I have a large plain patio. Any ideas on how to dress it up w/o breaking the bank?
Question:I've thought about using containers & planting some bushes. Any ideas on what types of bushes or flowers. I've been trying to come up with something for the past month & still have nothing my husband will agree to. What is a 'manly' type of decoration?
Answers:
Try some small evergreen shrubs, varying the heights and widths for affect, interspersed lightly with flowers in "manly" colors like red or yellow, lmao, as opposed to pink or lavender! Be sure to use different sizes of pots for balance. Tiki torches around the exterior are a nice touch and also cheap. Bright cushions for the furniture make a huge difference. Maybe even a small, self-contained water fountain feature? Cutesy little statuary would be a no-no for your hubby!! Different sized boulders scattered amongst your potted plants are also "manly". LOL ... as long as you don't try the English garden concept, he will find that he can retain his manhood even with flowers nearby!!
Well if you're pretty good with flowers or plants, go to somewhere like Walmart and get some cheap flowers and plants and good fertilizer - make them bushy and healthy. Forget your husband, just do it anyway, he'll get over it. :)
If you have any existing furniture in the garage might want to dust it off and take a gander at how it might spruce up the place. It depends on what you want to do, whether you are looking to have a gathering area for BBQ's or whether you are looking to have something to captivate the eye, really determines where to go with it...
Elephant Ears are a more manly looking type foliage and would look great on a patio Or a topiary then incorparate a few flowers in for your female touch...a cheap grill and a small lawn chair /table set would make it look more small and cozy
I would go down to the library and get out some books on garden design. You might think of things like a firepit, for example. You might consider architectural plants in pots, grasses, etc.
But if you have a design to follow, it might encourage him to understand where you're coming from.
I've always found this the best way to get my husband involved. Men like plans.
go to the nearest dollar store. you will find all sorts of pots,plants,flowers,vases,anyt... you need garden/patio wise. you will also find plant stands, tables,chairs, patio accessories. hope this helps.
Manly? Would he object to a keg? I would go ahead with your plans for potted containers: geraniums and petunias with asparagus fern for full sun. Coleus and sweet potato vine for shade. If you have a table and chairs get a shade umbrella: they are affordable at Wal Mart and some Home Depot stores have sales on them because summer is slipping away. How about a fire pit container, they are going on sale soon too. Try a few shepherd hooks and hang some plants around the perimeter with some patio torches. He will be beating his manly chest when he sees the torches!
A stone bench. A chiminea. Copper containers, mixed with stone planters. A high (bar height) table and chairs in metal. Dark colored cushions.
A 'checker board' table top (make from broken tiles). A dart board. Work boots used as planters. An old wooden tool box used as a planter. Lobster traps as end tables. Wooden crates as planters, tables, and additional seating.
Use an old grill as a planter. A childs table painted as a plant stand or side table.
Wooden furniture is masculine as well.
hope this helps.
Best advice ever is, before you buy anything, get natives for your area!
They thrive in your weather, are resistant to temperature variations, diseases, etc., and even bring on local wildlife because birds and other animals already know what feeds them.
They are easily available at your local nurseries, and are very resilient. You won't have to rush out to Wal-mart again next year to start it all again.
You'll have a very natural, backyard habitat!
Hi - this is Kimberly from www.landscape- solutions-for-you.com
Take a look at decorating your deck and patio on my website. Planters and pots look nice and can be inexpensive. Take a planter, put a dwarf evergreen shrub in the center. Put some perennial flowers around it. Take a few plugs of ivy and put it near the edge and let it hang over. It makes a nice decoration. Add a small table with candles and a few chairs. I would be happy to give you some more suggestions if you want. Good luck!
Drag him along to the garden or home center. Let him "come up with some ideas" that you have steered him to. Pretty soon you will have him doing the heavy lifting. A neat idea to dress up a gas grill is to dry stack some landscaping blocks around it to give it a built-in look.
Containers are good choices because you can rearrange them to suit your changing tastes.
Visit our website for more gardening ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.c...
Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
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