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Garden Dreaming

February 13th, 2013

Now that I have a huge blank slate for a garden, I’m spending a lot of time dreaming about what I want to do. It’s really not that different than what I did back in Ohio, just on a larger scale. One thing I’ve always dreamed about having in the garden is a nice bench.
Garden Bench 3
I don’t know exactly why this type of bench calls to me, but every time I see one at a botanical garden or in a park, I tell myself I’ll have one in my garden someday.
Garden Bench 1
This particular bench was nestled in a peaceful alcove by the pond at Bloedel Reserve, the perfect spot to sit. I could definitely see myself spending hours on this bench reading.
Garden Bench 2
I think all gardens should have a place to sit, though oddly enough I’ve never really had an official one in mine. Back in Ohio, we always sat on the stairs of our front porch or on the stairs in the back. Someday I will have a garden bench, I just have to start saving my pennies because a good quality one isn’t cheap!

Do you have a place to sit in your garden?

17 Comments to “Garden Dreaming”
  1. Marina C on February 13, 2013 at 5:49 am

    I have an old bench I got when we lived in Engand on the side of my raised bed garden settled under a big magnolia. I can sit down there for a break, a cup of tea, or a bite to eat, and enjoy my progress.
    Even when I don’t get to sit in it, it nice to know it is there, and it looks very inviting!

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  2. Marina C on February 13, 2013 at 5:53 am

    I think Mr. Chiot’s can build you a “bench pond” with that big Kubota tractor!

    Reply to Marina C's comment

  3. Mich on February 13, 2013 at 6:18 am

    I dont have a bench anywhere in the garden….I tend to sit with a cuppa on the front door step or on the patio steps.

    Reply to Mich's comment

  4. Joan on February 13, 2013 at 7:12 am

    I have a child size bench that my mom bought for my son when he was small. It’s really a bit tiny for me, but I use it a lot. I love to sit and watch my garden grow!

    Reply to Joan's comment

  5. Maybelline on February 13, 2013 at 8:19 am

    Wow. That bench is in need of some TLC.

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  6. kathi Cook on February 13, 2013 at 9:18 am

    I drag one of my wooden patio chairs to my veggie garden and sit and read facing my garden.

    Reply to kathi Cook's comment

  7. Songbirdtiff on February 13, 2013 at 9:53 am

    I don’t have one yet. However, I really want a little table and chairs. I’d like to be able to have morning coffee with my hubby or take my laptop out there to work. So much more appealing than my office!

    Reply to Songbirdtiff's comment

  8. amy on February 13, 2013 at 10:12 am

    I have a few different places to sit…. and I…..like everyone else who reads this blog…. craves/has to be outside….So I try to make it as comfortable as I can. It is it’s own brand of tonic to pause awhile on a bench in a garden.

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  9. Lizzie on February 13, 2013 at 11:26 am

    My husband saved a beautiful bench from being thrown into the dumpster while in college that just needed a little TLC. He sanded it down to reveal beautiful wood underneath the weathered surface and then re-finished it. You may be able to find a bench for free in a similiar way too so you can save your pennies for something else!

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  10. John on February 13, 2013 at 1:00 pm

    We don’t have a bench in our garden yet. However, we do have a lot of extra stone around and a little horseshoe shaped area, created with currants and blueberry bushes. I’m going to look into learning to do some stone work. I want to build a stone bench in the middle of the horseshoe for my wife and daughter to sit, snack, and read.

    Reply to John's comment

  11. udym on February 13, 2013 at 5:08 pm

    I did have one along my little grass pathway but it’s gone. I’m working on an idea to make one out of the free paellt wood we collect. The other idea is concrete bench. We can make the pillars and use the slabs we have out back. Currently I look forward to my little corner garden on the porch. I have a porch swing, a wood rocker, “wicker” rocker, hanging baskets. window boxes and hummingbird feeders. It’s beautiful during the summer for watching birds and reading.

    Can’t wait to get a new one for the garden like I had though.

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  12. Chris on February 13, 2013 at 9:26 pm

    Those bench seats made in China are a dime a dozen. Back in our cheap, desparate days we bought two! One promptly died, because it was left out in the sun. The other we manage to keep going for a few years longer, because we kept it out of the elements. But what does that say about a bench seat which cannot be outdoors???

    Save your pennies and get one to last several lifetimes. I really love the wrought iron sets, though imagine, they would be a killer for all bums in winter, lol. ;)

    Reply to Chris's comment

  13. Rachel on February 13, 2013 at 9:52 pm

    I don’t want to be negative because that bench is beautiful, but I find benches quite uncomfortable to sit in much longer than a few minutes. I can’t imagine sitting on one and reading for hours. I need my feet up and some cushion under the backside before I can get into a book. It is beautiful though. I wouldn’t mind having one in my garden to look at and for short breaks.

    Reply to Rachel's comment

  14. EL on February 13, 2013 at 11:57 pm

    I use wicker chairs (easy to put away when done), but I want a rock. It is a particular rock that is to heavy for me to move. I love the way that rock warms up in the sun and I love the way it looks. I also use a hammock. I have one that can be put up anywhere in about 5 minutes. Unfortunately I also have little or no privacy.

    Reply to EL's comment

  15. Deb on February 14, 2013 at 12:35 pm

    Don’t have anywhere to sit in the garden. When I’m there I work, no time to just sit. If I was to have one I’d not waste money on one. The trash piles are great places to get them. No one cares what they look like anyway unless you give tours. Iw ork in my garden but never just sit in it. I’m too busy in it. : )

    Reply to Deb's comment

  16. Grannie M on February 15, 2013 at 6:40 pm

    I keep making new places to sit. I like to view my world from different perspectives and take time to really see the “little” happenings in each space. Some of the sitting spots are rocks, some are logs on end saved from cutting firewood, but not split to burn, and some are old chairs picked up here or there for a few dollars. One is the metal end of a baby crib with refurbished two by fours and boards from the neighbor’s house that was being demolished. And one is a rocking chair albeit plastic, but still a reminder to enjoy each day and make your moments on earth special.

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  17. Chris on February 16, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    I think places to sit in one’s garden…(even if we don’t sit very long) are really important…especially at the end of the day, when the sun is going down and things quiet down. I notice alot more things…sights and sounds, that I don’t when I’m busy working in the garden. I like to sit, watch and listen to the garden wildlife, watch the shadows and leaf patterns fluttering in the breeze and listen to the water fountain in my little pond, which just sparkles in the late sun of the day when the birds come to drink and bathe!
    I have all manner of those places to sit…benches, swings, old chairs, upturned wood rounds, but all discreetly placed so as not to clutter up the natural look of the garden! :)
    The old, weathered bench in your photos is lovely…like it’s been there for quite some time!

    Reply to Chris's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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