An ageing teak bench in my garden

I've been thinking a bit about garden seats lately, and how important I believe they are. I have always had one or more wooden benches in my garden - they are now very grey and lichen encrusted, but I regard them as intrinsic to the scene, for various reasons. The most important seems to me to be that they allow you - welcome you, even - to be in your garden and enjoy it: not working in it or walking around it, but just sitting and looking. Sometimes I forget to really look at my garden as I am so busy running round and doing various jobs - but sitting on a bench enables me to relax and really take in my borders and savour the pleasure that they bring. I do usually get struck by things that need adjustment or deadheads that need to be removed or plants that need staking, plus ideas for improvements, but along with those thoughts, I can simply experience my garden as it is, engaging all the senses: the sounds of birds and insects; the warm touch of the sun or the cool brush of a breeze on the skin; the scents of flowers; along with the sights of the garden.

Seat in the former garden of Sandra Wilson in Sydney

Seat in the former garden of Sandra Wilson in Sydney

Siting a bench is an important consideration. If you have a gorgeous view (of your garden or beyond it), the seat can be placed to maximise your enjoyment of it. A bench can also provide a focal point in a garden if placed at the end of a vista, and can draw the eye (and the feet) onwards to explore the garden if placed at the end of a path or around a corner, so that it is only half-glimpsed at first. A seat can also provide a firm, structural element that can impose order in a rather wild garden, by giving a contrast to the softer forms of surrounding plantings. There can be many ways of creating contrast in a garden, but this is one I find very satisfying.

Painted seat with Salvia leucantha in the Sydney garden of Alida Gray

Painted seat with Salvia leucantha in the Sydney garden of Alida Gray

A painted bench or chair can also provide colour in a garden, especially if sited in a shady area where few plants will grow. This can be an ideal solution to a difficult garden area under a tree where tree roots make it almost impossible to plant anything. It also provides a shady place to sit and have a nice cup of tea or a G&T as you survey your domain. If it is possible to grow plants nearby to where a painted seat is placed, the hue of it can create exciting colour combinations with flowers or leaves, as illustrated above left. Potted plants can serve this purpose if the ground is inhospitable. The natural colour of a bench can alternatively reflect the bark of a nearby tree. I also once saw an aged, silvery bench underplanted with silver Dichondra argentea, which looked very effective.

A simple bench in the garden created by Wendy Whiteley in Sydney matches the colour of the tree behind

A simple bench in the garden created by Wendy Whiteley in Sydney matches the colour of the tree behind

A garden bench is also a way to lure us outside when we are simply fed up with being indoors and need a change of scenery and some fresh air. Just being in nature is therapeutic, as we gardeners all know. It gives us somewhere to sit and chat with a friend outdoors - as recommended in these times of COVID. It provides a place to read, relax, eat lunch, daydream or meditate, whilst getting some vitamin D at the same time! It is also a place to watch the moon at night, as I like to do sometimes, whilst listening to the eerie call of the resident Powerful Owl!

I also find that if I am feeling unmotivated about gardening, but just go outside and sit on a bench in the garden, I paradoxically get inspired again! Ideas seethe in my mind and before too long, I am pulling on my my gardening clothes and getting stuck in.

Metal seat in the Lost Garden of Heligan, Cornwall, England

Metal seat in the Lost Garden of Heligan, Cornwall, England

A seat can be very formal and decorative or simple and roughhewn. It can stand out as a distinct feature from its surroundings or meld into it, by the nature of its materials, colour and form. I've always preferred teak benches as they age to such a lovely silvery colour and start to resemble something growing in the garden after a number of years. Stone benches can be very attractive. I have also seen some elegant, vintage metal seats, though these may heat up on hot days if placed in a sunny spot in our climate. It's a very personal choice - but I implore every gardener to put a seat in their garden ... and sit on it regularly.