Now the wet winter’s over and we can finally venture out on to our patios we need some quick fixes to brighten them up in time for the warmer, and hopefully drier, months.

But, aside from jetwashing them, what should the average gardener actually be doing to these patios...?

Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin, who last year added a wraparound balcony and cast iron columns decorated with swathes of wisteria to his own patio in Co Wicklow, Ireland, has some ideas.

Bulbs planted in patio pots in September may have rotted if they haven’t been given good drainage and were standing on pot feet, he says, but even if there’s no sign of them, all is not lost. “Even now, if you just lift the pot to allow them to drain, the bulbs and plantings may be all right.”

In addition to the practical, Gavin has some easy patio design tips too.

“You can brighten up the patio with instant colour, but be innovative about what you plant and how you do it.”

He suggests going to your local restaurant or take-away to see if they have any large metal containers which once held olives or other food. Drill a few holes in the bottom, put a layer of gravel at the bottom and fill the rest with well-drained compost and either put in a selection of wonderful herbs like basil or marjoram or even some salads like Lollo Rosso or Swiss chard, or even nasturtiums and marigolds, and you will have results fast.

“Another thing I love is to get big oil drums from reclamation yards for next to nothing, clean them up and paint them in Caribbean colours. If you have a collection of them you can cut some of them down to size and they make the most fantastic containers.

“Large containers like these will take a good quantity of manure and topsoil. If they’re big enough, you can plant birch trees or clumps of bamboos to create borders and long-term planting once you’ve top-dressed and had them irrigated. Be innovative about your choice of container and then make sure you have a good solid medium for them to grow in.”

If you want to invest in new garden furniture there’s a wealth of choice too, adds Gavin. “Several years ago if you wanted garden furniture you got a picnic bench or a plastic chair that cost £2.99. There’s been a radical change in furniture, with durable woven plastics, colourful seating and the new thing we’re going to see are cabanas.”

If you want to hide unsightly eyesores like water butts, you can just put a big pot in front of them, he says.

“People often make the mistake of corralling eyesores behind bits of trellis or fencing. If you do that, you make the garden look smaller and draw more attention to what you’re trying to hide. Maybe have a light framework of planting such as the Russian vine (mile-a-minute plant) which, if kept under control, will be fantastic.

“If you’re trying to hide something in the shade, go for a light framework of honeysuckle, which emits a fantastic scent, or some rambling roses. Simplicity is key in this to avert the eye away from the offensive article.”

Spring planting could incorporate double daisies (Bellis perennis), Bachelor buttons (cornflower) or cheiranthus (wallflower).

“Use traditional bedding in a more radical way. And if you didn’t plant bulbs, buy some which are about to come into flower, hyacinths or tulips, and surround them with bedding or with ivies in pots.”

“Don't try to be too tasteful. When I grew up in a very suburban street I grew up with blue and white and blue and white. Mass-plant different shades of blue together, while clashing colours of bedding can be incredibly exuberant."

Put a simple pot of herbs as your centrepiece which are tactile, or plants with aromatic leaves like a lemon-scented geranium, he advises. As you progress to summer, go for dwarf sunflowers – by then, we’ll hopefully have forgotten about the rain.