Add a patio to your garden to transform it into a beautiful oasis on a budget with these 18 garden patio ideas. From inexpensive building materials to DIY designs, these inspirational ideas will help you create a unique, rich, and picturesque outdoor retreat that is best for your space and style.
18 IDEAS with PICTURES
1. Build a Tiny Garden Patio from Inexpensive Flagstones
Nestled on the edge of a green lawn lies a tiny patio, a place for a morning coffee or an afternoon meal. It has just enough room for a small table and four chairs. This rustic yet elegant design is easy to create on a low budget. By removing some dirt and laying out a few flagstones in a circular shape, you can have a beautiful retreat. The patio’s location is perfectly selected near a large pine tree that provides shade in the summer. The lush green bushes offer privacy. As you follow the narrow path that leads to this sanctuary, you will be greeted by a stunning black Buddha statue, a symbol of Zen and balance. In my opinion, this garden patio design is the perfect blend of simplicity and elegance.
2. Add a Circular Concrete Design to Accent Your Garden
What a lovely backyard spot, designed to have conversations or simply relax under the trees. It’s hard to tell if this patio was designed to fit the furniture or if the furniture was built to fit the patio size. In any case, it’s a simple concrete slab that you can build in two days’ time. Making a round form could be a bit challenging but it doesn’t have to be perfect. The circular seating is definitely a work of a craftsman. But you can create a similar design from recycled pallets or 2x4s. You can make the stepping stones yourself as well, to re-create this cool-looking path.
3. Include a Small Gravel Patio in a Flower Garden
I bet this garden patio was created on a very small budget. They used are few cheap bricks and some gravel to build a wonderful addition to the backyard. Surrounded by colorful flowers, the design is inviting and eye-pleasing. And the white patio furniture and adorable little bunnies provide just the perfect extra touch.
4. Surround a Red Brick Patio with Pink Flowers for an Amazing Effect
This design takes advantage of a small open area to create a brick patio that is furnished with inviting chairs that overlook an intriguing fire pit. But the most important feature of this idea is to contrast red brick with pink flowering bushes. The contrast is there, but it’s subtle, and that is what delights the eye.
The lovely flower beds create a bower of beautiful blooms, and this bower includes a variety of plants grouped according to height and color. Four wood posts provide support for string lighting. To make this patio blend in with the surrounding garden even more, I would paint the posts dark brown, to match the mulch.
5. Decorate Your Garden Patio with Beautiful Seats
Enter your garden patio paradise through an arched trellis. There you’ll find a pair of charming wooden benches. Take a seat, read a book, have a small fire in a pit, and enjoy a sunny afternoon. Large enough to lie down, these benches are a perfect fit for the garden, while the cushions add a decorative touch.
6. Use Color to Highlight Small Patio Spaces
Despite the small size, this patio appears spacious and airy. The whites provide a spacious, open quality while the purples draw the eye and add interest and contrast. The vines provide a vertical backdrop, and the bench beckons garden visitors to sit and enjoy the view.
7. Create a Bucolic Oasis in a Small Backyard Garden
This patio design is both simple and budget-friendly, yet it is also very thoughtful. It features a small brick floor, a tiny dry river bed, and a couple of stone bridges that lead in and out of the patio. All of these elements are contained within a small area of a few square feet.
A variety of colors and textures provide depth and interest in this small garden patio. The spiking flowers lend a natural appearance while the shorter plants provide a green ground cover. The whites and blues blend well with the furniture, and the simple decor and gravel bed create a natural, rustic look.
8. Surround Your Outdoor Patio with Lush Garden
This patio garden is as inviting as it is striking. The bright turquoise cushions invite the stroller to flop down comfortably in the swing, and the simple wooden benches also invite homeowners and guests to relax and enjoy the lovely colorful flowers. Taller bushes and plants provide a buffer for the fence and make this a haven on a warm summer day, while the fire pit serves as a focal point.
The patio is made with gravel and the fire pit is made from bricks. We have detailed brick fire pit plans and accompanying pictures to help you build a design just like the one shown above.
