Unexpected Patio Garden Designs Inspire Design

This is a question of that begs the question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”  Here at Nick’s Food to Go, a delicious Greek take away food joint in Atlanta just off Memorial Drive there was first a big open dirt parking lot and truck turn around.  The dust was a side order with your food if you stood at the outdoor plank attached to the wall to eat.  You might stand there eating in spite of the dust because the food is just too good to put off.  This summer someone decided to make a patio and garden.  The patio has picnic table seating (it’s summer!) with brightly colored parasols to ward off the noonday sun.  Next to the patio are tire planters, apropos due to the close by location of the trucking company.  And then there is the garden planted in front of the wall of graffiti, all in complementing colors. It’s not the first thing that would come to mind for ‘patio garden design,’ but it’s more than pleasant; it works. Things even to consider for your own patio garden design stage. It’s one thing to conceive it, another to execute. The various elements work together in unexpected pallets and styles; flowers working in concert with pieces we don’t expect. Perhaps this is the difference between Atlanta areas like Memorial Drive versus Vinings, GA, but beauty and garden design inspiration can come from anywhere and be played with anywhere.

Vinings, GA patio garden design photo

And this dirt parking lot certainly contains visual ‘play.’ There are bright yellow Sunflowers, white Daisies, yellow leaved orange and red Canna lilies, and purple flowering Tibuchina.  The graffiti wall installation has elements reminiscent of Greece, such as a seaside scene and Orthodox temple with bright blue sky and sea.  It makes me wonder if the flowers are also relating to Greece or perhaps they are just relating to a hot dusty parking lot.  Which came first?

Marcia Weber

Want more on garden design ideas? See our blog post on garden planning ideas for metro Atlanta, GA.

Vinings, GA patio garden image