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Sit and stay! How to train a human to enjoy their garden
Find it difficult to sit down? Gardeners and garden-lovers generally share this tricky trait. They love their gardens so much that they just have to keep adjusting them. No sooner has bottom touched seat that they are up and off to deadhead the roses; to fix a broken stem and to pluck out a weed. STOP!
The gardens that people create so lovingly become the outdoor space that they would hope to sit in.
Garden-makers spend weeks, months and years getting the garden into a shape and form in which they hope to sit. Then sunshine comes along, providing the right sort of weather in which they will be able to relax. But do they? No... they simply keep on pruning, preening, clipping, weeding, nurturing, planting, humming and haa-ing. They might sit down for a minute or two, then are up and off again because they've spotted a task that needs attention.
So, what can be done about this sorry state of affairs?
Seating is the key to being able to enjoy the outdoor space. Sitting in a garden is good for you! Seating can be integral to the design or added afterwards in the form of tables, chairs and loungers. Whatever sort of seating that is introduced needs to be carefully placed so that there is something on which people can enjoy the best aspects of the garden.
What can people sit or lounge on?
It doesn't need to be a chair... but it can be. A bench, a wall, seating steps, a swing, a hammock even. People can sit on lawns, on the edge of a retaining wall or on the side of a planter. Any perch is worth having and every one that is provided should be carefully placed so that to sit is to enjoy.
patio heaters, barbecues and chimeneas) and tables and chairs now come in a wide range of materials. Not only are there wooden beauties that will stand the test of time but chairs and tables in powder-coated metals; wrought iron; aluminium; woven plaited artificial, weather-resistant rattan; canvas and plastic. The range of garden furniture on offer is enormous.
Over the last few years the face of garden seating has changed beyond all recognition. Dining al fresco is more popular than ever before (thanks to
What style furniture can you choose for your garden?
If you have a contemporary garden then you will probably want to continue the theme of clean lines by adding some furniture and seating which is similarly simple. You will want to avoid lots of fussy detail and opt for minimal decoration and maximum functionality.
traditional setting, you might want to blend with the style of trellises and herbaceous borders by having garden furniture with a little more flourish. Perhaps you would like some quirky seating to fit in with your unique space? There are even tables made to look like tractors and chairs that look like tractor seats!
This doesn't compromise on comfort, however, as sometimes simple can be sumptuous! Your garden could be ultra-modern, in which case your seating will probably not look like seating at all! Within a
Create some shade
There are umbrellas, garden parasols, shades and even awnings. These all make the garden into a more usable space that can be used whatever the weather. Modern settings and traditional can all benefit from built-in shade including roll-out awnings fixed to the house which will enable the patio to be used more often. Shade sails are increasing in popularity and these can be simply erected at the beginning of summer and taken down in the autumn.
rees are another option, of course as a strategically-placed tree can provide the best sort of shade that you could possibly wish for. The dappled light provided by a tree casts a most interesting, changing shadow with fluttering leaves and of course, that wonderful sound. Bamboo can also be used in a similar way and the breeze through the stems is enchanting.
T A wide range of garden seating, parasols and awnings is available from