Nothing levels the playing field between the rich and poor as the experience of dining outdoors.

Everyone has the same access to the sun, the moon and the stars!

If you ask me, outdoor dining is one of  the most indulgent pleasures that we can all enjoy.

Whenever my family eats in our backyard, our "ordinary" meal is transformed into an extraordinary one!

 

Inexpensive muffins, strawberries, pretty dishes and flowers are downright luxurious in this outdoor setting.

 

One of my favorite landscaping features to design is outdoor dining areas and outdoor kitchens.

I love the challenge of creating  beautiful and functional dining spaces that fit within my clients budgets.

 

Here are some examples of outdoor dining areas that I've designed using "weird," recycled, inexpensive and non-traditional materials.

 

 

Functional design doesn't have to be expensive.

I'm  also including  some "optional design features" that are nice to have if you have want to spend a little more cash.

 

 

Instant Garden Dining Area Using TV Trays!

 

TV tray collection surrounds a container garden"centerpiece" 

 

Some of you may remember my garden makeovers for HGTV's "Outer Spaces" show.

This was one of my favorites, "Green Thumb's Paradise."

Of course the budget was measly (as most garden TV makeover budgets are),  so I hatched this crazy idea of placing  TV trays around an urn to form a dining area!

 

A Funny Background Story About This Garden Makeover

 

 My yard was my "live" drawing board for many years until I gave it a  makeover.

 

When I was designing this garden makeover, my yard was a  barren landscape so it became  my defacto "design lab."

I used landscaping paint to draw the patio and garden bed configurations on my dead lawn.

 

This way I could, walk through the area and  experience it before committing to the design.

Once I was happy with my "dress rehearsal" design, I'd draw up the plan!

Don't be afraid to do the same in your yard!

 

Garden designers, am I crazy?

 

Take a look at the slideshow to to see what came from that adventure.

 

 

 

 

The Perfect Setting!

 

 

 Three trees offer shade for the future outdoor dining area.

 

The yard I was designing  for the HGTV  garden makeover had good bones.

Three trees enclosed  an intimate grassy patch which I immediately identified as the future dining area.

 

 Lower left is the urn planter used as centerpiece for the collection of TV trays

 

We created an informal patio floor using recycled concrete pieces embedded in sand to provide a level floor for the furniture.

Four TV tray tables were set around a tall urn planted with a tall ornamental grass for dramatic effect.

Instant centerpiece, instant dining area, instant happy homeowner!

Six years later, the homeowner is still using her tray table dining area.

 

 

Outdoor Dining for a Small Tract Home Yard!

 

One of my favorite repeat landscaping clients in Los Angeles bought a home with a small (800 square feet) yard.

Never mind the small square footage, my charming client wanted an  entertainer's retreat with dining for eight, a sunbathing area, and a garden for him to tend!

 

The antique indoor dining table was sealed with matte marine varnish to protect from water. 

 

He also had a GINORMOUS table he wanted to use in the outdoor dining area, so I designed the whole backyard around the table.

Take a look.

 

 

 

 

I divided the rectangular tract lot into three separate areas and used inexpensive recycled concrete for the floor.

The wood table was very heavy so we mortared the concrete pieces instead of setting them in sand.

Another important consideration was shade and accessibility to the kitchen.

You don't want to walk long distances between the kitchen and the table unless you are an experienced

waiter!

 

 

The dining patio area was constructed in a strategic location behind a few shade trees, so my client saved money on a shade structure.

Now my client  happily dines with his seven guests while listening to the calming trickle of the fountain, strategically placed in his garden.

He has it all!

 

 

Front Yard English Garden Tea Bistro!

 

An unused front lawn was removed to make room for the English bistro garden!

 

Landscape designer, Michael Glassman and I had a blast designing this front yard, English tea garden for our show, "Garden Police" on the Discovery Home Channel.

You  may ask, "Why place a dining patio in a front yard?"

The answer is, "No backyard!"

 

I know some of you may relate to this problem, but it's nothing to cry about.

Get creative!

Privacy is the most important issue when your front yard functions as your backyard.

Here's what we did.

 

 

Ditch the Lawn!

 

The first step was to remove the water-thirsty lawn and in it's place, create a gravel patio.

 

The crunchy sound of the gravel is very European!

 

 Brick edging surrounds the fountain and flower garden

 

There were some bricks from  the entry planter that had to be removed  because they posed a trip hazard in the new patio.

The bricks were re-used as edging for the new patio and garden beds.

No materials went to waste.

 

To make the dining experience more enjoyable, we added a fountain and planted the area surrounding the patio with a variety  of colorful plants and roses.

 

 Front yard English garden with gravel patio, roses and fountain

 

Although you can see the patio from the sidewalk, it is not completely exposed, just enough for people to see  and feel a little jealous!

 

 

Outdoor Dining Elements From Shirley's Gardens!

Here are some design elements from some of my other outdoor dining rooms.

 

See any ideas you can use?

 

For those of you who are contemplating building an outdoor kitchen, here are some tips I posted on my other blog, The Foodie Gardener!

