Hot Mediterranean sunshine: narrow stone streets, sultry air, tropical greens and a corner of shady bliss hidden from the people's eyes behind the high walls of the house. Italian patio - the patio was created with special love, it was a cozy place of rest for the whole family. Perhaps that's why nowadays, beautifying the site, many gardeners reproduce a piece of Mediterranean style in their garden.
The patio in the country or in the garden is becoming more popular, and its arrangement allows the owners of the site to plunge into the romantic atmosphere of the Mediterranean. Let's see, together with "House of Dreams", see how you can apply the idea of creating a patio in modern landscape design.
How to plan a patio on the site: the variety of options
In modern landscape design, the concept of a patio as an absolutely closed courtyard has been lost among a variety of options. It can be two walls, hiding the site owners from the heat at noon and curious views of neighbors, or a well-arranged area, surrounded by a hedge. But the base is a rocky level platform, it remains unchanged.
The desire to equip the patio at your dacha or private house site is easily feasible. First of all, it makes sense to determine the location for this site. It is assumed that it will be a place for family rest, this should be the basis for planning. The site must be level. It is possible that it will open a wonderful view of the garden, or in the future will be planned flower beds and hedges to create privacy.
Having determined the place, the gardener should consider the design style: walls, hedges, or both. Then prepare the site: before laying the main patio cover, fertile soil from the selected site is selected. In its place a gravel cushion of a small height no more than 10 cm is covered, then it is filled with large sand to the same height. Over the sand lay the foundation of the stony area.
Patio creation with their own hands: materials and methods
The materials for the construction of the patio in the dacha with their own hands can be very different: artificial stone, natural stone slabs, cobblestones, tiles, bricks, paving stones. The most important thing to consider is the convenience in further use. Too large a cobblestone will not create an ideal and even surface, garden furniture will constantly swing on such a platform.
The selected material is densely laid throughout the site only after the sand cushion has been leveled and abundant watering is done. Wet sand will settle, there will be noticeable possible errors that occurred when the site was poured. After their correction, the sand is again wetted with water, then the intended substrate is laid. At the end of the installation, the whole area is covered with dry sand to fill the gap between the stones. Then the sand is swept away, and the area is watered, all these actions are repeated several times.
The erection of the walls of the patio is also possible using a variety of materials. At the site of future walls, a trench is being dug out a little more than the concealed width of the fence. The bottom of the trench is covered with gravel, in order to avoid possible subsidence of the finished structure.
Walls are erected using or without bonding solutions( for example, from a flagstone).When erecting in a niche immediately put the container for the subsequent planting of floral plants, if this option is provided. The top of the walls is designed obliquely, in this case, the water does not stay on the rocks in precipitation and does not destroy the fence.
Patio: design for the soul
If the walls or patio are limited to a beautiful handrail, a fireplace or a street oven can be placed on the site. In this case, it will be possible to comfortably spend time in this area even on cool summer evenings.
The basic designs of the patio are decorated with floral compositions. In addition, along the edge of the site, raised flower beds or rock gardens. The selection of plants depends on the overall style or design of the patio. To decorate boring stone walls, you can use plants with bright yellow and red flowers. Perennial creeping lianas will close the walls and create an extra coolness. If desired, the walls can be decorated with pots with a variety of ampel plants.
The finishing touches in the design of the patio will be garden furniture. A wonderful option will be products made from natural wood materials. In this case, the picture "patio" will be organically completed and pacifying. Perhaps, the main furniture for the patio will be a table with chairs or a bench, because there is no better dining area in the garden than in a well-equipped patio. Also, it can be swings and rocking chairs, soft sofas, hammocks and other furniture for convenience.
As you can see, the patio in the cottage or in the garden can be built and decorated with your own hands. Of course, this article describes only an example of how to make a patio, so you can safely experiment with materials and design options. The patio can be built both on a raised platform, and on a flat surface, and in a deepening. The surface of the floor for the patio can be both stone and wooden, but there is always an option when you can leave the ground, just by compacting it or covering it with rubble, or even equipping the patio on the grass.
Try and experiment, in return you will have a cozy corner for a pleasant pastime.