Our Courtyard Patio – The “Portal” Theme 2022

Spring and Summer are my most favorite times of the year! I LOVE planning the decor theme and the plants for our front Courtyard Patio each year, as well as for our other patios and gardens. I love even more to sit out in these spaces and relax in the nice weather. The Courtyard Patio is a perfect place to work, read, entertain, and watch shooting stars at night. I thought I’d take you on a tour of this space and how it looks this year – the “Portal” theme.

(Click smaller images to enlarge them).

From the Driveway 

I really love a monochrome look for our front yard landscaping. I use only white (or off-white) flowers and lime green flowers in this area and let the textures and variations of green speak for themselves. This year, I wanted a few pops of color here and there, so I choose a bright pink to offset the lime green plants. Just love these little spots of color! If you look closely, you’ll also see a very large round mirror tucked into the landscaping. Read on to learn more about the mirror.

The Tale of Two Entrances

We have two front entrances to our house. The Service Door entrance is the one closest to our driveway and is where we receive deliveries and ship products from my vintage shop – ThirdShift Vintage. The main entrance under the large arch is our formal entrance and is at the end of the sidewalk. The covered landing at the Service Entrance helps protect incoming and outgoing packages from the weather, and with its stone bench, it’s the perfect place to sit during a thunderstorm to watch the sky and lightning while staying out of the rain. This entrance has a handpainted “Visitor Parking” sign that was hand-painted by my husband, on a piece of wood that came from my Moms nursery and garden center. This sign has a lot of special meaning to me, and I love that it points to our Courtyard Patio, guiding our friends to have a seat and visit with us.

Here are photos of our Service Entrance and how it transitions to the Courtyard Patio. Black and white are my favorite colors so you’ll see those colors used a lot in our patio designs. I wanted a bit of ‘flair’ for this entrance, so my husband made us a copper kick plate for our door and we painted a variety of pots with copper paint to use as the accent pieces. I change our letterboard sign (also painted copper) at least once a week, and the delivery people seem to really enjoy reading the new sign messages.

Plants used in this space:

• Navajo Princess Mangave – The two variegated Mangave plants have flower stalks that are literally 10-feet tall! They are flowering in these photos. Once the flowers are done, the tall stalks will die off. I’ll move these Mangave plants inside as houseplants for the Winter.
• Dipladenia – The urn planter has one of my favorite white flowers, the Dipladenia. I have a black metal trellis in the pot that’s hard to see within this thriving plant.
• Curcuma Ginger – I found an old rusty aquarium stand in a local buy/sell group. We cleaned it up, painted it black, and added glass shelves to it. It is now a plant shelf tucked behind the Dipladenia and holds this amazing Ginger plant, orange Viola, and my Ivory Prince Hellebore plant (which I will get in the ground before Fall). The Ginger plant will come inside as a houseplant in the Fall.
• Monkey Cups – The plant on the right behind the orange Violas is one of my houseplants – the Monkey Cups. It’s a carnivorous plant, so I put it out on the patio this Summer to eat the pesky bugs like bottle flies and horse flies.
• Kokedama Ferns – There are three hanging Kokedama ferns hanging from the overhead. Love the round shape of the moss balls among the rattan lights hanging there.
• Moonlight Caladium – The white Caladium loves its spot on the table. It’s thriving in this shaded, north-facing area. The white leaves with green veins totally fits the monochrome theme I love.
• Sansaverias – The Sanseveria near the door is growing like a weed! I buy houseplants for the patio each Summer, and then bring them inside for the Winter.
• String of Bananas – This succulent is in a hanging basket near the stone bench and adds a lot of vertical interest to this space.
• Variegated Peperomia – This is another houseplant that I bought specifically for the patio. It sure seems to be loving its spot on this landing area!
• Copper Spoons Succulent – Because I’m using copper as an accent color on this landing, I added this Copper Spoons Succulent in a copper pot. I bring this plant inside for the Winter as a houseplant. It makes the transition between outside and inside very well.
• Boxwood Topiary – Sshhhh! This potted plant on the copper plant stand in the corner is artificial. I put it on the landing in the Winter just to have some green outside and just haven’t had a chance to replace it yet with a real plant. While it is artificial, it’s so lifelike that most everyone that visits thinks it’s a real plant.

