Fact: Potting benches are good for your joints and muscles
Even with the addition of an outdoor kneepad, getting down in the dirt is hard work and bad for your back and knees. Too much bending over can lead to worse problems down the road. A potting bench is designed at an optimal height where you can work comfortably while standing up and without having to bend or reach.

Fact: Potting benches keep you organized
Your pruning shears are in the garage, potting soil is in the shed, work gloves, who knows where. A potting bench keeps everything you need all in one place, with ample storage and compactness. Many feature a corkboard or latticework upon which a number of hand tools can be hung and organized. Even the simplest models come with some basic shelving, ample workspace and usually a pullout tray, perfect for scooping and storing soil and sand. Some potting benches even come equipped with wheels, so your workspace can go where you go.

Fact: Potting benches are an attractive addition to any home
Besides being useful as get all, a nice potting bench is easy on the eyes and looks great on a deck or patio. Many are made from weatherproof hardwoods like cedar or teak, while others are made from rustproof metal, vinyl or resin. There are a multitude of styles, shapes and sizes available so you can find one that matches perfectly with your existing furniture.

Fact: Planter pots give you more control than regular gardens
Use your potting bench to put together a selection of gorgeous planter boxes. Unlike the garden in your backyard, with planters you can micromanage what’s planted where, the type of soil, and amount of sunlight and water your plants receive. Planters also reduce the appearance of weeds and you can better control pests, too.

Fact: Potting benches are low maintenance
While it brings another piece of furniture into your life, a potting bench does not require much upkeep, leaving you more time to work on your gardening. Made from a variety of weatherproof materials, they’re designed to withstand the elements. Plus, most are easy to clean and extremely durable and long-lasting.

Dangers of “Bad Air”
For most people, stale air is merely a musty smelling nuisance. But for many people, the risks are much more palpable. Poor ventilation results in the collection of dust, pollen and other irritants trapped inside, that, once the heating or cooling is turned out, blast out from corners and vents, resulting in an allergy–sufferer’s worst nightmare. Allergies can affect people in a number of ways, from mild stuffiness and itchy eyes to much more serious consequences, so reducing the number of allergens indoors is key. People with other respiratory ailments will also greatly benefit from not having to work so hard to breathe fresh air. In the worst cases, poor ventilation and the occurrence of asbestos (especially in older homes) can even result in a rare form of cancer called Mesothelioma.

Fans
Fans are a simple and cost-efficient way to circulate the air already inside your home, which can vastly save you money on energy bills. Overhead fans work in two ways: in winter, they can be set to pull the warm air downward from where it naturally collects around the ceiling. Conversely, on hot days, the setting can be switched so that warm air is lifted upward, making it cooler and more comfortable. There is also something called a whole-house fan that effectively draws the outside air through the entirety of your home and can save lots of money on costly air conditioning. For concentrated blasts of cool air, rotating floor or desk fans can offer just the right amount of added comfort in small areas on particularly balmy days.

Attics
When it comes to old, musty, dusty air, the attic comes in first as the main culprit for where this air collects. Rarely opened, and with little ventilation, most attics experience virtually no air flow, but can still affect the air in the rest of your home. In summer, the lack of airflow will cause attics to overheat and radiate heat throughout your home. Consequently, your air conditioner will need work harder and your bill will go up. In winter, warm, humid air collects in attics, slowly causing damage to rafters and insulation. One way to circulate the air in attics is by installing a basic gable vent. Gable vents are slatted fixtures that install in gables or over doorways to allow air to pass without rain, pests or light from entering. There are studies that show a well-ventilated attic can be some 35 degrees F cooler than unventilated attics during summer.