9. Add a Container Garden to an Outdoor Sitting Area
Create a lovely patio garden where you can relax, read, and enjoy the beautiful flowers. Remember the beauty of simplicity, and combine simple wooden furniture with wicker or wooden plant containers. Create variety by adding hanging baskets and shelves, and don’t forget that small figurines and DIY art provide charm to an outdoor sitting area.
10. Adorn a Shed
This small patio is adorned with a plethora of blooming flowers. Imagine sitting at this table and being enveloped by the pleasant aroma of a garden. Behind you is a rustic shed that looks as if it’s part English country cottage and part art decor. Colorful flowers contrast with the shed’s natural wood, and bold geometric shapes create a focal point for the shed and this fairytale garden. Vintage artifacts and simple furniture lend a folk art vibe. Who wouldn’t enjoy afternoon tea and pastries in this bucolic setting?
11. Cover Your Garden Patio with Shady Vines
On this elevated patio with steps, a pergola supports a variety of flowering vines, creating a pleasant shaded area. The wooden framework of the pergola adds a touch of color and its striking geometric design draws the eye in and focuses attention on the seating area. The inviting furniture makes this the ideal location for enjoying morning coffee, afternoon cocktails, or an informal dinner. What a beautiful creation!
12. Build a Simple Square Concrete Patio on a Budget
If you’re willing to do DIY work and some heavy lifting, then this simple raised patio can be created on a small budget. Use cheap cinder blocks for the foundation and cheap concrete stepping stones for the flooring. Or instead of cinder blocks, you could build a cement slab.
Add a porch swing to create that country house charm. Lush garden will provide a lovely backdrop that affords privacy, while container plants and ornamental grasses lend color and interest to complete the rustic design.
13. Pave a Part of a Garden with Bricks to Create a Patio
Use inexpensive red bricks to pave a small patio area in a garden. Add natural greenery in the background and a variety of flowers to invite birds and butterflies to your patio garden. Decorative items and comfortable natural wood furniture also create an inviting environment for the homeowner and guests to enjoy.
14. Add Mystique with a Simple Garden Pagoda
A simple garden pagoda can turn a small urban or suburban patio garden into a work of art. Use the pagoda as a centerpiece to draw guests to the area, and take advantage of natural stones to create a walkway to that pagoda. The walkway is lined with flowers, and a backdrop of trees provides privacy. Unique animal statues and colorful cushions complete the effect.
15. Turn Your Garden Patio into an Outdoor Living Room
An overhead canopy can filter the hot summer sun and provide a perfect environment for both people and shade-loving plants. Use simple furniture of natural wood for a modern look, and adorn the summery living area with container plants and DIY art. The art provides a striking contrast to the simple colors and clean lines of the furniture.
16. Create a Covered Garden Patio with a Pergola Kit
This beautiful garden patio boasts a modern minimalist pergola, complete with a privacy back wall and a solid roof. The pergola can be easily constructed from an inexpensive DIY kit. Lush plants and flowers flourish in the raised garden beds that surround the pergola, while a gravel path leads through the garden to the pergola. The color scheme of the pergola, garden fence, and raised beds are all matched to create a cohesive and budget-friendly design.
17. Make a DIY Gazebo the Centerpiece of Your Garden
Creating an awesome garden retreat doesn’t require a large budget. With a bit of imagination and some DIY work, a small corner garden can be transformed into a lovely outdoor space for relaxation or work. You can build a simple summer house or gazebo using wood and cover the roof and walls with clear plastic. Consider turning a part of the surrounding space into a Zen garden using boulders and pea gravel for a tranquil spot.
18. Transform an Empty Backyard Corner into a Garden Patio
The garden patio design shown in the photo above could be the cheapest idea ever. It would work well in warm climates. Lay out a few wooden boards to create a solid floor for a small outdoor furniture set. Then establish a narrow pathway made out of wood pavers, and you’re done. This would be an easy DIY project you can complete in just a few hours. The wood floor will eventually rot, but it’ll last for a few years and can be easily and inexpensively replaced when necessary.