Tip of the week: How to transform your patio
Create privacy; Make it lush; Create a color scheme
Create privacy. A tree’s “leafy canopy” can close in the space, while tall ornamental grass can make a patio feel “more secluded.” Go a step further and create a “virtual wall of planters,” which creates an intimate, soothing atmosphere.
Make it lush. Even if you don’t have “acres of space” or a big budget for landscaping, give your patio a “middle-of-the-garden feel” by concentrating flowers around the edges of the patio, covering a pergola with vines, or adding flagstones to “blend the patio into the backyard.”
Create a color scheme. Make a patio into the “perfect retreat” by coordinating the colors of accessories with the surrounding plants and flowers. A bright, multihued umbrella “picks up the colors of impatiens” while a gold bistro table pulls out the yellow of sunflowers and black-eyed Susans.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Source: Better Homes & Gardens
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
‘It’s not normal for parents to raise their children in isolation’
instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Is a market crash around the corner?
Talking Points Observers see echoes of 1929
-
Frankenstein is alive, the Alabama prison system is exposed and Rose Byrne goes full Crazy Mom in October movies
the week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Alabama Solution’ and ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’