I believe gardens are to be shared, and I am truly grateful to visit private gardens that generous gardeners open to the public for just one day of the year for events like Experience Memphis Gardens. This annual event is organized by the Cooper Young Garden Club and is spearheaded by Kim Halyak and Sharron Johnson. This year, the event was recognized as the best Garden Walk in America! Not only do I get to see wonderful gardens of all styles and sizes, but I get to visit and learn from the gardeners who created and tend them. And I am not ashamed to tell you that I have stolen many of their ideas for my own garden.

This year, a comment from someone visiting my garden suggested I might consider some additional seating in the garden. I was surprised as I felt there were plenty of spots to sit, but then realized they were right. When I visit gardens, I often long to simply sit to bathe in its ambiance and observe the plants, listen to the birds, or perhaps watch a bug or a cat stalking an unseen vole. As gardeners, we are often flitting about tending our garden and don’t take the time to linger and enjoy the fruits of our labor. It is when we sit down to observe our garden that we can best enjoy it and, as a bonus, see how we might be able to make it just a bit more enjoyable.

For my non-gardening friends who visit the garden, studies show that passive activities such as sitting and observing nature lower stress and improve well-being by providing measurable benefits for mental, physical, and cognitive health. Without seating, gardeners and our visitors often simply pass through a garden rather than stay and enjoy it.

So I took a break to sit, relax and think about my garden seating. I realized that different perches in my garden were used at different times and for different purposes. There are many reasons to sit and enjoy a garden space. conversation, morning coffee, reading, evening relaxation, wildlife watching, or just to take a break while working in the garden. The best location for each activity may be influenced by light, sun vs shade, privacy, sounds, mosquitos, type of seat or proximity to the house. The best location for an activity can also change with the seasons.

A good garden sitting area should have three elements: it should offer comfort, provide an appealing view, and feel connected to the garden rather than merely placed within it. Good designs will have multiple sitting areas. It does not matter how fancy the seating is as long as it is accessible and provides the essential elements.

When deciding where to put seating in the garden, some spots are obvious: patios, dining areas, screened areas and fire pits. These are the spots that I had sitting. I do not have any in the less obvious areas, which are a little more difficult to determine. These sitting spots may almost appear to be random, but have been selected with care. A well placed seat will offer a good view. It may be from the end of a garden looking back on the garden itself. It may simply be faced toward a focal point or one of the garden’s features, a flower bed, water feature, garden art, birdbath, or a specimen tree. It can also be chosen as the perfect spot to take in a sunrise or sunset.

People generally prefer seating that feels protected rather than exposed. This is achieved either through hardscape structures such as a fence, pergola, or arbor, or plants behind or nearby the seating area. Shade can also be provided by these structures, which will offer relief in our summers, while in late fall through early spring, seating that takes advantage of the warmth of the sun is welcomed.

Your seating area should be easy to reach with a clear path and stable footing. A site that helps to observe the natural world is ideal. Flowering plants attract pollinators, a bird bath or bird feeders will bring in activity. However, if you use plants in your garden design that provide habitat, water, and food sources for wildlife, you will be rewarded with and much to observe.

You will know you have succeeded if you find yourself wanting to sit in a spot for 20 minutes with a beverage, then it’s probably a well-designed garden seat. So, plan to spend some time in my garden when you visit, because I will be adding more seating to my garden.