How to Buy the Proper Garden Furniture

Deciding on flowers and shrubs for a new garden can be easier than deciding on the proper garden furniture. The style of the garden as well as the home affects the choice of garden furniture since a well-placed bright red picnic table in the Zen meditation garden is not exactly a well-designed selection.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Recycled or found items to build a bench
• Old door and sawhorses
• Checkered tablecloth

1. Find garden furniture that is durable if used by lots of kids and visitors. Delicate ironwork or aluminum bistro sets with glass tables are not a good choice.

2. Look for garden furniture that is the proper size. If Junior is 6 foot 6 inches tall and he takes after dad, consider a garden bench or glider made of sturdy cedar in the 6- or 8-foot long option.

3. Evaluate the amount of weather exposure the garden furniture will get. Pick from cedar, teak or oak, which are weather resistant.

4. Buy well-made garden furniture and it will last for years.

5. Consider saving money by not buying and personally creating a unique piece of garden furniture. Make a garden bench from barn wood and stones, a driftwood sculpture lamp for the garden pathway or a dining table near the vegetable garden from an old door and sawhorses covered by a checkered tablecloth.

6. Pick garden furniture made of light materials like plastic, resin or wicker if you're elderly or have back problems. Furniture made from these materials is easier to move for winter storage.

7. Shop for furniture cushions made of mildew resistant materials if living in a humid climate.

8. Choose a garden swing or dining room set for the garden with a canopy to protect the sun-sensitive members of the family.

9. Expect to pay higher prices for exotic teakwood and eucalyptus garden furniture or designer and custom pieces.

10. Select garden furniture that meets the needs of the garden atmosphere. Use single person pieces for a meditation garden and multi-person pieces for an entertainment area of the garden.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask if the glass tabletop is made of tempered safety glass and shop for a different item if it is not.
• Use a color different than yellow for garden furniture. Gardens attract bees and bees love the color yellow.
• Avoid buying cheap garden furniture to avoid buying replacement garden furniture next year.