You’ve Been Transported to a Tropical Locale – Right Here in Minnesota

While some people might think it’s strange to have a patio in front of their house, I have to tell you – we spend a lot of time on our front Courtyard Patio. Granted, we live in the county and have a driveway through the woods that is around 700-feet long – keeping us very secluded from anyone who might happen down our very seldom used dirt road – so our front patio is very private. The patio balances out the front of our house and the landscaping, and is really just an extension of our living space.

I wanted this space to make us feel like we were on vacation in some tropical location. Minnesota Summers are way too short, so that tropical vibe is very welcoming!

As you can see, the color scheme is monochromatic in black and white, allowing the plants to really put on their show!

This space is surrounded by large Majesty Palm trees that I buy specifically for the patio, and then over-Winter in our house (Yay! More houseplants!). I’m very picky about the pots I use, trying to keep a Mediterranean vibe as much as I can. I use plants that have a variety of textures and a wide range of green colors. These textures and colors really make the plants stand out!

I found an indoor metal and glass coffee table and end table in a local buy/sell group. We cleaned it up, painted it black and now they are the perfect pieces for our Courtyard Patio! These photos don’t include all the awesome throw pillows or throw blankets I have (in black and white patterns), but the pillows and blankets really do add a lot more texture and interest. I keep them stored in package storage bins in our Arch Entry when not in use.

I also found a 38-inch diameter industrial convex mirror that my husband made a stake and mount for. My vision was to have this mirror up against our trees to look like a ‘portal’ to another place – a tropical locale. The mirror is on a stand that is 5-feet tall and looks amazing! Whatever angle you look at the mirror from, you see a different view and you definitely feel like you’ve been transported elsewhere!

I had fun making custom beverage coasters for this area as well. The black and white designs fit perfectly with this space. To break up all the straight lines, I found a black metal circle hanging planter that we added a base to so we can use the plant holder on the side table. I had to add a flying saucer plant to this holder, it just seemed fitting. My Mom was fond of Mourning Doves (a story I’ll get into another time perhaps). She gave me two of these Mourning Dove statues for our landscaping. We placed one of the Mourning Doves on her grave after she passed, and the other one graces our coffee table on the patio every season. I feel Moms spirit, enjoying the patio with me.

Plants used in this space:

