Cast iron furniture became popular after the industrial revolution. The iron is strong and stable; the wooden slats are soft and replacable. The best garden wooden furniture is made of oak but the most durable wooden garden furniture is made of teak. Powder coated aluminum furniture is also very good, providing the screws are as rust-proof as the aluminium. Cast iron garden furniture has the great advantage of stability, as compared with aluminium furniture, and is surprisingly resistent to long-term rust even if it is not painted. Wrought iron furniture can be very elegant but if not carefully treated and painted regularly is much more prone to rust damage than cast iron furniture.
A cast iron Nasturtium Seat, strewn with Nasturtiums