How to Build Wild-Garden Friendly Structures for Shade and Seating

We’re in the middle of summer, and we’ll all be eager to get outside and spend some time in the sunshine. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, this can be the perfect place to soak in the sun and enjoy the heat. Some people choose to create a wild garden, one that encourages natural plant growth and serves as a safe haven for animals. However, just because you have a wild garden doesn’t mean it can’t be comfortable for you as well. Check out this guide for building wild garden-friendly seats and shady areas.

Think Natural Materials

Wild gardens are all about helping nature. You’ll be allowing plants to grow freely and encouraging animals to thrive in your garden space. When it comes to creating structures in your garden, it’s important to keep this in mind and focus on using natural materials. This will help maintain consistency and will also look great, your garden will seem like a woodland paradise or a lush meadow. Stick to things like wood and stone, materials you can easily find at, for example at companies like macblair.com; materials such as these will work perfectly in your wild garden and won’t look out of place.

Keep Things Simple

Simplicity is key when creating structures for your wild garden. Don’t feel the need to build overly complex or fancy pieces, like intricate tables or garden swings. These will only clutter wild gardens, which tend to have limited space anyway, and won’t exactly fit in with your natural, back-to-basics aesthetics. For seating, simple wooden chairs or even a basic bench should work just fine. If you’ve got a wild garden, you’re unlikely to be throwing lavish, Gatsby-esque garden parties anyway, so there’s no need to have decadent, opulent garden furniture. For a shady area, a simple awning against a wall of your home can be the perfect solution. This will give you a nice shady spot to relax in and escape the heat of the midday sun.

Don’t Go Overboard

As we mentioned above, wild gardens can be fairly limited in terms of space. You’re going to have lots of plant life, which can quickly take over and dominate a garden. While this is perfect for the animals you use in your garden for shelter, it also means you have less space to work with, and you’re going to have to choose your garden furniture much more selectively. Think carefully about what pieces you need most. How many people are going to be sitting in your garden regularly? If it’s just you and your partner, there’s really no need for more than three or four places to sit. This will ensure you’ve always got a spot and will give you a few extras should you have any guests over.

Conclusion

A wild garden can be a wonderful thing that really helps the natural world around us. However, it means we need to think in a different way about how we design our gardens. Use the advice in this guide to build the perfect seating and shady structures for your wild garden.