As the weather gets colder and damper, many of us start using our log burners or fire pits. Here are some Simple Tips for Drying Logs.
Gathering around a traditional fire with family and friends during autumn and winter creates a cozy, relaxing atmosphere and is cost-effective for warmth.
However, a common problem arises: logs kept for burning often become too damp to light.
To solve this, we’ve put together three Simple Tips for Drying Logs, ensuring you can light your fire in no time.
Protective Storage
To dry and maintain ready-to-use logs, shelter them properly.
Store your logs in a place where the sun and wind can reach them. This helps evaporate moisture while protecting against rain and dampness.
A log store is ideal for this purpose. Grangewood log stores have a sloped waterproof roof, protecting firewood from rain. The off-ground base prevents surface moisture from seeping into your logs.
Our log stores come in various shapes, sizes, and colours. They are made with FSC-approved, environmentally sustainable, and weatherproof wood. Pinterest also has some great DIY options.
This setup keeps your garden tidy and ensures you have seasoned firewood ready to use anytime.
The natural air drying process is the most common way to dry firewood.
Split the logs into smaller pieces and stack them to allow air circulation. The sun and wind help evaporate most of the wood’s moisture.
Traditional air drying can take months, especially for softwoods with high moisture content. Use a dehumidifier to speed up the process for pre-seasoned wood, but store the logs in a room or shed.
Choose hardwood like oak or hickory for firewood. Hardwood dries faster when exposed to moisture and burns longer.
Kiln Drying
Traditionally designed for baking clay and pottery, a kiln can also rapidly accelerate the log drying process.
By placing the wood into a temperature controlled kiln, you can regulate humidity and air flow, resulting in wood that is consistently dry throughout the entire batch.
A kiln can also help to preserve the colour and quality of your logs by reducing warping, cracking and insect infestation. Most modern kilns are also designed to be energy efficient with minimal energy consumption and environmental impact.
Providing both consistency and speed, the use of a kiln is ideal for ensuring that dried firewood is always available. However, it is worth noting that a high quality kiln suitable for residential use will require a significant investment.
Alternatively, if you require immediate access to firewood or simply don’t have the space for a kiln, we stock high quality kiln dried logs that are ready to use.
Solutions from Grangewood
Here at Grangewood Fencing, we understand how important your garden space is, our wide range of fencing and garden products are designed to the levels of highest quality.
For more expert garden tips, visit our blog section or to learn more about any of our products, feel free to contact us today.
If you want to see Grangewood Fencing’s products in action for yourself, see our customer testimonials to discover our high quality and competitively priced solutions.
Tips For An Autumn Proof Garden
Summer 2024 hasn’t delivered great weather. For most of us, it felt like April shower all year. To prolong any joy, lets look at Tips For An Autumn Proof Garden.
Now, as we enter autumn, we look forward to cozy evenings and nature walks. Of course, we also anticipate stunning autumn foliage.
However, it’s important to consider how to keep your garden in top condition.
Let’s explore our top 5 tips for autumn-proofing your garden. Embrace the changing seasons!
Seasonal Maintenance
To keep your garden vibrant and also healthy as seasons shift, adjust your maintenance routine.
First then, begin with regular debris removal.
In autumn, fallen leaves and spent plants become more common. Remove debris often to keep your garden clean and tidy also. This also lowers the risk of pests and plant diseases.
Continue regular lawn mowing and trim overgrown branches and bushes.
Add excess trimmings, leaves, and grass clippings to your compost bin. This will enrich your garden soil for next spring.
Autumn Plants
Protective Fencing
Whilst it is important to add autumnal plants and flowers to your garden, it is important to remember that with autumn, comes blustery winds and drops in temperature.
This means that it is well worth considering adding a protective fence around vulnerable plants and vegetation.
Here at Grangewood, we have a range of fencing options that will not only shield any fragile plants from the elements but also add a touch of elegance and visual appeal.
Our range includes –
- Brown Framed Closeboard Panels – Pressure Treated Fencing
- Brown Contractor Closeboard Panels – Pressure Treated Fencing
- Green Closeboard Panels – Pressure Treated Fencing
- Gold Framed Closeboard Panels – Treated Fencing
With our closeboard, pressure treated fence panels, you can install a sturdy yet attractive border for your vegetation.
Care For Your Garden Structures
Garden structures such as –
Will all require added protection against the autumn weather.
Inspect your garden structures, identifying any signs of damage, wear or structural stability.
Also, repair for any potential cracks, rot or loose nails/screws to ensure that your garden structures are able to withstand the changing seasons.
