Looking for patio ideas? Well you’ve come to the right place. We gardeners are often overflowing with ideas for our soft landscaping, flower beds and lawns, but when it comes to the garden patio, the ideas stream can run a little dry!
Normally paved in concrete or similar slabs, the garden patio sadly can be looked upon as a dead space, instead of the blank canvas that it really is. We’ve put together 10 ideas that will hopefully inspire you to spruce up your own garden patio.
1. Turn your garden patio into an outdoor dining area
Depending on your available space, you could really utilise your patio in the warmer months for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just by placing comfortable chairs and a dining table you could create a whole new dining area.
If you have a very small garden patio, there are bistro table and chair sets that don’t take up much room.
Building a BBQ is an obvious option, (but make sure this is placed on an appropriate surface). And if you want to use your garden patio in the winter, a patio heater will make it much more comfortable.
2. extend your living space
If you’re low on space in your home then your patio is a great way to extend that. There are some very simple ways to make it a place the whole household wants to spend time in.
If you have a covered area of the garden patio, a well-placed daybed and recliners would make the world of difference.
3. embrace container gardening
Flowers are an obvious option when looking for garden patio ideas. Display an assortment of pots with colourful annuals or perennials, or even an arrangement of evergreen shrubs. If you have a small garden patio you could buy a href="/article/vertical-gardening-ideas">ladder planter or other vertical container.
4. start a mini kitchen garden
Because the patio is often close to the kitchen, it’s a great place to place for growing your herbs, as well as selected fruit and veg.
You can place a tomato grow bag in a grow bag tray, place your strawberry plants in a special hanging planter, and your mint plant in a herb wheel by the back door.
Also, many small fruit trees like berries will grow quite happily in a container.
5. pretty up the garden patio with some screening
There is more to the patio area than what is under your feet. Your surroundings can also have an impact on how you feel about a space. If you have some old or warn fencing or a brick wall around your garden patio, it might be an idea to hide it with some garden screening.
Screening normally comes in rolls and can be made from natural products like bamboo, willow, thatch and reed, and it’s easy to install.
6. light up your life
Lights can make the world of difference to your garden patio scheme. Depending on your set up, there are solar or wired in options available.
Solar obviously works best in areas that have a good amount of natural light in the day, so you should consider this when thinking about their positioning. If you go for a wired in option, get a qualified electrician to install this for you.
7. clean up
No matter how much pretty things you add to your patio, if it’s dirty it won’t be inviting. Regular sweeping and cleaning of the patio surface is required. And if it’s looking a little dull you can use a specialist cleaner to make your life easier.
8. hide it with storage
Once you’ve cleaned up you should tidy away any clutter. Keep the nice things on display like the posh looking hand tools and the string dispenser you got for Christmas, but put the half full bags of compost and bottles of weed killer in a storage container.
Try to get a waterproof container so that you can store your garden cushions in there too over the winter.
9. create some shade
Canvas awning is a great way to provide shade as well as shelter when it rains! They come in a variety of colours and patterns and are sure to make you the envy of your neighbours.
You could also use a colourful parasol for your table.
10. change the ground surface
If you’re up for a bit more work and are unhappy with the ground surface, why not change it?
There are many options for you try look at. Decking tiles are a simple and cost effective way of updating your patio surface. You could also use pebbles or take up the old slabs and replace them with something new.
Hopefully these garden patio ideas should get the creative juices flowing. So try them for yourself!
