Choosing garden furnishing should not be something you rush in to. There are considerations to be made. How much are you willing to spend? How much time are you willing to spend maintaining the furniture? What will it look good in your garden? How many years of life do you want to get from the furniture? What material will not only look good, but remain sustainable in the climate?

Choosing wooden furniture over plastic or metal is a great choice. Plastic - while it comes in every possible shape, size and colour - is not always durable, and with metal furnishing, the outdoor elements can often affect its lifespan.

However, if you do choose to buy wooden garden furniture, there is a big question to consider: Which wood do you want?

A few of your options include:

Teak: If you do not want to spend lots of time maintaining your furniture, teak is a great choice. It is naturally strong, weather-resistant and termite-resistant. However, its long life-span does come with a higher cost than most other woods.

Cedar: Cedar furniture is great for hot and humid climates as it retains a cool feel, it excretes its natural oils over time and the smell of cedar repels insects - a bonus for areas with plenty of mosquitoes.

Redwood: Probably the most naturally beautiful of all the options, Redwood, as the name implies, has a gorgeous, deep red tone. Over time the colour tends to fade somewhat, so taking good care of the wood with oils is important. It has a little give in it, swelling and shrinking slightly with weather variations, so is unlikely to crack or warp over time.

Shorea: Shorea is often overlooked for teak, but offers all the same quality and beauty, usually at a lower price. Its natural shade to begin with is bright and would look great on a sunny day in any garden. Over time, like most woods, it fades slightly, so it does need oiling now and again.

Polywood: Originally designed for shutters, there are now plenty of polywood fitting options. This man-made wood is formed by combining adhesives to scraps and smaller pieces of wood and sometimes plastic, meshed to create a durable, environmentally-friendly material for furniture. It is resistant to wet weather, extremely easy to clean and low maintenance.

Regardless of your choice of wood, wooden garden furniture is sure to be a worthy investment for your home.