Fall Makeover Ideas for Garden Seating Areas

After summer, as the weather begins to cool, it can be a good time to review and assess your garden. What worked well over the current season, and what did not exactly go according to plan?

With both your growing and recreational areas, this can be a good time to think about what you would like to keep the same for next year, but also how things might be improved. It's also a good time to consider changes you can make now to enjoy your garden in the fall, both for this year and into the future.

Perhaps the most common mistake people make when planning and creating seating areas in their gardens involves neglecting or overlooking the importance of the surrounding planting.

The planting scheme around a seating area can make or break the space, having a major influence on the function of the area and its ambiance.

In terms of function, for example, trees and shrubs may cast beneficial shade—but when overgrown, they may encroach too much and overshade the area.

However, without dense, layered planting around it, a seating area can often feel too open—either exposed to winds and other weather or exposed to the prying eyes of neighbors.

So, adding additional planting could help to improve privacy and shelter a seating area more effectively so that it can be used more frequently in the shoulder season. Adding native shrubs or trees to filter wind and break sight lines can make a big difference to the function of the space.

Additions to the planting around a seating area could improve the ambiance, too. Thinking carefully about how to engage all the senses can help you create a seating area with the perfect atmosphere. Consider adding fragrant blooms; think of plants with unique visual appeal or tactile qualities.