• Meyer Lemon Tree – This tree was inside during the Winter and it grew quite a few lemons! I put it outside this Spring and once it adapted to being outside, it’s blooming again! Fresh Lemonade, anyone?
• Viola (orange)  – I bought these bright orange violas (my favorite colored viola) back in March of this year. They’ve been sitting on the patio ever since. They are starting to look a little tired with the heat waves we’ve been having, but they are still blooming! We like to use the petals in ice cubes, as garnishes for beverages, and in salads. They may not add a lot of flavor, but they sure make something ordinary look pretty special!
• Stuttgart Canna Lily – This lily is hard to find! I finally found bulbs for this plant and started the bulbs very early this Spring. They are growing very rapidly now. The leaves will turn a bold green with white stripes, and the flowers will be orange. I can’t wait to see this change!
• Little Miss Figgy Tree – Here’s another plant I bought back in March. It was just a dormant tree about 18-inches tall with a few branches when I got it. It is thriving on the patio! It is now over 4-feet tall and at least 4-feet wide. There are new leaves bursting out daily. I don’t see any beginnings of figs yet, but I am hoping we get an excellent crop of them this Fall. Yum!
• Lemon Coral Sedum – It’s hard not to love this type of Sedum! The bright chartreuse color of the leaves and the mounded shape this plant takes make it a perfect plant for a container. I found some old clay urns and painted them white – and these plants look like they were meant to grow in this pot.
• Upright Elephant Ear – I love the upright varieties of Elephant Ears. I started this plant from a bulb early this Spring and it certainly took its time to break out of the soil. It’s started to grow quicker now, and I know by Fall, it will be quite large. I’ll bring all the Elephant Ear plants inside this Winter as houseplants. They’ll definitely be focal plants in each room!
• Giant Elephant Ear – I started this Elephant Ear from a bulb this Spring, as well. This one also took a while to grow, but it’s doing well now and is forming large droopy leaves. Love it!
• Jumbo Elephant Ear – This Elephant Ear was also started from a bulb this Spring. I started this one in the house and it is already very large! New leaves unfurl on a near daily basis. The leaves are currently 30-inches long. The patterns on the leaves are simply amazing!
• Mojito Elephant Ear – Well, the jury is still out on these bulbs. I planted three of them in the same pot early this Spring. They weren’t very large bulbs – only about the size of a large egg – but I thought they would grow pretty quickly. Sadly, they haven’t even broken out of the soil yet. I’m not sure what the issue is – if the bulbs were just too old, or if they were not stored properly when I bought them, or what. I’ll keep watering this pot, and am still hoping to see this plant grow before Winter.
• Coffee Cups Elephant Ear – I bought this plant already growing. It’s thriving and looks so beautiful with its interesting cup-shaped leaves. The rainwater collects in these leaves and the tree frogs love it.
• Blood Lily – Oh my! I had never seen a Blood Lily before, but stumbled on a photo of one while ordering bulbs from a magazine this past Winter. I planted three bulbs and they are just now growing. One plant has already bloomed and is amazing! The other two have broken out of the soil, so I know they’ll be blooming soon, too. Such a unique plant! And I love the burst of dark pink – the flower looks like fireworks. So cool.
• Pistachio Cream Petunia – This is my all-time most favorite Petunia! It is really spectacular! This Petunia is very hard to find. We ended up driving over 4-hours to go to a nursery that grows this plant. The drive was well worth it! The lime green flowers with a cream center just look perfect in the planters around the patio!
• Blackie Ipomoea Sweet Potato Vine – I wanted a contrasting color to include with the Pistachio Cream Petunias, so I chose this plant. I figured it would just drape down as a trailing plant, like it has for me in other containers in the past. Well… this plant had other thoughts. It has become very bushy and full – more bushy than trailing. It’s so bushy, it makes it hard to see the Petunias from one side of the pots. I’ll be trimming this plant back to let those Petunias take the spotlight.
• Dracaena Spike Plant – Yes, this is such a typical plant that almost everyone uses for height interest in containers. But, I really do like this plant! Not only does it look good in the Spring and Summer, this plant stands tall all Fall and into the beginning of Winter as well.
• Polka Dot Plant – These plants are houseplants typically, but I planted a bunch of them in various pots along the patio. I just love the dark green leaves and the white dots on them. The dots remind me of stars.
• Dipladenia – White Dipladenias are such awesome plants! They are so incredibly hardy, they grow very quickly, and they are always producing gorgeous white flowers. I do have black metal trellises in these urn planters, but the plants have already outgrown them. I really need to find some taller trellises!
• Variegated Sweet Flag Grass  – I really love the white and green variegation of this plant. I’m using it in my cement head planter on the coffee table as I think it looks like a wild hairdo. When you run your hand through the grass, it gives off a sweet fragrance. It’s so pretty!
• Lavender Standard Topiary Tree – This Lavender plant looks fabulous on the coffee table! When it’s flowering, the scent is soothing and the butterflies love it. I really like the overall look of this plant – very dainty while providing a lot of texture to the patio. I’ll bring this plant inside for the Winter, and hope that it will continue to thrive.
• Dwarf White Pampas Grass – This is the first time I’ve grown Pampas Grass. I bought the dwarf variety and put it in a pot to contain it. It’s growing well, but it hasn’t feathered yet. I’m looking forward to seeing those white plumes!
• Majesty Palm Tree – I love the Majesty Palm Trees! I have a bunch of them placed around the Courtyard Patio, four of them at the corners of our pool, and two of them on either end of the rope hammock at our firepit. Nothing screams tropical more than a palm tree! This palm variety is very easy to grow, adapts to a wide range of temperatures and lighting conditions and is a fast grower. I bring these palm trees inside for the Winter and place them around our house in different rooms. They adapt well to being inside versus outside, and they definitely make a statement wherever they are placed.
