Patio time!
 

Getting ready to spruce up my patio. What do you plant? How do you decorate yours?

Sandy

I have a couple "large" pots that I plant flowers in. They have both perennials & annuals.

We have mostly shade in our back yard and have finally learned not to fight it. We usually do lots of containers of begonias, hosta, impatiens,bacopa. We like to have some hanging baskets of fuschia on shepherd hooks to attract the humming birds. Have nothing out there yet, as we have been traveling. Will get to it this weekend, for sure! Comfy chairs and a small table to hold drinks or a book are essentials for us, too.

For as long as I can remember....table, umbrella, chairs.......guess what nobody eats outside....don't want to fight the flies, bees, whatever! So last year I decided to make it a " living room"..... 2 couches, two chairs, coffee table and one of those crazy canteliever(sp) umbrellas!... Oh and a rug too! All outdoor stuff, all on sale! ....and silly lights attached to the deck railing! And now it is used!!!!! Granted since our summer is so short I have to store stuff for winter....cushions in large bags, and roll up rug, in garage, umbrella in garden shed,and metal framed furniture goes under the deck(4 steps from ground level), but now I and visitors, family enjoy the space. Jmho

Table; chairs; umbrella. Have some pots that I haven't done a thing with yet this year. Been way too busy with life. Maybe this weekend.

We have two chairs, square metal table. A can for trash, can for cans, a Rubbermaid deck box for small gardening tool, old work shoes,and other storage stuff. The small yard off the patio is a doggie yard for two small dogs, it is fenced and in the back. We were feeding the birds but, after years of tolerating raccoons, Opossums and a groundhog we are going to stop feeding the larger birds. I will still feed the finches and Humming birds, unless the wild critters start coming into that yard.
We have a larger fenced in yard behind the doggie yard, where the two feeders are.

if we sit outside, we have the grill/bbq pt, couple containers and pull couple chairs out and it sits just right all day in the sun. No cover. Landlord won't let us and unable to strap anything down. Not used much except when DH grills or smokes something!

On our large deck we have a table with umbrella and 6 chairs at one end and 2 chaise loungers at the other end with a little table in between. I have a pot of citronella growing, my beautiful pink geranium in a pot decorated with my toddler granddaughters footprints sitting on an antique milk box (DH family had a dairy) and 2 pottery pots of mixed flowers. At the bottom of the deck steps I have pots of Spiral Rush. Our grill sits on the ground level on a grilling pad. Eventually we plan to add a paver patio and fire pit area and a hot tub. Also, some sort of water feature. We just moved into our new house at the end of Oct.

I have the patio table and chairs with large umbrella. I am thinking of getting one if those patio umbrella nets to keep bugs off of me. A poor man's gazebo! Lol'. I need to start planting my containers. Supposed to rain AGAIN this weekend! So behind! It poured both days last weekend!

Love the outdoor cushion furniture but I paid $$$ for my current set so I don't need to replace it. But I certainly can understand the idea. Not sure that I want the hassle of the cushions, storage, etc. My set is very comfortable. I bought it in 2000. I store it in the winter months. Hose it off and it is ready to go!

Great suggestions everyone!
sandy

I love the variety of coleus. There is so much color and leaf variation and they're very easy to grow.

I have pots with kale, parsley, basil and chives and flowers, sort of edible and decorative plantings..... sometimes at the end of summer I will get tired of watering all these pots, though.

Very small patio, but do have some cushioned chairs, begonias, periwinkles, croton, mother-in-law tongues, airplane plant and hanging pot of variegated ivy. We love sitting outside, and b-b-q once in a while.

We buy several habging pots of petunias. Their scent is enjoyable as we enjoy the sunsets. Once in awhile a hummingbird whizzes past! Other plants reside on a baker's rack,,,mostly all year.

I, too, am in the Midwest. I have a patio garden planted in front of the patio and I put Canna bulbs in there. I use the red flowers (not that it makes a difference), but I get the hummers en force. You can sit on the patio (and the cannas also act as a privacy wall (to a point). and watch them flit from flower to flower. It is a lot of fun. Or, it is a shady area and I have put in Impatiens. When I had sunshine in that area a mixture of Zinnias, planted helter skelter is beautiful. Good luck. This year it is Petunias. Coral Pink. Edie

Just bought this house couple 3-4 years ago and since then I've added a brick walk around the back deck that I'm hoping to get replaced in the next couple of years. Lost all my beautiful roses in the winter of 2013 so replaced with mums mostly so they're still small but will fill out in the next couple of years I hope. Still have a few roses around the back deck. The deck itself is not pretty so added some of my indoor plants to spruce it up a bit. Also don't look at my back garage as I know it needs a new roof and siding. Roof goes on next month and siding hopefully next year. On a pension so I do what I can each year. The red brick walk I put in this past September with a friend's help. Took me the summer before to remove all the rock/gravel in the area.

I'm in California, we have a water shortage, we have to reduce our water consumption by 28%. So all we have now is patio furniture and pots with silk flowers in them. I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I bought most of it at the Dollar store. Most of the neighborhood has let the lawns die, we can only water one day a week. I'm going to go to garage sales and hopefully pick up some yard art, anything to spruce it up and add color. Nowadays there is spray paint for almost anything.

