Philadelphia Patio: Before and After

Bye-bye, Cinder Blocks

A contractor friend sent me some photos of the way this patio garden used to look, before we turned it into a magical urban oasis. I’d forgotten how bad it was.

Tiling over the cinder block wall made a massive difference in the emotional affect of the space. Cinder blocks make good firewalls and they’re cheap, but that’s the best that can be said of them. Gray concrete sucks all the joy out of a space. The tiles reflect light as well as adding mood and interest. I did a patchwork tile pattern because why not? In a small space, every square inch can be a surprise.

The Japanese Maple in the large planter turned out to be an excellent choice for height, shade and foliage. The delicate leaves provide a lot of interest, and the fall colors are spectacular. It thrives in its container, mostly. The top was burned by drought one summer, but with conscientious watering it has filled out into a nice size and shape.

Solar lanterns use no electricity and turn themselves on at night, providing a delightful view out the back windows of the kitchen.

To be honest, we don’t use the fireplace for actual fires, but we do fill it with with candles and oil lanterns on balmy nights. That’s a lot safer and less smoky.

Hardscape Changes

We replaced the rotting fence shortly before developers built houses on the lot behind the house. I chose horizontal slats to create the feeling of an outdoor room, and painted them with stained wood varnish after the boards had cured.

The loss of sunlight when the houses went up meant that I had to shuffle planters, and lots of the original ones ended up at the front of the house. The plant rack hosts an ever-changing selection of propagations which are gifted to friends, or spend the winters in the basement under a grow lamp.

The tomato plants were volunteers. There’s not enough space to intentionally grow tomatoes, but I didn’t have the heart to remove them.

Transforming this patio was a labor of love, over several years. When you have a small space, making every inch count can be a creative challenge, and there’s infinite joy in the process.