As someone who has built quite a few patios
I have never done much with them in this blog.
With summer here it is time to take a look.
Above is a patio in Seattle, Washington with simple cement pavers
with a nice creeping plant in between them.
A patio need not be fancy or expensive
to create a pleasant and inviting place to be.
A gravel surface works great at this sitting area
behind the espresso cafe in Oceanside, Oregon.
Nasturtiums hanging over the wall give visual interest.
A cool shady spot is welcoming at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
Green and the color of the chairs and flowers
draw people into a respite from the desert.
Brick pavers make a good patio surface.
Also at the Tucson Botanical Gardens
these recycled bottles make a creative edging.
For more see my post:
Rio Bravo Fine Art in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
uses the shell of an adjoining, old, commercial building
(without the roof) for their patio.
This photo was taken before "patio season"
so it has not been cleaned up after a long hard winter.
Noting the ruins of the building,
I would call this the Dresden Look.
These last photos are from Ohio.
The privacy fence in the background provides a nice backdrop.
The decorative and smooth Baja stone along the edge
provides a drain for rain water.
The Pennsylvania blue stone
makes for a beautiful and smooth surface.
For best results with this blue stone use a map to scale of the area to figure your layout
once you know exactly the number of each size of stone you have.
The sizing of the stone is such that they are cut in one foot increments,
making it easy to fit them together.