We really use our outdoor living spaces, deck and patio underneath. Deck hold the grill, two wrought iron tables with unbrellas, six chairs at the larger one and four chairs at the small one, a small table by the chaise lounge, a small water feature (a copper tub with a bucket above that keeps filling the tub with water), and pots of petunias around the water feature. The patio has swinging love seat, small table, a rocking chair, rug, another small water feature, pots of elephant ears, impatiens, and the humming birds feeders (5), plus a screen to block the water hoses and potting table.

Lots and lots of pots. The deer here eat everything. Most of my plants have to have wire cages to keep them safe from those pesky critters. Looks fine all season, then in the fall it looks like I am growing cages. ( Lots of Hasta and Clematis) Baby's breath and day lillies

I am currently redoing my patio to make it an outdoor, but waterproof, livingroom to spend summer evenings and rainstorms under. I started wirh a couple pieces of recycled pale berber carpet, I bought white metal chairs with daisy cutouts, (which began to rust almost as soon as I put them outside) I am repainting them with several coats of deep green Rustoleum paint, so hopefully no more rust. The tables have white legs and bright green tops, but the tops will be dark green also because my home is light green with dark green and white accents, and I want it to look part of the house. I have some wonderfully bright polyester floral chiffon that I intend to use to make breezy draperies on three sides for privacy, that can be stored in the winter. I live in the "Pacific North Wet" so water proof is critical.

snooze, beautiful gardens you have.

Large ferns, one camellia in a pot. LL Bean adirondack chairs, the ones made from the recycled plastic that last forever. We have had them 10 years, through snow, ice and blazing heat. They look new. They will outlast both of us and the dogs, too. Our patio also has to store lawn tools and the grill, so don't try to dress it up too much.

Snooze, your space is beautiful! Thanks for posting photos.
sandy

We can't use our patio because of a few neighbors who have barking dogs. We have had to turn them all in to animal control but it never stops for long. Too bad as we are in CA and could use the patio most of the year.

I have a screened porch and deck. We rarely use either of them for lunging or eating. Too hot and humid. I have the basic patio furniture on the porch and benches and lounge chairs on the deck. Hanging ferns and lots of herbs planted in big pots. Around the pool we have patio chairs and a big swing in the shade.

Sandygirl and Lynnie, thanks for looking at my little gardens. Couldn't grow much down in Florida so I'm enjoying what I can grow up here in Iowa. Love the weather and though I had a water hydrant installed a couple summers ago for my raised beds and big garden I haven't had to turn it on much. As I lose plants/bushes I replace them with mums and bulbs to offset the loss. My peonies really showed their colors this year. Should have taken photos when they were in their prime as I did for the mums in the Fall. Pretty soon won't have to do much but sit back and admire them for their beauty.

well we are in a severe drought so no much we can plant, but I have a pink mandeville with a profusion of blooms and lots of blooming succulents. It looks very nice with minimum watering.

I plant lots of potted plants..They just add a lot of color...

Between monsoon rains, i was able to plant last weekend. Since I was late buying plants...i got them for half price! Let summer begin!

Sandy

Monsoon rains and chilly weather has caused us not to sit on deck nor use the pool........yuck! But the veggie/herb gardens are flourishing.....and the weeds in flower gardens along with flowers......maybe next week.......

I don't have a patio or deck but I live in the pines with forest all around.
What I enjoy the most is a hanging bird feeder full of seeds. The birds love it but are very messy and spill seeds on the ground. Now the seeds have sprouted and there is grass growing under the feeder. It will be interesting to see what happens.
I planted a small grass area and lined it with rocks. Then I started ordering fairy houses from Collections Etc.
Have five houses and fairys and gnomes in it. The grandkids will like it and it looks great. My Godzilla cats love it too. They munch on the grass and knock over the figures.

A new year...I am shopping for a solar powered fountain to add to my patio. Flowers are sprouting and spring us teasing us. I can't wait to start plantingmy pots! Sooon.....soon....!

Sandy

let eat us know if you find a solar powered fountain...need to replace one this year......solar sounds good!

daffodils and tulips are popping up and
my new (last year plant) lilac tree about 12"high- survived the winter and has buds....love spring when the world wakes up again from the winter deep sleep!

I feel so behind! Haven't gotten anything into the garden (waiting for DH to run the tiller and he's down in the back for the last week :( ! We live in country and have a deck--which will be replaced this summer and I plan to add some beams over the top--so that I can hook up Sunbrella runners for summer shade and take down so we get the advantage of south sun in winter. Deck houses the gas grill, table & chairs and I use pots (either petunias or geraniums due to heat/dry) on the railing pot holders. We have a patio under the deck but it rarely gets used--hoping this year it will be different cause had a nice storm door put in last year to exits to the patio--so won't worry so much about bugs! (leads into the rec room and my long arm studio). And our front porch is where we spend the most time--shaded, and just very peaceful--have the glider and adirondack chairs in front--lots of house plants over-summer out there too.
P.S. snowed for a couple hours today and expecting hard freeze tonight, so glad I didn't rush on that garden!

The Walmart website has a lot of them that you can order. They don't stock them in the store tho.. I founda cute barrel one ( not a solar) that I bought yesterday. $39.99. I loved the price so it came home with me. The working floor model was nice. Holds lots of water. I still might order a solar one to put in my garden...which it too far from the electrical outlet.

It is still chilly here so the furniture wont come out yet. We have to get throughthe spring storm and wind season before I set up my tempered glass table. Too risky! Too early to plant...nurseries are not set up yet. I am just anxious to be outside on the new patio we put in last spring. My personal sanctuary...hubby likes to sit in the garage and smok his cigar and listen to Garrison.

sandy

A year later...
sandy