Octagonal Garden Bench

This octagonal bench is made of redwood and left unfinished so that it will weather into a natural gray, allowing it to visually melt into the background. It has been moved to a small rose garden that had some soil quality and shade issues. The south end of the bed is in the shade of a large oak tree. Roses require 6 hours of direct sunlight in order to flourish and they were not getting anywhere close to that. The tree would not profit from the water required by the roses. There are many Dry Shade Garden plants that are appropriate for planting under oaks. The roses that had been put into this shaded area had languished. Furthermore there was no destination aspect to this section of the garden, no focal point. Now that there is a bench. It is now a conversation area. The wings of the bench are spaced so that two people can sit comfortably without entangling their legs. Or one person can recline at an angle to turn a few pages of a favorite book. The shade in our inland setting is crucial for the warmer months if one is to enjoy the outdoors.