Improved soil means stronger growth and a better, healthier garden.

Good soil is the single-most essential component of a thriving garden. Its texture, condition and consistency are all critical factors in the successful growing of plants, as well as maintaining a lush, green lawn. A soil rich in nutrients gives plants and their roots a plentiful and well-balanced food supply to support development. But how can you achieve the right blend of soil for your garden?

Rectifying poor drainage!

If your soil is either too dry or slow to drain, you could start by changing your planting regime and selecting specimens that can tolerate such conditions. Alternatively, you can offset slow-draining soils by adding topsoil to your beds and borders.

This is because topsoil is rich in both the essential nutrients and organic matter required to create, support and maintain lush lawns and significantly improve drainage. Adding a good quality, nutrient-rich topsoil to an area of the garden that tends to hold water assists greatly with both moisture balance and fertility. Especially when you mix in additional essential organic matter – such as well-rotted farmyard manure and sharp sand dug in thoroughly with an even sharper spade. This helps to break down soil affected by clay build-up, enhancing its structure and increasing its capacity to drain naturally. Alternatively, you could use a high quality 50/50 Rootzone.

So, what’s Rootzone?

Rootzone is a blend of coarse, gritty sand and sandy loam topsoil. It is the perfect choice when treating areas of the garden that suffer from waterlogging and poor drainage. It’s also particularly good if you want a lush, green lawn but have a garden that suffers from too much shade or high water retention, as well as being especially useful when edging water features. Rootzone is also the proven and practical choice for levelling off for a new lawn, or for mixing into any existing soil to increase fertility and promote stronger root development.

Using compost!

Compost is the key to the success for budding and experienced gardeners alike. That’s because a high quality, well-blended compost delivers tonnes of different benefits for your soil. Not only can it lend a helping hand when it comes to assisting with drainage, but it can also help replenish and re-balance soil that’s either too dry, or too dense. Perhaps the single-biggest benefit of compost in the garden is the positive, nurturing influence it has on roots. Adding compost to beds and borders encourages plant roots to grow deeper and stronger, enabling them to draw the maximum amount of nutrients from the soil. This, in turn, creates healthier, hardier and larger plants.

What’s more, when you add a good quality compost to your garden, you also add a load of highly beneficial micro-organisms. These help to prevent the spread of certain plant diseases, by fighting off common pests. Digging compost into your beds and borders also attracts earthworms which aerate the soil, reduce compaction and significantly enhance its overall condition and composition. So, by adding beneficial microbes to your soil, you are giving your plants the best possible shot at growing more healthily.

Using bark!

Bark helps to retain soil moisture and suppress weed growth, as well as gradually improving its overall structure. As the bark naturally decomposes, it releases a wealth of essential nutrients that enrich the soil and enhance its fertility. Adding a layer of bark to your beds and borders also does a sterling job of retaining moisture in sunnier weather, to help prevent plants from drying out. Likewise, it also helps to insulate soil and protect the integrity of roots in freezing conditions during the harsh winter months.

Our ranges

Our range of soils and composts are all high in quality and nutrient-rich, here at Scott’s Landscape Supplies. Take our Black Gold Blend Bedding Soil for instance.

A highly fertile year-round mix of pure green waste compost and grade 1 topsoil, Black Gold Blend Bedding Soil is PAS 100-certified for quality. Its structure and premium composition make it an excellent choice for building up levels around the garden. Similarly, it has the right mix of nutrients to support the planting of trees, shrubs and bedding plants. Black Gold Blend Bedding Soil is available in bulk bags, 25 litre mini bags and 20 tonne loose loads.

Our Mushroom Compost is a nutrient-rich blend of mushroom fibres, straw, peat, gypsum and other naturally occurring products. It has a PH level that supports the healthy development of most plants, and benefits from the rich, dark appearance of healthy soil, which makes it an attractive and practical choice for experienced and novice gardeners alike. Mushroom Compost is also available in bulk bags, 25 litre mini-bags and 20 tonne loose loads.

Locally produced, our PAS 100 Compost is a premium quality mixture that’s packed full of essential nutrients, which makes it just the job for topping up and dressing beds and borders. Perfect for mulching roses, our PAS 100 Compost is a fully organic and natural product, which means it’s also guaranteed to contain no pests or pathogens. This high quality compost is available to you direct from Scott’s Landscape Supplies in bulk, half-bulk and 25kg mini bags, as well as 20 tonne loose loads.

Our Rootzone is a 50/50 blend of coarse sand and quality-certified topsoil, which makes it an ideal choice when laying new lawns, or re-turfing existing ones. Likewise, it can be mixed with seed and used as a top dressing to create thicker, healthier and greener grass. Similarly, its structure and proven drainage properties can play a key role in alleviating the effects of heavy rainfall, persistent waterlogging and poorly-draining soil. Available in bulk bags, 25kg mini-bags and 20 tonne loose loads.

Last, but not least, our Decorative Bark is an FSC-certified, premium mix of 40 to 60mm particles. It’s a consistently popular choice for larger garden beds, borders, pathways, and even parks. Available in bulk bags and 50 litre mini-bags.

The Scott’s promise

All of our soils and composts here at Scott’s Landscape Supplies are stocked and supplied from our yard in Eccles, near Manchester. What’s more, we offer a full and friendly delivery service on all orders. That’s the Scott’s promise. See www.scotts-supplies.co.uk/deliveries  for more details.

For any enquiries or more information and to place your order – email us now at info@scotts-supplies.co.uk; call the landline on 0161 241 2788, or dial 07951 910414. We’re always ready to lend a helping hand!