One of the best ways of giving your garden that all-important finishing touch has nothing to do with plants – but will ensure that you can enjoy it all the more. Installing quality seats, benches and other items of furniture will allow you to sit back and relax during the summer months.
Here Nelson Potter, who supply quality garden furniture to customers in Ipswich, Woodbridge and across Suffolk, trace the history of outdoor seating through the centuries and look at how we are ideally placed to meet all your needs when it comes to high-quality timber products.
The History of Garden Furniture
The first people to start using their garden as part of their house were the Ancient Egyptians – they simply took their indoor furniture outdoors. The Ancient Greeks and Romans then took this one stage further by creating bespoke tables and chairs for their outdoor spaces. However, they were a far cry from the options we have today as many of their early structures were made from stone, making them quite cold and uncomfortable. The gardens themselves were used as places of entertainment – something we would recognise today.
By the Middle Ages, gardens had become more functional than artistic – they were places for growing vegetables rather than relaxing. One innovation which did become popular around this time was the turf bench, which effectively was a raised bank packed with soil and topped with either grass or herbs.
It wasn’t until the 17th Century and the Renaissance that aesthetic considerations came to the fore again. Fountains, aviaries and menageries were common sights, particularly in the gardens of the wealthy.
The growth of public parks in the 18th and 19th centuries fuelled the demand for outdoor benches. The Industrial Revolution, which allowed for mass production of items such as large-scale cast iron, meant that this demand could be met – and soon iron seating found its way into domestic gardens as well as public ones.
The Present Day
These days, garden furniture can be made of many different types of materials. Lightweight plastic, which won’t weather, has become popular, but it has its disadvantages too. The changeable British climate means that it can easily be blown away or damaged in high winds.
At Nelson Potter we can supply a wide range of high-quality garden furniture from our yards in Ipswich and Woodbridge. These include benches, tables, arches and arbours, plus complete sets – for more information, follow this link and check them out in our online shop.
Long-Term Gardening Projects
Now is the ideal time to carry out any long-term gardening projects such as garden fencing installation and repairs. Doing it now means you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your garden in the height of summer.
At Nelson Potter we sell all the fencing products you need to make sure your boundaries are in pristine condition, whether you live in Colchester, Ipswich, Stowmarket, Woodbridge or further afield. This includes different shapes and sizes of panels, posts (steel as well as wooden) and everything you need to fix them firmly in place (such as cement and supports). And, if your fence or fences are still in good condition, why not give them a fresh coat of paint or varnish? We also stock block brushes and Protek shed and fence wood treatment.
Our yards and online shop also stock a range of timber decking, which is much more straightforward to lay down than heavy paving slabs. This can be used to create zones and pathways throughout the garden, as well as providing a firm, low-maintenance base for an outdoor eating area.
Getting in Touch with Nelson Potter
For a full list of products which are available at our online shop, click here. If you have any queries, follow this link and fill in the online form.