My favorite garden viewing - and relaxing with a book - spaces are on the front and back porches. The only seating in the garden itself is a concrete bench in the front bed but it's not somewhere I sit very often. There is also a planter-bench on the patio below the back porch, but the porch lounger is more comfortable :-)

Back porch:

From the patio (the lounger is invisible behind the plants... Only the little dog on the lounger is ours; the other two are visitors and the big Bouvier is now deceased - that picture is a few years old.)
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Front Porch:
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Lavender, your on every forum on here. Its a wonder you have any time to garden.I always wish for more seating, in the shade. My garden is in full sun!!!!!!

Woodyoak- Great pictures. I love the way your lounge is hidden by the plants :)

Thorn grower- I visit a few home sites and mostly stay here and on the rose and potager forums. There are so many forums here that I've never visited, but who has the time? Maybe this winter.....LOL

I am on the hunt for a nice covered swing...as much as i love sun id like something covered so i can take a nap on it! I have a hammock and i love it..and a little resin bench but i left it out overwinter and it is chipping away. I also have 2 pretty sage green adorondack chairs i move around alot too. All in my back garden! I love to sit and enjoy the different views too. And i spend alot of time contemplating my next move..

I found a swing at lowes that was nice and big but the color was beige and brown, a little bleh for my garden..but i think ill have to settle. The swing does fold flat so its like a hammock you can lay 2 people on.
If i get the back garden in picture shape ill post pics tomorrow, i have weeds to pull and grass to mow! :)

LL, my DH and I were having this very discussion this past weekend. We have a side and back deck and a front farmer's porch. Then we have one adirondack chair in the back garden and that's it! I am going to make a point to try to figure in more seating in the garden especially in the back where it's not right off a porch.

My back porch seating area

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front porch seating area

back in the woods - I want to make better seating tho - maybe a bench instead of those chairs

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Lynne

I definitely wish I had more seating in the garden, and nicer seating, for that matter. My $10 Home Depot chairs are getting towards the end of their useful life (one already had a leg snap - bye bye!), and the rest is folding camp chairs that we move as needed.

Come visit my yard and sit any place you wish.
I always like to find things at yard sales, my seating may not be super comfy but I don't sit too long in one spot

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this bench 10 bucks
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the view from my swing is awesome
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benches are made for sharing secrets

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tiny tot bench near grandkid stepping stones. Each grandkid spends a day with me on their stone. I have seven GKs so far but some have to get a little older!

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the view always looks good from the water

hmmmm now I think Ill go set a spell on my front porch and enjoy the waterfall
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Yall come
tanya

Ok. Here they are. First of all, let me say that sitting is what my garden was created for. I too like to sit and contemplate...and daydream. I work hard, and I sit good when I can.
If the photo caption says "Permanent" that means it sits out all year. If the caption is "Seasonal" that means it moves inside during winter.

My favorite spot on the back porch. Metal table and chairs are permanent. Wicker chair seasonal and comes in when it rains(!) The umbrella I dragged out of the storage barn recently because in the mornings it's been so hot and my shade tree is dying. Mom gave it to me, not exactly my colors but it makes nice shade.
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Seasonal. Front porch,great spot for people watching.
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Seasonal, but not always. Depends on my mood,usually it's just a wicker chair.
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Seasonal. At entrance to hedge tunnel. Usually have several wicker chairs and small table grouped here during nice weather. The chaise is resin wicker, was expensive and still can not afford the cushion after all these years! I prefer real wicker.
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Permanent. Bench inside hedge tunnel.
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Seasonal. Bistro table and chairs in orchard.
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Permanent. Bench under apple tree in orchard.
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Permanent. White bench in orchard/wildflower garden. Have had for many years but don't sit on it much as the seat is very narrow and uncomfortable. Plus has to be moved when I'm mowing and that's a PITA, but it has sentimental value. (Needs painted!)
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Permanent. Metal glider, gets covered over winter because it's too heavy to move all the time and awkward to put in storage.
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Seasonal. Aluminum table and chairs.
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the same area showing both table and glider:
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Photo did not transfer from camera to computer last time. This is a small stone bench I made and sits in what will one day be my secret sunken garden. Waiting for shrubs in upper right hand corner to grow taller to enclose and give more privacy.
It's been a looong wait,but it will be worth it. (not sure why the pic is slanted,the ground isn't)

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What wonderful ideas for seating areas. All we have is the porch with the swing....the rest of the time we drag our two W-M special chairs to the best place in the yard for our morning coffee.

Lynn, I want that wooden rocker! and your house and those woods. You can always tell southern locations with those trees. I love country houses with gingerbread trim.

Oh I dream of a couch size antique glider like my grandmother had!

