Planning Your Outdoor Garden Patio

The first thing to consider would be a theme for your garden or better yet a purpose. Well we know one purpose would be to relax. Another popular purpose for a garden patio is to entertain guests and to do this by cooking or barbequing. So of course you will want a grill and furniture to accommodate your guests and your type of entertaining.

In recent years westerners have adopted the ideas and traditions of eastern knowledge when it comes to many areas of life including decorating or creating a relaxing area. One of these is Feng Shui and the Feng Shui garden is one of the many themes that have have become popular as westerners adopt the ideas of eastern theology. Simply put Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art that teaches how to arrange the elements in our environment to attract and obtain luck, prosperity and health.
 

While you may or may not believe in the theology behind Feng Shui it does make for a very nice, relaxing garden to follow the ideas put forth. One of these is that a garden must have an area of water and personally I could not agree more. Who can deny the calming effect of a pond with a bubbling fountain or waterfall? So let's not forget our pond, waterfall or fountain when we design our garden. Here are some fountains and statues that are available:

Fountain

Waterfall With Pond

Woman Bust Planter

Salinas Fountain

Other items used to decorate and enhance your garden are wind chimes, gazing balls, garden statues, sun dials and other accessories that you can find from our sponsors here ( just click on an item above to browse). For more information on Feng Shui and other garden ideas check out our resources section at the bottom of the page. Books to inspire and inform on the subject of Garden Design are conveniently listed in the right column of this page.

Patio gardens will vary and are only limited by the imagination and the resources available to the creator of said gardens. Gardens can be considered art as they are expressive of the owner's taste and imagination. The beauty is that a patio garden can be an ever changing work of art. So if perhaps something just does not work out it can always be removed or replaced and as your imagination evolves so will your patio. One of the only exceptions to this would be the flooring. Their are many options in flooring for your garden patio listed below but not limited to:

Your garden patio may have plants in the dirt, in containers a combination of both. This would be determined by whether you have a floor laid or just a dirt floor to work with.  Let's not forget the planting that can be done around our patio. Local weather conditions may affect the use of container plants as some plants may need to be moved indoors in the winter. A patio cover may be a wise accessory to protect from sun and rain while entertaining.

Patio Gardening can include terraces, decks, and porches that are connected to the home. The patio area can be a short distance from the home connected by pavers or a sidewalk. A patio is usually considered to be an outside extension of the home that is used to relax or entertain guests outdoors. Some patios are even equipped with fireplaces, full outdoor kitchens, and entertainment centers.

Design Tips For Your Patio Garden

There are three design areas to consider when starting a patio garden, especially if your patio area is small.

• Order/Balance/Proportion - This concerns the basic structure of the garden. Obtain order through symmetry by using repetitions of plants or colors. Balance bright colors with a comparable amount of muted colors.
• Harmony - This can be accomplished by having a theme. Say for instance, using only a single color of flowers in your garden.
• Flow - To keep the eye moving implement gradual changes in height and color. This keeps the eye moving. By keeping the eye moving you create the illusion of a larger area.
• If there is an area that you do not wish to draw attention to (such as an air conditioning unit) then you would plant plain greenery around this area so as to not draw the eye to it.

This picture below is an excellent example of a patio garden with efficient use of the space in a well laid out design. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Remember that your garden space is personal so you can bend and even break the rules if you choose. There are benefits to a small garden in that maintenance is kept down and if a plant is doing poorly or needs replacing you will notice right away.

Larger patio gardens may need some type of structure to give them a sense of order. As you can see in the picture this has been done by sectioning off different areas of the garden and anchoring with various plants. This can also be accomplished with the use of arbors or plants such as evergreens. Evergreens can be grown in containers or planted directly in the ground in and around the patio area.

Choosing Plants For Your Garden Patio

• The amount of Sunlight the area receives during a full day
• The amount of shade during a full day
• The amount of partial shade (if any) including that caused by other plants or trees
• Total height that each plant will reach
• When the plants or flowers bloom - you would want to stagger this event so that there is always something in bloom
• Your soil type - this like irrigation, can usually be controlled by you especially if you use containers
• The amount of rainfall in the area or irrigation that can be supplied
• The types of plants that attract birds, butterflies, bees.
• Be aware of plants that are aggressive and can take over your garden if not properly managed
• Of Course the amount of space you have would be one of the most important issues to consider.