Gardens are meant to be viewed and admired, but most home gardeners spend the bulk of their time performing gardening chores and maintenance and don’t stop to enjoy what they’ve created. Seating is an important aspect of any garden. Gardens are representative of the gardener’s vision and are as ever-changing as the weather, so there are no hard rules about using seating in a garden. Seating can be purely functional or as fanciful as the gardener’s imagination. A bench facing a great view might never actually get used, but a secluded spot to read or chairs waiting nearby when you unload your tools can be too hard to resist. Often, seating is used to draw visitors into the garden or entice them down a path. They might not sit, but the temptation is there. Even more alluring is the promise of a secret hideaway to read or nap. And don’t underestimate whimsy; an oversized or brightly colored creation can make a garden extremely memorable, especially to children. Here are several creative examples for adding seating areas to your home landscape and gardens: You can include seating areas in tucked-away sections of the garden. Even if you don’t get a chance to sit for a couple of years, one day you stumble on it with fresh eyes, after the initial plantings fill in and integrate themselves in the setting, and it becomes your favorite spot. Don’t be hemmed in by fads. Use what you like. If you like the look of weathered rust, the practicality of molded resin or retro chic webbing, in a few years, they’ll all be classics. It’s rare to see a seat in a vegetable patch. Vegetable gardens aren’t often ornamental. We go in, pick what we need and head back to the kitchen. What a treat to eat or relax in the midst of the aromas of basil and tomatoes.
