8 Ideas for Plantings That Will Spruce Up a Pleasant Valley, NY, Patio
Patio landscaping should be a blend of function and beauty. Privacy, comfort, and ease of maintenance top the list of plants that could grace your immediate outdoor living spaces. If you’re ready to add some greenery to your patio, here are 8 ideas for plantings that will spruce up a Pleasant Valley, NY patio.
Why add plants to your patio? Plants soften hard lines, and delight you with color, fragrance, texture, and of course stunning visuals.
1. A Container Garden
The most convenient way to add plants to your patio is with container gardens. This way, you can move more fragile indoor plants outside for the summer and back in when the weather cools. Think outside the box, though. For variety and interest, avoid filling containers with just annual flowers. Add leafy plants such as those with variegated leaves; edible plants; cascading ground covers; and ornamental grasses.
2. Privacy: a Living Wall
If you don’t relish the feeling of being boxed in with a wood or vinyl privacy wall, consider a living wall using cypress or other arborvitae or more formal hedges using boxwood or barberry. You could also install fencing and then cover it with vines such as ivy (or other climbing plants) for summer green and fall color.
Vertical gardens can be dual-purpose, offering privacy as well as greenery. Add a trellis to the more public side of a pergola or along the patio perimeter and enjoy the beauty of a living wall.
3. Trees
The trees that are planted immediately adjacent to the patio should be chosen with care to provide shade (when mature). A great tree that provides shade and stunning fall color is the Japanese Maple. Consider using denser evergreen trees on the windward side of the patio to act as natural windbreaks. If your patio features a spectacular view, you could frame that view with either evergreen or deciduous trees - just be sure to plan for their mature sizes, so they don’t end up blocking the view a few decades from now.
4. Perennials
If you want to soften the hard lines of a patio with natural materials, go for perennial ground covers that can be draped over a retaining wall. For a softer vertical look, choose tall ornamental grasses that could be planted in containers or permanent masonry planters: tall species of ornamental grasses also do double duty as outdoor “room” dividers and privacy screens.
5. Annuals
Choose annuals for the most vivid color that changes with the seasons: again, container plantings will give you the most versatility as you can have a constantly rotating show of natural beauty on your patio.
6. A Water Feature
Moving water creates a wonderful soothing atmosphere on your patio. Clay pot fountains, stone fountains, ceramic fountains and more sophisticated rain curtains or water walls could be used to add visual interest and tranquility. For the most natural look, choose a fountain that could include some aquatic plants.
7. Contrasting and Complementary Colors
Some of the plantings you choose will contrast your patio and others will complement it. You could plant a predominantly white-flowering array of plants around a dark limestone patio, to brighten things up in a very elegant way. Or, you could complement the “blues” of bluestone with blue- or silver-hued evergreens or ornamental grasses.
8. Edible Plants
If you enjoy cooking outdoors, consider an edible garden that will yield delicious culinary herbs and vegetables to enhance any meal.
Related: 2 Tips for Landscaping With Summer Plantings in Mind in Pleasant Valley NY