Treasure Hill Cottage

Thinking about an outdoor patio design can be both fun and confusing. You might be imagining entertaining your family and friends. Perhaps relaxing quietly enjoying the peace and quiet is a nice thought or even listening to some trickling water. Yet, how do you go about creating a patio design that you will really be happy with? Where do you start? There are many design aspects to consider.

How large do you need your patio to be? As a guide, a sixty inch round table and chairs would need about fifteen feet of space. This allows for chairs to be maneuvered and also allows for access around the furniture. A lounge needs approximately ten feet of space. A patio about 300 square feet is a decent size. (15ft. x 20ft. = 300 sq. ft.)

Work with a design that compliments the architecture of your home. Sometimes the simplicity of interesting geometric shapes and paving patterns look elegant. In other situations, arched design might blend in better with natural surroundings.Are you looking for an inexpensive solution?

Are you looking for an inexpensive solution? If you have a large area to do and a small budget to work with colored concrete may be the way to go.  There are many design patterns to choose from or create one of your own by setting decorative stepping stones into the concrete.  Use Travertine pavers for the natural stone look.  They are actual stone but are cut into regular shapes for an easy, dry laid installation. Bluestone is always beautiful whether it is laid in mortar or dry laid. You can choose irregular shapes for an informal look or regular shapes for a more formal area.

Big or small, a beautiful garden has more to offer than just pretty flowers – it creates color and texture, interest and conversation, relaxation and enjoyment. And, depending on the gardener behind the trowel, it can convey a sense of whimsy, personality, enchantment or class. One of the best – and easiest – ways to add a little character to your outdoor living space is to add the right garden décor.

Who wouldn’t love to live in their dream home?  Whether it’s a classic Victorian, a Southern plantation, or an upscale condominium, it’s fun to think about what would be included in our dream homes.  While most people will never have their dream home, it’s nice to provide such a home for our feathered friends who live in our backyard.  Now birds might not be too particular about the space they nest inside (other than having four walls and a roof), but it’s fun to think about animals living in a little birdhouse that matches the idea for your dream home.  Decorative birdhouses make a great addition to the backyard. 

It’s important to remember that birdhouses serve as more than decorations, they’re also replacements for bird habitat.  We chop down the large trees and shrubs that birds might nest inside to build homes, and when we replace those objects with viable nesting locations, we are repairing the bird’s natural habitat.  It’s the duty of all homeowners to have birdhouses in their backyard to accommodate our feathered friends.  In return, the birds keep our yards free from harmful insects and provide aesthetic entertainment. 

Let’s face it, when it comes to the outdoors, there’s nothing better than having a cozy hammock for lounging.  Hammocks have been around for centuries, and while the exact origin isn’t known, many believe that they were popularized by sailors.  These sailors used the standard cotton hammock as a bed below decks that could sway with the movement of the ship and still provide comfort to the sailor.  While it’s not likely you have need for a hammock below deck, the standard hammock set between two trees or on a hammock stand makes a great place to enjoy a respite.  Hammocks are portable, so they can also accompany the owner on camping trips, outings, or even to a park.  Most hammocks are also a lot of fun to share with a loved one or kids as well.

Hammocks made from fabric don’t weather too well, so it’s important to bring them inside or take them down when it rains.  However, for those months in spring or summer when there is lots of sunshine, hammocks are the ideal place for resting outdoors and enjoying nature.  You can find hammocks more often in the spring and summer than other seasons, but there tend to be several places online that sell hammocks year round.

Support structures such as trellises and lattices, gates, benches and stone walls provide definition for your garden. And although there are no strict rules for selecting and employing the components of your garden’s decor, these are a few hints for trying out different scenarios:

When arranging your beds of flowers and borders, keep garden accessories in mind. Will your stone bench work better in the middle of your beds of roses or under an aging tree? Should you buy an antique watering can to accent your wildflower garden? Taking the time to choose and properly placing an object, can avoid having it look as it if was placed randomly in the garden.

