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Modern Garden Trends: Courtyard and Patio Gardens

Today's backyards, gardens, patios and courtyards are getting smaller, while our need for space in which to relax and retreat from the pressures of modern day living has never been greater.

The solution: a courtyard or patio garden with as much style as your home. More and more people are going down this path and it's easy to see why.A well designed courtyard garden or patio living area is fast becoming an essential extension of the twenty-first century home.

Small Garden Designs

The most relaxing and visually appealing patio and courtyard gardens usually result from careful planning.

Start by taking your interior decorating ideas and adapting them for the exterior of your home. Think 'walls' and 'floors' and focal points. Treat your courtyard garden or patio as an outdoor room. If space is an issue, scale your outdoor décor accordingly.

Did you know that . . .
. . . the courtyard, which for centuries has been an important aspect of domestic architecture, is back in favor in the form of the modern patio or terrace garden?

Patio Garden Ideas

A few basic garden design ideas will get you started:

flooring: Aim for a surface that harmonizes with the style of your home. For example, stone pavers,flagstones, cobbles, bricks or wooden decking can extend the look of your country kitchen or your minimalist interior.
walls: Continue your interior decorating theme outdoors. Paint unsightly patio garden walls in colors that complement your home's interior. Hint at floral wallpaper by planting a cherry tree or a climbing rose against a stone wall. The fallen blossom will look like a natural carpet.
fixtures and fittings: Impress your personality on your courtyard or patio garden with arches, pergolas, trellises and miniature container plants. A hanging garden feature is perfect for small spaces. Choose a bench that doesn't dwarf the available space. Add a small wooden coffee table in front of the bench.
paint and color stains: Gone are the days when garden furniture or garden walls and fences have to be painted in natural colors! Adding color to modern patio or courtyard gardens has never been easier, with exterior paints and stains in a kaleidoscope of colors such as turquoise, pink, blue, lilac, yellow or even a brilliant red.
accessories: Continuity iskey when choosing decorative additions for your courtyard and patio gardens. Consider your interior accessories such as paintings, lighting, ornaments, sculptures, vases and potted plants and continue your theme and color scheme outdoors. Use colorful mosaics and earthenware pots for plants that complement your interior decoration.

Courtyard Calm

Create a calming courtyard with a quiet, sheltered seating area. Frame your 'secret garden' with an arched trellis covered in climbing plants.

Water makes a wonderful focal point in any patio or courtyard garden. A small fountain or fish pond adds instant calm and sets the scene perfectly.

Patio Zen Garden

A winning formula for small garden designs is to transform your patio or courtyard into a Zen garden.

Build a dry landscape Zen garden using sand, moss, gravel, stone and rock. Add a small water feature.

A Zen-style rock garden lends itself to calm and tranquility, while also making a style statement.

Containers, Pots and Hanging Baskets

Your choice of containers doesn't have to be restricted to garden pots. Any type of container will work, provided that drainage holes can be drilled into the base. Use your imagination. For example, you can use old beer barrel halves, chimney pots, agricultural baskets, kitchen colanders, pots from reclamation yards or traditional wooden baskets.

Plants for Courtyard Gardens and Patios

Selecting the best plants for the style of your courtyard or patio garden requires careful planning, especially, where space is an issue.

Container plants that lend themselves to cultivation in restricted spaces include: Adam's needle, bay, box, bizzie lizzie, century plant, chusan palm, crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, lily of the valley, pineapple plant, tulip or windflower.

Other plants that work well in courtyard and patio gardens include: bougainvillea, cabbage palm, California lilac, clematis, dwarf fan palm, elephant's ears, forest pansy, honey bush, ivy, Japanese anemone, Japanese aralia, jasmine, nasturtium, New Zealand flax, ornamental cherry, ornamental quince, passion flower, red hot poker, rock rose, rosemary, stock, tree fern, sweet pea, trumpet vine, towering sweetshoot bamboo, viburnum, witch hazel, or wisteria.

Which edible plants you choose for your courtyard garden will depend on the climate and growing conditions. Possible options include a variety of herbs, salad plants, fruits and vegetables such as hardy bananas, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, squash or zucchini.

What is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is based on the scientific principle that certain plants, including herbs, vegetables and flowers, are compatible and grow better when planted next to each other.

Companion Planting and Small Garden Designs

Companion planting is especially suited to small garden designs and container cultivation. For best results, grow companion plants in the same container or plant them in several containers, grouped together. For example, roses and garlic are well known for their compatibility.

Hanging Gardens

Use hanging baskets to frame a view or to soften the hard lines of garden walls. Hanging gardens have the trompe l'oeil effect of raising the height of the garden.

Courtyard and Patio Gardens on a Budget

Building a beautiful patio or courtyard area need not break the bank. To achieve a natural stone look, opt for concrete look-alike slabs, which are cheaper than the genuine article and are available in a range of stylish, natural hues. Save money by using whole slabs only and allowing for a gravel margin at the edge.

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