Gardens have always been viewed as places of sanctuary — safe retreats in which to ‘hide’ from the madness, chaos and general maladies of the world ‘outside’. Yet relatively few private gardens include permanent, comfortable seating to lounge on. Instead most garden owners rely on portable furniture which must be folded up and safely stored away in between usage which, unsurprisingly, often ruins the original spontaneous need to sit and relax.

It’s true that the vagaries of the weather must always be a consideration — for instance, regular periods of high humidity in Karachi cause cane furniture to erupt in mould. Air-borne pollution, combined with strong sunlight, renders even the brightest of fabrics into dirty, greyish rags in absolutely no time at all. However, there are durable, sensible and even affordable options.

Take stone for example: a stone bench is certainly not everyone’s idea of garden glamour but, if contoured for comfort, it can have an allure of gentle ‘softness’ which is hard to match. Whilst this may sound like a very strange way to describe a stone bench, it is a fairly accurate description. As stone benches — and I mean stone not concrete — are heavy both in weight and on the pocket, let’s have a look at some other options.

How to make your garden a retreat from the outside world

What else can your garden bench be made from?

Cast-concrete benches, chairs and tables are always an option but from personal experience tend to be very uninspiring. It seems they were apparently designed for cold-hearted, institutional use and, it goes without saying, they are very heavy indeed.

Making seats out of a combination of warm-coloured bricks — or even concrete blocks in cold colours — with wooden slabs is a low-cost, feasible option. It is easy to put together and is durable. However, preferably before fastening the wood in place, the wooden segments need to be treated with long-lasting wood preservative which is available in an assortment of colours.

Designing and making garden (and other) furniture out of recycled wooden pallets is another idea. It can also be built to fit into any chosen spot. As with any furniture made from wood, the bench should be sanded down to a smooth finish before it should be used. You risk getting blisters if you don’t.

Traditional wooden takhts — with removable cotton mattresses and cushions are ideal as are traditional wooden charpoys. Both will benefit from six-monthly treatments with wood preservative to keep weather — and wood-munching insects — at bay. The treatments are worth the trouble — it can add years to the furniture’s life.

Cast-iron garden furniture is definitely durable in any kind of weather and, with a coat of metal paint, it lasts just about forever. Admittedly, it is heavy to move around and fairly expensive too but if it’s of good quality, cast-iron furniture can last generations. If your grandchildren’s grandchildren will eventually get to use it, the investment is well worth it.

Then, there are the swings: traditional wooden swing seats — or their modern equivalents — for loners, couples, children or adults. The swings can be hung from suitable, strong supports in balconies, verandas or the garden.

If you’re lucky enough to have a large tree in your garden, the swing can be hung on its boughs. Make sure the bough you hang the swing from is strong enough to take the weight, otherwise people, swing and tree branch shall all come crashing down!

Natural garden seating has a habit of making itself known in moments of need and, once identified and made use of, often becomes an impossible habit to break. A convenient tree stump, a rock, a low wall, an upside-down bucket or clay pot can be used to sit on. Contemplating the ups and downs of life while sitting in a garden sanctuary has its own, extra special, rewards so go ahead and create your own.

But enough about benches. For my disciplined winter gardeners/readers, I’ve compiled to-do list for February. Planning ahead as always, here are a few suggestions for seeds to sow and grow this month.

To-do list for February

There is still time to put in more trees, climbers / ramblers, shrubs and other perennials in your garden. Select only those which are climatically suitable in your locality. If you aren’t sure about which species will flourish in your garden, please don’t be shy to ask at the nursery before making a purchase.

Here are a few suggestions for seeds to sow and plants to grow this month:

In the flower garden

You should consider planting the following flowers in the next month: Verbena, lots of sunflowers in as wide a colour and height range as possible, stately cosmos to ripple in the breeze, nicandra, a whole range of zinnias with which to set the hot weather ablaze, and tithonia or Mexican sunflowers as they are sometimes called.

Also worth adding to the listing are: portulaca — rock roses which deserve to be far more widely cultivated — dahlias by the score, carnations, matricaria, gaillardia, rudbekia, scabosia, masses of tagetes and bushy and trailing petunias to liven up flower-bed edges, containers and hanging baskets.

Flower of the month: Dahlias

If you don’t have time to grow so many flowers, then spend your energy on growing Dahlias. These flowers are simple to grow from seeds from February to May or September to November, from tubers planted in either spring or autumn or from cuttings taken from fully-grown plants. They are sun-lovers and do not tolerate frost. These perennials enjoy good drainage and can be found in numerous forms and in a wide range of colours.

In the vegetable garden

This is a great month to plant vegetables and there’s plenty to choose from, especially if you’re a fan of salads. The long list includes the following: lettuce, endive, spinach, leaf beet /Swiss chard, chicory, green onions, potatoes, cucumbers, radish and aubergine. You can also plant tomatoes, ladies fingers, seasonal cabbages and cauliflower, mange tout/sugar-snap peas, asparagus, peas, baby carrots, baby beetroot and French beans of both the climbing and bush types.

In the last week of the month you may like to add sweet potatoes and just a few seeds each of early pumpkins. Add tindas, lauki, marrows, spaghetti squash, courgette / zucchini and torayi to the list as well.

In the herb plot

As usual there is plenty to choose from. You can grow the following: Basil, borage, oregano, marjoram, pennyroyal, agastache, arugula / rocket, chives, garlic chives, and various mints. Add to the list aniseed, dill, coriander, lemon balm, nasturtiums, calendula, chervil, lemon grass, tarragon, thyme and plecanthrus or Cuban thyme.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, February 5th, 2017