Teak Garden Benches and a Taste of the Tropics

Creating your own tropical escape is easier than you think. While it comes naturally to those in the southern states, the rest of us have to work a little bit harder to find a paradise that we can call our own year round.

Teak garden benches, when used as part of an overall plan for your landscaping, can give you a good start. As we’ve said many times, teak garden benches are one of the best investments you can make for your outdoor living spaces, due to its natural water and weather resistance and its ability to go through the worst Mother Nature can throw at it without cracking, molding or falling apart.

There are lots of different designs to choose from when it comes to teak garden benches, from Adirondack inspired designs to those with more classic lines. Of course, there are backless and backed benches, some with gorgeous arching backs that are perfect for your tropical escape.

So, what makes a tropical backyard? Part of the secret is the landscaping you choose. As anyone who has traveled to the lush jungles of the tropics, or even walked along a remote sandy beach in the Caribbean knows, the flora and fauna of the tropics has a very different look to it than the vegetation in the north.

While you can’t take a coconut home and grown your own palm tree, you can do the next best thing. There are plenty of palms that can take a hard winter, even a deep winter freeze in subzero temperatures as low as -10 degrees F.

To create your own little paradise, start by deciding on the type of plants that will weather your climate well. You can consult your local nursery or garden center or go online and do your own research. The USDA even has a site that is devoted to finding plants that will grow well in any part of the country.

The tropics are a colorful place, so you want to select plants that are equally colorful. Consider a rich array of foliage that blooms or peaks at different times of the year so your lush garden escape is changing constantly. Don’t forget to add in some fruits, such as bushes of berries or even banana trees, which of course, aren’t really trees at all. Banana trees in the frigid north? Yes, even some strains of bananas can grow well in northern climes.

As you design your backyard, continue to think of ways to recreate the tropics. Sand walkways are a good idea, as if you’re making your way from the beach to your cabana inland. Lava rock is a good choice for the edging, creating a colorful way to transition from the paths to the foliage. If your yard is large enough, consider adding a pond or waterfall in one area, surround by teak garden benches. Another option is to put in a fire ring or a fire pit, using teak garden benches for seating. It’s the perfect place to entertain at night. All you need are a few tiki torches to light the way to your secret hideaway.

As you can see, teak garden benches, when combined with the right foliage, including some lovely all-weather palms, will bring a little bit of the tropics to your own backyard. And with it, those days of dreaming of a mid-winter escape to Hawaii or Tahiti will melt away, because you know that in just a few months, you can grab a daiquiri or mai tai and head out to your own tropical paradise, ready to dazzle your friends with all the songs you’ve learned on your ukulele in the off season.