Patio Sets - Don't Be Cheap

You can buy some very cheap plastic garden furniture but you really have to think if it is worth the money.

Unless you are only thinking about having something, anything to sit on in your garden and you have a very limited budget I would rather wait. Sit on a picnic rug and cushions on the lawn until you can afford to pay for a quality patio set.

You see cheap patio furniture is just not going to enhance your garden or patio and it certainly won't be comfortable unless you pad it out with the thickest patio cushions (and that is defeating the object of saving money as these don't come cheap).

You don't need to pay an arm and a leg for your furniture to get something with style but you do need at least a few hundred dollars. High prices are not necessarily the highest quality however - see this consumer article on comparing prices on patio sets so you do need to shop around.

If you can't afford a full set at the moment look at buying just one or two pieces in a classic material such as teak so that you can add to your patio furniture collection each year.

A Great Patio

A great patio is an essential element (if not the most important element) of a welcoming garden.

It's OK not to pay much emphasis to your patio if you just want a garden to stare at from the house and to create a view from the windows but most of us want to use our gardens and we want to sit in them and enjoy them.

So it's important to create a focal point with your patio and make it the most attractive spot in the garden so you, your family and friends want to sit there.

And what makes a great patio?

1. You need a hard surface which is even, pleasant to walk on and to look at situated in the right place in the garden
   
2. You need quality garden furniture - enough chairs for the everyone who usually gather around your patio and maybe an outdoor dining table if you plan on eating outside
3. You need patio cushions to make the hard surfaces of the patio furniture comfortable to sit on
   
4. You need plants surrounding your patio to add color (and possibly fragrance)

Of course you can add a lot more elements to make a great patio but these are the essentials. We'll look at each of them in this blog.