It is also worth applying a fresh layer of protective coatings, enhancing weather resistance will be crucial for your outdoor structures as the days grow cooler.
This means adding weather resistant stain and wood preserver to your garden structures to preserve them throughout the colder months and ensure their functionality.
Don’t Abandon Your Garden!
For our final tip, as simple as it seems, remember to enjoy your autumnal garden!
Without the sun to entice us outside it can be easy to let your garden space become unused throughout autumn and winter but that shouldn’t be the case.
Of course, make sure that everyone is wrapped up warm but even in autumn there are a wide range of fun and productive activities that you can still enjoy in the garden, this includes –
- Setting Up Bird Feeders or Animal Shelters
- Creating a Fire Pit
- Star Gazing
- Plant Bulbs
- Harvest Summer Fruit & Vegetables
As long as your garden is well maintained and any furniture is covered from the rain then there is no reason that you can’t still enjoy your outdoor space with your family and friends.
For more expert garden tips, visit our blog section or to learn more about any of our products, feel free to contact us today.
If you want to see Grangewood Fencing’s products in action for yourself, see our customer testimonials to discover our high quality and competitively priced solutions.
Versatile, easy to install and simple to cut to size, railway sleepers are becoming an increasingly popular feature for garden decoration.
Available in a variety of styles and textures, these simple rectangles of sawn timber were originally designed for use on railway tracks (hence the name).
However, creative landscapers have been able to utilise railway sleepers for a wide variety of garden projects, providing a clean yet rustic aesthetic appeal in a range of applications.
Let’s explore 5 of the most effective uses for railway sleepers in your garden.
Garden Steps
A beautiful alternative to traditional concrete steps, railway sleepers offer a more natural look whilst maintaining durability.
New oak railway sleepers are well suited for building sturdy garden steps, their dense and robust nature means that they do not require pretreatment before use as they are naturally resistant to weathering, rot and insect damage.
Deep steps built with railway sleepers can be enhanced further by filling them with stones or bark chippings, this not only increases visual appeal, it also limits the risk of your steps becoming slippery.
Filling railway sleeper garden steps is a simple process, apply your chosen stones, shale or bark chippings, ensure that all materials are tightly compacted into the steps and level with the top of the sleeper to provide a solid surface.
Raised Flower Beds
Add more growing areas to your garden with cost effective railway sleeper raised beds, perfect for getting the most out of your space.
If your garden is predominantly paved, utilising raised beds means that you can still grow stunning flowers, fruits or vegetables.
Raised beds also offer a greater range of options in terms of the soil or compost you wish to use, the height you want your beds to sit at and allow any area of the garden to become a flourishing growing area.
Softwood railway sleepers are perfect for constructing your raised flower beds, pressure treated to provide added protection from fungal decay or wood rot, softwood rail sleepers maintain their structural integrity even when exposed to the elements.
Edges and Borders
Create a beautiful rustic divide between lawns and flowered areas with railway sleeper edges.
Providing a simple yet effective way of bordering your space, railway sleepers can even be used to create a curb effect around a driveway, protecting your lawn and flowers.
Simply dig a shallow trench into the soil to lay your railway sleepers into, considering whether you want your railway sleepers to be flush with the ground or slightly raised.
Ensure that the ground is level before securing your railway sleepers with a wooden stake or metal spike to prevent it from moving or becoming loose over time.
When your sleeper is in place, make sure to fill any small gaps around the railway sleeper to improve the final appearance.
Benches or Tables
Add additional seating space to your garden that retains a natural rustic look.
Using railway sleepers to build garden furniture is relatively simple too and only requires –
- Circular or bandsaw
- Drill and screws
- Sandpaper
- Wood preservative
Simply cut your railway sleepers to your desired size, sand the edges and surfaces to remove any rough areas or splinters and lay your cut sleepers into the configuration of your bench or table.
You will then need to drill holes in the areas of the sleepers that will be joined and attach the railway sleepers using screws, you may also want to use metal brackets for added support.
Once your chosen structure has taken shape, sand the whole surface to ensure a smooth surface and apply a wood preserver to protect against weathering.
Children’s Sandpit
Bring a piece of the beach garden with a cost effective sandpit made from railway sleepers.
A quick and easy build that will supply endless hours of fun, the process is essentially the same as the one used to create our raised flower beds.
The difference is that this time, the sandpit will be at ground level, and rather than drilling holes for drainage, we will be creating a tightly sealed unit, lined with a plastic membrane to ensure sand is not able to leak out.
Once your sandpit structure is fasted together and sanded down, apply your desired wood stain or preserver and fill with sand, it really is that easy!
