Garden design, garden planning, garden layout, planting plants and planting schemes

Garden patios – making more of Outdoors

Posted on May 18th, 2009

The garden patio designed to suit your requirements and site conditions is probably the most important functional aspect of your garden area. Generally size is rarely a problem, sometimes space permitting patios can be oversized and thus look disjointed and out of proportion with the rest of the garden. Frequently one sees patios that are simply extended hard surfaced platforms effectively separating house from rest of garden. Patios need not necessarily be large geometric shapes like a rectangle, a square or indeed a circle. Try to be a little more creative in determining the shape, seek opportunities to achieve a more integrated look with the lawn and planted areas within the general scheme. If possible incorporate planting beds i.e. trapped planting beds which not only create interesting focal areas within the patio but also contribute to a more pleasing and softening look within larger patio areas especially.

Obviously patios are best located in the sunny positions of the garden at the times they are most likely to be needed/used. On the otherhand beware with patios at the house end of the garden especially layouts which run across the side access area. This area can suffer nasty cold draughts ‘wind tunnels’  as winds pushed through side entrance and across patio area. Nobody will want to sit in a wind tunnel!

Probably an aspect which you have little control over but which can be a big headache to resolve is of course levels. Steps are the obvious solution for managing changes in levels. These are commonly positioned at the house but it makes more sense to go for a convenient transition between inside and outside and re-position steps at end of patio but away from main access/exit points. If you must use steps at house, be generous, not everyone can or likes using  steps requiring ballerina foot movements. Be generous with the steps, make ‘threads’ depth at least 450mm. Height on the otherhand should be set at a maximum of 150mm. When more than one step is involved, ensure step ‘riser’ heights are consistent.  Ramps are also a possible alternative to steps.

Different levels in patio areas can also be exploited to create interesting views or orientations. This may require retention walls and a favourite choice of mine is of course the natural stone finish but rendered block walls can also look well in certain designs requiring a more contemporary look. Other additions/features which may be used to complement patio areas include Raised Planting beds, Water features, Planters, Garden Sculpture, Swing Seating, Lighting etc.  

A much more critical design feature is to retain integrity of the overall look by avoid mixing materials. Our preference is for a more coherent and consistent finish, i.e., with sandstone patios we avoid mixing ‘apples with oranges’ so for example all the key materials used for paving, threads, risers, kerbing and indeed even the decorative stone chippings used as trims around trapped beds etc are all one material e.g., sandstone, limestone, granite etc.

In relation to layout, space (lack of) frequently curtails the options here, but try to develop a layout which satisfies the space requirements but also provides a layout which not only links house to patio but is consistent with the profile of the garden layout. For example, an average family will require a space of at least 3.0m x 3.0m but 4.0m x 4.0m would be much better. Larger groups will require more space perhaps reaching 7.0m x 7.0m and more. Increasingly homeowners demand that the Outdoor space share or complement style treatments or finishes from the interior thus placing more importance on the seamless transition from inside to outside spaces. No matter what your preferred design style is, many are demanding more from the outdoor area. To see it as a sanctuary for growing plants is to greatly underestimate the true importance of the many valuable contributions a garden can offer everyone. Seeing the garden in trems of an ‘Outdoor space’ is to see lots of other potential, not just an area in which to relax, enjoy, socialise etc but the choice is almost endless. What is essential that more and more people are utilising the garden area as a living space.  At a subtle level, homeowners are making choices that have impact on how gardens look but also how they work. In this new enviroronment, how something functions is taking precedence over more traditional values of how it looks. Here in this new era of outdoor living, form follows function, which is not a bad development. Ultimately if something cannot be enjoyed, it matters little how well it looks.

In determining a layout which optimises functionality and integrates practical aesthetics, the design of the garden patio demands careful but creative consideration. It is afterall much to do with creating an area which allows one to enjoy as much as possible,  those few but precious moments of Outdoor bliss.