I am so over painting. We’ve decided to take a break from getting the paint brushes out and instead finish off the projects we’ve already started before resurrecting the room make-overs in the autumn.

The first mini project to finish will be in the garden. As I mentioned in my post last week I’m planning a cutting garden as well as a shady wild flower patch near the freshly painted shed however this post is all about the patio.
The previous owners definitely had green fingers and this green space has been lovingly manicured and planted and I intend to try to do my very best to continue to let it flourish. After our teeny tiny courtyard moving to such a house with such a large, established garden has been a bit overwhelming. We didn’t even have a lawnmower when we first moved, let alone a strimmer or hedge cutters.
Lolly made an excellent point a couple of weeks ago when she mentioned splitting gardens into rooms and approaching each area in turn and so the patio will be the next ‘room’ to tackle.

Here you can see a few images of the space as it currently stands. Not too shabby at all but a couple of weekend updates will upgrade the patio.

The Before Snaps {iPhone Gallery}

My garden is north facing but as it’s quite large we get far more sun than my first southerly aspect garden. However the top half of the patio nearest the house is in shade for most of the day.
The bench and the table and chairs have to stay, though they clearly need a good run down and stain. I’ve convinced myself they have another year or two in them yet and it’s too pricey to replace at the moment. How gorgeous is this garden table from John Lewis though? I love how un-outdoorsy it looks but alas there’s no budget for such beauty this year.

Inspiration

On The List

Replace The Lighting

We have a tiny little courtyard on the back of the living room too so in total there are six (!) lights to replace. You can see the current circular lights peeking out of the honeysuckle in the before pics. I would have liked to have gone wild and splashed out on these simple lanterns from Garden Trading but six would have been far too extravagant. Enter Wilko and their Fisherman Lantern for just £15.

Add Some Ambiance

I still haven’t sorted out what swathes of festoons I’m going to have out there, in fact I’ve started to think about lighting up the path rather than hanging overhead but in the mean time I’ve been collecting lanterns to hang through the trees and on the table.

Build An Outdoor Kitchen

Well that sounds rather grand so time to lower the expectations. The bit where the wood is stored and the hosepipe is strewn will have a bit of a makeover adding shelving, some form of make-shift sink and a perch for the new barbie. A friend of mine is a BBQ king and after a lot of discussions we stumped up the cash for a Weber barbecue which we hope to use a lot over the summer.

Fill The Empty Space

The area you see with the light and honeysuckle is the exterior of our downstairs bedroom. Ever wondered where that door off my living room goes? Well it’s in to the guest bedroom and wet-room. At first I wasn’t too keen on the idea but in reality it’s fab to let guests have their own area while we have the run of the upstairs. Anyway I digress, back to the empty space outside this room. I’m not too sure what to put here but current ideas are maybe another bench? Maybe a low level storage unit to hide away all the brooms and spades or perhaps a plant stand with a plethora of petals.

Bin Storage

Leading off the patio is the path out to the garage. And there you’ll see the eyesore that is the wheelie bin and recycling boxes. Willow screening, pallet stores, I’ve seen it all but I’m still not sure what’s the right solution for keeping the rubbish out of sight.

Bring In The Plants

When I was taking out the dead plants from the border the other day I noticed the bed is built on top of an existing patio so the bed is very, very shallow. I’ve had to rethink the plants I had in mind as I don’t think they’ll survive in such a low level of soil so I’m going to go for creeping thyme and perennials more suitable for a rockery environment. I also need to replace the hanging baskets, though I have to wait a while longer as a bird has set up home in one of last years. Then there are various pots and planters to fill for constant colour.

We’ve already started to replace the wall lighting and I’m filling the beds in preparation for a party we’re having next weekend. Fingers crossed we’ll be able to get cracking on the outdoor kitchen soon. Do you have any garden plans? Did you get up to any outdoor DIY over the bank holiday?