EPA Tips
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cites some smart and useful tips for further optimizing year-round ventilation in your home:

-Eliminate the individual sources of pollution, which can contain asbestos or adjusted (like gas stoves) to decrease the amount of emissions
-Increase the amount of outdoor air coming indoors. Most heating and cooling systems do not mechanically bring fresh air inside a house. Open windows, doors, attic fans, window air conditioners, and bathroom and kitchen fans when the weather permits
-Invest in a quality air cleaner. While it won’t reduce gaseous emissions, it will significantly clean other pollutants in the air

Outdoors
The main place you’ll see a teak bench is on a deck, in your backyard, on a patio or porch. Teak is considered to be the strongest of all hardwoods, and the proof is in the wood itself. Weatherproof and resistant to mildew, warping, insects and more, teak is practically indestructible and looks great year in and year out. Use it as an extra seat, a workbench, or whatever your outdoor needs may be.

Living Rooms/Dens/Family Rooms
Unlike some stiffer, cold materials like resin or metal, teak boasts a warm color and inviting grain that makes it a perfectly suitable addition for your indoor setup as well. Anywhere you need a seat, a teak bench provides a rustic charm unmatched by other benches. Place one in the foyer for somewhere to rest while taking off your shoes, use one as a piano bench with your family’s old upright. The options are endless and teak is so low maintenance, all it takes is a little oiling every so often to keep the surface looking fresh and healthy day after day.

Bathrooms and Spas
Wood also adds an elegance and natural atmosphere to bathrooms and spas. In bathrooms, a teak bench is useful for extra support, to hang clothes on, or when changing. Because it’s so waterproof, teak holds up even against prolonged exposure to moisture. That’s just one of the reasons teak has been used so heavily in shipbuilding for centuries. In spas and saunas teak is a natural fit, especially if you own a Finnish wood sauna. Lesser woods will warp and mold from humidity caused by spas, but teak is native to the monsoon rainforests of southeast Asia and is used to handling humid conditions.

Don’t let teak be pigeonholed as a patio-only furniture. Teak can go wherever you go, and will easily outlast upholstered and inferior models of furniture. From something as simple as a bench to bistro sets, full dining tables, or what have you, redefine your indoor/outdoor décor and embrace the many choices offered by the lovely king of hardwoods.

The first trick is getting logs up and off the ground. Logs kept on the ground will stay damp for much longer, making them harder to ignite, causing them to rot faster and also producing more smoke. At the same time, creepy crawlers like snakes and insects love the dark, cozy nooks provided in logs piles that are kept on the ground. If you have no option but to keep your wood on the ground, at least keep it secured with a waterproof tarp that’s tightly secured so that no moisture or wildlife can get in. To help ensure a snug fit and so that your tarp won’t go flying away in the first heavy wind, weigh it down with stones or something comparable.

However, a log rack of some kind is preferable to ground storage. Simple, yet effective, log racks can be purchased for a moderate price or built by hand. The main considerations when shopping around for or building a log rack is looking for materials that can both take a lot of weight and are extremely durable and weatherproof. Hardwoods and metals treated with rust inhibitors tend to work best.

In addition to your basic rack, a durable log rack cover is also recommended to keep wood dry. These flexible covers are like tarps but usually thicker, made from vinyl or reinforced canvas. The trick is finding a cover that fits snugly over your rack so that it will not fly away and keeps out the maximal amount of moisture. A lot of covers come with an easy front flap opening that allows you to grab up to a handful of logs at one time without having to uncover the whole pile. And in the middle of winter when you need to restock your fireplace, the last thing you’ll want to do is have to spend extra time out in the snow refitting your rack cover.

The optimal placement of your log pile is somewhere that’s both convenient and out of the way. You’ll want to pick somewhere close enough to your home that you won’t have to take a hike each time you need more wood, but also away from where walking paths. If you have the space, log racks placed up against the side of your home, shed or garage provides extra protection a natural wind block and protection from the elements.

Don’t let your next campfire fall flat because of improperly stored firewood. Just rack your wood, cover it up, and you’ll be good to go at any moment.

