Backyards are just a place to walk through until you add a concrete garden bench. This simple little addition turns a path into a destination and a pretty view into a meditation spot. However, not all benches are right for all gardens.
A Few Tips for Bench Selection:
- A concrete garden bench brings forward the elegant and stately energy and blends well with a Mediterranean or formal herb garden.
- More delicate and ornate benches become a part of the intention of wild abandon in gardens with an abundance of flowers.
- Benches with simple lines, such as a park bench, add a moment of unexpected deliberateness in a wildflower or woodland garden.
- Japanese gardens and stone benches are a perfect blend with their stark simplicity. The clean lines offer an opportunity to bring personal stillness and contemplation to anyone entering the garden. The person becomes the living art against the backdrop.
A bench like the enviro wood bench from www.naturehills.com is simple enough to bring the proper balance of energy to quite a few gardens. Its white color will bring an unexpected freshness to a shady corner, making it ideal for placing under a tree in a shade or woodland garden. It also would be right at home at the edge of a wildflower garden or tucked off to the side in an English cottage garden.
When deciding where to place a bench, sometimes the ideal spot is revealed by the garden itself, which makes it easier. So, where do you put the bench you know that your garden is calling out for but isn't obvious?
Start by walking around your garden, with something lightweight that you can sit on. Now, find spots that have an interesting view or a very serene feel and: sit. Yes sit. As you sit there ask yourself if this is place that you can be and enjoy for long periods of time.
When the answer is yes, consider the logistics: it should be a fairly flat area, but it doesn't have to be perfectly level. Ideally, there should be a path leading to this locale, but you can always lay down a few stepping stones or make a mulched walkway later on if you have a perfect view with no path yet.
When you place your bench, put a few paving stones or slates in front of it so you have a spot to rest your feet when the ground is muddy. If you don't want to fuss with leveling the pavers, pour a layer of mulch or gravel in front of the bench instead.
Now, when need to escape to a more peaceful place, you have created a special oasis that inspires you. You can curl up on your new garden bench and let the nature take you to an alternate universe.