• Green Ball Dianthus -This is an annual must-have plant for me. I love the grassy green ball of a flower. The flowers remind me of something right out of a Dr. Seuss book – they are so unique.
• Purple Fountain Grass – This plant is literally growing like a weed! I can’t believe how tall it has grown in just a couple of months! I’m not usually a fan of purple, but thought I’d give this plant a try this year. It’s in the same pot as the Rainbow Coleus, and they look so good together.
• Perilla Magilla – That plant definitely gives a pop of color to the patio! The leaves are almost iridescent, and they look so different in different lighting. I’m glad I tried this plant this year – it really is interesting.
• Moonflower – I grow Moonflowers every year. I love the large white flowers that seem to glow at night. I started this plant from seeds this year back in February. The plants grew very quickly. I transplanted them into a container with a trellis early this Spring. The very hot days followed by cool nights were pretty hard on this tender plant. I thought they all died, but refused to give up. I kept watering the dirt, and the Moonflower plants are back and are growing again! Since they’ve just started growing again, they are still quite short, but I am hoping to see some flowers by Fall. Crossing my fingers!
• Pearl Polianthes – I started these plants from bulbs early this Spring. This is the first time growing this plant. It took a while to see any growth, but now the plants are growing quickly and one already is starting to blossom! The white flowers on this plant have the slightest lime green and pink around the edges. I bought the plant for the flowers – can’t wait to see them.
• Rainbow Coleus – Coleus plants are just one of those staple plants every patio should have. They grow quickly and have such beautiful leaves. You can even bring this plant inside in the Winter and grow it as a houseplant. This variety has bright colored leaves with lime green and pink, and it fits well with the other plants in this space.
• Mezoo Trailing Red – I still have these plants in the nursery pots I bought them in. Oops! I wasn’t sure if I wanted to add them to the driveway urns, or to another container. I’m still undecided. I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect white vintage planter, and as soon as I find it – that’s where these guys will go!
• Angel’s Trumpet – I started this plant last Spring, then over-Wintered it in my office. It has bloomed many times since then! The flowers are a creamy white that get 16-inches long. Their scent is heavenly! The plant lost a lot of leaves over the Winter – even though it was still flowering – but it’s filling out nicely now that it’s outside again.
• Pilea Peperomioides – This is the ‘flying saucer’ plant I mentioned above. I just love the round leaves and how quickly this plant grows and reproduces. This is typically a houseplant, so I’ll be bringing it inside this Winter.
• Blanket Double White Petunia – These white Petunias are amazing! I love white Petunias in general, but when I spotted this variety this Spring, I knew they had to come home with me! The flowers are so pretty – they look like multiple flowers growing together. It’s hard to explain, but they are much more ‘fluffy’ than a regular Petunia. I like using white flowers in this area because they seem to glow at night when we’re relaxing on the patio.
• Corkscrew Grass – These plants are just so much fun! I put this plant in the center of the pots surrounded by the Blanket Double White Petunias. The planters sit at the base of our water fountain and the combination is perfect.
• Arbequina Olive Trees – I bought these Olive Trees back in February, then moved them out to the patio late this Spring. They are loving the hot humid days and all the sunshine! They were filled with blossoms earlier this Spring, so I’m hoping we get a lot of olives this Fall.
• Yucca Color Guard – I absolutely love Yuccas! I have them planted in many of the gardens and landscaping on our property. The tall flowering stalks with their beautiful white flowers are so amazing.
• Yucca Blue Sentry – In addition to the Color Guard variegated Yuccas, I also have the standard green Yuccas. They all produce white flowers, and they look stunning when in bloom. One of the Yuccas I have was my Grandmothers from many many years ago. When she passed, my Mom took this plant and grew it. When we moved to our house, my Mom gave it to me. It’s a pretty special plant to me.
• Soft Rush Grass – I have an antique iron planter on the patio and have this grass growing in it, along with the Euphorbia and Polka Dot plants. The combination is a winning one!
• Euphorbia Diamond Frost – I love the dainty white flowers of the Euphorbia. This makes an excellent filler plant and adds a lot of texture to the space.
• Clematis Manju – This is the first year growing this variety of Clematis. I stumbled on this plant this past Winter when flipping through the pages of all the plant mail order magazines I have. The flowers on this plant are really incredible! This plant is very small yet, so I have a feeling it won’t flower this year, but I sure am looking forward to the flowers!
• Superbells White Calibrachoa – Calibrachoa is such an easy-going plant! I love the mounded form of the plant and the never-ending white flowers. I have these plants potted in a couple low round bowl planters on the patio and they look so good there!
• Kimberly Queen Fern – I bought this plant last Spring (2021) when it was fairly small. It thrived on the Courtyard Patio all last Summer. I brought it inside for the Winter and had it in our master bathroom. It grew at least 10-times larger in the bathroom! I was sad to move it outside this Spring because I miss it in the bathroom, but it definitely appreciates the shaded area by the main front door and it loves the humid days we’ve been having. I’ll bring this plant back inside this Winter.
• White Bird of Paradise – I potted three Bird of Paradise plants in a pot by our main entry. They are growing so fast and are getting so tall! I hesitated putting three plants in one pot, but wanted a really full look. So far, the only downside for these plants has been the grasshoppers this year – they are eating the leaves! I keep spraying the leaves with a natural repellent, but the grasshoppers keep coming back. This is definitely the year of the grasshopper!
• Loyalist Hostas – The Courtyard Patio is lined with Hostas between the patio and the sidewalk. Lots of Hostas! I planted 25 Hostas in this area when we first added the patio. Over the years, they have grown so much, that they are now incredibly thick! I really should thin them out and divide them, but I like the dense look. This Hosta is a variegated Hosta with white and lime green streaks in the center – so pretty!

