Avid gardeners may have a much easier time deciding what to do with a sick plant than while deciding the furniture to be used in the garden. They can't really be blamed for this, as gardens are a strange mix of the natural and the man-made: almost a man-made natural, if you allow the strange phrasing. How would you fit furniture into such a space?

The best furniture for a garden setting is one which blends in with the look of the garden itself. An open garden lined with tall trees would do well with a high garden table and chairs, made with wood and rattan, looking like a part of the trees themselves. On the other hand, in a garden composed of flowerbeds and low bushes, sprawling lounge chairs and low footstools around a center-table look cozy and welcoming, inviting you to smell the blooms and let the daily tensions melt away.

While choosing the furniture for your garden, keep certain basic criteria in mind. These are:

• Size Your furniture should not be too big for your garden, and there should not be too much of it. Your garden should be dominated by the plants you grow, and the furniture should merely be there so that people can relax comfortable.

• Quality Garden furniture needs to be much more weather-resistant than indoor furniture. Resistance to light showers, excessive sunlight and light snowfall is absolutely necessary. Keep in mind that you will have to maintain the furniture after you have purchased it, so stay informed about the possible costs of maintenance.

• Color Do not make this the foremost focus of your purchase, as most furniture can be repainted once in a while. However, natural materials often have a distinctive shade of their own, which you may want to enhance with varnish rather than cover with paint. In this case, choose the shade you would like to see in your garden. This could be the light yellowish brown of rubber wood, the dark black of ebony, or anything in between.

Swings and loveseats are extremely popular in gardens, with children and adults alike. In fact, one-seater swings are a common fixture in plant-lined balconies in apartments. For children, these can be a source of endless amusement. Garden accessories made out of woven rattan are also gaining in popularity, such as lampshades, archways, planters and a host of other creative shapes.

In a garden, some uniformity in the furniture is quite desirable. Since the variety of colors in the plants is very high, too much variation in color can be jarring to the eye. The flexibility of rattan and its weather-resistant nature, along with it soothing natural brown coloring, make it a favorite for garden decorations and garden furniture alike.