photo credit: owlhere

Also,  if you lack space or live in a city, a patio can support a flower or vegetable garden. Many of these ideas can also be used in a city setting or balcony area where use of space is critical.

Below are several you tube videos with patio gardening tips and the use of a vertical growing wall, which can be used indoors or outdoors.

Patio Gardening Tips

This you tube shows mainly the use of flowers. My patio includes an equal amount of vegetables and herbs. I find having a mini garden on my patio makes gardening easier and harvesting vegetables for a meal is a cinch. It is also easier to move plants indoors before a bad storm or in the fall to over winter them.

Growing walls are beautiful and practical. They can easily grow an indoor garden, herbs or a variety of plants. I have even seen them arranged for holidays.

The you tube will show you how to set up a vertical growing wall. There are growing walls that you can hand build. I am looking for directions for one that I can share with you.

When I lived in cities and moved every few months for my job I gave up gardening. If I had known about green growing walls I would have kept a garden. I find gardening to be relaxing and it adds to a home. I still had plants that I moved from city to city, but no garden.

photo credit: Don Hanover III

But many people will need to prepare their yards and patios for colder weather. And few hours of work will help you to enjoy your patio area for a few more months and leave you prepared to the winter months ahead.

Power wash the patio base and all the furniture to remove dirt and pollen that has built up over the summer months. If you do not have access to a power washer, use a hose with a nozzle attachment at the highest pressure

Small maintenance:

• Patch any cracks in the concrete patio pad with sealant from the hardware store.
• Repaint or reseal wood fences or decks after the pressure cleaning.
• Throw out summer annuals, which are starting to fade. You an also overwinter any annuals if you have the space. I always overwinter my geraniums, mums and dusty miller plants. Keep the plant pots for future projects, but clean them with soapy water and bleach if they need additional cleaning

Add accents to your patio furniture with fall-friendly fabric. Deep reds, chocolates, golds, orange and greens complement the outdoor foliage as it changes colors.

Pillows, throws, rugs and placemats are a few ways to add change to the patio area. You may even have an additional patio umbrella that will compliment fall. Tip: Spray non-outdoor fabrics with Scotch Guard so they will not mold or get dirty after rains.

New planters and flowers will change the feel of the patio area. Mums, pansies and zinnias will add color around your patio. Create new window boxes or add flowers to a fence or trellis.

Ornamental grasses, bright cabbages, shamrocks or fall vegetables, like red and orange peppers, will add a feel of fall to your patio. And the pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks tucked near the patio or in the yard will create a fall harvest theme.
photo credit: fauxto_digit

Natural centerpieces for the patio tables using stone pebbles, grapevine and thick white candles will add to your evening’s outdoors. Wicker will also fit well in the fall décor of your patio design.

I enclose my patio in late fall so that I will be able to enjoy the winter months in an indoor/outdoor setting. And by preparing my patio area now, enclosing the patio later is quite easy.

Patioscape design allows for a lot of creativity.

photo credit: Koonisutra

In fact, the possibilities for patios and pools are nearly limitless. Still, the best in the business recommend following basic design rules by answering these questions:

After a careful assessment, it’s time to select your plants.

Color, of course, is the element that usually catches the eye first. Though it can be tough, the designer in you needs to exercise restraint in this area.

Choose colors based on your individual situation. For example, blue tones are popular because they give a feeling of serenity. They look great near a pool. Warm, bold colors – reds, orange and yellows – are temperamental and have a high impact. Mono-aromatic designs are elegant and trendy.

No matter what the trends are, don’t just consider aesthetics. Make sure the plants you choose have similar requirements for light exposure and water. They should also have similar growth vigor, or more aggressive ones might outpace those that grow slowly.

For a well-balanced design use tall, upright plants, mounding or medium-height plants and trailing elements. Work your way from the center to the rim, placing uprights in the center, medium plants around them and trailing elements along the edges.

If the planter is against a wall or in a corner work your way from back to front, with tall plants in the back and trailing elements in front.

Other important considerations are proportion and texture. Aim for the plants to take up to 2/3 of the entire design, leaving 1/3 for the visible part of the planter.

Keep in mind that trailing plants will hide part of your container. Use simpler plants to accent a showpiece planter.

For a pool landscaping plan, one idea is to consider using texture to create a natural design.

Incorporate foliage plants for richness and work with different foliage and flower shapes and sizes. Design professionals favour such varieties as purple fountain grass (regular and dwarf forms), New Zealand flax, Mexican feather grass and sedges. You can also try perennials with intriguing foliage like Hosta, Heuchera, Ajugn, Euphorbia, Sedum or ornamental herbs.

Other excellent foliage plants are coleus, English Ivy, Ornamental Sweet Potato, and Strobilanthes.

For novel flowering plants try Ange Ionia, Nemesia, Bacopa, Calibrachoa or Cleome ‘Linde Armstrong’.

In most cases it’s best to make a design last the entire year, but some gardeners prefer spring and fall planting.

Sometimes plants become less attractive as summer wears on and fall planting becomes necessary. In this case consider including evergreens for winter interest. Try to limit complete change-outs to two to four times yearly, typically when the seasons change. Choose bromeliads over annuals for their longevity. Using mostly perennials will make fewer change-outs necessary.

Relaxing on an outdoor porch swing is the perfect way to spend a summer evening.

photo credit: redtype Whether you do so alone or with a family member or friend, it is exceptionally good way to relax and unwind from a day at work and enjoy the warmth and fresh air.

If you are considering purchasing and outdoor porch swing for your home, you will want to consider Cedar. It is the number one option for quality, durability and above all comfort.

Consider the following five reasons for buying a cedar product.

#1 Durability – Many types of wood, when exposed to the sun, rain, cold and heat they way a porch swing is, cracks and/or rots. These woods must be treated with chemicals in order to preserve them. Cedar, on the other hand does not. It is a wood that contains its own natural protection through natural oils and chemicals that preserve and strengthen the wood. Light weight and durable, a outdoor porch swing made of cedar will outlast any other swing made with another material.

#2 Comfort – Cedar is a wood product that provides exceptional comfort when used for porch or patio swings. It naturally maintains an even, cool temperature even when exposed to the heat of the summer sun. Furthermore, Cedar does not shrink and swell with a change in temperature and stays flat regardless of the weather. You will not see any warping and the seat surface will remain smooth and even.

#3 Natural Insect Repellent – How many times have you decided to sit outside during the summer months only to be bombarded by insects and bugs? If you are seated in an outdoor patio swing made of natural Cedar you will not have that problem. Remember your Grandmother’s Cedar Chest? It was used to protect your clothing from moths. An outdoor cedar swing will protect you from insects too. While the aroma of Cedar may send insects scurrying, most people find it a pleasant smell.

#4 Ecologically Friendly – The chemicals used to treat most outdoor furniture often present a health hazard to those using it. They are needed to help preserve the furniture from the effects of the weather and must be applied regularly. Cedar, on the other hand, does not need to be treated with preservatives and protectorants. It is naturally occurring. An outdoor porch swing made of cedar is a product that protects the environment and the owner.

#5 Naturally Beautiful – Cedar is a wood that is rich in color with a soft red-brown appearance that when used in outdoor furniture adds a richness and quality look to your porch or patio. A cedar porch swing will maintain its natural beauty over time. It is a wood that does not fade or dull. Many people buy Cedar for its looks alone without even being aware of all of its other beneficial properties.

Take advantage of the natural beauty, durability, and comfort and consider Cedar next time you are shopping for outdoor furniture for your home.