2 Feb

9 Jobs to do in your garden this February

Garden tasks for February checklist

1) Pot hardy spring bedding flowers, such as primroses, wallflowers and forget-me-nots, in containers to ensure a pretty and colourful spring flowering.

2) The majority of veggies will need to be planted in the spring so prepare your vegetable beds for sowing in advance. Weed the beds thoroughly and then cover with a generous layer of garden compost.

3) Plant summer bulbs in pots and keep in a greenhouse or inside your home. These summer blossoming plants include liatris, begonias, lilies, eucomis and agapanthus. Don’t forget to wash the inside and outside of your windows to ensure as much light and warmth can filter through the panes as possible.

4) Remove any faded or yellowing leaves from overwintering plants to not only improve their look but to help prevent dreaded fungal diseases from developing or spreading.

5) If you love looking out and seeing a sea of snowdrops in your garden, February is a great time to cultivate more of these pretty plants for free. All you have to do is lift and divide the bulbs once they have finished flowering and plant the offshoots in pots, ready to distribute to other areas of the garden once they have germinated.

6) Warm spring days will (hopefully) be with us before we know it so get your patio ready now to prepare for the extra time we can spend outside. You can do this by blasting away dirt and debris from your paving slabs with a power-washer and adding some interest with decorative stones.

7) If your gravel driveway or garden paths are looking a bit sorry after all the winter rain, now is a great time to replenish them with extra gravel to instantly improve the aesthetic of your garden.

8) Improve your soil with a good layer of garden compost or well-rotted manure over your beds and make sure to fork it in well.

9) Put out nourishing fat balls for birds who need a good meal this month. Hungry birds will also forage in your beds and lawn to remove those pesky plant eating pests.

 MB Wilkes is a leading Dorset supplier of garden and landscape materials with a fantastic range of products for sale, including soil and topsoils, gravel and decorative stones. If you’d like more information about any of our products, please don’t hesitate to contact us today on 01202 857465.

