This article was written by Amanda Walters, an experienced freelance writer and regular contributor to Huffington Post. Follow her here: @Amanda_W84
Do you love a bit of garden DIY? Or do you prefer some relaxed pruning and watering? Whichever it is, maintaining your patio doesn’t need to be a stressful occasion. You can go for extravagant, lavish colors and decoration or keep it simple to ensure minimal effort.
The first thing to do is search out somewhere reliable and trusted to purchase your planters, flowers, fencing and so on. A favorite of mine is Spalding Bulb; they have endless choice on all things green-fingered, not to mention years of expertise.
Second on the list is deciding on a style. Houzz has a great collection of designs to get your creative juices flowing, whether you want to create a private, secluded retreat, or perhaps take a step back in time to the classic country chic feel. We all have our own preferences but to get you moving, I’ve come up with a few ideas of how to get started. Take a look:
Privacy please
There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re being watched or in prime view for the world and his wife to see. Creating a private sanctuary is easier than you think; planting hedges, fencing or even investing in some walls will immediately take away the ‘on-show’ feeling. Despite what you think, this kind of sectioning won’t make you feel cramped or claustrophobic.
Throw some shapes
Back to the basics – before getting plant-happy, it might be an idea to spend some time on the patio design itself. No matter how little you want to spend (in both time and money), there’s plenty that can be done without breaking the bank… or your back. As a super-saver, you could actually pick up some scrap paving that come in all shapes and sizes and create a mosaic type finish – feeling arty? Then give it a go!
Plant frenzy
Next up, get planting! Bright colors are always going to stand out and make you feel like you’re surrounded by your very own flower heaven. Not only bold colors such as red, orange and yellow, going to brighten up your garden, but they will also take the attention away from your patio. Your choice of plant/flower will obviously depend on how you want the finished article to look. For a more serene, peaceful feel, search out purples, blues and whites – perhaps even throw in some lavender for its relaxing properties.
Wild at heart
While neat/arty gardens suit some, others might like to create the kind of garden retreat that takes you far away from normal life… deep into the wilderness. Think vine-covered pergolas, ivory draped from corner to corner and heavily blossoming wildflowers. Hydrangeas and violas are perfect for good coverage whilst maintaining garden glamour. Oh and one other addition… a garden bench. After all, why create such garden grandeur if you can’t sit and enjoy it!
These are only a few ideas but I recently read an article on the Huffington Post website which has some other factors to consider, so would certainly be worth a read. True, it can certainly be quite overwhelming when trying to work out where to even start with a patio transformation; so take some time, scour the shelves, ask advice and most importantly, just get stuck in… what’s the worst that could happen?