Sustainability and Hospitality for Wild Life

Having a garden/landscape that is sustainable, economical, and hosts as much wildlife as possible is very important to us. The plants I choose each year not only please the eye, but they are also selected to encourage wildlife visits. The hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, moths, frogs and toads all find something interesting in our landscaping. Not only are we providing food, we’re also providing water and shelter for these critters. And yes, the deer also love munching on the many varieties of hostas in our rock walls and landscaping, and the rabbits enjoy some of the flowers. I wish these critters would just eat the wild things in our woods, but I guess our plants are too tasty for them to pass up.

Having hundreds of plants like this in one area requires a lot of water on a daily basis. We have drip-lines that come from our well directly to the plants. By using a drip-line system, we can avoid a sprinkler system that would waste water, as the overspray would just be evaporated into the air. Having a drip-line system keeps the water just where it’s needed, eliminates waste, and ensures the plants are getting adequate water on a daily basis (whether we’re home or not).

Since our Courtyard Patio is on the north side of our house, I’ve also placed plants in the lighting that best suits them – those that require more shade are closer to the house, those that need more sun are further from the house. Having the plants in their preferred lighting just helps them to thrive, and they look good, too!

This year has been an especially bad year for grasshoppers. I’ve never seen so many in one spot before, and they are eating their way through our plants. I don’t use harsh chemicals to deter the pests in our gardens – instead, I use Neem Oil or other natural ingredients to keep these pests from destroying our plants. And, I do have plants closer to the woods that are planted just for these critters to enjoy. Just like with little kids – diverting them to something different can help save whatever you’re trying to protect. 😉

Another sustainable thing we have on the patio is the lighting. It’s all solar! We have solar Chinese Lanterns that hang from the trees, as well as solar up lights in each of the pots around the patio. When darkness falls, the patio is transformed into what feels like a tropical resort with all the palms uplit. It really is a magical space! We also have a green globe lantern that can be turned on, and solar wicker lanterns to light the tables. Such an amazing space! The lights are subtle, not so bright that they interfere with our nightly stargazing. And trust me, the sky around here out in the country is very dark, making for a perfect star gazing experience!

So there you have it! A quick tour of our Courtyard Patio – thanks for coming along! I hope some of the plants have inspired you with ideas for plants you might be interested in growing.

I’d love to hear what you think, or answer your questions! Leave a comment below and let’s chat!