beds in early spring will also help retain moisture, which will ensure the plants do not dry out too quickly in the heat of the summer.   

 In East Anglia, mulches are particularly useful as they can help improve the quality of the heavy clay soil which is common throughout the region. At Madingley Mulch we can supply a wide selection of mulches and other soil improvers for gardens across Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

 Denise’s Delight is a product, which is exclusive to Madingley Mulch and contains Black Fen soil, well-rotted horse manure, wood shavings and plant nutrients. It is particularly suitable for raised beds.

We offer a regular weekday delivery service to towns and villages across the region, including St Ives, St Neots and Royston. Orders are delivered free to all addresses under 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge, and a standard £20 charge applies to all deliveries within 24.5 miles. Deliveries to addresses further afield can also be arranged.

 

A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Vegetables

One of the most satisfying experiences for any gardener is being able to grow and eat your own vegetables. This can give you a real sense of achievement and also cuts the size of your grocery bill.  

If you are growing your own for the first time, Madingley Mulch has compiled this guide to help fill your dinner plates with your own fresh, tasty produce. We are suppliers of bark much, soil conditioners and other products which will help you to grow great vegetables, all ideal to enhance the soil types in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire.

The Best Location

Most vegetables prefer a bed with plenty of sun, so try to pick an area of your garden which is south-facing. However, you will still get decent crops of some types of vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach, in shady areas.

You should also steer clear of areas which are exposed to the wind; cucumbers and tomatoes in particular like plenty of protection. If planting in a more exposed area is unavoidable, consider putting in fencing panels or wind breaks. It is also a good idea to plant your vegetables well away from any large trees and hedges, as these can deprive them of valuable moisture as well as sunlight. 

Preparing the Ground

If you are digging out a patch for the first time, spend plenty of time clearing out the weeds. Japanese knotweed, ground elder and bindweed are among the likeliest types to appear in UK gardens.

Where your new area is going to replace a patch of grass, then dig out the turf and stack it upside down; this way it will eventually compost into topsoil, which can then be recycled a few months later.

Adding manure, mulch or compost to the earth in any vegetable plot is a good idea; it gives more substance to light soils, while heavier earth with plenty of clay drains much better. If you are looking to enrich your soil, try Denise’s Delight, our exclusive product which contains Black Fen soil, horse manure, wood shavings and plant nutrients, giving it all the advantages of both soil and compost.

The Best Vegetables to Try

Salad leaves like lettuce, rocket and spinach are easy to grow and bring quick results. They are best sown in stages, so you don’t end up with more than you can eat. Radishes are also straightforward to grow and can be cultivated in pots as well as in the ground.

If you want to grow vegetables which require very little maintenance, then consider planting onion sets. These are baby onions which need only a little watering in dry spells. Rhubarb also needs very little ongoing care and attention and hardy varieties can be planted in the autumn and winter months. Broad and runner beans are also easy to cultivate, but you will need to create a frame of wire or bamboo canes for them to grow up.

Keeping Weeds at Bay

It is a good idea to lay sheets of clear plastic on the ground for a couple of weeks in late spring. This encourages any weed seeds in the earth to germinate. Once you remove the sheet, they can easily be removed by hand. It also warms the soil, meaning you can plant any seeds earlier in the year.

A carpet of mulch will also help to suppress weed growth. At Madingley Mulch we are expert bark mulch suppliers, and we supply other mulches such as rustic mulch, pathway chips and decorative mulch, to help keep weeds down and improve the look of your garden at the same time.   Other products to prevent weeds taking hold include Groundtex weed suppressing membranes and Roundup weedkiller,

Madingley Mulch can also supply a comprehensive selection of other gardening products, including decorative stones, turf, paving slabs and fencing panels to gardeners in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. Click here to browse our product range.

All orders can be delivered free to addresses within 15 miles of our base on the outskirts of Cambridge, and there is a standard £20 charge to all addresses within 24.5 miles. Towns and villages which we offer a regular delivery service to include Comberton, Coton, Hardwick, Ely, Newmarket and Cambridge.

Spotting the Hottest Gardening Trends in 2018

This year promises to bring some exciting new horticultural trends which are suitable for all types of gardens. At Cambridge outdoor gardening supplies company Madingley Mulch we keep abreast of all the latest developments in gardens and garden design. Here are our predictions for what will be popular in the coming months.

Growing Your Own Fruit and Veg

Buying vegetables from your local supermarket or greengrocer is unlikely to get any cheaper during the year. This, coupled with the growing popularity of veganism and vegetarianism, means that more people are likely to devote at least part of their garden to a vegetable plot.

The addition of a greenhouse will give you fresh fruit and veg all the year round. In smaller-sized gardens, French, broad and runner beans all make very efficient use of space as they grow vertically. Using soil conditioners, such as spent mushroom compost and our own special products Denise’s Delight and Tony’s Tonic, or mulches will enrich the soil and ensure you get a good crop of vegetables. Herbs, tomatoes and salad leaves can all flourish in window boxes and on patios.

