When is the best time to buy garden furniture? Experts reveal the perfect time to bag the best deal

If you’re trying to get more bang for your buck, knowing the best time to buy garden furniture can really help you save some pennies. After all, why pay full price when you can slash that price in half? 

As we all know, the best garden furniture can instantly upgrade your garden. It can give you somewhere to host al fresco dinner parties, it can offer you somewhere to top up your tan, and it can even serve as the perfect morning coffee spot. But with everything from energy bills to food shops getting more expensive, we can understand why you’d want to grab the best garden furniture deals. 

Unfortunately, garden furniture deals aren’t constant. They run at key points of the year, and with the help of experts, we’ve outlined the very best time to buy garden furniture below - especially if you want to spend as little as possible. 

The best time to buy outdoor furniture

When it comes to buying cheap garden furniture, you have two options to choose from. Each comes with different perks, and each comes with their downsides. Interestingly, both options are also out of the main summer season. But there’s a very good (and cost-effective) reason for that, and we’ve explained why below. 

Buying garden furniture in early spring

Your first option is to buy garden furniture in early spring. This is when the weather starts to warm up, you’re reviving your lawn after winter, and you’re making the most of the spring bulbs you planted a few months earlier. 

Caron Grant, Brand Manager at Bridgman, explains, ‘As a general rule, you should buy your outdoor furniture around February to March. By shopping before the garden season begins in the spring, you’ll have the most choice, thanks to high stock availability.’

‘By buying out of season, you’re guaranteed to get the pieces you want before someone else does. Don’t let the rain dictate when you shop; with the right covers and storage, you won’t have to worry about keeping your furniture protected from the elements.’

Thankfully, many retailers also offer discounts on their garden furniture during this time. For example, the Argos garden furniture sale started in February this year, with a 20% discount on everything from the best BBQs to garden seating and umbrellas.  

It’s worth noting that these discounts are often few and far between during the early spring, though. With a whole outdoor season ahead of them, many retailers only offer small discounts to pique the interest of those who like to plan ahead and deck out their garden before everyone else. But they’re never as good as end-of-season sales.

This is echoed by Steve Chilton, garden expert at LeisureBench, who says, ‘You can expect spring sales from many retailers in order to boost their garden furniture sales early on and get people excited about their products. However, the sales probably won't be as discounted as they will be in autumn, but this is to be expected.’

Of course, this does mean that you get to enjoy your new garden furniture throughout the whole summer - which could still be enough to tempt you.

Buying garden furniture in autumn

If you’re looking for bigger savings and better discounts, waiting to buy garden furniture in the autumn will definitely suit you better. However, bear in mind that you’ll have to wait almost a whole year to be able to use it. 

Ruth Marshall, Chelsea Gold medal-winning Garden Designer and Director of CGLA, explains why this wait could pay off - quite literally. 

'Summer is nearly at an end and you will have fresh in your mind what was uncomfortable, broken or looking tired before you put it away for winter.'

Reilly Gray, Co-Founder of Suns Lifestyle, agrees with this sentiment and says, ‘Many retailers tend to hold sales or offer discounts at the end of the season, and sometimes the discounts are quite substantial.'

This is because most garden furniture retailers will host end-of-summer sales, where they will sell their leftover stock at discounted prices in order to make space for new stock and new lines that come out the following year. 

Of course, this does mean that you’ll essentially be using last season’s garden furniture when you whip out your table and chairs next year. But if you’re a big fan of expensive brands that offer high-quality garden furniture and prefer the idea of big discounts over trends and aesthetics, buying in the autumn is a great idea.

Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to buying garden furniture. If you want to get ahead of the game and take advantage of early-season discounts, buying in the spring can help you deck out your garden ahead of summer. 

But if you’re looking for the best discounts, waiting until the autumn will normally save you the most money. 

FAQs

What time of year does garden furniture go on sale?

Typically, garden furniture goes on sale twice throughout the year: before the summer season and after the summer season. 

When you buy garden furniture in the spring, you can get ahead of the game and take advantage of smaller discounts on on-trend pieces that you’ll be able to use throughout the summer.

When you buy garden furniture in autumn, you can make the most of end-of-season sales where retailers try to sell their leftover stock. This means that prices are often the cheapest in autumn, but it also means that you’ll be buying last season’s stock, and you’ll have to wait almost a whole year to use it again.

So, it’s best to weigh up your needs and requirements to choose the best time for you.

Is expensive garden furniture worth it?

In most cases, yes. Expensive garden furniture is normally expensive because it’s sturdy and made out of hardwearing materials that will survive the elements. Because of this, it should last a long time and withstand the cold, wet, and sunny conditions in the UK.

Although cheaper furniture can also be high-quality, you may find that you have to replace it sooner than you’d like. By doing this, you might not even save much money in the long run. 

So, when will you be buying your garden furniture this year?