"Five Tips For Creating Functional Outdoor Kitchens."

 

 

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If you like my ideas, please share a link to this article with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or add a link from your blog!

 

 

This post is part of a group post by the

Garden Designers Roundtable on the theme of  "Alfresco Dining."

 

Visit some of these other blogs for more creative ideas.

Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK

Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In the Garden : Los Altos, CA

Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ

Susan Schlenger : Landscape Design Advice : Hampton, NJ

 

 

 

 

 

I nominate "side yards" as some of the most under-exploited areas in the landscape! What a shame, especially when every square foot of real estate is valuable, even in a down economy.  

Small, narrow yards can be perplexing to some homeowners who don't know which plants and trees work in a constricted space.

The good news is that not only can you find appropriate plants for small garden areas, you can also design a narrow yard to include walkways, sitting areas, sculpture (or garden art ), water features and  fruit trees!

Here's the proof.

Check out this "narrow side yard"  makeover  I designed for my client in Los Angeles.

 

With sustainable concepts in mind, we used lots of recycled materials.

 

The widest area in this "abandoned side yard" is 10 feet from the wall to the sliding doors, the average is 8 feet wide.

 I inherited an evergreen Pear tree, a noisy air conditioner and a used dishwasher.

Where was "Freecycle" when I needed them 5 years ago?

 

The view from the opposite direction. I had BIG plans for this underused space. All I needed was a good design plan.

 

I try to design "on site" whenever possible.

I used my up-side-down marking paint and drew a new 4-foot wide walkway and flanking garden beds that average about 2 feet deep.

 I earmarked a sitting area and lots of fruit trees!

 

We fashioned "steppingstones" from broken pieces of used and recycled concrete and mortared each individual stone to the ground.

We spaced each stone about a strides-length away (the homeowners' stride), installed tube drip irrigation between each stone, filled with some crushed pea gravel for drainage, and lots of decomposed granite to top it off.

 

After photo: The long narrow walkway is complete! The gardens include lavender, ornamental grasses, tree roses, vines and a romantic metal arch that opens to the backyard. I even included a hanging pendent light.

 

After photo: The opposite view. Scent-filled gardens, perfect for a leisurely stroll.

Who knew this "underachieving" piece of real estate could become such a valuable feature in this yard?

 

Creeping "Elfin Thyme" forms a carpet between steppingstones. Festuca o. "Elijah Blue" punctuates the cobble edging and the rest of the garden is filled with herbs and perennials.

 

The key to incorporating fruiting trees in the narrow landscape is to plant dwarf varieties (like this dwarf lemon) in containers and find a sunny corner for them. I have three more fruit trees in this narrow garden!

 

This lemon tree doesn't take up much space horizontally and is a prolific fruiter . It also functions as a focal point in this small garden bed.

We even found room for "garden art" in this cubby area beneath the evergreen Pear tree.

Small can be beautiful!

 

Did I mention the homeowner is a surfer?

This metal surfer sculpture and metal chair is fun and reflects the homeowner's personality.

Even if this chair isn't comfortable to sit on for long periods, you can see that there is plenty of room to substitute it for a more comfy one.

Don't tell me you don't have enough room to be creative!

 

We constructed a simple, recycled wood frame awning  to place above the sliding doors and add dimension to the tall, flat wall.

 The awning is home to a happy potato vine.

 

Antique, ornamental and rustic bolts lend a detail that can be appreciated from close up.

Since this yard is so narrow, everything is closeup!

 

The sound of water is a healing balm.

 As a final touch, we placed a petite fountain on the short  6 foot wall, a larger one would have been out of scale.

 

"EdenMaker" Shirley Bovshow's rule of thumb for narrow yards:

" When selecting trees for narrow areas, make sure the trunk has a narrow profile and that the lowest limbs are higher than 7 feet" so that the average size person can walk underneath it.

Sorry Kobe!

You can still create a dynamic garden in small spaces.

If you are a rose lover, opt for rose trees as they don't take up bulky horizontal space like the bush form does.

Layer your garden with perennials, bulbs, flowering ground covers and vines, or play up contrasting foliage.

You don't need a huge variety of plants to make an interesting garden!"

 

Want some more inspiration?

Visit these Garden Designer's RoundTable member blogs:

Jenny Peterson, J Peterson Garden Design Laura Livengood Schuab, Interleafings The Hegarty/Webber Partnership Susan Morrison, Blue Planet Garden Blog Susan Schlenger, Garden Design Viewpoint Carolyn Gail Choi, Sweet Home and Garden Chicago Tara Dillard, Landscape Design, Decorating Styling

And, if that's not enough, check out these great articles by David Beaulieu.

To learn more about narrow side yard design, fellow blogger David Beaulieu, the Landscaping Guide at at About.com has some great articles:

Photo Guide to Walkways

How to Build a Stone Walkway Walkways and Pathways

How to Make and Use Garden Steppingstones

Supplies for Stone Fountain Project

Varieties of Apple Trees