With the summer months stretching out before us, you may be thinking about upgrading your existing seating and entertainment areas in your garden; or indeed, creating a new one.
The Location
Where do you want your seating area? Would you like to enjoy it at a certain time throughout the day? Somewhere to read the paper over a morning coffee? An alfresco dining area, shaded from the midday sun? Or somewhere to relax after a busy day to catch the last rays of afternoon sun.
Size doesn’t matter. Whether you have space for a six seater dining table or an intimate bistro style set up for two, you can create a space to relax in. With larger spaces you can of course have multiple seating areas.
The Materials
Decide what base the seating area will have; concrete (contemporary and low maintenance), Moroccan style porcelain tiles, gravel or brick paved allows for pockets of herbs and grasses to be part of the ground cover. Of course, there are the traditional and hugely popular decking (wooden or composite) and paving slabs.
Low maintenance gravelled gardens give you more time to sit back and relax.
The Plants
Planting and indeed planters are the quickest and easiest way to instantly transform a space. Consider what purpose the plants are to have; it is for screening and privacy, to add scent and colour, height and drama. There are many things to think about. Once you know where your seating area will be a planting consultancy is a really useful service in deciding what plants to have and where to plant them <find out more>. We also offer a delivery and planting service.
Our most popular plants for screening are:
- Standard trees
- Evergreen shrubs
- Pleached trees, such as Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’
- Bamboo
We transformed this garden in west London with coated Aluminium planters and an exotic inspired planting scheme that would create different levels for interest as well as instant screening. It is a low maintenance garden perfect for entertaining in.
Here are just some of the plants we used to create this garden.
- Cordyline australis
- Phyllostachys nigra (Bamboo)
- Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine, beautifully fragranced)
- Carex grasses
- Libertia grandiflora
- Lirope muscari ‘Big Blue’
- Euonymus japonica ‘Microphyllus’
- Agapanthus africanus ‘Albus’
- Hebe ‘Champagne’
- Olea europa
- Verbena bonariensis ‘Lollipop’
Here are some more winning plant combinations <click here>.
The Furniture
As with many things, with garden furniture it is true that you get what you pay for. Considering it has to weather the elements year after year, garden furniture is an investment. Get the highest spec for your budget. Whilst rattan style corner seating is a firm favourite and unlikely to date for some time, there are also quirkier options available. One of our clients has matched a traditional rustic dining table with some quirky Philippe Starck mustard coloured chairs. Whilst you want garden furniture to be comfortable and durable it is also a great way to let your personality shine through; soft furnishings such as cushions and throws will not only keep you warm in the evenings but are a simple way to add colour and texture.