Earth Day Patio Makeover
Every year around this time, I get the urge to spruce up our patio. Living in a townhouse, we don’t have a yard so our small deck is the only space we have reign over outside. It’s not much, but it’s enough to get creative. I did absolutely nothing to our patio last year because we were going to be gone for such a big portion of the summer. Because of this, the condition this space was in by the time spring rolled around this year is nothing short of embarrassing. Y’all, as of April we still had a Christmas tree stand out there. (I might as well put all my cards on the table and admit that the Christmas tree also resided in our garage until April as well. I’m not proud.) Needless to say we had our work cut out for us this year. We forced our trusted horticulture advisor (Mom) to accompany us to our local nursery and help us give our patio a much-needed makeover!
The first thing you need to understand before picking out plants is how much sun your outdoor space gets. Certain plants grow better in the shade vs. direct sunlight. Our deck gets a ton of sun so we checked all the tags to be sure 8-12 hours of sunlight was healthy for the plant. If you want to create a mixed pot, Mom recommends color contrast as well as height contrast. Her go-to combination seems to be a tall flowering plant, a short flowering plant, and something green like ivy.
When it’s time to plant, be sure to loosen the roots (without damaging them) from where they have been packed in. Also be sure to pack your potting soil so that no air pockets remain in the pot. Once you’ve potted all your plants, go ahead and give them plenty of water to help settle the soil.
Let’s be real…
Enough teasers already…here is the complete transformation!
Because I’m obsessed, I picked up a few succulents for indoor plants.
A good patio makeover needs more than plants! Here are some of my favorite finds for your outdoor space:
1. Metal outdoor artwork: Ballard Designs (No longer available BUT I did spot something similar at T.J.Maxx recently!) | 2. Solar-powered lights: IKEA | 3. Outdoor rug: World Market | 4. Outdoor pots and accessories: HomeGoods | 5. Tub planter: Scott’s Antique Market | 6. Turquoise Stripe Umbrella: Target | 7. Outdoor lanterns and candles: IKEA
Try to do something green today in honor of earth day!