Patio is a type of internal courtyard typical for residential buildings, popular mainly in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in other countries of the Mediterranean basin. Originally, the patio houses were testimony to we alth and social standing.They were a meeting place for former elites, where social life took place and where local problems were discussed.
The traditional patio is spacious, richly decorated and equipped. It has an internal staircase, cloisters with numerous passages, a well, often a swimming pool and a fountain. Today, such buildings are pearls of functional architecture, still inspiring designers and architects.A contemporary patio is more practical, often semi-open, because it is the most economical form.
Especially practical is the shape of a horseshoe or a corner. Then part of the site can be covered with tall shrubs or a pergola. It is important that as much sun as possible reaches the garden, so the design must take geographic directions into account. It is also beneficial for plants, especially southern ones, who are used to heat.Although the arrangement method has changed, the materials have not changed.To this day, the basic and most frequently used building materials used on the patio are stone and wood.
They have the property of being naturally warm. The stone heats up in sunny weather and then gives it back many hours after sunset.The garden presented here covers an area of approximately 100 m². Instead of walls, as in a classic patio, the cover is a bamboo hedge. Simple forms and noble materials are characteristic of this garden. There is room for a pond and a rich collection of plants.
What to fill the patio with?
In sheltered places, where the sun does not come too often, the original species with decorative leaves look good.
Lining idea
In the patio, even if it does not quite resemble the original one from the sunny South, there are specific microclimatic conditions - there is less wind, the air temperature is higher than average outside the patio, the ground is drier. Therefore, the plants for planting may also be different. A good and reasonable solution is to sprinkle the beds with a gravel bedding, thanks to which the substrate will retain moisture for longer.
Bamboo for hedges
In a city patio, where space is sometimes seriously limited, a vertical arrangement of assumptions is very practical, i.e. one in which vines and tall, slender perennials are preferred.Bamboo Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' (pictured right) has beautifully colored yellow stems and is suitable for masking and hedging. This variety can reach several meters in height, but grows very slowly. Shoots can be pruned.
Plants to be planted on the patio
1. Rodgersia footcolist 'Rotlaub' has reddish-brown leaves. The creamy white flowers sit on one meter long stems and bloom from June to July
2. Ferns and funkies are made to grow in shady places. Garden varieties have different shades of green, moreover, the funkia blooms
3. Chinese miscanthus 'Gold bar' has one meter long striped leaves. It blooms pink in autumn
4. Japanese maple 'Aconitifolium' turns a fiery red color in autumn, it grows up to 3-4 m
5. Yarrow 'cerise queen' blooms red from June to August, forming dense corymbs.This variety likes sunny positions and grows up to 30-40 cm.It looks good on the flowerbed in combination with the yellow blooming lily 'Stella D'oro'. Daylilies are easy to care for, faded flowers need to be cut out on a regular basis
