A garden seat gets used when it is comfortable to sit in: shaded in summer, sheltered from wind, private, and with something worth looking at. Furniture is the smallest part of that. This guide covers where to put a sitting space, how to shade and screen it with plants, and what to keep away from it.
Shade decides whether the space gets used
In an Australian garden, an unshaded seating area is unusable for the months people most want to be outside.
| Option | Time to useful shade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deciduous shade tree | 3 to 8 years | The best long term answer: summer shade and winter sun |
| Advanced tree | 1 to 3 years | Buys back years, and is worth the cost over a seat |
| Pergola with a climber | 2 to 3 years | Star jasmine for evergreen cover, an ornamental grape for winter sun |
| Shade sail | Immediate | Take it down before storms |
| Umbrella | Immediate | Flexible, but needs a heavy base in wind |
Living shade is cooler than fabric because leaves cool the air as well as blocking the sun, as our guide to using trees as cover for walkways explains.
Get the aspect right
North facing seating gets sun for most of the day, which is welcome in winter and punishing in summer. West facing takes the afternoon sun, and walls and paving give the heat back well after sunset. East facing, with morning sun and afternoon shade, is usually the most comfortable, and south facing is the coolest. If you only have a hot aspect, build the shade first. Our piece on garden layout mistakes that make outdoor spaces look smaller covers what else to avoid when placing the seat.
Screen it for privacy and wind
People sit longer where they are not overlooked. A hedge or a row of screening plants behind the seat makes the space feel enclosed, and our guide on how to create a great hedge and keep it looking sharp covers the upkeep.
Planting also handles wind better than a solid fence does. A fence throws the wind over the top and it drops as turbulence behind; foliage lets some air through and slows it across a wider area. Westringia, casuarina, lomandra and clumping bamboo all work on the windward side.
Plant for scent and for dusk
Most summer sitting happens after the sun drops, which changes what works around the seat.
- White flowers and silver foliage show up at dusk. Reds and purples disappear.
- Put fragrance within reach: gardenia, murraya, native gardenia and frangipani carry on warm evening air, and lavender releases its scent when brushed.
- Uplight one feature plant. A pandanus, palm or tree fern lit from below carries the whole space at night.
- In warm, humid districts, manage mosquitoes: remove standing water, keep any water feature moving, and avoid dense damp planting right beside the seat.
Pots, water and the things you add
Pots let you change a seating area in a way garden beds cannot, and our plants for pots range holds the species that cope with container life. Group pots in threes of different heights and repeat one plant, so the result does not look like a collection. A small recirculating water feature masks traffic noise. For how the planting around the seat fits together, see our guide to layering plants like a professional.
Furniture that lasts outdoors
Hardwood such as teak, powder coated aluminium and synthetic wicker stand up to the Australian sun. Untreated pine, bare steel and natural cane do not. Choose cushions with removable covers in outdoor fabric and store them under cover. A bench with storage, or stools that double as side tables, suits a small courtyard.
What not to plant over seating
- Fruiting trees, for the staining and slippery drop.
- Trees with heavy flower fall directly overhead.
- Palms with heavy fronds, which come down without warning.
- Bunya pine. The cones can weigh up to ten kilograms.
- Spined plants within reach of where people sit or step.
- Anything with vigorous roots beside paving.
By city
- Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Palms, cordylines and xanadu suit the warmth, and airflow matters in the humidity.
- Sydney. Salt narrows the list on coastal sites; lomandra, dietes and westringia cope.
- Melbourne and Canberra. Frost hardiness matters. Japanese box, magnolia, camellia and olive all handle it.
- Perth and Adelaide. Reflected heat and alkaline sandy soil. Olive, agave, dragon tree and dietes are reliable.
- Darwin and tropical Queensland. Heat and humidity all year; drainage through the wet season is the limit.
Common questions
Where is the best place for a garden seat?
Where it has afternoon shade in summer, shelter from the prevailing wind and a view of the garden. An east facing position is usually the most comfortable.
What is the fastest way to shade a seating area?
A shade sail or umbrella now, with a deciduous tree or a climber on a pergola planted at the same time to take over.
Which plants are best around outdoor seating?
A screen behind for privacy, a fragrant shrub within reach, and white flowers or silver foliage that show at dusk.
Ready to plant?
The difference between a chair in the yard and a place you sit is usually planting: something overhead for shade, something dense behind for privacy, something fragrant within reach. Browse our plants for pots and our fragrant plants to fill in around the furniture.
