Make A Sunny Nook In Your Garden – If you have a deck, it will easier to access than the garden in the winter, as there will not be so much mess from leaves. If you have no deck, but a walk out garden area that is not concreted or paved, you may want to think of flooring a small area. A walk out area is pleasant in the summer, but if left unpaved, it can get very muddy in the winter.
Choice and circumstance dictate, but you would need an area at least 6 foot by 6 foot. Once you have this area flattened and covered with a thin layer of fine sand, then you can either lay flat paving slabs or wooden planks, on cross joists.
If you are going for the natural look then wood or colored cobblestone will probably blend more aesthetically with your garden; not as easy to lay though!
Obviously your area must be in a part of the garden or deck that catches the sun. You will also need to think of what time of day you will be sitting in this spot, to ensure the sun will be shining in the right place. In the winter it is warmest from noon to about 2.p.m. The type of chair(s) you will choose will be dictated to by the weather, no doubt. Some of the wicker-look chairs that are actually metal would be serviceable. Two chairs grouped with a little side table that is high would be a good place to rest your coffee!
Another option is the wooden bench that has been carefully varnished to resist the weather, and a lower wooden table. Some people erect an all weather parasol/umbrella to complete the feeling of a having a nook. These can be very inexpensive and will weather the storms even if you accidentally leave them open.
Having a tree or bush background would be ideal, but this can also be contrived by arranging large potted trees and bushes nearby. Within the actual 6 foot boundary, try a few pot plants on the edge, or one large terracotta bowl about 18″ diameter that can be overflowing with trailing plants. If you find there is a shady area nearby, you may want to raise a trellis fence behind it and create a pleasant viewpoint for yourself. You can arrange a beautifully smelling winter honeysuckle to climb up it, and of course ivy.
Honeysuckle
You can fill the stretch of yard in front of it with variegated hostas (they love the shade) and stick an old ornamental bird bath in the middle of the hostas. This will give you somewhere pleasing to rest your eyes. If you are arranging your nook on a deck, just do the same but use large pots. You may enjoy this concept so much that you will want to expand the idea in the summer months.
