They're pretty expensive, I know, but Smith &Hawken's got a 20% off sale on benches now.

I've gotten cheap ones with iron frames at Christmas Tree Shops, but they don't hold up. Home Goods has teak ones, occasionally, and those usually look like decent quality.

Last year, we bought a teak table and chairs from a store in Sandwich that does "shows" in hotels around the area. They have a good selection, and are reasonably priced - it's essentially the same stuff that the garden centers have, just more of it and less markup. THere may be a company like that in your area.

Have you tried Craigslist? Often you can find garden related things on there after people's attempts at gardening haven't worked out.

diggingthedirt  wow, Smith & Hawken's does have a lot of nice benches. I really want to look at them up close though (and not spend so much). I did see the cheap ones with iron frames for $40 and they look like they may last one season. I haven't been to Home Goods before and I'll be in the neighborhood of one next week, so I'll take a look. Thanks for the tips.

sedum, I've done occasional searches on craigslist and haven't got lucky. I searched there just before my original post, but I probably would have been better off looking last fall. I'll still keep an eye out . . .

I passed up one in Home Goods. Very hit or miss and I am sure it is long gone...But it can't hurt to look...

I thought of another place. Not cheap however but having excellent quality. Seasons Four in Lexington carries outdoor furniture. May be just a place for dreaming... See link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Seasons Four Web Site

I bought a beautiful one at a bit of a discount at last year's Flower Show. It definitely wasn't cheap, but it's for my front porch so I wanted something that really looked good.

I'll second the recco for Home Goods or other TJX stores like TJ Maxx and More. If you (or a friend) have a membership to BJ's, they have also had some nice looking teak furniture at much cheaper prices than elsewhere. I saw a bench there last year, after I bought mine, and was kind of kicking myself that I didn't see it first because it was fairly comparable to the one I bought but much cheaper.

Seasons Four and Mahoney's are both crazy expensive.

I've also seen a company on Craig's List regularly offering teak furniture. It gets shipped from someplace out of state so you can't see it or try it out in person, a bit of a drawback. See http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/fur/617403081.html

This link is to a place a bit south of me. They sell kits, and I'm fairly sure you can visit and pick up on site. One day I really should get down there just to see what happens.

Here is a link that might be useful: Teak Furniture

Check out their outdoor pizza oven!

{{gwi:1064483}}

Claire

Cheap, but fairly substantial, teak and teak-like garden benches can be found in season at Ocean State Job Lot and The Mill Store chain. I sometimes remove the hardware and replace with stainless, give them another heavy application of teak oil and have had good success with their products. My potting bench is going into its third year. The wood is not always dried properly but one cannot go wrong for the money.

Wow, thanks so much for the good suggestions - most of these places I hadn't heard of before. I'll definitely check them out. As for the outdoor pizza oven, I think that will have to wait until after I acquire a garden bench, as it really does seem to be made for the person who has everything. ;)

My DH announced last fall that one of his goals is to learn how to make pizza on a charcoal grill. We'll see how that works before we decide if we even need a pizza oven.

I just checked craigslist and craigshelper.com and there were several within a 100 mile radius of my zip code - and it's Feb. It's an easy way to check for what may available with a short distance of your home as spring approaches. My English garden bench is made of cedar, 6' long and almost 20yrs old. Still sturdy. If you find a used cedar bench in good condition, with an oiling every couple of years, it'll last your lifetime. Good luck.

Jane

Tidewater Workshop, in coastal New Jersey, has been producing native cedar benchs, tables and chairs for
years; from my office window, I can see the 4-foot Monet
bench with the curved back, buried in the snow on my garden
slope - that same bench has been sitting there, year round
in all kinds of weather, for the past 14 years. It has it's squirrel-chewed edges here and there, but it's a keeper! There are three others of their cedar products
elsewhere in the garden; I've convinced virtually dozens of friends and relatives to buy them, have even given them as gifts.

If you check out their website quickly, they're having a winter sale through Wednesday (4th) at midnight - 50% off, plus free shipping. . .comes in a flat box, assembly so simple my 10-year old nephew had no problem putting it together. Oh, and none of my cedar pieces have ever been
traeted or sealed; they simply weather to a lovely silver-grey and look like they've always lived in your garden.

Carl

P.S. I don't own stock in the company, just admire their
quality at such a reasonable price.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tidewater Workshop

Thanks for your link, Carl. I've been casually looking at garden benches for years, and those prices are unbeatable. I really like white cedar as well, so I placed an order. I thought the shipping might be expensive, but it was only $15, which was a pleasant surprise. I'm often a bit leary of ordering from an unknown company, so having a recommendation was nice.

I just placed my order too Carl, and ditto everything nhbabs said. I'm glad somebody revived this thread because I never did get my garden bench last year!

Well, Carl, make that another bench because of your posting. A 5' Classic coming to the home of Connecticut wood asters! The older I become, the more benches I need, lol. Many thanks for posting.

Kindly,
Jane

It looks like garden-rand registered that day just to post a link. Naughty, naughty, but it looks like it backfired on them!

Carl - I have had one of their 4' benched for years they used to run ads selling them for a $100 special deal in the back of gardening magazines. They are even cheaper now! Mine has held up pretty well all things considered. The back slats do have a tendency to break when twisted past their point of endurance by 5 year-old boys though. ;-)

Deb

Ignoring the blatant commercial in the post above this--someone promoting their own business--here's a bench suggestion. Granite is truly indestructible and looks just right around here where it is "native".

I just finished a walk/steps project and there was a leftover step and some chunks of cut granite as well. It will make a perfect bench, tho no back. My granite came from Swenson's which has a number of MA-NH locations but any stone supplier should have what you need in different sizes. When it weathers down with moss and lichens, I'll be sitting pretty.