I have been working all spring on our small patio garden behind our townhouse in the middle of downtown. With it being such an urban area all you can fit anywhere is a very small garden design, and even then you do not see those that often. Playing around with landscaping is one of my favorite past times and, although I love living in the middle of all of the buzzing city life, it is definitely something that I have been missing. When my husband suggested that we turn our patio into a green space with some simple garden patio ideas that would fit with in the space I all but jumped for joy! I had such fun researching what plants would thrive here and searching for the best nurseries to purchase them at. I am so proud of the finished space and absolutely love putzing around out here in the evenings.

I am so excited to plant our first small patio garden at our new condo this year because we have never had the space to do it in the past. I have always loved homes like this that have backyard patio ideas filled with greenery -- both planted and also specifically placed in tera cotta pots. Obviously we do not have the space to achieve this on our small patio, but I would love to figure out how to imitate this look to a certain extent. I think that I could utilize a lot of the container garden ideas that you see on here and make small zones of vegetation (or herbs and produce) to give it a similar look. Then I would finish it off with window boxes filled with trailing flowers in order to give it that New Orleans look that this home has.

Whether you have a large estate home or just a simple town house, I think that a small patio garden as a lovely addition to any outdoor space. Even though the patio in these photos looks so elegant, if you actually look at the components of it, the garden ideas that they used are quite simple. They used matching urns filled with colorful marigolds to bring color to each of the doors, then layer decorative statues in front of manicured hedges to elevate the look. Finally, the rose bushes that frame the entire patio surround the sitting area with greenery (and bright magenta blooms during the spring and summer). These outdoor patio designs were not a very labor intensive project, and would likely fit into most peoples budgets. However, the effect is extraordinary.

I love this small patio garden because it reminds me of such a quaint little fairytale hideaway tucked into the backyard. Everything from the cobblestone exterior of the home to the quaint statue of Alice in wonderland in the center of the decorative circular brick patio pavers is so whimsical and fun. I think that the single element (or plural depending on how you look at it) that really makes the design is the abundance of wild flowers planted among the manicured brushes and taller trees. I have never really seen this in garden design and it makes such a difference to the overall vibe of the patio. The more wild approach makes it feel very whimsical, like you might find an elf or fairytale creature hiding amidst the blooms.

I have been thinking about putting a small patio garden on the left side of one of our decks out here but I am not sure if it will ruin the whole look of our backyard. I would do those raised bed designs that you see in a lot of the galleries of small patio ideas on here, and I would stain them the same color as the wood trim on our house. Once they are filled with herbs and small vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber, squash etc.), I think that they would actually add a lot of color to our otherwise monochromatic design. We had planted these fast growing shrubs last year to provide some greenery and more natural elements, but that have not flourished as much as we anticipated. Thats why I think that a little more green would actually help things out.

Do you guys think that we should add a small patio garden to our backyard here or would it cheapen the view? My husband thinks that I am crazy for wanting to put something like that out here, but I love the idea of growing my own organic vegetables and a couple of girlfriends of mine are doing it at their house. I have see different ways that you can build the structure so that it won't clash with your current patio design ideas, so I think that I could actually make it look pretty nice. Or, at the very least, tuck it away so that you don't see it very often. I don't know, it just seems like a super fun project so I am open to any and all small garden ideas that you all have for me!