Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere;
My humble song of praise
Most joyfully I raise To Him at whose command
I beautify the land,
Creeping, silently creeping everywhere.
- Sarah Roberts Boyle, The Voice of the Grass

Choosing Lawn Furniture

If the thought of choosing lawn furniture for your yard sounds unexciting, you may not have taken a close look at all of the styles that are available. Today’s lawn furniture is well designed and nice enough to move into the family room. You can find furniture for your garden or patio made with teak, wrought iron, wicker, rattan, pressure treated wood, resin or even concrete materials.

Teak lawn furniture is popular for its long lasting durability and its beautiful patina. Teak furniture usually has simple lines, since the wood’s beauty is decoration enough. When you are shopping for teak furniture, don’t forget to take the time to actually sit in the chairs to be sure they are comfortable.

If teak isn’t quite your style, you may want to take a close look at wrought iron lawn furniture. Most wrought iron furniture is very ornate, but you can also find pieces with simple, classic lines. You can find these pieces in a black, painted white, or even with a faux verdigris finish. Since wrought iron furniture is quite heavy, you may not want to shop for these pieces if you need to move your furniture around frequently. However, if you want some furniture that will still look great a hundred years from now, wrought iron is probably the right choice.

For a wrap around porch, wicker furniture is ideal. This furniture is comfortable and lovely to look at, but needs a bit of protection from the elements to have any chance of lasting for a long period of time. If you use wicker furniture on a patio or other exposed area, be sure to clean and reseal your furniture at least once a year and store the furniture in a weatherproof place during the winter months. Rattan furniture is similar to wicker pieces, but is a bit stronger and holds up better when it is exposed to weather extremes.

If you think that pressure treated lawn furniture is unattractive, you will be surprised at the beauty of some of these pieces. Graceful rockers, gliders, and loungers are all wonderful pieces for the yard and can stay outside year round without a problem.

Resin lawn furniture can be molded to look like just about any material, but is most often designed to look like wicker. However, resin is much more durable. If you like wrought iron, but are concerned that it is too heavy, resin is a great alternative to this type of furniture, as well.

Finally, you may want to take a look at concrete lawn furniture. These pieces are heavy, but quickly become part of the landscape, since moss will grow on them and help them blend in.