More general

15 Oct
4 brilliant uses for garden sleepers
Create raised flowerbeds Attractive, durable and natural, hardwood garden sleepers are perfect for creating raised flowerbeds. Depending on how high you want the flower bed, simply stack the sleepers one on top of the other to reach the desired height and secure. For added interest, why not crate flowerbeds of various heights? Line pathways in your garden When you have sent time and effort curating the perfect lawn, the last thing you want is for someone to run all over it! Prevent unruly feet trampling your meticulously maintained grass by defining clear pathways with garden sleepers lining the edges. Not only will the raised sides provide a natural barrier between the path and the lawn but they will look beautiful too. Sleepers make beautiful steps For charming, rustic steps that are quick and easy to install, garden sleepers are a great alternative to concrete or paving. Use the sleepers to edge the step and fill it in with attractive gravel or decorative stones. Steps in your garden, either from decking or on a slope, not only help you navigate around safely, but also helps define the different areas of your garden.  Build your own garden furniture If you’re a dab hand at DIY, why not use garden sleepers to create unique and striking garden furniture? From a simple bench to a full alfresco dining set with table and chairs, the possibilities end only with your imagination. As a natural material, your gorgeous bespoke furniture will blend in seamlessly with your garden and provide a fantastic talking point at your next BBQ. If you’re feeling really adventurous, you could even try building a garden swing!  Are you feeling inspired to add sleepers to your garden? From new pine sleepers to grade A reclaimed sleepers, you’ll find a great selection at MB Wilkes, Dorset’s leading supplier of landscaping materials and products. To learn more, contact us today on 01258 857465.
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30 Sep
Your driveway gravel options
At MB Wilkes we stock a wide range of gravel in various stones, shapes and colours, so to help you narrow down your search, we’ve created this quick guide to some of our most popular options. Blue Slate 20mm – this simply stunning driveway gravel is made from blue slate chipping which boasts an ever shifting blue/grey tone. Contrast the neutral colour with bright evergreens for a sophisticated driveway all year round. Shingle – the classic driveway gravel, our shingles come in 2mm, 6mm, 10mm and 20mm varieties. No matter which size you choose, each option boasts a beautiful light golden flint colour, varying from deep black to the lightest gold. Scottish pebbles – for driveway gravel that’s a little different, opt for Scottish pebble in our 8mm – 14mm variety. The smooth stones are mainly a mixture of greys, browns and pinks though you’ll spot other colours poking through. The pebbles look particularly attractive when paired with pots bursting with colourful plants. Red granite – create real impact with red granite gravel. As the name suggests, this gravel is a bright red/terracotta colour that makes a beautiful, striking driveway for any home. Due to its durability, it’s ideal for high traffic areas. Cotswold Chippings – if you’re looking for a more traditional style of driveway gravel, then Cotswold Chippings are the ideal choice for you. Their gentle, creamy gold colour evokes a warm, welcoming atmosphere that complements a country style home perfectly. Basalt gravel – this driveway gravel has seen a rise in popularity over recent years thanks to its modern grey colouring. Resistant to moss and high volumes of traffic, basalt gravel will stay looking pristine for years with little maintenance on your part. A family owned sand and gravel quarry, MB Wilkes are leading suppliers of driveway gravel in Dorset and the surrounding areas. To learn more about our full range of gravel or other landscaping supplies, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team today on 01258 857465.
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9 Sep
How to get your garden ready for autumn
Garden stones add year-round interest As the cold weather creeps in, the beautiful bright colours of summer slowly fade to leave bare branches and empty flower beds. Evergreen plants help to keep your garden green during the winter but to help break up the uniformity, try adding different decorative garden stones to your garden, such as the beautiful Cotswold Cobbles or classic black slate, and ensure your garden stays beautiful and interesting all year round. Clean your garden patio slabs With BBQs and garden parties on hold until the warmer months, now is the perfect time to give your garden patio slabs a thorough clean by either pressure washing or a good old fashion scrub with an appropriate cleaner. While you’re out there with all the tools, give your patio furniture a thorough clean too. Cut back overgrown garden plants Take back control over your garden by cutting back trees and shrubs that have thrived during the summer. Not only will this help keep your garden tidy over the winter but will encourage regrowth next year. While you’re doing this, look for signs of disease on your perennials, such as spotty leaves or rotting stems, and apply the appropriate treatment. Improve the quality of your soil Over the summer, plants soak up all the goodness from the soil to help them grow so come autumn, the soil’s nutrients can be seriously depleted. Therefore, now is an ideal time to add mulch, manure and compost to your existing soil to enhance its quality over the coming months, ready for new growth in the spring. Make sure you cover all areas where you’d like regrowth (avoiding covering any plants that are left) and mix the soil and fertiliser well with a garden fork.  From our family run quarry in the heart of Dorset, MB Wilkes is a leading supplier of garden soil, landscaping products and garden stones. Browse our full collection of garden supplies online or call our team today on 01258 857465 for more information on any of our products.
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Most Recent Stories

