I am so excited to be sharing our colorful backyard patio makeover with you today! It’s been months of work in the making, and I think we finally got to the point where we’re done working on it for the season. I’m officially calling it: I’ve pulled enough weeds, it’s time to move on!
Here’s a look into what the space looked like before and how we got it to be an outdoor space we use daily!
We bought our home in the winter so this was our first time seeing the landscape grow in. Because we weren’t sure what the previous owner planted, we waited to see what would grow and sprout before we dug anything up.
Our long term plan is to remove the brick to put in something less weed friendly, maybe pavers or stone for a more European garden feel. Since the house is brick, using brick for the patio feels like too much for the space.Â
But for this year, our only goal was to clean up the space to make it usable.
The Patio Before
As you can see, weeds were EVERYWHERE. And while I tried a few methods of removing them that were faster (like the string trimmer), I found that hand pulling them was the best way to clean the space for long term use. Whatever your guess is for how long this took, double it.
The good news is that Ryan worked in landscaping for 14 years, so he was able to come in with the skills needed to clear the garden beds and how to make the soil best for planting. Even having two people work on the space at the same time, it took us at least a month to get everything cleaned up!
The Process
If you want a deeper dive into the process and everything we did, be sure to check out my latest Youtube video! You can see a bit more of the space before as well as well as be screaming about a bug.
DIY Natural Weed Killer
- Gallon of white vinegar
- Dish soap
- Salt (Optional)
- Sprayer or watering can
To be completely transparent, I hand pulled all of the weeds and then sprayed this on the patio after hoping it will help them from growing back as badly as they did. It might make the weeds easier to pull if you apply before, but I can’t 100% say that since I tried a different approach. It’s been a month since filming and we’ve only had one or two weeds pop back up which is a victory in my book!
Note: your vinegar will go much faster using a watering can that you might need more than a gallon (depending on the size of your space). The sprayer I used helped me control where the weeding killing solution was sprayed.
This mixture really works best on brick patios, or other areas that don’t have other plant life in them. You want to concentrate it to weeds only since it might kill other plants!
Our Colorful Backyard Patio
Andddd here’s the final colorful patio space! It feels like an entirely different patio than what we started from. It always amazes me how much cleaning can transform a space.
I’ve also been going through the process of testing what the deer in our town will eat. So far they have eaten a bit of the lilac, but stopped when we put netting around it. Any and all deer-resistant plant suggestions are welcome!
Patio Sources
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- Chair set (ours was from a local store, but here’s one similar and this blue one is so pretty)
- Table (this one is similar, so is this one)
- Rug (comes in a few colors)
- Lanterns
- Plant Urns
- Umbrella Stand
- Pink Stripe Umbrella
A shop in our town was closing so we were able to get the patio table and chairs for 75% off. I think if we were to change it up for next year I might have more seating like a couch and a table. But for now it’s been lovely being able to enjoy a cappuccino outside in the morning.
If there’s anything not on the list, just let me know in the comments below and I’ll find the link!
So that’s the patio makeover! If you need me, I’ll be outside enjoying a cappuccino!
Check out my Home Tour video to see more of our house!
