Besides being a place where you can grow interesting and useful plants, your greenhouse ought to be a place where you can relax. If you’ve spent many hours working there to make your plants beautiful, it’s a shame if you can’t take the time to sit around and enjoy them. Larger greenhouses can be a good place to sit with a book or some knitting, or to take tea with friends. They can provide you with a pleasant outdoor experience even in winter. But in order to use your greenhouse this way, you first have to find the right furniture for it, and that can be trickier than you might think.

Because space in the greenhouse is limited, it’s important to work out how your greenhouse furniture is going to fit. This means not only working out how you can squeeze it in, but also how you can actually use it and move around it. Benches are often more practical than chairs because they can easily be tucked away when out of use, and can also be used for standing on when cleaning the roof. Folding chairs are practical because they can be set aside easily when you need space to work. A small folding table can be handy both for holding drinks and for when you need an extra surface to manage tasks like potting.

Like all greenhouse accessories, greenhouse furniture needs to be water resistant. The humid atmosphere of a greenhouse will soon damage unprotected wood and wickerwork, and molds growing on your furniture can spread to your plants. Be careful to choose furniture which has been properly sealed with a water-repellent paint or varnish. Metal furniture should be resistant to rust – often the most practical option is furniture which has been coated with a layer of plastic.

Don’t just buy the first well-made greenhouse furniture you see – take your time and choose something which co-ordinates with the overall look of your greenhouse. Like your plants and greenhouse accessories, it should be part of a pleasing whole. Then your greenhouse will really be a place in which you can enjoy spending time.