POLL: Have You Been Seen Sitting in Your Garden?
Creating Inviting Seating Areas in Your Garden
Saturday September 8, 2007
There was a time when benches in the garden were just for show. Who had time to sit? I don’t know if we’ve gotten more efficient, more social or maybe just tired, but outdoor seating areas are becoming the focus of many gardens and you can actually find a gardener or two relaxing with family and friends and not worrying about that weed over there - much. We call them outdoor rooms now and there are so many wonderful ways of creating an enticing place to sit and enjoy your garden.
I’m curious, is the main point behind your garden to have a place to sit in and enjoy or do you garden for gardening’s sake?
Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2007) licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments
We have a six seater with table in the woodland, two lounge chairs and a four seater on the patio, and a bench and three bouncy chairs in the front. They are very important for me to sit and reflect on work done as well as to be done and for guests to enjoy the gardens.
This was a very hard question. I create areas in the garden to enjoy what I have done and to entertain. I also have to garden to garden, thats what it takes to create these spaces. I just enjoy both parts.
I agree with Kristin, it’s a bit of both. I garden for the sake of it, but also like to have strategic vantage points from which to enjoy the results. We have the usual table and chairs on the deck, which overlooks the whole garden, but we also have 2 Adirondak chairs in the middle of the garden that can be moved around to capture sun or shade, whichever is needed; a swinging bench at the back of the garden looking over the pond and back at the house, the quiet-time nook as it were; and a small wrought iron table with 2 chairs by the shed which, albeit, mostly get used as work surfaces, but come in very handy when we entertain. By creating these various areas, our little garden has “destinations”, depending on mood, weather, or job at hand.
Maybe this is kind of a chicken and egg question. If you didn’t like being outdoors, you wouldn’t be gardening in the first place
I just buy a new lawn mower, so I´m gardening just for the pleasure of it, the thing is that I can do that and steel be sitting. chek out my new baby:
http://www.successfulmowing.com/category/cub-cadet/
It was very difficult to answer this question! I thoroughly enjoy the hard work of preparing and planting in the spring, weeding (not so much) in the summer, and clean-up in the fall but also need a place to rest after a few hours of work. There’s nothing like reclining in the ol’ hammock or cooling off in the pool while enjoying the site of my little green babies (and all their furry and feathered friends!). I guess I just like being outside.
I spend an incredible amount of time in my garden during the summer. I grow plants that I love because then I can be surrounded by them. There are few things better than sitting and reading in my favourite wicker chair and looking out at the beauty I’ve created. I enjoy sharing my space too, but it is really for me and for those moments of quiet sitting and contemplation.
My garden is for enjoyment from a distance. I sit by my small fire area outside of my flowering wonders, sip hot coffee, and meditate or converse with whomever may be there. Gaze from time to time just to enjoy the solitude and color.
I enjoy gardening – the journey, and sitting in or by my gardens – the destination. My gardens bring squirrels and chipmunks, all kinds of birds and butterflies that I might not see without the flora. I enjoy a work break to sit in my swing and watch and rest. My kitty loves to poke around in the plants and my dog is always with me whether I’m at work or just sitting. It is a ying – yang kind of a situation. I love to look down on my shady garden from my porch inside or float around in my pool watching the birds and butterflies visit the flowers. It must be Heaven on both counts.
Just a note, we had to move our small garden right to the front yard. Because in the big garden, it was overrun by rabbits and squirrels that ate everything that came up. So now we have a few plants where our dogs keep the varmints at bay. But even with it being very small and right outside our window, we still went and bought a new bench so we can sit and watch it all grow. So we garden to have food to eat and also a place to sit and enjoy.
Interesting question….