High Quality Railway Sleepers
At Grangewood Fencing, we stock a range of hardwood and softwood railway sleepers to suit all applications.
We even stock authentic reclaimed railway sleepers to provide a truly classic look.
For more information about our range of railway sleepers, contact us today!
Or for more inspiring ideas for your next garden project, visit our blog for handy tips.
Easy to install, versatile and designed to suit all garden styles. A garden trellis is a simple, yet attractive addition to your garden that can maximise space, improve privacy and at the same time enhance aesthetic appeal.
What is a Trellis?
Trellises are a multi-purpose framework structure available in a range of sizes, shapes and designs meaning they can be seamlessly incorporated into any outdoor space.
Able to not only add a privacy-enhancing barrier, a garden trellis can be used to support climbing plants such as vines, flowers and even vegetables, offering greater airflow and exposure to sunlight.
Garden Trellises typically have three main applications –
- Fence Top Trellis: Serving to add height and privacy, whilst not blocking out natural light, a trellis can be easily installed to existing fencing and is simple to remove if required. Maximising your vertical space and also providing increased security as a general deterrent for anyone who would attempt to climb over.
- Freestanding Trellis: A freestanding trellis is often applied when flexibility is needed in that it can be installed anywhere within the garden, and moved or adapted to suit your changing needs. With the addition of climbing vines or plants, a freestanding trellis can be used as a natural divider to create a relaxing secluded area or in your garden with the added benefit of creating some shade on those hotter days.
- Wall-Mounted Trellis: In gardens where space can be limited a wall-mounted trellis adds an eye-catching decorative touch and can even be used to hide any unsightly walls or structures. Whilst being effective at saving ground space, a wall-mounted trellis is a practical and attractive feature that can be used to increase the visual appeal of any garden, balcony or patio.
If you are considering adding a trellis to your garden, we have put together a list of 5 amazing garden trellises to provide you with some inspiration and ensure that you pick the correct trellis for your requirements, whether that be simple decoration or adding privacy/security.
Dome Top Diamond Trellis
Made from the highest quality pressure-treated wood, the Dome Top Diamond Trellis serves as the perfect support for climbing plants due to its sturdy and intricate diamond lattice.
The distinctive dome shape adds a unique and eye-catching element to your garden thanks to its smoothly planed rounded corners whilst the diamond-shaped grids provide pattern and texture.
Due to its size, the Dome Top Diamond Trellis is perfect for use as either freestanding or wall-mounted applications to add a touch of simple elegance to your outdoor space.
Dome Top Diamond Trellis Topper
With all of the aesthetic appeal of its larger counterpart just refined into a more compact design, the Dome Top Diamond Trellis Topper provides the same level of visual interest but in a size perfectly suited to being attached to the top of an existing fence or wall.
Offering the same climbing plant support properties and subtle structural intricacy as its full-sized variation, the topper is perfect for creating a stunning natural privacy screen that is pleasant to look at for both you and your neighbour, allowing you to get the most out of your vertical space.
Bow Top Diamond Trellis Topper
Another addition to our lineup of Trellis Topper products, the Bow Top Diamond Trellis Topper makes for an easy-to-install decorative feature for your current fence or wall.
With a sharper design to its dome-shaped alternative, this stunning topper offers a more traditional aesthetic to your garden space.
Its bow-shaped design also allows for more natural light.
Flat Top Square Trellis
Available in a range of height options, the Flat Top Square Trellis gives you greater versatility in terms of its applications, depending on the size of trellis you choose, the square trellis can serve as a freestanding, wall-mounted or fence-topping trellis.
A popular choice for contemporary garden designs, the flat top of the trellis provides a sleek and modern appearance offering a stunning visual focal point.
Given the wider, square-shaped lattice, this design makes an ideal living wall of foliage and flowers, providing a natural privacy wall.
Omega Screen
Add a touch of luxury and character to your garden space with the Omega Screen Trellis.
The Omega Screen can be applied to existing walls and fences, or serve as a freestanding divider or decorative privacy feature.
This eye-catching design offers a more premium feel than typical trellises due to its elegant curved top which acts in contrast to the straight symmetrical lattices.
Suitable for a range of applications to provide privacy, decorations or both. The Omega Screen Trellis is sure to be a worthy addition to your garden design.
Trellises From Grangewood
At Grangewood Fencing, our 20+ years of experience means that we have the knowledge and expertise to align you with your ideal fencing solution.
Our extensive range of products covers everything from garden decking to decorative fencing.
To learn more about any of our fencing products, including our range of trellises, contact us here.