If you’re like us, you love spending time at the patio over the summer. Take advantage of these tips to make your patio extra comfy. Incorporate container gardens to soften the edges of your patio. Container garden show off some of your favorite plants and add color to outdoor spaces. And here’s a hint. Create container groupings. A cluster of colorful pots is much more visually impactful than a single one especially if your containers are of different sizes. Provide privacy by collecting trees or large shrubs around the perimeter of your patio or build a trowel or ladder screen and plant vines. Leafy plants around your patio ledges help block the view and muffle neighborhood sounds. There’s something magical about water so add a water feature. This simple reflecting pool lined in black creates a mirrored effect and offers a sense of serenity or use a tabletop fastener bubbler. The moving water offers another layer of sound and is sure to attract birds and butterflies. Plants are on the edges so your patio doesn’t feel plucked in the middle of your landscape. Even a simple border of colorful flowers, fragrant herbs or dwarf shrubs helps transition your patio space into the rest of your yard, giving it a cohesive landscape feel. Add an upper head element to make it feel cozy and offer shade on hot summer days. A small tree such as the sweeping crabapple is one ideal solution. In addition to creating shade, the crabapple cools its surrounding air as the plant breathes. Or if you don’t want a mess, build a pergola structure to make shade and offer the feel of a ceiling in your personal lot or a room.
SOURCE:http://www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping-projects/patio-landscaping/