15 May
Summer Gardening Tips and Tricks
The summer months are a busy time for gardeners, as gardening offers a great opportunity to enjoy those long, warm days and evenings. Despite most of the planting of flowers and vegetables being done earlier in the spring, there is plenty to be done over the summer. May and June are ideal times for bedding plants to be planted out, raising foliage plants, and sowing several outdoor seed varieties, including Alstroemeria, Achillea, Arabis, Canterbury Bells, Coreopsis, Erigeron, Myosotis and Sweet William. Weather can be unpredictable during these months, so during May, you want to protect more vulnerable plants with a horticultural fleece, which you can remove in June. As the threat of frost should have passed by June, it is the ideal time to plant bedding plants grown under cover either into borders or into hanging baskets and containers. Late-flowering Annuals Throughout May, you should sow late-flowering annuals such as Nasturtiums under glass. You can expect them to flower from August onwards if you sow them in early May. You may also want to sow fast-maturing annuals, like Clarkias and Calendulas. You will be able to enjoy them blooming throughout the summer, which will add an extra splash of colour to your garden. Don't forget to add some water gel crystals and slow-release fertiliser to your compost when planting. Who doesn't love a Dahlia? Use your time in May to plant Dahlia bulbs, but protect them from slugs. This will also work with your regular gardening jobs of watering, mowing and weeding. Don't forget to spruce up your window boxes too. Check that you have enough topsoil before doing this to ensure a smooth and easy process. Tidy Up June is usually a time for you to dedicate a few minutes to tidying up parts of your garden. Dead foliage should be removed from spring flowering bulbs, excluding daffodils and tulips, which should be left a little longer to die back naturally. Trim or throw away any faded plants and keep on top of your weeding, with a particular focus on your borders and beds. Install Protection Fruits bushes and trees should be inspected carefully to check for pests and diseases and treated if necessary. Soft fruit bushes, such as currants and strawberries, should be protected by a fruit cage or netting to prevent birds from eating the fruit. Carrots should be protected from carrot fly, and cabbages from caterpillar damage by covering them with protective materials. If you are keeping some plants in a greenhouse to keep them safe, they need to be kept well-ventilated during the day as extreme variations in temperature could adversely affect the fruiting of tomato plants. In addition, tapping the flowers of greenhouse tomatoes will improve pollination. Uncover Fruit and Vegetable Strawberry bushes that have been kept under glass should now be uncovered so that pollinating insects can gain access to them. Vegetables such as brussel sprouts, cabbage, celery, courgettes, cucumbers, marrows, runner and French beans that have been grown in a greenhouse should also now be planted out. Don't forget to keep them hydrated and keep the soil as moist as possible. If you have vegetables like marrows, peppers, tomatoes and courgettes, ensure that these are hardened off before you look to plant them outside. Mow Grass Regularly May is the start of the mowing season, and you will need to mow your grass more regularly and ensure that your mower blades are kept sharp. Water Regularly May through September can be hot and dry, so remember to water plants regularly to avoid wilting. To aid drainage, a layer of gravel or shingle is a great solution that also offers a touch of style and texture to your garden area! Renovate Your Garden Summer is also a great time to landscape your garden by adding some raised plant beds using sleepers or even fitting a paved section to create the perfect space for garden furniture.
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27 Mar
How to use decorative stones in your garden
They are a fantastic way to add interest and texture to your garden. Each type has its own benefits. Therefore, you should consider these when deciding which decorative stone to use in your garden. In this blog, our landscaping experts at MB Wilkes, Dorset’s leading supplier of decorative stones, share a breakdown of each type of decorative stone and what they’re best used for. Pebbles Smooth and round pebbles are formed when a stone's rough edges are slowly eroded by running water. As such, they will look perfectly at home as part of a garden water feature. We recommend using colourful pebbles like our 14-20mm Scottish pebbles for an authentic feel.  Due to their rounded surface being safe to walk on barefoot, these decorative stones make good garden pathways, and when combined with landscape fabrics like our woven geotextile, you can prevent weeds from growing underneath.  Pebbles can help prevent soil degradation and eroding too, making them great to enhance the top of potted plants. Pebbles and decorative stones also make for beautiful and natural borders for flower beds.  If you are laying a pathway, contrasting coloured pebbles in the garden is a fantastic way to make a style statement all across your garden. Additionally, you could also use different colours to differentiate the various sections of your garden from each other. Avoid using pebbles on driveways because they are so smooth they will move and shift under the heavy weight of a vehicle. This will cause the driveway to deteriorate quickly. Slate Slate is a fine-grained, metamorphic rock that splits easily into thin slabs.  Much sharper and larger than pebbles, slate is perfect for decorating borders. For example, our black slate would make for a dramatic and modern accent to a path, pond, or patio.  Slate also makes for poor driveway material, as there is always the chance that a sharp piece could slice open your tyre. It is also a relatively brittle material, so putting it under constant stress from heavy cars will cause it to crumble over time. This will lead to the build-up of dust, which could inhibit drainage.  Stone Paving Decorative stones aren't just limited to pebbles and rocks. Natural stone paving is the perfect material for creating gorgeous and perfectly flat patios where you and your loved ones can enjoy many BBQs and garden parties together. We stock lots of different paving slabs in a range of colours, textures and finishes, so you're sure to find one to suit your style.  