The garden patio is a place where we sit in the sun and survey our empire. It is where we entertain guests on a warm summers day and watch our children play on balmy afternoons. Patios have gone through many transformations over the decades. the ugliest, perhaps, was the multi-coloured crazy paving that was so popular back in the nineteen seventies.
Sophisticated design ideas are brought to the masses by television programs that show garden renovations. Suddenly the whole country is interested in creating stylish surroundings in their own gardens.
If you are looking for some great ideas for garden patios of your own, there are plenty here for you to use.
Balustrades
Patio areas do not look finished until they have a balustrade to separate them from the rest of the garden. Whether it is wooden, concrete, or metal, the balustrade is a design feature and not necessarily functional.
Crazy Paving
The crazy paving today is much improved compared to that mentioned earlier. Gardeners use natural granite, limestone, or other rock slabs to lay a natural looking stone surface that weathers and looks more attractive as it ages. Stone is suitable for traditional gardens where you allow nature to play a big part.
Crazy paving is easily installed on a bed of mortar put down on a compressed foundation. It will last for hundreds of trouble free years as long as you use good quality stone.
Wooden Decking
Wooden decking is a quick and cheap alternative that will not last as long as other materials, but is attractive nonetheless. If the garden slopes, decking is a great product to construct a level platform for your Rattan furniture. It makes ground that was inaccessible into a useable space.
Modern decks are being constructed from a composite material that will hold onto its good looks for much longer than timber does, and suits contemporary spaces well.
Water Feature
Water features enhance most patios as they are an attractive and calming element to the garden. The sound of trickling water is relaxing, and there are imaginative designs to suit any style. It is easy to recess a water feature into decking or keep them it as a stand-alone ornament.
Lighting
The best way to light a patio in the evening is to mount fittings onto a pergola. That does not have to be the only light source. Install electrical outlets to use table lamps and festoon lighting as required. The water feature looks great when lit; it may have an inbuilt facility.
Shade
Keen gardeners build patios in the area of the garden that receives the most sun. Propper shades are an important element that people tend to overlook. There are permanent structures available online, or temporary stylish canopies made of canvas and held up with poles and guy ropes.
Pathways
Some people build several patio areas into their designs, usually when there is not an area of the garden that receives sun all day long. Linking the patios together with pathways made of the same material looks attractive. They unite the different areas of the garden and bring a common theme to it.
Planting
Include some ornamental plants in attractive pots on your patio. it is a garden feature after all. Topiary pieces often suit modern surroundings, and popular flowers suit natural gardens; the choice is a matter of personal taste.
I hope you have found this article informative and now have the confidence to plan your own garden patio areas. The project is the same as in any room of the house; planning is the key. Once the fine details are worked out, everything else falls into place. I hope your project turns out just the way you envisage.