Umbrellas
One way to stop prolonged exposure to sunlight on your furniture is by investing in a quality patio umbrella. These easy to open and close accessories are good for both you and patio sets, providing a shady haven that simultaneously reduces color fade, cracking and damage from the sun. It will also help keep resin furniture from warping out of shape from the sun’s heat.

Regular Cleaning
One risk that’s indirectly linked to sunshine is one of the things you put on your skin. While on sunny days a good SPF sunscreen can mean all the difference between you and a painful sunburn, the same chemicals that keep your derm safe are bad for furniture. Once you slather up and grab a seat, any sunscreen that sits on furniture will cause damage over time, as the oil components will ruin finishes and slowly eat away at the furniture itself. By regularly cleaning off all surfaces with a hose or damp cloth, you can keep furniture clean and clear of danger.

Oiling
Ironically, while one kind of oil is bad for furniture, another type is actually healthy for it. The strong rays from the sun will more quickly dry out wood furniture, causing the grain to splinter, crack and warp. There are many oils specifically designed to treat wood furniture, many of which are made with natural ingredients found in other trees. Some woods, such as teak, produce their own resinous oils that keep the wood not only conditioned, but also resist the onslaught of mildew and insects. A word of warning though: over-oiling can produce negative effects, including have your furniture turn an off blackish color. As a rule, outdoor furniture needs to be oiled about twice as much as indoor furniture depending on the amount of sunlight.

Pack it Away
When it comes to the problem of color fading, fabric patio cushions are the most at risk. Some materials, such as olefin, have a higher chance of fading than stiffer, plasticized materials like PVC. The best plan, though, to keep your cushions brighter for longer is to simply store them away when you’re not using them. This will also save you time in case of unexpected rain showers. Kept indoors, or in a ventilated trunk, your cushions will enjoy a much longer shelf life.

Most cushions are detachable, outfitted with ribbon ties, Velcro or snap closures. This is because they are designed to be easily removed for storage, cleaning and in inclement weather. Many cushions also come with detachable covers that can be unzipped and thrown right into the washing machine.

The main difference between indoor and patio cushions is obviously that patio cushions need to be waterproof. Although it’s not recommended you leave your cushions outside in torrential downpours or in the throes of winter, some moisture and exposure to the sun and wind won’t do nearly the damage it would on an indoor cushion, usually made from much more delicate fabrics. Outdoor cushions are also resistant to color fade, tears, spills and even mildew.

In addition to the cover, the cushion itself is also waterproof, made from a lightweight blend of foam and polyester. This synthetic filling also helps cushions keep their shape, rather than becoming flattened over time. When it comes to the outer layer of cushions, there are a variety of materials that manufacturers employ.

Two of the main categories of cushion are those with woven fibers and those without. This is a broad term under which made materials fall. The thing that differentiates a woven shell from other cushions is that it is, like the name implies, made from a series of woven threads rather than one solid piece of fabric. The benefit of this is that a cushion is more malleable and breathes, which not only keeps you cooler as you sit on it, but also helps damp cushions to dry more quickly.

One type of woven cushion is made with a polyester core and PVC shell, where the material is actually woven into a pliable, breathable fabric. This is one durable material, made for the outdoors and highly resistant to damages, but by the same token it’s also relatively coarse and stiff in comparison to some other cushions.

Olefin is another cushion shell that utilizes waterproof, woven fibers. Olefin is especially popular because it retains its bright color for years, but is also much softer than PVC or plastic feeling materials. Its feel is closer to canvas or a dense cloth, but it is just as stain-resistant and durable as rougher fabrics.

Depending on what type of cushion and covers you own, their maintenance varies slightly. Most cushions can be lightly hosed down or cleaned using a damp cloth and mild detergent. Avoid contact with sunscreen and other oily materials that can break down cushions over time. For the longevity of cushions, store them inside or in a ventilated storage chest when it is raining and during the winter. For optimal results, make sure cushions are completely dry before storing them for long periods of time.