Gravel & Shingle Gravel is made up of loose rock fragments.  Gravel and shingle are grippy, durable stones, making them excellent choices for driveways and paths. In fact, they are one of the cheapest driveway options available. Outside of filling in the uneven surface now and then, driveway gravel is largely maintenance-free and has no chance of cracking or sinking like asphalt or concrete.  Choose a gravel like our golden shingle for a classic driveway look or opt for something a bit different with our luxurious limestone or elegant blue slate. Gravel and shingle are very good at draining water. If your garden is habitually waterlogged and causing your plants and flowers to suffer, installing a French drain using gravel or shingle will help the water drain harmlessly away. Shingle will also work in any water feature you might have, enhancing the sound of the water falling. Opting for our rainbow shingle will also boost its overall appearance too. Premium decorative stones from M B Wilkes Whether you're looking to build a rustic path or driveway, improve drainage, or simply beautify your garden, our decorative stones offer limitless possibilities. Browse our wide range of premium decorative stones to find the perfect type for your garden. You'll be spoilt for choice at MB Wilkes, as our range of landscape materials, pebbles and decorative stones is the best in Dorset.  If you have any questions about our products, don't hesitate to get in touch - contact us online or call us on 01258 857465.
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16 Jan
Grab-Away Waste Removal: Large-Scale Waste Management
No matter what size business you are running, it is likely that you will be producing a fair amount of waste, so large waste removal services with tipper and grab lorries are often an ideal solution that ensures your waste is removed and disposed of responsibly and in a compliant manner. In the article, we discuss what our grab-away waste removal solutions include and why you should consider them for your waste disposal in Dorset. What are grab-away waste removal solutions from MB Wilkes? Grab-away waste removal services are exactly as they say on the tin; a licensed waste disposal company, such as ourselves, visits your site, grabs your waste, and removes it for disposal. Read our guide to grab hire and muck away service to learn more about what we offer. Grab or tipper truck for grab-away services? Usually, a grab lorry is used for this service, as they have grab arms that extend and pick up the waste from the site and place it into the bed of the lorry. This makes loading the waste from your site into the lorry easy and efficient. However, for some large-scale waste removals across Dorset, such as on construction sites, a tipper lorry may be used as they have the equipment to load the bed of the tipper lorry. We have a fleet of grab and tipper lorries, which are able to remove up to 20 tonnes of waste in one trip.  Waste types accepted Our grab-away waste removal service is able to accept a variety of waste types, making it a flexible solution for many businesses.  Waste types accepted include: Sand Concrete Gravel & aggregates Mulch Household waste Building & Landscape materials Not sure if we collect your waste type? Our team is always happy to discuss our services with you and answer any questions, so get in touch with us at 01258 857465. Frequency of grab-away collections Our grab-away services are flexible, so we can create a schedule that suits your needs. If you are working on a one-off project or infrequently have large amounts of waste to dispose of, a one-off grab-away waste removal is likely to be the best solution for you. This will ensure that you are only paying for what you need rather than paying for a large grab or tipper truck that you might not fill. Alternatively, if you frequently have large amounts of waste to dispose of, we can arrange a scheduled waste collection with our grab-away service. We can work with you to create a schedule that suits you; whether you need the waste removed once a week, once a fortnight or once a month, you can trust us to reliably remove your waste when you need it gone. Benefits of grab-away waste removal solutions No matter how often you use our grab-away service, there are many benefits.  Save stress Trying to find a way to remove large quantities of waste can be stressful, especially if you aren't sure what to do with it. Our large waste removal services remove the stress and make the disposal process smooth and hassle-free. We have a reliable and expert team, so you can trust that we will get the job done, allowing you to get on with other work that needs your attention. Lower carbon footprint Removing all the waste in one journey, as opposed to lots of smaller journeys is better for the environment and will help you run a more sustainable and environmentally friendly business. Additionally, waste removed by a professional service will be disposed of correctly, meaning it is more likely to go to a recycling centre than a landfill. Safe working environment Large amounts of waste can take up space on your site. Using a grab-away waste removal service will mean you don't have heaps of rubbish sitting around your site, creating a safer work environment for your staff. Why use MB Wilkes? MB Wilkes are waste removal experts, providing a stress-free grab-away waste removal solution to businesses across Poole, Bournemouth and the rest of Dorset. We are fully licenced to remove and transport waste from your site to a disposal facility, meaning we provide a fully compliant waste disposal service. Being able to remove up to 20 tonnes in one trip, our service makes waste removal quick. Our aim is to make large waste removals simple to sort so that the task can be ticked off your to-do list quickly and stay ticked off. The MB Wilkes team are always happy to discuss your needs and work with you to create a grab-away waste removal solution that suits you and your business needs. Contact our expert team today by calling 01258 857465 or completing our contact form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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