That is true, that special lots have advantages like that. Though personally if I'm making use of plants, I will usually shelter them all at home myself. We even have a full greenhouse kit to make a sheltered area for plants that can be productive in all seasons.
So unfortunately for me, that still falls into the "I have plants at home" 🙁 issue
As I mentioned in a previous reply, I decided to reinstall TO.O.L. from participating in this discussion. I've already started adding some things around my house to try and liven up the surrounding area and filling some gaps. I'm in the main market nieghbourhood of the Cottage Living world.
This small area I've added to used to only have 1 bench in it, and nothing else. Now there's a fish & chips vendor, a flower vendor, a busking area and a table and chairs with nearby bin. It already feels so much better! (mod needed to make vendors tend the stalls though)
*Sorry I took the photo at night, I felt it showed the vendors better with their stall lights on
Without my newly crafted little area this world only has a bench, plants, a dig spot, a picnic table (no nearby grill), a fishing spot, skating rink, window shopping buildings I never use, grocery stalls, and other tables. (also has the regular fair events that spawn in the centre).
It would benefit so highly if you could be at your home lot over the road, and just walk over to the bustling pub by the river without a loading screen, watching other sims gathering and getting drinks. It's such a huge shame it doesn't work this way 😢
I was just thinking about how the Seasons pack adds various things around areas that are outside of lot boundaries and are usually just bare patches of land. So we get ice/roller rinks and seasonal food stalls here and there. It would be cool if a feature was added to give us some control over things like that to allow us to have them all the time. They're there for a time and then vanish as things currently work. In Oasis Springs for example in Mirage Canyon I've filled all those lots with public lots by adding a Garden Centre, spa and nightclub but the surrounding area is quite barren except for when the roller rink pops up for a while. I can place roller rinks on vacant lots myself, but this is an example of a space that needs livening up a bit.
I always quite liked the City festivals (from the CL pack I think?) like the spice festival or the one with the sakura tea?
Those are consistently quite fun to do - I don't do them all the time by any means but I usually enjoy them when I go.
We need more things like this!
