Quick Patio Update

Morning friends! I wanted to share a quick update today, about our patio. I recently shared my plans on transforming our patio into the perfect spot to drink coffee in the mornings and enjoy a glass or wine and s'mores at night. This space is fairly a new addition to our backyard and was added almost two summers ago, so my husband and I could enjoy the outdoors just steps away from our bedroom. 


At the end of the past two Summers, I've been buying up containers on clearance for plants. I love the mix of plants in both containers and in the ground look together placed in garden beds. I recently realized, I'm totally a cement, grey, black container type of girl. They'll be no colorful containers in my yard, lol.  




I'll be honest winters in the part of Northern California, where I live are very mild, so there's not really a lot of clean up to take care of from winter. However, we have this fantastic shade tree, that I adore but has the tinest leaves ever which me they fall everywhere. The little leaves completely cover our patio and when it got went, gunk formed. We wanted to try using a concrete cleaner and brush, before renting a pressure washer. 


We followed the directions closely and a portion of the gunk and grime has been removed, but not entirely. For instance, walking barefoot on my patio doesn't sound appealing at this time, but at least most of the grime has been washed away. This week, we'll be renting a pressure washer and cleaning off both patios. 



There's still so much to tackle in this space before I can bring in the fun [decor / candles / and textiles] We need to pressure wash our patio, build a pair of wood planters to flank the French doors [this week] continue filling in the pots with plants, I'm doing a mix of perennial water-wise plants and annuals. We also need to trellis on the fence for vines, can't wait to cover up that icky red paint....I hate painted wood fences, totally not my jam [too much upkeep for our hot climate] Lastly, drum roll please add a pergola above our French doors. I'm most excited about the pergola and of course finding the perfect daybed to lounge on. I've narrowed it down to a few options and will share them later this week. 

How's your outdoor Spring cleaning / planning going so far?