Bases
There are a few different ways a patio umbrella can stand up, and this can mean all the difference in the world insofar as the spatial requirements of your deck or patio, as well as personal preference. The first type of base is freestanding, in which the umbrella is attached to a weighted floor base that is either fixed or rolling. The second type of umbrella stand also attaches to a floor base, but is meant to be used with patio tables that have pre-made holes in the center. These are great for enjoying meals outdoors.

There are also deck-mounted umbrellas that are more or less permanently affixed to the floors of decks and patios. What you lose in mobility you make up for by the fact that these are the most stable bases, and the least likely to topple over due to strong winds. The last group of bases is offset bases, which consequently can be freestanding, table-mounted or deck-mounted. Offset bases bend at an angle so that the umbrella does not need to be centrally located in the area in which shade is desired. They allow for greater control of shade and are an advantage where space is an issue.

Accessories
Want to really enjoy your umbrella? Try out some simple patio umbrella accessories. For starters, look for umbrellas with overlapping fabric and wind vents, much like you would see on a golf umbrella. The idea is much the same for these oversized portable umbrellas: in a strong wind, the vents allow air to pass through instead of being caught underneath the umbrella, where it would normally tip over or invert itself.

Another idea, great if you live in humid or swampy regions, is a detachable mosquito net. For total comfort, try a mounted fan, designed specifically to attach to umbrellas. Finally, an ambient touch is the addition of lights. Whether large bulbs or small, Christmas light style bulbs, a little mood lighting goes a long way.

To Your Health
A final word on the benefit of patio umbrella stems from the idea that they’re not just a luxury item. Patio umbrellas can be good for you. In the heat of summer, the shaded area beneath an umbrella is significantly cooler than sunny areas, drastically reducing dehydration and the symptoms from maladies like sunstroke. They’re also a natural version of sunscreen, blocking out harmful UV rays and keeping you and your family safe and sound.

In general, most umbrellas have a diameter of six to 11 feet wide when open. The smaller models are better suited to tabletops, while the larger ones can more easily cover wider areas. The standard height for umbrella poles is somewhere between seven and nine feet high, high enough to be out of head range, but also within arm’s reach for ease of opening, closing and cleaning purposes.

Poles are usually made from a weatherproof wood or lightweight aluminum, while the umbrella tops can be made from vinyl, nylon or a poly blend. These materials are not only waterproof, but they are also easy to clean and resistant to ripping from the wind, fading in the sun, and even mold and stains. It also allows for umbrellas to come in an endless array of colors, prints and patterns.

There are three main lifting mechanisms used to open umbrellas. The first is a manual open, much like what you would see on a portable umbrella. To open this type of umbrella, the user pushes the gathered spokes at the base in an upward motion, whereupon they spread out as they open and lock into place around a central point.

The pulley style is very commonly seen at pools, beaches and in use with other commercial umbrellas. The simple physics of this lift uses a rope that’s pulled to open the umbrella spokes. To keep in place, a peg is fitted into a notch on the pole, or else the rope is simply tied into place.

The most recent type of lift mechanism is the crank. The easiest and least resistant method, opening the umbrella requires the user to simply turn a crank in one direction, and the opposite direction to close. While the first two mechanisms are typical of traditional wooden umbrellas, the crank is exclusive to metal (typically aluminum) umbrella poles.

Once open, many umbrellas also feature a convenient auto tilt mechanism that allows the umbrella to be tilted at an angle, thereby providing controlled shade at more than just a straight downward position. There are three types of tilt action. In one method, the umbrella can continue to be cranked past an open position to achieve a greater angle. Another method utilizes a collar that fits over the crank and can be manually repositioned. A final method uses a simple push-button.

In the next installment, we’ll discuss the types of umbrella bases and variety of accessories to spiff up your umbrella, as well as why umbrellas are more than just something nice to look at.

The first recorded history of the gazing ball dates back to the 13^th century in Venice, Italy. Back then, expert artisans would hand or mouth blow these spheres of colorful glass, a tradition that continues to this day. Throughout the next few centuries, these globes became popular decorations in the gardens of upper class European homes. It was especially popular among royalty. In the 1800s, “Mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria displayed garden globes outside his Herrenchiemsee palace, a replica of Versailles.