The old ones are expensive anymore. I paid $90 for this one six or seven years ago, and I talked the antique dealer down. She's a friend of mine so she usually gives me a good deal.

In town, I still see quite a few on front porches.

this is the best thread.

I have been eyeing a small bench at our local garden center. It is marked 50% off right now, but still pricey. Hoping it will come down a little more.

We have several places to sit already, but would like more.
bistro set in garden room. We occasionally will eat here or sit and have a cool drink as it is shaded in the evening.

arbor swing in garden room, the perfect spot to sit with a cool drink and listen to the fountain
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porch without a house/arbor

We have 4 porches, one of which is screened in. Of the other three porches, one has a bench and the another has wicker look chairs.
dining room porch

screened porch

Last year we built a garage that has a dormer with a walk out door on the second floor. Hopefully next year we will build a 2 level porch (upper and lower) that will overlook the garden room. This picture was taken from the doorway in the dormer in early summer before all the roses were in bloom, so the view from the porch will look like variations of this.

Perfect, marylu. There's just something so inviting and comforting about a porch with a wooden floor.

My eating area needs more plants that bloom all summer or most of it. I try to fill the urns, but this year I never got around to it. Your rose trellis makes for a pretty spot for sure.

And that "porch without a house" is great, I might steal that idea. Now where to put it???? I so want to build something over the bench in the sunken garden, out of stone, using old iron window grills for windows. I really like the windows in your "houseless porch".

I just love all the photos in this thread both of the seating areas and the gardens themselves! Absolutely beautiful!

LL, your thread has inspired me. We went to the local hardward store last night and purchased 2 more adirondack chairs. They'll be in on Tuesday! (and they're going to put together the other one we've had in our shed for about 3 years). We're (well really DH) going to paint the 4 chairs each a different bright color. Might be a bit garish, but it's going in the backyard where it's mainly green with lots of zinnias. I'm looking forward to seeing how they look. My DH also resurrected our old bench and is in the process of fixing it up and painting it. So just from your thread we'll have all this extra seating!!! Thanks for the motivation!!

Thank you all so much for the beautiful pictures and the great ideas! There are so many wonderful possibilities, I don't know what to try first :)

Thyme- I'm glad you're putting in more seating. You need lots of places to sit and enjoy your hard work in the garden.

I know I've mentioned that I'm changing my mom's garden around a bit, and one of the things I'm doing is moving her metal swing from the deck to the other side of the house. We're hoping the shade will keep the yellow jackets from trying to build a nest around the supports. Any ideas to decorate the top a bit? It's one of those swings that comes with a sun cover on the top, but we took it off, because it blocks her window. This means we have a bar that shows up as you look out to the side yard. She's open to suggestions...climbing plants, fairy lights, anything that doesn't attract yellow jackets! Thank you :)

I have lots of benches but I hardly ever sit in them. It makes me twitchy to sit in the garden. I need to get up and work!

Rosefolly

This is a great thread.

This concrete bench is in front of the pear trees. near the big iris bed: I sit on it just to enjoy the garden, and often when I am watering plants. It is a convenient perch.

This is my favorite bench, next to the fish pond we are enlarging (very slowly)

The fish:

I love my butterfly chair, and it is surprisingly comfortable. I plant to keep it in the butterfly garden.

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We have a couple of metal chaises and two more chairs on the deck. There is another bench too that I have stored right now but we will put it at the pond when (if ever)we get the pond finished.
kay

Organic kitten, my favorite is the fish pond bench.Love the lines of it, reminds me of Williamsburg or an old English estate.

Organic kitten, that bench by the pond is absolutely to die for! Did you buy it locally or online? I saw one very similar to that at Hever Castle in England and lusted after it then. I had forgotten all about it until I saw your picture. It really is such a classy bench. I love the color too.

What a great thread and so many ideas to gain from it. Such variety of different types of seating. We have a breezeway area between the house and garage. We bought a nice wrought iron set two years ago from K-Mart(Martha Stewart's ) We don't sit out much because it is always sunny from about noon till 6 pm, plus the cushions need to be taken off and inside when there is chance of rain. Pain in the neck! I wished I had a patio out back so I could have a bench and some patio containers of flowers out there. Nobody sits out back here. If I wanted to put in a patio I'd have to ask permission and I wonder if I'd really use it that much, but it would be nice to have a round table/chairs with umbrella if we wanted to eat outside for dinner or even have coffee and breakfast outside in the morning and read the newspaper.

thyme - Organic Kitten's bench is a style called a Lutyen's bench, named after Edwin Lutyen who designed it. He was the architect who worked a lot with Gertrude Jekyll in Edwardian Engliand. "house by Lutyen; garden by Jekyll' was considered the gold standard. :-) He was an extremely strange person though - the biography about him makes clear that he was very odd!

