Why you shouldn't tell visitors to your garden where to sit

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I like visiting gardens. And I have a bad ankle. So the first thing that I look for is a place to sit. And the first thing I ask when visiting a garden is *where can I sit?* and even if the answer is *anywhere you like*, I am usually corrected by a *not there, that's for the cats, or that chair is dirty, or *that's reserved for the King of Ruratania* or something. So I stand at attention, awaiting instructions. I won't say anything to you there, but I will here on this blog.

Don't tell your visitors where to sit. If you've designed your garden space correctly, they can't get it wrong. Have chairs and tables. Don't act like an usher in a movie theatre. It's actually kind of cool to see how visitors use the space. I've corrected many of my design mistakes this way, just by watching how people sit in the garden.

Yes, you're excited about being a good host or hostess. But get out of the way. Let the garden speak for itself. If you feel that you need to do something, go back into the house and fix the drinks.

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