The gazing ball also goes by a number of other names including the following: gazing globe, garden globe, witch ball, butler globe, globe of happiness, yard globe, lawn ball, mirror ball, chrome ball and Victorian globe. Globes had a functional use in southern antebellum gardens. Placed strategically by the path from the front gate to the front door, a gazing ball would alert a homeowner as to the arrival of a guest, thereby giving him or her ample time to have freshen up and have refreshments ready before the visitors even come inside. In America, globes also symbolized wealth.

In Victorian times, the gazing ball had quite another use. The “butler ball” was placed in areas where the servants could look at guests indirectly and see when they required any attention, rather than staring directly at them during a meal.

Today, globes have a more aesthetic role than anything. Placed among the flowers or bushes, a globe allows one to see the entire garden and sky in a glance. It still holds an air of elegance and mysteriousness, and the many colors offered can add a vibrant burst of color to the yard.

As the globe became a commonplace object, it also grew to acquire a kind of symbolism and mythology. To many, gazing balls were said to bring happiness, good luck and prosperity to its owners. It was also known for warding off misfortune, illness, evil spirits and witches. There are a few conflicting legends when it comes to its exact usage. According to some accounts, if a gazing ball is kept near the entrance of one’s home, any witch trying to get inside will see her reflection and not be able to tear herself away from her own image. In another story, a witch cannot stand her own reflection, and so will stay far away from gazing balls. At the same time, witches are said to not be able to sneak up on people from behind, as that person will see them approaching in the ball’s reflection. In yet another version, the ball is claimed to actually be able to attract and trap evil spirits inside.

Most globes are still made from traditional blown glass, but today there are also globes made from stainless steel, ceramic and stained glass. They are made in a variety of sizes and come with an array of creative and elegant matching pedestals.

The trick to keeping a gazing ball in good shape is to protect the seal at the neck of the ball, and never loosening or removing it. That’s because the ball’s color is actually on the inside of the glass, and if any moisture were to get inside it would cause the color to peel off. Another good tip is to take gazing balls inside during winter to prevent any chance of them cracking or freezing.

Its ties to mythology originate in ancient Greek and Roman legend. In Greek mythology, the cypress tree was associated with the underworld, and held references to grief and mourning. In ancient Rome, the cypress tree was associated with funerary rites. Today, cypresses are still common fixtures in many Western and Muslim cemeteries, but their negative connotations no longer hold much weight symbolically.

The oldest cypress tree can be found in the Soma, Lombardy region of Italy and is said to date back to 40 years before the birth of Christ. In addition, it towers at 120’ in height, making it also the tallest known cypress. In a close second, a cypress tree in Monza, Italy ranks at 90’ high and is some 150 years old. In general, though, most trees grow only to about 50-60 feet tall, though all possess the defining characteristic cone-shaped branches and short stem.

The name cypress is derived from the island of Cyprus, where the tree is native. However, Cupressus sempervirens (its scientific name) can also be found in areas of the near East and Mediterranean.

What is interesting when comparing cypress to other woods such as teak and cedar is that cypress is in fact a softwood. Though initially one would assume that it makes cypress less than a suitable candidate for patio furniture, the truth is that cypress exhibits many of the same characteristics as hardwoods, and thus is often considered one by merit. Because of having to adapt to a variant climate, the lightweight wood from the cypress tree evolved to be hard and durable, with a straight and close grain containing few knots. It’s also resistant to fungus, insects and damages caused by the weather. A naturally produced oil, cypressine, helps to preserve the wood from the heartwood out to the surface, reducing the risk of cracking and warping. In addition to being durable enough for the outdoors, people tend to like cypress because it shares a similar reddish-brown coloration as another popular hardwood, cedar.

View our wide selection of Cypress Furniture.