Lutyen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Lutyens

Check your library for an interesting read: Gardens of a Golden Afternoon: Edward Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll: The Story of a Partnership

Here is a link that might be useful: Lutyen's bench

Thanks for sharing that link woodyoak. I'm going to look for the book, plus on that Amazon site I saw books about one of my favorite places - Sissinghurst Gardens. Not that I've ever been there, that's only a dream.(I wouldn't have known about the books without following your link!) :)

I must remember the name of that bench. How would his name be pronounced do you think?

Oh Woody! Now I definitely want one of those benches! Too bad my next yard phase of my "English" garden is still a few years off. I'd love to get it now but it must wait for a my next garden area.

We heard about him a lot over in England. I'll be very interested to check out that book and to read the wikipedia link. Thanks so much for the info!

time2dig,
I have loved that style of benchever since I saw the first one, but mine actually came from Lowe's about six years ago. They had an end of season sale on it and I got it (for my birthday) then. I love that bench.

But, this thread is what prompted me to type "butterfly bench" and google and and I bought one for $128 on Amazon. The back of the bench is shaped like a butterfly, and it looks as if it is going to be quite pretty. I'll post a picture after I get it and get it situated in my garden.
kay

What a great thread, and what wonderful garden seating and porches. Makes me want to get out to look at my seating and take some pictures, if they are picture worthy right now.

FlowerLady

'How would his name be pronounced do you think?'

Lutt yens - just as it's spelled (and with an 's')

The 's' is part of his name, not a possessive or plural. His grand-daughter still runs a furniture making company.

He didn't just work on gardens and country houses. He designed the city of New Delhi, the Cenotaph in London and was leading architect for the War Graves Commission after the First World War.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lutyens Furniture Co

The new chairs for the backyard are finished! Thanks LL for starting this thread as it prompted me and DH to get some more seating in the backyard. The paths are getting hydroseed tomorrow and once they're done we'll place the chairs. Not sure exactly where I want them yet.

They remind me of your zinnias! Very pretty.

thyme2dig,
I love your chairs. They are so bright and cheerful.
kay

Thyme- Those chairs are great and I like the bright colors. They're going to be comfy seating and a fun accent to your garden :)

I think I'd need to rephrase the question... 'Who wishes they had more garden for seating?'

My whole garden is about as big as some of your porches. We squeeze 3 seating areas in. Tiny balcony:
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Metal seat and old sewing mahine table halfway down the garden:

Outdoor dining room outside kitchen door:
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Sorry about the junk. I didn't tidy up hence stray jam jars, golf balls and scruffy plant pots. Flora.

Flora, you have the outbuilding that is to die for if I remember right. I really like your garden area, having an eating area outside the kitchen door is something I wish I had. When the tulip tree comes down, I may have to make another smaller stone courtyard in its place and dine "among the hollyhock". Is your table and chairs teak? Under an overhang of some sort so it's not in the weather 24/7?

Hi schoolhouse. The eating area is not under any shelter. Yes, the furniture is teak and it's outside about 8 months of the year, not that we can use it everyday with our climate. The table folds and the rest of the time it's all in the 'outhouse to die for';)

Wow, WOW, wow to all the seating areas here! Can't pick a favorite- they are all so amazing! Great thread idea LL ;-)

-goldenpond, is all of your pond man-made? It is really incredible. That paddle boat looks like such fun!

-Mary_lu, Speechless. If you put a little coffee pot in that porch I would PAY RENT to stay there! What a neat idea to put the church window-like frames in it!

-Susan, love the colors! I know your DH picked out the plummy color, did he pick out the rest of them too? Love em'!

My two (not counting the front steps ;-) seating areas are in the backyard.

Here is the big table and chairs under the flame maples. This pic is taken from the back pathway. Took it from this angle because I couldn't bear having you guys see the horrible mess I in the side garden!! Lol.
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Here is the patio/shade garden area.
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What a great thread. Reminds me I need to get a little bench or something for by the arbor garden!
CMK

I have two seating areas in my veggie patch. I put in a little patio late last fall & I'm now itching for the weather to warm up so that i can enjoy meals al fresco :)
I think I want to plant a cat mint border.

A favorite reading spot.

Snowy day here in Louisville,KY. Would love to be out in my gazebo smelling the roses! Counting the days till spring. Lesley

This little bench might not be my most comfortable spot but the view is kinda pretty! Snow here today....count down to spring starts soon!

Lizelle- Love your bistro set! I have even sat at my bistro table and had breakfast outside enjoying my morning then I started to notice all of the weeds that I missed and that was the end of that. Lesmc- Beautiful garden! Still have a couple of inches of snow and ice on the ground and I'm also counting down the days till spring or when the snow and ice melt!