Is Your Patio Actually Holding Your Garden Back? -

This is a collaborative post

Honestly, some patios are like bad dates. Well, they start off looking decent, but then you realise they have zero personality, poor taste, and absolutely no idea how to vibe with your lifestyle. So, here’s something you’re supposed to keep in mind: your patio, well, your outdoor living area, is technically supposed to be the most gorgeous part of your garden. No, really, it’s supposed to, well, ideally it is at least.

But if your garden feels disjointed, dull, or just flat-out off, there’s a solid chance your patio might be the one dragging the whole look down.

It Looks like a Sad Concrete Pancake

Alright, so to be entirely honest. If your patio looks like someone poured a bit of cement and called it a day, it’s not doing your garden any favours. Those boring grey slabs? They’ve got all the charm of a car park. Your outdoor space deserves better. It should feel like an extension of your home, not like a DIY project gone wrong a decade ago.

But at the same time, you should also keep in mind that upgrading doesn’t have to mean ripping everything out and starting from scratch, either. Sometimes, a new layout, some better patio installers (rather than a DIY job), or better materials can totally shift the appearance from “meh” to “wow, is this a magazine shoot?” Well, that’s what you want, because again, this is your outdoor living space.

You can’t Actually Use it Comfortably

If the only thing your patio is good for is storing old plant pots and housing that one garden chair with a wonky leg, then it’s time to reconsider. Yep, a good patio should invite you in. It should make you want to sip a coffee in your dressing gown, and better yet, a gorgeous patio should make you really compelled to have a BBQ, even on a cold, cloudy day, because that’s how good it makes you feel when you step out on it.

Basically, if yours isn’t pulling its weight, it could be the shape, the slope, or just bad planning. But thankfully, that’s fixable, and quite often, the fix makes everything else click into place.

The Styles’s at War with Your Garden

Chances are, your garden’s probably doing its best. Maybe you’ve got lush greenery, a decent lawn, or a few gorgeous pots you bought from Anthropologie. But then the patio shows up looking like it belongs to a completely different house. Here’s a nice comparison for a pretty garden but an ugly patio; it’s like wearing flip-flops with a tuxedo. It just doesn’t work, right?

Well, a patio should tie everything together, not stick out like a sore thumb. That doesn’t mean it needs to be fancy or super modern. It just needs to feel intentional, like someone thought about it instead of slapping down a few paving slabs and calling it a day. Well, you could say that for anything, honestly.

You’re Embarrassed to Show it Off

Now think of this scenario for a second; you invite people round and say, “Don’t mind the patio, it’s a bit… unfinished.” Translation? You hate it. It’s the part of your home that you avoid when giving tours, and that’s a red flag. That’s really not something you want for your home, right? Well, your garden should feel like a proud part of your home, not the bit you apologise for.