Adding a Touch of Colour

Gardens are a blank canvas, waiting to be filled, and in 2018 many colourful varieties of hibiscus and petunia are predicted to have a good year, following on from their success at various trade and horticultural shows. Strategically placed potted plants can also give added zest to a patio and other areas of the garden.

However, many gardeners will be going for a more natural look, by planting plenty of lush greenery. Low-level ferns and tufted grasses work particularly well if your garden has plenty of shade.  Another way of achieving this is to letting moss grow over stones and allowing existing plants such as perennials to go unpruned. You can also brighten up your garden by choosing coloured gravels, such as plum or purple slate chippings, or decorative garden stones, for your paths and edgings.

Going Alfresco…

The idea of creating an ‘outdoor living room’ in your garden looks set to continue in 2018.  This can mean laying down a new patio, or improving an existing one by adding attractive patio paving slabs.  Having two garden benches facing one another will let you create an intimate area, and you can add further touches like tables, subtle lighting, and fire pits. You will then be able to wine and dine with your family and friends in the comfort and seclusion of your own garden.

At Madingley Mulch we supply a range of patio paving slabs to create your perfect outdoor space. These include Premier Riven and Indian Sandstone slabs, which come in a choice of colours for a superior decorative finish, while our Rutland Oakham gives you a more natural look.

…and Moving Indoors

The process can also work in reverse, with the garden being brought into your home. Houseplants like chrysanthemums and hydrangeas are likely to be popular in brightening up an interior, while species like aloe vera will improve the air quality by absorbing some of the atmosphere’s harmful chemicals.

Madingley Mulch, (https://www.mulch.co.uk/products-pricing/) supply a wide range of outdoor gardening products to customers in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Our staff can provide plenty of helpful advice if you want to keep up with all the latest trends. Follow the link above to see our current range.

 

We offer a regular delivery service to towns and villages in the region, including St Ives, St Neots, Huntingdon, Cambourne and Saffron Walden. Orders are delivered free to all addresses which are under 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge, while a standard £20 charge applies to all deliveries within 24.5 miles. We can also deliver to addresses further afield.

Getting Your Garden Ready for Spring

It may not be the prime growing season, but there are still plenty of jobs you can do in and around the garden now which will ensure it is in pristine condition come spring and summer.

As an experienced garden supplies company, based in Cambridge and supplying customers in Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk, Madingley Mulch has compiled these top tips on getting your garden ready for spring..

Keep It Clean

Keeping on top of all the messy jobs will save you time when you do start planting. Now is a good time to clean out your greenhouse and garden shed. Wash the floor and benches, clean out any seed trays, and get rid of any plant debris on the floor. Pests can also get into all sorts of nooks and crannies in greenhouse glass so this should be disinfected as well.

Poorly-maintained tools can also spread disease. Cleaning and sharpening bladed tools such as secateurs now will save you time when you need to do some serious pruning, while applying oil will help keep any rust at bay.

Beware of Weeds

Perennial weeds can still grow over the winter months. Forking these out by hand or removing them with a hoe will keep them under control. Laying down a quality mulch will help to combat weeds, while another option for some areas, particularly under gravels, is to use a weed suppressing membrane. We stock Groundtex, a heavy-duty membrane which is also resistant to any animal activity.

Prepare Your Soil

Before planting your spring plants and crops, it is a good idea to enrich the soil. Madingley Mulch’s exclusive product Denise’s Delight is a mixture of Black Fen soil, horse manure, wood shavings and humus which will add nutrients to your garden soil. We also stock other 

Prune Larger Plants

You can start pruning apple and pear trees early in the New Year to encourage better growth in the spring. If the weather is good enough, you can move some plants such as deciduous shrubs to a better spot, preserving as much of the original root as possible. 

Start Sowing Seeds

Some flowers and vegetables have a longer growing season so now is an ideal time to plant them. Geraniums, begonias, peppers and aubergines can all be started in heated propagators to ensure good growth. Fruit bushes such as redcurrants and blackcurrants can also be planted in February. You can also do some forward planning, working out where you are going to put plants and vegetables in the year ahead, and buying any packets of seeds.

Keep Everything Secure

The weather can be quite severe over the winter months, so it is worthwhile spending some time making sure your garden is as secure as possible. Make sure any fence panels are in good condition, and, if you have a dry day, give them a fresh coat of paint or preservative.

Consider covering any vulnerable plants with netting or mesh to protect them from the worst of the weather as well as from hungry birds and pests.

Madingley Mulch supplies a range of garden products, including mulches, turf, fencing panels and soil conditioners, to customers in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Bedfordshire. Click on the link above to see our range.

We offer free delivery on all orders to addresses within 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge, and there is a standard £20 charge for all orders within 24.5 miles. Towns and villages we provide a regular delivery service to include St Neots, St Ives, Swavesey and Cambourne.

