How often do you use your garden?

PasturesNew

I never sit in mine because .... it's usually breezy or windy ... and "everything I own, want, need" is inside the house. If I take a chair out there.... then what? Coffee's inside, loo's inside, telly's inside, PC's inside, drinks are inside, food's inside....

So I usually last about 2 minutes before I'm bored rigid.

Don't have a tablet (probably wouldn't be able to see it in the sun anyway); can't read (sun glare on pages).

All I could do out there is sit and fiddle with my fingers....

I am outside several times a day, when drying washing or having a ciggie... I just don't sit there.

I have a friend who has a large garden that she's always working on - when I go there we sit out in the garden, well, under a covered part adjoined to the house ... for up to an hour, then we go inside.

EssexExile

I'm outside more than in this time of year.

NaughtiusMaximus

Nathaniel_Essex wrote: »

With that said, I look out from the bedroom windows and all the gardens I can see, I never see anyone lounging outside. In fact, we are the only ones (that I can see, around 8 houses) that actually have garden furniture.

If I lived in a house where the gardens are that badly overlooked that it's possible to see 8 of your neighbours, I wouldn't make much use of it either.

Our current house has a nice secluded garden (one of the essential criteria we had when house hunting) where only the two immediate neighbours can see into and we do use it quite a bit while the weather's nice. We've only been here a few months though so the novelty may wear off at some point.

melanzana

To me it is an interesting question.

have a large back garden south facing, it gets unbearably hot in Summer, even with the Brolly up. I usually last about twenty minutes tops out there.

But I wouldn't be without it either. Have wall mounted four sided rotary driers on either side the fold down flat. Great to line dry clothes in good weather. I only have plants on either side of the patio. The rest is just plain old lawn, but it's a big area. Get a bloke in one a fortnight to weed and mow the lawn. He does a great job.

I will say that it is great on a fine day when people call in to sit out there and have a drink and a yap.

But overall I doubt I use it as much as I could. It has a lovely open aspect with hills in the distance and no houses behind either.

Must use it more!!

[Deleted User]

I have a large garden which wraps around three sides of the house.


We use the garden a lot. Every evening if the weather is OK we eat outside. And sit out during the weekends. I also look after the garden and grow soft fruit so go out to pick things. I play with the cat who is always out there somewhere (she even goes out in the snow).



I have a wildlife garden with about 34 species of birds visiting (last night I was standing on the outdoor table trying to get a better view of the sparrowhawks nest in a nearby tree).


I also have a wildlife pond and so spend a lot of time with my nose about a inch from the water fascinated by the 'things in the pond.


So, I clicked on the 'we use the garden a lot' button.

elsien

Depends what you mean by "use."

If you mean taking a chair out, sitting with my feet up and reading the paper, eating outside, hardly ever. Too much to do and Gitdog harrasses me if he thinks I'm doing nothing when I could be playing with him. Plus it's a yard/footpath/garden terraced house set up and too much of a pain to cart everything in and out through two gates while trying to stop the dog from absconding.

Pottering around, spot of weeding, checking on the veg, sitting on the bench for a few minutes admiring how it's coming on and trying to spot my AWOL robin, bit of dog training etc. Most days.

happyandcontented

We use ours to sit out and chat in every night in summer when fine. We light the Chimenea, switch on the lights and settle down and just chill out. We have very comfortable garden furniture. If I am home during the day and it is fine I read out there. We only occasionally eat a full meal outside though, mainly when we BBQ.

Our garden is absolutely private and when sitting out you cannot be seen by any neighbour even from bedroom windows.

pollypenny

Dry washing regularly, potter in spring and summer, sit and relax on sunny days.

Our garden is totally enclosed, not easily overlooked and, as a friend used to call it, another room.

shortcrust

Every day. I sit out in my garden in snow and rain, even if just for a few mins! It's the reason I bought the house as most houses like mine have shared yards round here.

I think you can sometimes feel a bit exposed when you sit out in your garden at first. The more time you spend in it the more at home you feel.

Edit to add: My garden is overlooked, but I'm old enough to realise that my gran was telling the truth when she said "No one's looking at you!"

Duckdodgers

Our children use our garden on a daily basis for riding their bikes and scooters, playing football and using the slide, swing etc.
I use it for drying my washing and I like looking out of the window and seeing green instead of another house.