Create focal points by placing decorative elements or functional pieces where garden paths naturally conjoin or in areas where they are a good fit: A frog statue looks great by a pond. Not on the edge of a patio. Birdbaths and birdfeeders can fit into several different arenas, but benches and other garden seating work best when placed in a comfortable, shady area with a wonderful view.

Remember that it’s probably a better idea to use just a couple of large and themed decor objects (such as a statue, fountain, sundial, stone benches) rather than a large number of smaller garden objects spread all over the place. Keep both the size of your garden and plants in proportion with the chosen objects.

Upgrading your garden from average to breathtaking is a matter of trying and (probably) re-trying. It’s probably fair to say some re-arranging will be involved. Think and plan, but don’t waste too many hours on it. There comes a point when you just have to get out there and get your hands dirty.

There is no limit to the added beauty and relaxing powers of an avid garden decor. A terrace nested in fieldstone that borders a cultivated garden; a footpath created of old brick that meanders between beds of flowers emphasized by elegant garden statuary; a summerhouse that anchors the center of a number of conventional flowerbeds - all these and several more decorative refinements can and will upgrade your garden from average to breathtaking!

Strategically based garden lighting for example can bring your landscaping to life and make your evenings last longer. Consider bright strings of lights woven through the branches of trees to create a fantasy world feel or pathway solar lights shaped like lanterns to lend an Asian affect.

Garden furniture can be an enormous component in garden decor design.  Consider the different directions in which the silvery, raw tones of weather-beaten teakwood benches or how a span of red Adirondack chairs would affect the visual composition of your garden. Accessories are crucial, too: integrating stone or alloy statuary, wind bells, birdbaths and bird feeders into your garden design will give it an extremely personalized spirit.

I have always wanted my garden to be the focal point of my back yard. In addition to lush greenery and blooming flowers, I would like to have some outdoor art to entertain guest, in my quest to find the perfect pieces of garden art, I was lead to an online store that specialized in this area.

I was impressed by the wide array of garden statues the online store had available. I decided to two stone pieces that were intricately carved and looked very expensive. This would be a sure fire way to impress my guests.

It’s a fact that most of us living in the city, in an apartment, or even a condominium don’t have sprawling backyards where we can plant flowers, shrubs, and vegetables.  But we should all be able to maintain a garden of some sort regardless of our living conditions.  This is where having a garden planter comes in handy.  With a garden planter, a little water, and a bit of sunshine, you can grow all kinds of flowers and plants on a small patio, porch, or even a window sill. 

When you purchase a garden planter, it’s important to be aware of how the water will drain.  Garden planters have holes in them to serve as drainage for water; if roots become too inundated with water, they can suffocate the plant.  During the spring and summer you should water your plants once a day or every other day.  In warm weather, once a day is necessary.  You should also be aware of what kinds of plants like to be in planters; those with complex root systems might not have enough room to grow.  

I’ve visited several botanical gardens over the years, seen Japanese rock gardens, sunken gardens, and water gardens, but I think that my favorite out of all those gardens has to be the garden I visited near the Parthenon in Greece.  The garden flora wasn’t all that spectacular, but the garden sculptures more than made up for the lackluster vegetation.  There were dozens of stone sculptures featuring figures from ancient Greece.  In addition, all the stone sculptures appeared to harmonize with nature in a way that made them seem more a part of the environment than a man-made addition. 

I liked the sculptures so much that when I returned home I bought a number of stonework pieces for my own garden.  I also planted ivy and a few creeping jennies to make the sculptures look more like part of the environment, just as I had seen in Greece.  I’d recommend stonework as an essential part of any thriving gard

Whether you’ve been invited to a housewarming party, or simply know a couple new homeowners, a housewarming gift is a time old tradition which will delight new homeowners and allow you to make your mark on their décor.  For townhouses and condominiums, consider a lighting fixture.  Whether it be a lamp, lantern, or glass sculpture; chances are the new homeowners will have some area of the home that could use a bit more light.  For a house with a yard, garden decor is a great addition that new homeowners are sure not to have.  Consider statuaries, fountains, or unique stepping stones. 

Whatever you decide to buy, be sure to find something both you and the new homeowners will appreciate.  It will make your day to come over to their home another time and see your gift on display.