Susie’s Garden
Create a per fect spot to sit
On warm days I like to take my breakfast outside so that I can listen to the birdsong and watch the changing light.
David and I sit in the garden as much as possible, even if it means wrapping up a bit! Because I enjoy the process of gardening, I sometimes need to remind myself to stop and just look, so we have created a number of different places to sit.
You need to think about what you want from a seating area. What time of day are you likely to be outside? Do you want to be in the sun or the shade? Do you want the privacy of a back garden or to sit out front where you can chat to passers-by? Having café chairs and a little table allows you to move around according to the weather.
If a seat is in the right place it’s more likely to be used. When we were making our garden, I used to sit rather uncomfortably on a heap of stones with a cuppa because I found it the best place to get out of the wind. Having learned from that, we put a bench there, surrounded by flowers set in gravel, and it is now my favourite place.
Another spot is under a tree where I’ve made a simple bench from a salvaged plank of wood on some wooden uprights.
In the veg garden I planted chamomile in front of a wooden bench so it releases its sweet apple scent as it’s trodden on. This is lawn chamomile, a variety called “Treneague”, and best for carpeting because it doesn’t flower. It needs well-drained soil in sun and careful weeding while it is getting established.
You can grow herbs either side of a bench; lavender in a tall pot so that it’s at hand height, or rosemary where you can squeeze its resinous leaves. For shelter you could make an alcove in a hedge, or grow roses and clematis over a hoop to create an arbour. Or even encircle a tree with a specially made tree seat.