New Year Resolutions for the Keen Gardener

The New Year is a time for making resolutions, and gardeners are no exception.  As soil improver specialists, Madingley Mulch are experts in helping horticulturalists plan ahead and get more out of their garden. Here we suggest five of the top priorities for the coming year for gardeners in Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Try Out Some New Plants (and Vegetables)

Although you may not see the full benefit immediately, planting some different small trees and shrubs can add splashes of colour to your garden, provide you with some tasty fruit and support wildlife. Whatever you decide, try to make it a species which is native to this country, as it will have a better chance of flourishing.

Growing some new vegetables, or creating a patch from scratch, will give you some delicious home-grown produce to try, and reduce the size of your grocery bill.

Remember the Wildlife

Installing bird feeders and nesting boxes will add extra points of interest to your garden, particularly for children. For gardens where space is at a premium, roof terraces and window boxes can be used to attract bees and butterflies, which will also help with pollination.

If you have room, you could consider installing a pond; not only can you put fish in it, but you will also attract other forms of wildlife, including dragonflies and water beetles. They are also ideal for birds to bathe in. Make sure at least one side of the pond has a gentle slope, so creatures can get in and out easily.

Feed Your Plants Organically

Another resolution gardeners should make is to use organic matter rather than liquid feed to nourish plants. Compost and mulch is better for the whole soil, rather than just individual plants.

Madingley Mulch supplies a range of soil improvers and conditioners, composts and mulches, including Denise’s Delight. This exclusive mulch mixture contains Black Fen soil, plant nutrients, horse manure and wood shavings, which is great for growing strong and healthy plants.

Be Creative with your Space

Don’t be afraid to think laterally to give your plants a better chance of surviving. You could create some raised beds, and use plenty of containers and pots. This will spread out your plants and give them a better chance of surviving and flourishing. It will also give protection, reducing the chances of them being trampled down or damaged, and mean you can water them much more accurately and effectively.

Enjoy It

If you set aside time every week for chores such as weeding, then that will help keep your garden looking trim and tidy and you won’t have to spend large amounts of time keeping it under control. Remember your garden is something that should be enjoyed as well as worked in.

Madingley Mulch supply a range of mulches, composts and other soil improvers, to gardeners in Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Our garden, DIY and building materials shop also has a range of helpful horticultural accessories. Follow the link above to see our range of stock.  

 

We offer regular deliveries to towns and villages including Royston, Ely, Huntingdon and Saffron Walden.  All orders can be delivered free to addresses within 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge, and a standard £20 charge applies to deliveries within 24.5 miles. We can also deliver to addresses further afield.

Adding Colour to Your Garden in Winter

With a little careful planning and planting, you can still have a garden which will brighten up the dullest of winter days.

At outdoor gardening supplies company Madingley Mulch, we provide a range of products and helpful advice all the year round from our Cambridge base for gardeners in Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk as well as Cambridgeshire. Here are our top tips for adding colour to your garden in winter.   

Small is Beautiful and Colourful

Even though the peak growing season is over, some plants will still flower in the colder months of the year. Winter aconites will produce a vivid yellow flower and do particularly well in wilder, more natural gardens.

Several winter-flowering varieties of heather will also flourish, while winter pansies can flower right through autumn, winter and into spring. You may be better off planting these in hanging baskets or pots and you should make sure that you get rid of any dead flowers.

Larger Plants and Shrubs Can Thrive Too

Herbs like rosemary, lavender and thyme will add colour to your garden and will also help you add some flavour to your cooking.

Conifers can also add plenty of colour to your garden, and if space is limited then consider planting slow-growing varieties. Another plant to consider growing is the clematis, as some types can flower from November right through to March.

Stones and Slabs Can Add Colour

Putting down new gravel or stone pathways or even laying down a new patio can add colour and definition to your garden. We can supply various types of paving stone from our base in Cambridge, such as our Premier Riven slabs which come in four different colours which can form an attractive pattern on any patio.

We can also supply a range of decorative stones, such as our 20mm red granite chippings or Staffordshire pink pebbles, for an additional splash of colour. These will also help act as a mulch to your borders and help your garden drain more easily.

Another hard landscaping method you can use to brighten up your garden in winter is to give any fences a fresh lick of paint.

Celebrating Christmas

You can give nature a helping hand to look even more colourful, particularly over the festive period. Christmas lights can be added to trees and shrubs in your garden as well as being used indoors. Planting additional holly bushes will underline the approach of Christmas and add extra splashes of green and red to your garden.

All orders from outdoor gardening supplies specialists Madingley Mulch can be delivered free to all addresses within 15 miles of our base on the outskirts of Cambridge, and a standard £20 delivery charge applies to all orders within 24.5 miles. Our delivery service operates in towns and villages across the region, including St Ives, St Neots, Longstanton and Saffron Walden. We can also organise deliveries further afield.

Follow the link above to find out more about our current range of stock. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will be able to plenty of helpful advice on how to add some colour to your garden in winter.