With summer finally in full swing, having emerged from behind the cloud of the long British winter, it’s time to celebrate by getting out into the garden! Indeed, it’s important to make the most of the sunshine while it lasts, as well as enjoy the fruits of your gardening labour. But, before you can indulge in the luxury of sipping a long, cool drink in the comfort of your backyard, you need to ensure you have the right equipment; namely garden furniture.

While many believe furnishing the garden is a simple matter of heading to the local shop and picking up the first table that tickles their fancy, the gardening experts would beg to differ. In fact, they believe that in order to kit your exterior space out appropriately, you need to consider both its purpose and its functionality. Therefore, before hitting the shops, it’s essential you take some time to plan strategically.

The first issue you need to consider then, is the size of your garden. This will not only help to determine the amount of furniture you can comfortably fit in, but will additionally allow you to find pieces that suit the space. At this point, it’s also wise to think about how you use your garden.

For instance, do you like to regularly eat outside or do you only use your garden occasionally? Do you have children and how many people do you expect to be able to use the garden at one time? Posing questions like these will enable you to define your needs, which will in turn help you to find the most functional furniture.

Due to the fact there are so many different designs and styles of garden furnishings out there, it’s also crucial that you think carefully about the look you want to create. Here you should consider the style of your house, what you already have in your garden and the pieces of furniture you really need. For example, do you need outside heating? How much seating is required? Is there a play area?

Materials are another important consideration. Although it may seem attractive to buy wicker chairs complete with soft furnishings, are they going to stand up to getting wet or having children clambering over them? As a result, you need to take into account how the furniture is made: durability and weather-resistance are the keywords here.

Finally, it’s also sensible to set yourself a realistic budget. Doing this before you go shopping will prevent you from spending more money than you have available and will help to narrow down your options. Indeed, with so much choice in types and styles of garden furniture, it can be easy to lose track of your spending, especially if you haven’t first identified your needs.