Show off your outdoor patio

The patio is where we get chance to sit back, enjoy the garden and appreciate our plants up close and personal – so a great place to incorporate scented varieties!

Spaced flagstones create a frame for low groundcover and thyme, marjoram and mint will scent the air as they're scuffed underfoot. For low-traffic areas try slightly taller plants between the stones – fragrant alyssum, dianthus, petunias, and drought resistant pelargoniums with their many different spicy scents.

Fire-pits extend outdoor leisure time into the cooler months. Plant basil and sages nearby so it's easy to break off a twiggy branch and toss it into the flames to scent the air. A small pond enhances the sense of outdoor peace and many water lilies give off a delicate fragrance.

_CON4195

Embellish walls with a classic plaster mask spouting water or if it's a sunny wall consider an espaliered fruit tree. Fig, apple, and citrus trees are all well-suited to being clipped, pruned, and trained in this way. Ensure the soil is well composted, well mulched, and well irrigated and you'll have the joys of an orchard at arm's reach from your patio lounger!

A trellised screen will support sweet-smelling honeysuckle and jasmine or fun climbing veggies like cucumbers and purple-podded beans. Our indigenous restio grasses form a living screen and rustle attractively in the breeze as will many shrubs.

Quality potting soils, mulches, water-retaining gels, and timer-activated watering systems all contribute to the success of plants in containers. Azaleas, hydrangeas and plectranthus species love container living and flower happily in the shade. The bay tree has long been valued as an evergreen container plant and aromatic curry leaf tree also adapts gracefully to life in a large container placed in a sunny position.

Shade trees can form the backbone of patio areas so consider specimens that will grow large enough to support a hammock for lazy reading days. Magnolia, cape chestnut and indigenous pompon tree all create a fragrant pink cloud during their flowering times. Shade a pergola above a romantic cushioned swinging-seat with a riot of roses.

In South Africa, we're lucky to be able to spend so much leisure time outdoors; an inviting patio area will not only encourage the whole family to slow down and enjoy life in the garden, it will add value to the property should you ever want to move.

Share This:

Subscribe

GET A LITTLE

GREEN

IN YOUR INBOX